Apple's 2021 MacBook Pro could feature a surprising new design

It's fair to say that Apple's M1 chip hasn't disappointed. Revealed in November, the company's first ever custom silicon has been the talk of the tech world ever since, thanks to its unparalleled speed and efficiency. But if new leaks are to be believed, M1 could soon be old(ish) news.

According to new reports, the chip's successor, the M1X, could appear in new machines as soon as this July. Yep, it sounds like our best laptops for graphic design list could gain some new entries sooner than we expected. And there could be some design surprises in store too.

According to Bloomberg, the new MacBook Pro could feature up to 32 graphics cores (the current M1 Macs feature 8), as well as up to 64GB RAM, a huge jump from the current maximum of 16GB. The M1 Macs are already incredible, but M1X sounds like a dream come true for creatives using the most intensive graphic design software.

But perhaps the most intriguing details are related to the design of the new MacBook Pro. iOS developer Dylankt also claims that the M1X MacBook Pro will feature a flat-edged design akin to the iPad Pro, and no MacBook Pro logo below the screen. A MacBook Pro minus the logo might sound surprising, but there's precedent here – Apple recently unveiled a new iMac (below) sans logo, so the company is clearly going for a more minimal look.

Apple has been ramping up its M1 campaign this month, with both the beautiful new iMac and updated iPad Pro joining the club with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini. We just hope the 16-inch MacBook Pro, our best laptop for graphic design, gets a look-in soon.

While recent rumours have (logically) named the new chip M2, Dylankt insists the next iteration will be the M1X – and that it will arrive at some point in 2021. Whatever the name, we've no doubt it'll offer incredible performance for creatives. Photoshop for M1 Macs, for example, is already unbelievably fast. Check out today's best M1 Mac deals below, and be sure to check out our Apple deals page for more brilliant offers.

Read more:

• The best laptops for photo editing
• The best laptops for programming
• Apple's 2021 iPad Pro release date just leaked (and we're confused)