The new iPad Pro is Apple’s first large-screen device to use OLED tech, but. according to a new report, the rest of Apple’s high-end big-screen devices won’t be far behind. According to a market analyst Omdia, Apple is “highly likely” to replace the mini-LED displays in the MacBook Pro with OLED screens as soon as 2026.
The report explains that Apple is a key contributor to the growth of demand for OLED displays, fueled by production for the new iPad Pro. However, while the iPad Air and iPad mini will eventually get OLED displays, Omdia says the surge in demand isn’t limited to iPads and iPhones and extends to Apple’s other devices as well:
Apple is highly likely to incorporate OLED into its MacBook Pro models as early as 2026. This move could spark a significant surge in OLED demand within the notebook market, potentially reaching over 60 million units by 2031.
Ricky Park, Senior Principal Analyst, Omdia
The Omdia report is based on industry trends, so it’s unlikely that Omdia’s forecast considers any information from Apple itself. Also, no specifics are provided, so for example, it’s not known if Apple will use the Tandem OLED implementation it uses with the iPad Pro, though it seems likely, since Tandem OLED is used to generate the brightness Apple wants for its pro products.
Omdia’s report is all about OLEDs, but we can’t help but wonder, what chip the 2026 MacBook Pro will have. Recent reports have stated that Apple plans to introduce the M4 MacBook Pro later this year or in early 2025, but after that, Apple’s cycle isn’t known. The 2026 MacBook Pro could have an M5 if the M4 comes later than predicted or Apple decides to lengthen the cycle after the M4’s release. Or it could have an M6 if Apple normalized the cycle with annual chip releases.
At any rate, it’s likely that Apple will increase the price of the MacBook Pro when OLED arrives like it did with the iPad Pro.
Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor, Macworld
Roman is a Macworld Senior Editor with over 30 years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the Mac and other products in the Apple ecosystem. He is also the host of the Macworld Podcast. His career started at MacUser, where he received Apple certification as a repair technician (when Apple did that kind of thing). He's also worked for MacAddict, MacLife, and TechTV.