This is what it would look like

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It’s possible, if not unlikely, that Apple will replace the 13-inch MacBook Pro chassis with the upcoming 14-inch MacBook Pro M1.

In addition to the new M1 silicon, the 14-inch MBP, which is due in the second half of this year, may also feature a mini-LED display.

But the biggest draw will be a new design with thinner display bezels, possibly eliminating the need for a 13-inch model because the size difference will be too small.

HP made 14 ”but how does Apple do it?

Hewlett-Packard recently released a “14-inch” version of its popular Specter x360. HP says it’s a 14-inch but it’s actually a 13.5-inch display *.

Dell has made something similar to the latest XPS 13 9310 that features a 13.4-inch display instead of the standard 13.3 (although it’s still called 13-inch).

It’s amazing what a difference 0.1 or 0.2 inch diagonal makes. This is especially evident with the new Specter x360 as HP changed the aspect ratio to 3: 2 from 16: 9.

Basically what happens is the display gets a bit taller but the lower chassis stays more or less the same size (if you don’t add larger talking grills like HP did with the Specter x360 14 then get the lower chassis slightly deeper).

But as you can see in the image below, the Specter x360 14 chassis (keyboard, trackpad, palm rest, and talking grills) is actually wider than the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The point is that you can increase display size (and reduce bezels) and create a device that is actually smaller than some competing 13.3-inch laptops.

I’m guessing Apple will make a real 14-inch MacBook but it will keep the chassis close to the current 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. Apple should be able to take this off as it is left with plenty of room for development with the relatively thick MBP 13 bezels.

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NOTES:

* I have the 13.5 “3K2K (3,000-by-2,000) OLED (400 nits) OLED model. Another move for laptops is the move away from overclocking 4K on a 13-inch or 14-inch display to use more practical 3K display.One benefit is an increase in battery life.

Comments can be sent to mbcrothers[at]gmail[dot]com or direct message at twitter.com/mbrookec

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