Apple Just Leaked the New (Slightly Underwhelming) 16-inch MacBook Pro

A redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro is likely just over the horizon. But a small leak within macOS Catalina suggests that it may not be as overhauled as some users were hoping.

The leak is actually an icon which was first spotted by French Apple blog MacGeneration. Here’s what you need to know about the icon and what it suggests for Apple’s next MacBook.

macOS Catalina Icon

First discovered in beta versions of macOS Catalina 10.15.1, the icon is meant to represent the current computer when viewing the Displays menu in System Preferences.

At first glance (and even at second glance), you may not even notice that it isn’t an existing model.

But various versions of the icon is listed with the filename “16” — which presumably refers to the 16-inch display size on the upcoming MacBook Pro.

Compared to current MacBook Pro models, the icon appears to show off a computer with a slightly better screen-to-bezel ratio. But those aren’t “ultra-slim” bezels by any means.

Still, it’s important to keep in mind that the current 15-inch MacBook Pro actually has a 15.4-inch display. The bezels on the icon could still line up with rumors that the new model will sport a 16-inch display (which is only .6 inches larger).

The icon is also available in both a Space Gray and a Silver variant. That suggests that the upcoming MacBook Pro will be offered in the same color options as past models.

Other 16-inch MacBook Pro Rumors

So the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro isn’t going to sport ultra-slim, Huawei Matebook X Pro-style bezels. But that doesn’t mean that it won’t be an upgrade over past models.

Earlier this year, renowned TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple was readying a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an “all-new design.” What he meant by that specifically is unclear, but it’s looking likely that it won’t be a significant overhaul in the aesthetics department.

Still, the new MacBook Pro is largely expected to debut a redesigned keyboard with more traditional scissor switches instead of the problem-prone butterfly keyboard.

While the scissor switches are expected to be fairly low-profile (Kuo says many users won’t be able to tell the difference), they’ll likely be much more reliable than current MacBook keyboards.

The device is also expected to feature narrower bezels, which the macOS Catalina icon does actually depict. It’s likely that many rumor-followers were expecting even slimmer bezels, however.

Another analyst, IHS Markit’s Jeff Lin, expects the upcoming MacBook Pro to pack a 3,072×1,920 resolution and Intel’s 9th-generation Coffee Lake Refresh processors. The device could also come with a beefier power adapter.

As far as a release date, that’s less clear. Kuo says that the device could debut by the end of the year (and possibly at a keynote this month). But it’s possible that the device has been pushed until sometime in 2020.