Sit in front of one of the best MacBook Pros today and you’ll immediately see why everyone seems to love Apple’s displays. MacBook Pro screens are some of the most impressive around and are a key reason why Apple’s devices are among the best laptops you can buy – yet rumors persist that Apple is still planning to make an OLED MacBook Pro.
For years now, these rumors have claimed that Apple is planning to transform its flagship laptops' displays into something even better with the addition of OLED technology. While the mini-LED panels inside current MacBook Pros are undoubtedly incredible, the combination of OLED goodness and Apple’s knack for quality could blow the company’s rivals away.
If you’re interested in the latest rumors about this mooted OLED MacBook Pro and what the laptop could bring, you’re in the right place. We’ve gathered all of the latest speculation in one place, helping you to weigh up whether or not this rumored laptop is worth waiting for.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The rumored next-gen MacBook Pro with an OLED display
- When is it out? The latest rumors suggest 2027
- How much will it cost? Too early to say. The current MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 costs $1,599 / £1,699 / AU$2,699
OLED MacBook Pro rumored release date and price
The latest rumors suggest that an OLED MacBook Pro is still years away. In February 2024, a report from The Elec suggested that Apple would not get OLED panels made by Samsung Display until 2027.
This is a year later than previous rumors had suggested that the tech would arrive in Apple’s pro-level laptops. In November 2023, MacRumors and analyst Jeff Pu predicted that Apple would bring out OLED MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models at some point in 2026, based on an investor memo.
Still, this doesn’t necessarily mean 2027 is the earliest we will see an OLED MacBook Pro. It might simply mean that the OLED panels from that particular supplier won’t arrive until 2027.
Another report in November 2023 from ETNews claimed that the first OLED MacBook Pros should arrive in 2025 with a 16-inch model, with a 14-inch version following in 2026. Display analyst Ross Young, meanwhile, has mooted either 2026 or 2027 as the launch date.
In other words, the release window is still a little up in the air. We’d be surprised to see an OLED MacBook Pro as soon as 2025, given the dearth of corroborating reports. Instead, 2026 or 2027 seems more likely, especially when you consider how Apple prefers to take its time to get things right rather than move too quickly.
As for the price, that’s currently unknown. When Apple upgraded the 16-inch MacBook Pro to come with mini-LED tech in 2021, it increased the starting price slightly from $2,399 to $2,499 / £2,599 / AU$4,299, although it’s worth noting that that the version also featured new Apple silicon chips and a redesigned screen.
If the only major change that comes to the OLED MacBook Pro is the display, we’d hope the starting price would stay the same. But right now, this is only speculation.
OLED MacBook Pro news, rumors and features
Given we're likely a couple of years away from an OLED MacBook Pro, it's a little soon for specific rumors about the laptop's specs and features. But some related rumors about the OLED iPad Pro could give us some hints about some of the tech's benefits.
According to analyst Ross Young, Apple is planning to launch an OLED iPad Pro that will achieve a number of industry firsts. That includes being the first to offer features that will give it a significant boost to brightness, a remarkably low weight, and a longer battery life than any competing tablets or laptops.
While we don’t know for sure that these features will make it across to the OLED MacBook Pro, it seems like a good bet. Apple has placed several new features in its iPad Pros before they made the leap to the MacBook (such as the company’s first mini-LED display), and we could see a similar pattern with OLED panels.
There could be another similarity between the iPad Pro and the OLED MacBook Pro: a touchscreen. Despite years of resistance to the idea of a touchscreen laptop, Apple has reportedly done a secret about-face on the matter. That’s according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who has claimed that a touchscreen MacBook Pro could arrive as soon as 2025. If that comes to pass, the OLED version that follows a year or two later would likely also be touchscreen-enabled.
A lot of other details surrounding the OLED MacBook Pro are unknown at the moment. For instance, we don’t know if there will be any changes to the laptop’s design, nor do we know what chip it will have.
However, given what we know about OLED and mini-LED panels, we can ascertain what sorts of features we might see in the new displays. Right now, OLED screens offer better brightness compared to mini-LED panels, as well as greater contrast ratios, improved color accuracy and longer battery life. These are some of the benefits we might see when Apple switches to OLED screens in the MacBook Pro.
What about other Apple devices?
At the moment, the only Apple devices to use OLED displays are the Apple Watch and the iPhone (with the exception of the iPhone SE). According to the rumor mill, though, that is all going to change within the next few years.
Korean outlet ETNews has drawn up a roadmap that it says shows a slate of new OLED products that Apple is planning to launch in the near future. That starts with an OLED iPad Pro later in 2024, followed by an OLED iPad Air and an OLED iPad mini in 2026. ETNews believes the iPad mini will come in a new 8.7-inch size (up from the current 8.3 inches), but that neither the Air nor the mini will come with Apple’s ProMotion tech that allows for 120Hz refresh rates.
After that, ETNews contends that Apple will launch an OLED MacBook Air in 2027, alongside an upgraded OLED iPad Pro that could possibly come with an under-screen camera. Finally, we could also see two new standalone OLED displays from Apple in 2027, analysts at Omdia believe, coming in 32-inch and 42-inch sizes.
That’s a lot of new products bearing OLED panels, and it’s worth noting that while some of the ideas mirror reports from other sources, others are not backed up elsewhere. It’s therefore a good idea to take these reports with a grain of salt.
OLED MacBook Pro wrap-up
While much of what we know about the OLED MacBook Pro is conjecture at this point, it could represent an exciting switch-up for Mac fans. Alongside the improved contrast, brightness and battery life that OLED could bring, we might even see touchscreen functionality come to Apple’s laptops. With the company supposedly looking to switch many of its devices to OLED panels over the next few years, it seems that major changes are afoot.
That said, there’s no way of knowing exactly when we’ll see an OLED MacBook Pro, or even if we will see one at all. But considering the sheer quantity of rumors on this topic – and the fact that some of the most reliable tipsters in the industry are on board with the idea – it seems that an OLED MacBook Pro is becoming increasingly likely.
