MacBook Pro rumored to get OLED display in 2026

AppleInsider

A new supply chain report from Korea backs up previous claims that Apple will ship a MacBook Pro in 2026 with an OLED screen made by Samsung Display.

A MacBook Pro display, sans OLED

The most recent previous rumors concerning the use of OLED in the MacBook Pro said it would start in 2026, and possibly using Samsung Display. Now according to Korean publication Dealsite, Samsung Display is to be the sole supplier.

Samsung Display is reported to have invested in the 8.6th generation of OLED technology specifically for the MacBook Pro. This is a leap from the existing 6th generation that means the company making larger panels at a lower production cost.

Apple is said to require the company to use oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) technology alongside low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) OLED. The current iPhone 16 uses LTPS, and it's previously been reported that applying oxide TFT could reduce power consumption.

Samsung Display is also reported to have significantly improved this use of oxide TFT panels. The company now expects to produce 15,000 glass substrates per month, meaning up to 10 million MacBook Pro displays annually.

That's said to be around twice the number Apple expects to need for the MacBook Pro. There have been reports that the MacBook Air will also get an OLED screen, but most recent speculation is that this won't happen until 2029.

Separately, the report claims that Samsung Display's focusing on the MacBook Pro OLED screen is providing an opening for China's BOE to become a major supplier of OLED screens for the iPad. BOE has reportedly expanded its OLED factory in the hope of gaining more orders.

However, BOE is also embroiled in multiple legal cases with Samsung Display, which each side accusing the other of patent infringement.

Rumor Score: Possible

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beowulfschmidt

I would be leery of using an OLED monitor for the majority of use cases for which Macs are used.  Static content, like appears in most "productivity" apps, is a recipe for burn in.

On the other hand, current panel manufacturers seem to be doing a good job of incorporating anti-burn in measures; Hardware Unboxed has a test they've been running in pretty heavy usage for over 18 months now, and the burn in is barely visible to the naked eye.  It's there, but not at all distracting.

abcdeft

First, I would like MBP to have a display that's not gonna burn-in. Second, I hate when Apple dropped the DC-like dimming mode after iPhone 12, 480Hz PWM in all brightness... Yuck!