Apple is reportedly developing an M3 Ultra variant of the MacBook Pro, according to a leak from iOS 18.
Reports from Chinese social media have revealed details about an unreleased MacBook Pro configuration, indicating that Apple may have assessed a version featuring the M3 Ultra chip.
Currently, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are available with Apple’s M4 chip lineup, including the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max. Notably, there are hints of a potential fourth configuration not yet officially disclosed.
A post from Friday on the Chinese platform BiliBili detailed various discarded iPhone, iPad, and Mac configurations, with observations derived from the operating system of a pre-production iPhone 16 prototype.
Such pre-production devices frequently contain clues about upcoming hardware.
The leak points to references in early iOS 18 code regarding two unreleased MacBook Pro variants — J514d and J516d. Given that the identifiers for the M3 Pro and M3 Max versions are J514m and J516c, the presence of an M3 Ultra variant appears plausible.
The source indicates that Apple uses a “d” suffix for high-end Mac configurations to signify the inclusion of an “Ultra” chip. For example, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio is identified as J575d, while the slightly less powerful M4 Max is referred to as J575c.
The M3 Ultra chip is currently one of Apple’s most robust, supporting up to 512GB of unified memory and configurable with a 32-core CPU and a remarkable 80-core GPU.
The Mac Studio, known for its substantial heat sink and fan, would pose thermal challenges if integrated into a MacBook Pro, similar to heat issues previously encountered with late Intel models.
The leak also recalls that Apple shelved its plans for a PowerBook G5 over 20 years ago due to analogous concerns.
However, we have not verified the software strings, which may be limited to specific locales, and there is a chance they could be fabricated.
Operating system variants designed for internal development often include tests and files for multiple hardware versions, including developmental boards and experimental devices.
For example, early iOS 4 builds referenced an unreleased iPhone with the identifier N89, and internal iOS 8 distributions contained data for a scrapped iPad Pro with Apple’s A8X chip, identified as J98 and J99.
The recent leak discusses this specific scrapped iPad and accurately describes markings found on prototype hardware, along with known versions of Apple’s internal software tools, like PurpleRestore 3, used for OS distribution installations. This lends some credibility to the leaker, despite their lack of a proven track record.