MacBook Pro with OLED display rumored to hit shelves later than expected

A new supply chain report claims that Apple's plans for a MacBook Pro with an OLED screen will be delayed, partly because the manufacturer is concentrating on PCs.

OLED screens give higher contrast ratios and, since they require no backlighting, are both thinner and use less power than current displays. Apple has previously been reported to release a MacBook Pro with an OLED screen in 2024. In a report about Samsung Display being the exclusive supplier, rumor pushed the release back to 2025.

Now a new report from The Elec, says that such a MacBook Pro can't be expected before 2027. In translation, the publication says the displays will use Samsung's eight-generation OLED technology, but also that this will not be exclusive to Apple.

Instead, it claims that its sources say Samsung will make eight-generation OLED panels for clients such as Dell and HP. There is no information about when these firms may release devices with the screens.

The Elec also says that Samsung is aiming to supply these PC firms first. This may be because of Samsung's concern over declining Mac sales, as was reported in May 2023.

According to the publication, Samsung's factory is expected to be opened by the second half of 2024. "From 2026," Samsung Display President Choi Joo-sun said, "we will produce 10 million IT OLEDs per year here."

The Elec has a strong track record for the quality of its sources. However, it has a dramatically poorer reputation for determining what this information may add up to.