Samsung may supply OLED displays for 16-inch MacBook Pro, future iPad Pros

Apple updates the 15-inch MacBook Pro for 2019

Apple is not a stranger to OLED displays in some of its products, including the high-end iPhone models and the latest-generation Apple Watch models. A new report suggests Samsung may be tapped to supply OLED displays for not only a future MacBook Pro, but also the iPad Pro lineup.

According to a report from The Elec (via MacRumors), Apple is going to move to OLED displays for at least one MacBook Pro model, as well as finally make the switch for the iPad Pro lineup at some point in the future as well. Samsung will reportedly be the company called upon to supply those displays.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot to go on here and The Elec doesn’t necessarily have a strong track record when it comes to rumors. So take this one with a grain of salt for sure. However, the adoption of OLED displays in other popular devices with the Apple logo would make sense. Especially for the iPad Pro lineup.

It’s also worth noting that these new devices aren’t necessarily a surprise by themselves. Rumors of a 16-inch MacBook Pro have been circulating since February of this year. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has speculated that Apple will launch a new, redesigned MacBook Pro with a display measuring in between 16 and 16.5 inches. However, at the time, Kuo didn’t specify a display technology.

Since then, we have also heard that Apple is planning on adopting mini-LED displays for the MacBook Pro in early 2021, which could see a display size between 15 and 17 inches. There seems to be some confusion at this point if we’ll see the 16-inch MacBook Pro launch, and then this mini-LED model launch after that as an upgraded model down the line. We may also see Apple wait to upgrade the display in the MacBook Pro until it’s ready to launch the mini-LED displays, too.

(Apple launched two upgraded MacBook Pro models earlier this month, both of which have the same display technology as the previous models. The only changes came in the form of the Intel processors inside, with Apple adopting its first 8-core MacBook Pro.)

Meanwhile, new iPad Pro models are coming down the pipe, too, which could feature upgraded antenna technology, too. Early rumors suggest Apple could move into mass production of the new iPad Pro beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019. It’s possible that these new iPad Pro models adopt an OLED display, but there are rumors pointing to Apple adopting mini-LED technology by 2021 for the iPad Pro.

Sounds like Apple is going to start making some big changes in display technology for some of its products. The question is, should Apple wait to fully adopt mini-LED and just skip OLED for some of these products? Or do you think Apple should use OLED for as long as it can before it makes the leap to mini-LED?