The new MacBook Pro 2021 may feature a display notch that would allow for a vast screen without giving up the webcam. The rumor comes just before an Apple event where Apple is expected to unveil two new models.

This is due to a blurry photo posted on Weibo of what appears to be a MacBook Pro display with a notch like the iPhone 13. This match between rumor and leak is made more plausible by Apple's USPTO patent, which includes sketches and notes showing how the notch would be implemented in Apple's laptop.

The patent notes that the display of a device like the MacBook may contain "inactive areas without pixels," which could be "protruding or islanded portions of inactive areas" that hold cameras for other electrical components.

When this is compared to the patent's sketch, one gets the impression that the patent is talking about a notch in the display.

All of this information comes just hours before the Apple Unleashed event, where rumors abound that the MacBook Pro 2021 14-inch and the new 16-inch MacBook Pro are expected to appear, and where longstanding rumors have suggested a flatter appearance, the elimination of the Touch Bar, and the return of MagSafe charging.

Of course, this includes a host of welcome internal upgrades that promise to make both the larger 16-inch model and the smaller 14-inch MacBook Pro the best laptops you can buy. If only the price weren't so outlandish.

Stay tuned to our live blog of the Apple Unleashed event for news as it happens. And read on for a breakdown of how likely the next new MacBook Pro is to feature a display notch.

There is photographic evidence

As noted above, there are photos of the MacBook Pro's alleged display notch.

Admittedly, it is blurry and difficult to tell if it is real, but if it is, it shows the FaceTime camera, microphone, and ambient light sensor that enables TrueTone.

The resolution seems to match

. Another hint that the notch rumor may be accurate comes from the macOS Monterey beta, where MacRumors found the resolution of the upcoming 14-inch MacBook Pro to be 3,024 x 1,964 and the 16-inch model at 3,456 x 2,234

How does that work?

So what? Subtract 74 pixels from the height of each, and you get the same 16:10 aspect ratio as Apple's other current MacBooks. That means the extra 74 pixels could be used for a new notch.

It will not be as prominent as on the iPhone

People object to the notch on the iPhone because it clearly encroaches into the screen, but this will probably not be the case on macOS. This is because macOS has a black bar along the top of the screen that can easily hide the camera area.

It may not even be present when watching movies or playing games. The rumored mini LED screen on the new MacBook could simply tint the entire area black to make it look like part of the bezel.

The late timing of this rumor is suspect

The main reason for skepticism is its timing. The rumor came out at the last minute and has not been analyzed in the past by Apple's usual leak sources: not a peep from Ming-Chi Kuo, Jon Prosser, or Mark Gurman.

Even the most established leakers miss things and get bits wrong (see the rumored square Apple Watch 7), which is not conclusive in itself, but is reason to be equally wary.

Without Face ID, why bother?

The reason all of Apple's flagship devices since the iPhone X have been notched is to accommodate the complex technology required for the company's Face ID authentication technology.

No one - not even proponents of the notch rumor - are saying that the new MacBook Pro will have Face ID.

Other laptops have 1080p cameras without notches

There are rumors that Apple is upgrading the webcam on the MacBook Pro. Some of the best laptops you can buy have 1080p cameras, but they all manage to accommodate them within the (admittedly thick) bezel. Surely there must be another way.

So will Apple explain the notch when the MacBook Pro launches, or is this just a hoax? It won't take long to find out. You can find out by tuning into Apple's event on Monday at 1pm ET/10am PST.