Apple plans MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air and Mini with OLED displays

The move is part of a broader shift to OLED screens and gives customers a fresh reason to upgrade their devices

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By Mark Gurman

 

Apple Inc. is preparing major changes to its MacBook Air, iPad mini and iPad Air lines, with a plan to give the popular devices higher-end displays. 

The company is testing new versions of each product with OLED screens, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The technology — short for organic light-emitting diode — delivers richer colors and deeper contrasts than current LCD displays.

 

The iPad mini will likely be the first of the three to gain the upgrade, with an OLED-equipped model arriving as early as next year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the products haven’t been announced. 

 

The move is part of a broader shift to OLED and gives customers a fresh reason to upgrade devices. Though Mac and iPad sales are both projected to grow this year, they remain below the levels seen in 2021 and 2022, when the pandemic fueled a surge in computing purchases. 

The shift is also expected to bring higher prices. The iPad mini update — code-named J510 — could cost as much as $100 more because of the pricier display technology. Apple has also tested a redesigned casing for the iPad mini that’s water-resistant, matching a feature on recent iPhones. 

 

As part of that push, Apple has explored a new speaker system that uses vibration-related technology. The change allows the company to remove speaker holes where water could enter. That’s a different approach than the iPhone’s water-resistant design, which retains holes but adds gaskets and adhesives to prevent damage.

 

The iPad mini was last updated at the end of 2024 with a faster processor and support for the Apple Intelligence platform.

 

The upgrade plans aren’t final and could change or get postponed, as is typical during the product development process. Apple’s work on an 18-inch foldable iPad, for instance, recently had its release pushed back to 2029, Bloomberg News reported last week. 

 

A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment. 

 

While the next iPad Air, arriving in the spring, will continue to use LCD, Apple is preparing to switch the device to OLED in a subsequent generation. The iPad Pro — updated with the M5 chip last week — gained OLED in May 2024.

 

The iPad Air will be the last tablet in the lineup to make the transition — for now, at least. Apple doesn’t have active plans to move its entry-level iPad to OLED.

 

The MacBook Pro, meanwhile, is set to become the first Mac with an OLED screen in its next redesign. Apple also has begun early work on a MacBook Air — the company’s most popular laptop — that will use the same technology. But that upgrade isn’t likely before 2028. The M5 chip will come to the current Air design, retaining the LCD screen, in spring 2026.

 

The industry’s shift to OLED is still in its early stages. Most tablets and notebook computers continue to rely on LCDs, with only high-end offerings — like the iPad Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 — using OLED.

 

Apple first started using OLED with the Apple Watch in 2015. It then brought the technology to its smartphone in 2017 with the iPhone X.

 

The company stopped selling its last non-OLED iPhone earlier this year, when it replaced the iPhone SE with the iPhone 16e. The Vision Pro headset also uses a form of OLED, known as micro-OLED, for its displays.