Apple is preparing for another wave of updates: new MacBook Pro, iPhone 17e, iPad Air and the first external monitor in three years

Taras Mishchenko - 14 July, 12:50 PM

In the fall of 2025, Apple will traditionally present updated iPhones and Apple Watch, as well as several additional products, including new iPad Pros with M5 processors, an updated Vision Pro augmented and virtual reality headset with an M4 chip, and probably accessories, Bloomberg reports.

The greatest activity is expected in the first half of 2026. According to the latest insiders, Apple is preparing a large-scale, albeit evolutionary, update to a number of devices:

MacBook Pro with M5 chips: 14- and 16-inch models could arrive as early as 2026. This would be a departure from the tradition of launching flagship laptops in the fall – similar to the release of the M2 Pro and M2 Max in January 2023.
iPhone 17e: Apple appears to be moving to an annual refresh of the "e" series, which is the successor to the budget iPhone SE line. The model will get the A19 chip, like the rest of the iPhone 17 series, but will remain virtually identical in design to the iPhone 16e.
Budget iPad: The company plans to update the most affordable model of the tablet, which currently costs $349 in the US.
Updated iPad Air: The 11- and 13-inch versions of the tablet will switch from the M3 chip to the new M4.
New external monitor for Mac: This will be the first new model since the launch of the Apple Studio Display in 2022.

Despite the number of announcements, mostly minor changes are expected: new processors, performance improvements, no radical redesigns. Most devices will remain in familiar cases, without significant updates to the appearance.

There is a potentially interesting exception, however: a smart home display that Apple has been working on for over a year. This device would take the company into a new category for the company, but even if it does arrive in 2026, it would be several years behind competitors from Amazon, Google, and others.