Apple has brought back the glowing Apple logo on the touchscreen MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display, but there’s one big question: how does it glow when the new MacBook Pro uses an OLED display with no backlight? CEO John Ternus teased the return in a short video on X, showing the white logo lighting up against the laptop’s dark metallic lid.
The catch is that Apple hasn’t explained how it works yet. The old glowing logo relied on light passing through the display’s backlight, but OLED panels produce light at the pixel level and don’t have a backlight. That means the new MacBook Pro needs a different way to illuminate the logo, and Apple hasn’t revealed whether it uses a separate light source or how users can control it.
The glowing Apple logo returns after 10 years
If you’ve missed the illuminated Apple logo, there’s a reason it disappeared. Apple dropped it from the 12-inch MacBook in 2015 and the MacBook Pro in its 2016 redesign. Since then, both lines have used a polished but unlit logo on the lid.
The original design was surprisingly simple. The logo wasn’t a light of its own; it was a cutout that let the screen’s backlight shine through. That also meant it dimmed whenever the display did. With the new OLED panel, Apple can’t rely on that same trick, so the glowing logo appears to use a different lighting setup. The company hasn’t confirmed the details.
Ternus teased the feature with the words, “We’re glowing with excitement over the new MacBook Pro. You’ve gotta touch it to believe it.” His 12-second video shows a white Apple logo glowing against the dark metallic lid, dimming and then lighting up again.
https://x.com/johnternus/status/2115490555480461555
There’s still plenty Apple hasn’t clarified. The glowing logo appears in Ternus’s video, but Apple’s product-page renders show the lid with an unlit logo. The company hasn’t explained whether users can adjust its brightness or switch it off, how much battery power it uses, or what happens when the MacBook Pro sleeps. Those details will matter for people who use their laptops in dark rooms or meetings.
Pricing runs from $2,899 to $4,799
The glowing logo comes with the new touchscreen MacBook Pro models, which start at $2,899 for the 14-inch version with M5 Pro and $3,399 for the 16-inch model. Configurations with M5 Max start at $4,499 and $4,799, respectively. Education pricing starts at $2,749 for the 14-inch M5 Pro model and $3,199 for the 16-inch version, while the M5 Max models start at $4,199 and $4,499.
Apple Upgrade leasing starts at $55.99 per month for 36 months on the $2,899 configuration, before taxes and any trade-in credit. The touchscreen MacBook Pro was among several products that opened for pre-order on October 28. The first units are scheduled to arrive Friday, November 6.
