Is the new Apple M1 MacBook design about to change?

Since their release last month, Apple's brand new M1 Macs have been blowing creatives away with their incredible power, speed and battery life. Our only disappointment when the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro were announced was that their design remained entirely unchanged – but it seems M1 Macs that actually look different could be just around the corner.

A new leak suggests Apple has not one but two new M1-powered MacBook Pros lined up for 2021, and both will feature the long-rumoured addition of an LED screen. And if there's one thing that could make our best laptop for graphic design even better, it's an improved display. 

According to DigiTimes, a 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro both with LED displays will enter mass production in the second quarter of 2021. The current 16-inch MacBook Pro was curiously absent from this year's line-up of MacBooks featuring Apple's custom-designed M1 chip – and being the largest MacBook available, an upgrade from Intel to the incredibly fast M1 chip can only be good news for digital artists who need the extra screen real estate.

As for LED itself, this is a truly exciting prospect for creatives. LED screens offer much better brightness and contrast than traditional LCD screens, and currently only certain high-end iPhones feature the tech. Rumours suggest the iPad could be next in line for an LED display, but if it also hits the MacBook, could Apple's entire product lineup soon feature vastly improved displays?

As well as looking incredible, LED displays are also more power efficient. The new M1 MacBooks already offer unbelievable battery life, but a version with an LED display could end up both looking better and lasting longer. And if they also feature the recently leaked M1X chip, they could be even faster too. In other words, it sounds pretty good to us. 

For creatives, the M1 Macs are already an incredibly tempting proposition – and believe it or not, there are already some surprising discounts to be found on the new machines. The future of M1 Macs certainly sounds bright (quite literally), but if you want the best of the best available right now, check out today's best M1 Mac deals below. 

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