Apple’s first OLED MacBook may be ready much sooner than expected

Apple is rumored to launch a major overhaul of the MacBook Pro, which may arrive even before the end of the year. One of the most significant changes will be the new OLED display technology, and a new rumor claims its development is ahead of schedule.

Mass production of the OLED screen for the new MacBook has started early

Samsung Display has reportedly kicked off mass production of the OLED panels that Apple will use for the new MacBook Pro. According to a Naver post (translated source) by Korean leaker yeux1122, the process has started earlier than initially planned.

The production of that panel was previously expected to start in Q2 2026, but Apple may have finished its pre-production testing earlier. While the source of the rumor doesn’t have the best track record, it corroborates earlier reports that the overhauled MacBook Pro will use the tandem OLED technology Apple already uses in the iPad Pro.

The MacBook with a touchscreen we’ve been waiting for

Beyond the higher picture quality of the OLED panel, the refreshed MacBook Pro will be the first Apple laptop with a touchscreen. The device will likely come in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, and it may replace the notch with a hole-punch camera or a pill-shaped cutout, similar to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island.

Of course, the new laptops will feature Apple’s M6 chip, which is expected to premiere late this year or in early 2027. However, before those, Apple has to launch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chipsets, which may happen in the coming weeks.

Questionable update

Touchscreens are amazing, but I’ve never been a fan of them on laptops. I don’t think today’s Apple can make the user experience so different that a touchscreen suddenly starts making more sense on this type of device. I’m sure many people will gladly buy such a MacBook, but I think I’ll stick to an iPad for any laptop-like touchscreen-powered experience.