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The MacBook Air and iPad Pro could soon get a major upgrade

Alex Blake
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Apple is planning to add OLED panels to a range of popular devices, including the MacBook Air, the 11-inch iPad Pro, and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. That’s according to display industry expert Ross Young, who has a strong record of accurate leaks when it comes to Apple.

In a message shared with his paying subscribers on Twitter, Young stated that the new panels were likely to debut in the aforementioned devices in 2024. That would mark the first time both the MacBook Air and the iPad Pro come with OLED displays — currently only the iPhone and the Apple Watch use OLED technology.

The screen of the MacBook Air M2.
M2 MacBook Air Luke Larsen / Digital Trends

Few other details were shared in Young’s tweet, but he has commented on similar ideas in the past. In June 2022, for instance, Young claimed that Apple is working on stacked OLED displays for the MacBook Air and iPad Pro, which would increase brightness by 30% while lowering power consumption.

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Right now, the MacBook Air comes with an LCD panel, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro feature mini-LED displays. OLED screens offer better color depth and draw less power than mini-LED panels, but are nowhere near as bright. Apple’s stacked OLED panels, however, might be a happy medium between the two technologies.

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While that would be a great boost to the iPad Pro, it would be even more significant for the MacBook Air. Currently, the MacBook Air’s display is noticeably inferior compared to the MacBook Pro — in our review of the M2 MacBook Air, we said the difference was “substantial” compared to the 14-inch MacBook Pro, which comes with “incredible HDR performance” that the MacBook Air lacks. An OLED display, however, could help level the playing field substantially.

So, should you trust this leak? Well, as we said earlier, Ross Young has a strong track record for Apple leaks and currently tops AppleTrack’s leaker leaderboard with 92.9% accuracy. Previously, he correctly predicted that the iPhone 13 Pro and MacBook Pro would come with ProMotion, Apple’s variable refresh rate tech. He’s been accurate elsewhere, such as when he said the sixth-generation iPad mini would have an 8.3-inch screen, and that the newest MacBook Air would get a 13.6-inch display.

Still, it could be that this rumor doesn’t pan out, so temper your expectations. But if it proves to be true, it could be a major boost for fans of the iPad Pro and MacBook Air.

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Alex Blake
Alex Blake
Computing Writer
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