There was certainly a lot of hype leading up to the announcement of this device, with all the leaks and rumours. We knew it was coming, but that didn’t change how big a deal it was for Apple to release a touchscreen MacBook. Now that I’ve had my hands on it and used it, let me tell you what I’ve learned.

The elephant in the room

The elephant in the room is Steve Jobs’ famous words more than 15 years ago, when he said there was simply no need for a vertical touchscreen, essentially setting Apple on a different path. Despite that, pretty much every Windows laptop in the world has been a touchscreen, or available as one, since then.

I’m just going to ignore the competition and the fact that touchscreen laptops have existed for a while. That’s irrelevant. This is a different device. It exists for different reasons, and it is a MacBook.

I’m also going to ignore ideas from more than 15 years ago, because while Steve Jobs has been gone for about that long, Apple has evolved. Steve Jobs also said there’d be no stylus, and Apple now has the Apple Pencil. There are plenty of reasons to ignore age-old statements from a former CEO.

Apple’s best MacBook

The MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR display, which we’ll just call the touchscreen MacBook Pro from here on, is Apple’s best MacBook. Without fear or favour, it sits at the top of the tree – a tree that now goes all the way down to the MacBook Neo, a device I still think is simply outstanding. The Neo has spurred on more innovation in the laptop space than most things over the last 15 years.

Consider a company that has the best-selling laptop in the world in the MacBook Air. Apple now has an even more entry-level option with the MacBook Neo, plus multiple versions of its pro-level device, all powered by processors that outperform nearly everything on the market for both everyday users and high-end pros.

The high-end pro user has always been best served by Apple, both from a software perspective (helped by the many vendors that create software for the Mac ecosystem) and from a hardware perspective, especially since Apple moved to its own silicon.

For several months I’ve been using the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max, so I’m already familiar with the power and performance this new device offers. It’s superb, but there’s nothing new about that. I didn’t notice any great changes. I didn’t notice increased Wi-Fi speeds or changes to Bluetooth, both of which are enhanced by new chips.

It’s really about the screen itself – the OLED

Still, spec for spec, this is a better device, no question. What you’re really doing when you buy this laptop is choosing an OLED display. You’re choosing a better screen. The fact that it’s a touchscreen is actually secondary to the whole device and the whole decision-making process.

While none of us will ever know for sure, I’d argue Apple didn’t design this as a touchscreen laptop. I’d argue Apple had a roadmap to improve the screens on its MacBook Pros to a level it defines as reference monitor-capable. I’d argue Apple planned to move the MacBook to OLED, as it has done with other devices.

What they realised, when they worked with their OLED manufacturing partners and engineered a screen so thin yet so powerful, so bright and so accurate, was that they could probably put a touch layer on it as well. Why wouldn’t you? It’s genius.

I don’t think anyone’s buying this device because it’s a touchscreen. I think they’re buying it because it has the best screen on any Apple laptop.

How good is the ProLED XDR display?

In my short time testing this, I didn’t have an amazing Windows laptop with an OLED screen to compare it to. But Apple was willing to put a very high-end Windows laptop side by side with it in my demonstrations in Los Angeles. It was utterly impressive to see how much brighter the Apple OLED screen was, with better viewing angles – pretty much a guaranteed better screen. No question.

However, in my own testing, sitting it side by side with a non-OLED MacBook Pro, I didn’t notice the vast improvement I had seen when Apple demonstrated it. That may come down to the way Apple demonstrates things. It may also come down to the things I do.

The truth is, this laptop is not for me. I’m not a colour grader. I don’t really manipulate photos. I’m happy to put up with dark areas of a screen being crushed or bright areas being blown out. I can just enjoy content without noticing those technical shortcomings on different TV screens, let alone laptop screens.

Overall, I’ve been impressed by the screen, but not over and above previous MacBook Pro screens I’ve used. I think that’s really important. This is a very expensive device at over $4,500 for the 14-inch, and the one I’m using is closer to $7,000 because it’s the 16-inch version with more storage.

Is the touchscreen any good?

I actually think some of the things I was shown in Los Angeles and tried here at home are the big features of this touchscreen OLED. Its responsiveness is unquestionably outstanding. Apple knows how to do touchscreens. It’s done it since the original iPhone and has enhanced it with every generation of every touchscreen product since. It’s a touchscreen second to none. There’s no lag when you’re manipulating the screen, and no lag when you’re swiping. It feels fantastic.

Critically, though, Apple has essentially shot itself in the foot with its brilliant trackpad and the gestures that already exist. Apple’s trackpads have always been so large that you’ve been able to pinch to zoom, scroll around and three-finger swipe between spaces. All these things have felt quite natural on the Apple trackpad.

For me, Apple Maps is the best demonstration of the touchscreen because Apple Maps has never been super intuitive. Some of the gestures used in Apple Maps on the Mac just don’t make sense. When you use Apple Maps on the touchscreen, it’s a more logical experience, more akin to what you’d do on an iPad or iPhone. That felt natural. Everything else felt like an afterthought.

I feel like I reached for the screen more because I wanted to know if or how it worked, rather than because it was better than using the trackpad. In my opinion, if you need power and performance from an Apple laptop, the standard MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro or M5 Max chip is going to deliver that. You’ll also get the benefit of the huge trackpad, with the gestures that now also exist on a touchscreen.

The small stuff: Dynamic Island, hinge and sound

The use of a Dynamic Island on this display is a clever move, and I can absolutely see Apple doing this across a wider range of its laptops. It’s a very familiar experience. There’s probably hardly a MacBook owner who doesn’t own an iPhone, so you’re familiar with the Dynamic Island. You’re used to seeing album art, football scores and the like appear there, so it makes sense that Apple would bring it to the MacBook.

But interestingly, a lot of the time I didn’t see the Dynamic Island, because the menu bar was black, so it faded into the menu bar just like the old notch did. Again, it didn’t feel like a dramatic improvement to me, but I can see how it creates better screen real estate for the average user on a MacBook Pro.

Apple made a point of talking about the rigidity of the hinge, because with a touchscreen you don’t want the screen wobbling (especially if you’re on a Zoom call and swiping around on the screen).

But I’ll be honest: compared with my previous MacBook Pro, I didn’t notice a vast difference. I think it’s probably like whitening toothpaste. It technically whitens your teeth if you use a scientific measurement, but can you really see the change over a couple of weeks? Probably not. You probably wouldn’t notice the impact this hinge has on wobble, but I guess it’s there if you need it.

Apple also talked up the improved sound from this version of the MacBook Pro. This time there’s a clear difference, in my mind. Listening to two laptops side by side and alternating the same song on both, I could tell a difference, but I couldn’t actually tell you whether it was better clarity or just different clarity. It felt perhaps slightly less muffled, but I couldn’t say it’s a better sound. It was just a different sound in my book.

The real productivity hack: iPhone Mirroring

I think the true productivity hack with the MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR display is iPhone Mirroring. I’ve got to get used to keeping my phone in my pocket and opening the iPhone Mirroring app, because it is actually sensational.

Now, with the touchscreen, you’re navigating your iPhone exactly the same way as you normally would, because you can touch it – except it’s a virtual version on the screen. I think the smartest users will use iPhone Mirroring more. People who regularly use iPhone Mirroring should absolutely be considering this as their primary device.

Verdict: MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR display

A lot of hype, and well deserved, but in the end this is just another MacBook Pro: outstanding performance, fantastic power, great battery life, now with an unbelievably beautiful screen and the benefit of a touchscreen where you need it. It’s a high price to pay.

Personally, I think most people would do quite well with the standard 14-inch MacBook Pro (or the 16-inch if you need a bigger screen). Remember, most people (and I mean well over 95% of people) could get everything they need from a MacBook Air – or even the MacBook Neo.

Trevor Long travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of Apple. The MacBook Pro with ProLED XDR display reviewed here was supplied by Apple on loan.