Apple’s First Touchscreen MacBook Pro Lands in India, but the M6 Model Tells a Different Story

As discussed earlier, Apple has finally brought touch controls to the MacBook Pro. It is a big shift for a company that stayed away from touchscreen laptops for years, even while Windows makers made them common.

The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display is aimed at people who edit videos, design graphics, make music, or work with demanding software. It is available in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, with prices in India starting at Rs. 3,49,900, as per the press release.

However, there is an important detail for buyers. Apple has also launched a separate 14-inch MacBook Pro with the newer M6 chip. The touchscreen model does not use M6. Instead, it comes with the higher-end M5 Pro or M5 Max chips.

Touchscreen MacBook Pro – What is new

The biggest talking point is simple – you can now tap, swipe, scroll, and pinch directly on a MacBook screen.

For everyday use, that could mean quickly zooming into a photo, moving a slide in a presentation, or scrolling through a long webpage with a finger. For creative users, the benefit may be larger. A video editor could make a quick adjustment on a timeline, while a designer could work directly on artwork without relying only on the trackpad.

Apple pairs touch support with its new PROLED XDR display. It uses tandem OLED technology, which is designed to deliver deep blacks, strong contrast, and better brightness control. Apple says the screen can reach up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness and supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

The touchscreen MacBook Pro also brings Dynamic Island to the Mac. It can show quick updates, music controls, calls, and other small tasks near the top of the display.

M5 Pro and M5 Max power the touch models

The touchscreen MacBook Pro is built around M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, not the standard M6 chip. That may sound confusing at first, but the product positioning is quite clear.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max versions are made for heavier professional work, such as 8K video editing, 3D animation, large design projects, and software development. Apple offers up to 128GB of unified memory and up to 16TB of storage on these models.

In India, the 14-inch touchscreen MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at Rs. 3,49,900. The 16-inch M5 Pro version starts at Rs. 4,09,900. M5 Max configurations cost more, beginning at Rs. 5,49,900 for the 14-inch model.

How it differs from the MacBook Pro with M6

The M6 MacBook Pro is a separate 14-inch model for buyers who want newer processor technology at a lower entry price. It starts at Rs. 2,39,900 in India.

Unlike the touchscreen version, the M6 model retains a non-touch Liquid Retina XDR display. Its main appeal is performance, battery life, and newer wireless connectivity rather than a redesigned screen experience.

Apple says the M6 chip offers faster graphics and improved on-device AI processing compared with M5. It also includes Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and up to 24 hours of claimed battery life.

Put simply, the touchscreen MacBook Pro is the more premium display-and-creative-work machine. The M6 MacBook Pro is the more practical option for students, developers, office users, and creators who want strong performance but do not need touch controls or the OLED panel.

Competitors and buying view

Windows laptops from brands such as Lenovo, HP, Dell, and ASUS have offered touchscreens for years, often at much lower prices. Apple’s advantage is not that it introduced touch first. Its bet is that macOS, Apple silicon, OLED quality, and a refined touch experience together will appeal to professionals.

For most people, the M6 MacBook Pro looks like the sensible choice. But if you work with colour-sensitive visuals, detailed creative tools, or simply want Apple’s first touchscreen laptop, the PROLED XDR model is the more exciting machine.