I was worried the MacBook Pro OLED might get delayed, but a new report gives me hope for a timely release

MacBook Pro M5 — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The MacBook Pro OLED could launch sooner than I thought. Last month, Bloomberg reported that these laptops could be delayed due to the global RAM shortage. However, a new report gives me hope that Apple’s first OLED laptops might overcome this hurdle.

As Korean publication The Elec reports (via 9to5Mac and MacRumors), panel supplier Samsung Display will begin mass production of its next-generation OLED panels as soon as June. These are the same panels that the MacBook Pro 14- and MacBook Pro 16-inch models are expected to use.

Samsung Display has reportedly achieved yields above 90 percent on its Gen 8.6 OLED production line. The report says that supply volume should be around 2 million units and that the displays could start shipping to Apple’s assembly partners in the next couple of months.

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If accurate, this report is significant because of the difficulty of manufacturing OLED panels for 14- and 16-inch laptops. This, combined with the RAM crisis, is why many analysts believed the MacBook Pro OLED could face delays. Samsung still expects a 5%-10% failure rate during manufacturing, underscoring that the process isn’t easy. However, that same failure rate is acceptable to Samsung, hence why the MacBook Pro OLED might not be delayed.

Apple hasn’t officially announced MacBook Pro laptops with OLED panels, but rumors have persisted for the past several years. Such a laptop would be the first major redesign for the MacBook Pro line since 2021, with reports claiming the updated laptops will be thinner, drop the notched display, and even include cellular connectivity, in addition to the OLED panel.

As for when we could see the MacBook Pro OLED, it could be in late 2026 or early 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 2027 might be the safer bet, especially as the upcoming MacBook Pros are expected to run on the rumored Apple M6 chip. Tell us in the comments if you're waiting for a MacBook Pro OLED.

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Tony is a computing writer at Tom’s Guide covering laptops, tablets, Windows, and iOS. During his off-hours, Tony enjoys reading comic books, playing video games, reading speculative fiction novels, and spending too much time on X/Twitter. His non-nerdy pursuits involve attending Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concerts and going to NYC bars with friends and colleagues. His work has appeared in publications such as Laptop Mag, PC Mag, and various independent gaming sites.