While many of Apple’s laptop rivals have embraced OLED screens, Apple has stuck firmly with mini-LED in its MacBook Pro — and while the results have been spectacular, people have been wondering when Apple will switch to OLED. As we said when we reviewed the M4 Pro MacBook Pro, its increased brightness is superb, but “the mini-LED panel will just never reach the highs of OLED.”
Now, there whispers that Apple is working on something better: its own brand of OLED display that could take the MacBook Pro to the next level. It’s still early days, and there are all sorts of different rumors flying about, but it seems that something big is definitely in the works.
To bring you up to speed, we’ve scoured the rumor mill for all the latest happenings. We’ve put everything together in this guide, so by the end of it, you should be well informed about the OLED MacBook Pro. Here’s everything we know so far.
Price and release date speculation
Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the OLED MacBook Pro’s future asking price, but we can use the past as a guide. For example, when Apple revamped the MacBook Pro with 14-inch and 16-inch mini-LED panels in 2021, it bumped the price up by $100. Having said that, though, this update also brought a raft of new features, including new Apple silicon chips and the notch-ified display.
This time, if Apple just upgrades the screen to OLED and keeps everything else the same, the price might not change. If, however, it takes the opportunity for a more wide-ranging overhaul, don’t be surprised if the price increases slightly.
And when might we see all this? Well, while previous suggested dates as varied as 2025 and 2027, the consensus now seems to be coalescing around 2026. Industry analysts TrendForce and Omdia have both landed on that date, as has Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who is well-known for his accurate Apple predictions. Display expert Ross Young, who also has a stellar track record for Apple leaks and rumors, concurs with the 2026 date too. With so many knowledgeable sources agreeing on 2026, that’s seems to be the date to mark in your diary.
Apple is apparently also planning to bring OLED panels to the MacBook Air, but this laptop has reportedly faced setbacks, with the possibility that it now won’t launch until 2029. That’s according to Korean outlet The Elec, but there’s been no word yet on whether the OLED MacBook Pro is facing similar delays.
With Apple, it’s usually best to take a cautious approach when it comes to release dates. The company prefers to wait a little longer and get a product right rather than rushing to market with a half-baked and unfinished device. With that in mind, we wouldn’t entirely rule out a release date for the OLED MacBook Pro of 2027 or beyond.
Design and features
Apple last redesigned the MacBook Pro in 2021, so by 2026 it might well be in line for an updated look. That’s the opinion of Mark Gurman, who believes that the laptop will get a “true overhaul” in 2026 that includes a thinner chassis.
Interestingly, the thinner design could be intricately linked to the OLED display. When Apple brought out the tandem OLED screen in the latest M4 iPad Pro, it said that this technology enabled it to slim down the tablet’s design while bringing excellent battery life and even better brightness. Given how much time and money Apple will have spent on tandem OLED tech, you can bet it will come to the MacBook Pro — which suggests a thinner design could be on the way as well.
And that’s not the only design change we’re expecting in the OLED MacBook Pro. For a while now, people have been speculating that Apple could drop the notch and replace it with something smaller, and it’s an idea backed up by at least one Apple patent. Now, industry analysts Omdia have thrown their weight behind the idea, claiming that Apple will bring a holepunch-style cutout to replace the notch in 2026. Could this mean we see the Dynamic Island on the Mac? We’ll have to wait and see.
We can be more certain when it comes to what the OLED panels will bring. Compared to mini-LED, OLED offers improved brightness, contrast, color accuracy, and battery life, which are all things that would appeal to the MacBook Pro’s target audience.
And there’s more. Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has predicted that Apple could launch a touchscreen MacBook as soon as 2025. If that proves to be true, we can easily see Apple adding that tech to the OLED MacBook Pro when it debuts a couple of years later. Oh, and the OLED iPad Pro also now comes with a nano-texture glass option that significantly cuts down reflections. That’s another feature that would suit the MacBook Pro, particularly since it’s already in the Pro Display XDR that’s made for the Mac Pro.
What about the chip powering all of this? That’s harder to predict, but we can make an educated guess. There are reports that Apple wants to switch its Macs to an annual upgrade cycle, potentially starting this year. If so, the OLED MacBook Pro could come with an M6- or M7-series chip if it is released in 2026 or 2027, respectively.
What else will get an OLED display?
Judging by the rumors, Apple isn’t planning on limiting its OLED panels to the MacBook Pro. In fact, it could be about to build them into almost every device it makes. The iPhone has had OLED screens for years and the iPad Pro got it in 2024. Soon, most of Apple’s other devices could soon join them.
At the moment, there are two main outlines for Apple’s future roadmap, with one coming from ETNews and the other from Omdia. Starting with ETNews, the outlet believes we’ll see the following OLED schedule come to pass:
- 16-inch MacBook Pro in 2025
- 14-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad Air and 8.7-inch iPad mini in 2026
- 12.9-inch iPad Air, upgraded iPad Pro in 2027
Omdia, meanwhile, has published an alternative timeline:
- 14.3-inch, 16.3-inch MacBook Pro, and 8.4-inch iPad mini in 2026
- 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air in 2027
- 13.8-inch and 15.5-inch MacBook Air, upgraded 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro, and foldable 18.8-inch device in 2028
Omdia has previously published a report claiming that Apple will produce two standalone displays (32-inch and 42-inch) with OLED panels in 2027. However, those screens were not present on the company’s latest roadmap, so it’s unclear what the future holds for them.
Regardless, while the two sources agree on some points, there are also some notable points of difference. What they both believe, though, is that OLED is coming to future Apple products, and in a big way.
