Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

MacBooks and iPads may have a very slow transition to OLED

By

Apple has been making strides in the display quality of recent iPads and Macs, but has yet to dip into OLED. A recent report from The Elec suggests Apple might collaborate with LG to supply OLED display panels for iPads and MacBook models to be released in the coming years.

These devices aren’t scheduled for an immediate launch, however, the publication details that Apple would likely unveil two OLED two iPads before announcing its first OLED MacBook.

The screen of the 2021 MacBook Pro.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The iPads might be 11-inch and 12.9-inch models featuring Gen 6 OLED panels. The OLED material LG plans to use on the iPad will allow them to be manufactured in less time, according to The Elec.

Recommended Videos

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, has also backed up the rumors, suggesting that the 11-inch and 12.9-inch OLED iPads might release sometime in 2024 at the earliest. Meanwhile, the upcoming MacBook might feature 8.5 OLED panels and release in the 2025 time frame.

Related

I think the release date of the OLED MacBook is mainly dependent on the schedule of iPad’s adoption of OLED. MacBook would use OLED in 2025 at the earliest if Apple could successfully release 12.9-inch & 11-inch OLED iPads in 2024.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 17, 2022

LG might begin mass-producing LTPO OLED panels for iPads in 2023, if not 2024. The Elec claims LG has been vetting one of its factories in Paju, South Korea, since December 2021 to manufacture Gen 8.5 OLED panels, likely for the rumored MacBook. The factory has already been connected to rumors of LG’s involvement in OLED iPads and iPhones, according to MacRumors.

OLED MacBooks aren’t the only future projects Apple is reported to be delving into currently. Kuo and fellow analyst Ross Young have detailed that the brand has a concept for a foldable MacBook with a 20-inch display and a resolution of at least 4K.

The device is intended to be a cross between a MacBook and an iPad while having a completely touchscreen keyboard. While there is no word on which company would be manufacturing the foldable display for this product, LG is also active in the flexible display industry, having announced products such as its rollable OLED TV.

If the device came to fruition, it might not end up releasing until 2026 or 2027.

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…

Editors’ Recommendations

iPad is the best secondary screen I’ve used with a MacBook
You can extend your MacBook's screen by using an iPad as a secondary monitor.

I spend an unhealthy amount of time lurking in communities where people share aesthetic desktop setups. One of my friends recently set the group chat on fire with a triple monitor setup that had two vertical screens and an ultrawide curved panel at the center. An impulse swipe later, I achieved a similar makeover for my desk at home.

Here’s the problem, though. My $600 workstation overhaul did bring me visual joy, but not much utility. For reporting assignments, I spend the majority of the year away from home, working from deserted cafes or unnaturally uncomfortable bunk beds. I do miss the convenience of large secondary screens. Interestingly, that yearning is addressed by a rather unconventional device —the humble iPad. 

Read more
Here’s how Apple’s first foldable MacBook might win me over
The Zenbook Fold 17 open on a table.

Rumors have persisted for years now that Apple is working on a touchscreen MacBook, but I’ve never been truly convinced. For one thing, I don’t see how a touchscreen could improve my MacBook experience enough to justify the inevitable price rise. This is Apple we’re talking about, after all, and there’s just no way that a touchscreen MacBook will possibly come cheap.

As well as that, I’ve long agreed with Steve Jobs’ belief that adding a touchscreen to a regular MacBook is an ergonomic nightmare. Constantly reaching up to the display is a quick way to exhaust your arms, and paining its users isn’t really part of Apple’s playbook. The Mac operating system isn’t designed for touch either, and in any case, adding a touchscreen would result in all manner of greasy fingerprints on your monitor. It’s never seemed like a good idea to me.

Read more
The MacBook Air proves you don’t need AI to create a world class laptop
Apple MacBook Air 13 M4 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

Our review of the M4 MacBook Air has just dropped, and it’s fair to say it’s one of the best laptops money can buy. For the first time ever, we gave it full marks and a five-star score, with our reviewer dubbing it “as close to perfect” as any laptop they’d seen. There’s no question that it raises the bar for thin and light laptops.

You name it, the MacBook Air has it: impressive performance that belies its lightweight design, build quality that will stand the test of time, a quiet and fanless operation that ensures you can work in peace, a comfortable keyboard and expansive trackpad, and so much more.

Read more