Display industry analyst Ross Young says it is “increasingly likely” that Apple will launch a new 13-inch MacBook model with an OLED display in 2024. He added that the new notebook could be a new variant of the MacBook Air, but cautioned that the iPhone maker could use different branding.
Previously, the Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst has accurately provided insights into displays for Apple products, such as the iPhone 13 Pro, iPad mini, and MacBook Pro. In a couple of tweets shared with Super Followers on Twitter, Young says he expects the company to also launch an 11-inch iPad Pro and a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with OLED displays in 2024.
He adds that the three upcoming devices could sport an advanced OLED display with two emission layers for each color — red, green, and blue. For the average user, this would translate into enhanced brightness, vivid colors, and lower battery drain.
Apple is transitioning from standard LCD to mini-LED backlit displays on Mac and iPad. The technology is an incremental upgrade, but OLED displays are more advanced. They don’t rely on a backlight since each individual pixel works like its own backlight. This gives OLEDs their characteristic deep blacks and sharper contrast.
Young adds that the OLED panels will use Apple’s ProMotion technology. The technology is implemented using LTPO OLED panels which can drop their refresh rate down to 1Hz when idling and raise it to 120Hz when gaming or performing intensive tasks. This allows even more power saving. All iPad Pro models released since 2017 are equipped with ProMotion displays but the lack of LTPO panels means the refresh rate can only be reduced to 24Hz. However, if Young’s prediction is true, the upcoming MacBook Air would be the first Air with ProMotion technology.
