After introducing the iPad Pro M4, whose OLED screen performed very well in tests, Apple is also preparing to switch to organic light-emitting diodes for the MacBook. It is unclear whether this will happen this year, but there are early indications from the manufacturer’s main suppliers. LG Display, which is the main supplier of Apple’s panels along with Samsung, has now introduced a tandem OLED component that could fit well into the MacBook. With tandem OLEDs, the two panels are joined with each other, which significantly increases the brightness – this technology is also in the iPad Pro M4.
Advertisement
Configuration for 13-inch notebook
A press release from LG Display says they have Mass production of “the first tandem OLED for laptops” introduced. The new standard panel achieves a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels (WQXGA+ format), achieves 100 percent representation of the DCI-P3 color standard and reproduces HDR images with VESA “True Black 500” certification.
The panel is currently for 13-inch notebooks. Power consumption is said to be reduced by up to 40 percent compared to a conventional OLED with only one layer. When marketing, LG Display is thinking, among other things, of “AI laptops” (ie models like Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC) or “regular laptops”. According to its own information, LG Display has also managed to integrate a touch sensor directly into the tandem OLED, as evidenced by the iPad – but Apple is unlikely to be interested in this with the Mac – at least for the time being.
For Apple it should be a little more
As exciting as it is that LG Display is now selling a tandem OLED for notebooks, Apple is unlikely to use such a panel off the shelf. Instead, the group’s screens are always customized to its configuration needs by large suppliers like LG Display or Samsung Display. Also, the 16-inch version is currently missing, which would be necessary for the MacBook Pro in addition to the 14-inch version if Apple sticks with the current form factors.
So it’s likely that those interested in OLED will have to wait until next year for the MacBook Pro. Apple is expected to switch to the new M4 SoC for its professional notebooks in the autumn – it’s expected to debut in October. Currently only the iPad Pro has M4 chips.
(B.Sc.)
