Apple Supplier Unveils 'Industry First' Tandem OLED Laptop Panel

OLED iPad Pro panel maker LG Display has begun mass producing the industry's first 13-inch tandem OLED panel designed for laptops, the Korean company announced this week.

lg display tandem oled laptop
LG Display supplies the majority of OLED panels for Apple's latest M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, which use a similar tandem structure. Tandem OLED panels combine two stacks of red, green, and blue (RGB) organic light emitting layers, which together offer better durability and performance compared to single-layer OLED panels such as the one used in Apple's iPhones.

LG has been developing the panels for the automotive industry since 2019, and says that efficiency gains mean they reduce power consumption by up to 40%, and enable up to three times the brightness. By designing the components and enhancing the structure of the 13-inch tandem OLED panel, LG Display says it has also been able to make it around 40% thinner and 28% lighter than existing OLED laptop screens, allowing for a sleek design and greater portability.

From LG Display's press release:

The new panel combines convenience and performance with high definition. It boasts a WQXGA+ (2880×1800) high resolution and accurate color expression that meets 100% of the DCI-P3 standard color area established by the Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), allowing high-definition content to be presented with increased clarity.

With OLED's characteristic self-emissive pixels and infinite contrast ratio, it has also been certified as Display HDR (High Dynamic Range) True Black 500 by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA). This confirms its ability to show both bright and dark images so well that it enhances their three-dimensionality and produces a display quality that is as close as possible to what the human eye naturally sees.

There are currently no Macs with OLED displays. However, according to a November 2023 report by analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Technology Research, Apple is actively developing an OLED screen for the ‌MacBook Air‌, although the release of an OLED MacBook Pro is expected to come first.

An earlier report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that a new ‌MacBook Pro‌ with an OLED display could be the first touchscreen Mac in 2025. Notably LG Display says that it has also embedded a touch sensor inside its latest tandem OLED panels to improve touch performance.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...

Top Rated Comments

1369281 Avatar
18 months ago
If it uses PWM (pulse-width modulation, aka flickering) then I won’t be buying it. Apple needs to stop using PWM in their products because it gives many of their customers eyestrain, headaches, and nausea.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FloridaScrubJay Avatar
18 months ago
Really liking the tandem OLED display on my M4 iPad Pro!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
18 months ago

If it uses PWM (pulse-width modulation, aka flickering) then I won’t be buying it. Apple needs to stop using PWM in their products because it gives many of their customers eyestrain, headaches, and nausea.
Many or some?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pcd213 Avatar
18 months ago
The 2026 MacBook Pro, now starting at $2499
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usmaak Avatar
18 months ago
The new M4 iPad is the first screen that I haven't been able to use since screens began, and I've been staring at screens since the 80s. There was just something about it that my eyes didn't like. It made my eyes burn and they got really tired after only staring at it for 15 minutes. I ended up returning it and going back to the M2. I was really looking forward to the M4 and the colors were so sharp on it but I couldn't justify spending the $$$ and hoping that my eyes would somehow adapt.

I hope that they keep some screens LCD. I ended up getting an M3 MBA and I've had no problems with it. I'm hoping that there's some new screen tech in the future that doesn't cause me eye issues. My work laptop is an M1 MBP and I can stare at it for hours with no eye issues.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
18 months ago

Strange how Apple want to be the first to new process nodes, but will take years rolling out new display technologies
Apple typically only incorporate technologies when they are satisfied they reached a certain maturity in order to deliver quality and reliability. Indeed since Apple transitioned to IPS LED LCD displays and OLED panels… they are amongst the best in the market.

Process nodes for the AS is an entirely different thing.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)