M4 iPad Pro's display is coming to Mac — Apple's OLED MacBook Pro again tipped for 2026

M3 MacBook Pro review
(Image credit: Future)

Yet another report claims that Apple is planning to introduce OLED display technology to its MacBook lineup in 2026, sparking a major surge in OLED notebook demand. 

Apple recently unveiled its new best iPad, the M4 iPad Pro, replete with a tandem OLED display that Apple calls Ultra Retina XDR. The new iPad uses two OLED panels, combining the light with both for brightness of up to 1000 nits in both SDR and HDR, as well as 1600 nits peak for HDR. While the new iPad Pro has an HDR bug in its earliest iterations, it is the biggest Apple display leap in years and one that MacBook customers look set to benefit from soon. 

We’ve heard multiple reports of Apple’s plans to bring OLED to the MacBook, and now more market research indicates this is the case. 

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Apple to drive OLED notebook march 

A new Omdia report from May cites Senior Principal Analyst Ricky Park, who states “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.”

A report in December claimed that Apple’s OLED MacBook could arrive as early as 2025. However, more recently we’ve heard that the MacBook Pro with OLED display could be delayed, with other reports placing the device’s launch in 2026 or even 2027. 

Scattered timeline aside, all agree that Apple has a significant OLED upgrade on the cards for its MacBook Pro. We say Pro because this certainly seems like a feature that’ll be reserved for Apple’s more expensive MacBook Pro line. The new OLED display in the iPad not only improves the display but saves weight and thickness, benefits a future MacBook could share following the adoption of OLED in the future. 

Before then, Apple is expected to unveil a new M4 MacBook Pro, perhaps as early as the end of 2024. The M4 chip is expected to mark the first time Apple pivots its entire lineup to the current generation of Apple silicon.

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Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9