Amid rumors of an OLED MacBook Pro, which is expected to arrive later this year, Apple may bring OLED to the MacBook Air line, but not anytime soon. A new report claims that the upgrade is not expected before 2028, which means Apple is still keeping its thinner, more affordable laptop on older display tech while it saves the more dramatic screen improvements for higher-end machines first.
Apple May Delay OLED On The MacBook Air Until 2028 While
According to an older report from Bloomberg, Apple plans to move the MacBook Pro to OLED technology first, with the Air lineup to follow years later. The reason appears to be cost, since larger OLED panels are still expensive, and Apple likely does not want that expense hitting the Air lineup until pricing becomes easier to manage.
While the delay is quite annoying, it does track with how Apple usually rolls out premium display tech. The company already brought OLED to the iPad Pro in 2024, while the iPhone and Apple Watch models have used the panel technology for years. On Macs, though, the jump is more expensive and more complicated because of the display size.
A Touchscreen MacBook Era Is Coming
We have previously reported that Apple is planning to launch an “Ultra” variant of the MacBook, which will bring an OLED display and support for touch, with a launch window currently sitting around late 2026 or early 2027 depending on whose timeline ends up being right. This would be a huge deal for the company, which has previously spent years acting like touch on Macs was some kind of forbidden sorcery.
As for the MacBook Neo 2, earlier reports said that the second-generation model expected next year could gain touchscreen support. While it would have been a great idea for a budget laptop to get one of the high-end features, Apple would never bestow the cheap MacBook with an OLED upgrade that the Air still lacks.
For now, all we know is that the MacBook Pro and rumored Ultra models are next in line to receive the OLED treatment and the Air will have to wait at least until 2028. MacBook Neo will potentially be the last product to get the upgrade, and that too will come at a price.
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