MacBook Pro Likely to Get OLED Display and Thinner Design in 2026

While the new MacBook Pro lineup features faster M4 chip options, Thunderbolt 5 support for higher-end configurations, a nano-texture display option, and more, most of the previous MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips still offer the latest overall design, and fast performance, which might lead you to avoid upgrading this year.

Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero
If you are planning to skip the new MacBook Pro, here are two bigger changes that are rumored to come to the laptop in a few years from now.

First is an OLED display. Previous rumors have claimed the MacBook Pro will switch to OLED display technology as early as 2026. In the meantime, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and display industry analyst Ross Young both recently predicted that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will continue to have mini-LED displays in 2025.

Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more. The switch to OLED displays could also contribute to future MacBook Pro models having a thinner design.

Second is the just-mentioned thinner design. Earlier this year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was working to make the MacBook Pro thinner over the "next couple of years." He said that Apple is aiming to create a class of devices that "should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry."

A more vivid OLED display and a much thinner design would be more compelling upgrades that might finally drive existing Apple silicon MacBook Pro users to upgrade.

Update — November 3: In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that the MacBook Pro will "probably" get a "true overhaul" in 2026, with an OLED display and a thinner design. He expects only a small performance boost for the 2025 MacBook Pro models, with M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips that are "already near completion."

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

wdfly Avatar
3 weeks ago
Give me more power over thinner and lighter any day.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Trusteft Avatar
3 weeks ago
Why this obsession with thinner above all? With as few ports etc as possible?
I don't know, it feels like there are deeper issues here which manifest as this push for more and more thin and less and less...functional? I don't know. It feels weird.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
3 weeks ago
“Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness”

There are no commercially available OLED screens of the size and quality needed that will be brighter than what Apple is using now. I could be unaware of one, but I’ve looked. Maybe for much higher costs, if there is one. I know this is a rumor for future devices but if I wrote this article I’d hedge the “increased brightness” part. Maybe there will be brighter large OLED screens within the next 1.5 years (to make a late 2026 release deadline), but what’s getting released now (13” iPad Pro) is just matching the LEDs for brightness.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
3 weeks ago
Make it so much thinner

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surfzen21 Avatar
3 weeks ago
I predict the touch bar is coming back for the 2027 model ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mansplains Avatar
3 weeks ago
Forget a 32" iMac, it's time for the all-new 32" MacBook Pro Max!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)