Apple recently announced the “Unleashed” event where the redesigned M1X MacBook Pros are expected to be launched. Just ahead of this event, a rumor suggests that the new MacBook Pro models will feature a notch.

According to the rumor which appears to have been set off by a Weibo user in China, the MacBook Pro models will sport a notched display and the notch would be “similar to iPhone 12” in size. Another Twitter user with a history of sharing Apple news from Weibo suggested the rumor could just be a joke. However, the rumor was separately corroborated by a Redditor with no track record. This person claimed to have spoken with supply chain resources.

The rather detailed Reddit post went on to explain that the MacBook Pro lineup will feature a standard size notch instead of the smaller one implemented on the iPhone 13. Instead of concealing a FaceID TrueDepth camera like on the iPhone, the MacBook Pro’s notch is rumored to pack a 1080p webcam, a True Tone sensor, and a microphone.

Rumor has it that despite the notch, Apple has been unable to give the notebook four bezels with equal width in the upcoming iteration. The notch design is expected to carry forward to the 2022 MacBook Air. Yeah, we are laughing at these claims along with you.

The Reddit post went on to cite a MacRumors report that mentioned the new 14-inch and 16-inch Pro notebooks will have display resolutions of 3024×1964 and 3456×2234 respectively. If 74 pixels are subtracted from the smaller vertical dimension, the resultant resolutions of 3024×1890 and 3456×2160 exactly match a 16:10 aspect ratio. For context, all current MacBooks have a 16:10 screen aspect ratio. This could indicate that the notch would be present.

Another rumor doing the rounds on Reddit and Weibo about the upcoming MacBook is that instead of just the keys, the entire keyboard area is black in color. This is touted to be “probably the biggest visual change on the keyboard since the Unibody redesigns over a decade ago.”

Our Take

While it is convenient to believe that the 74 pixels would be taken by the notch, the screen resolution isn’t an oddity and manufacturers rarely confirm exactly to standard aspect ratios for screens. There’s also the significant question of how macOS would account for a display notch. Thus far, we haven’t seen any signs or reports of support for a notched display in the code for macOS Monterey beta builds. Moreover, the timing of the review makes us suspect this is a planted rumor to drum up more hype for Apple’s Monday (October 18) event.