Apple MacBook Ultra: production of 2.5 million tandem OLED panels said to begin shortly

According to rumors, the Apple MacBook Ultra is set to hit the market in late 2026 or early 2027. According to the latest information from The Elec, Samsung Display is already preparing for mass production of OLED panels for Apple’s most advanced notebook. Samsung Display is expected to be the exclusive supplier of screens at least through 2029. LG Display is said to need several years to prepare for high-volume production of comparable panels.

Samsung Display is expected to manufacture these tandem OLED panels at a Gen 8.6 factory in South Korea. Apple is said to have ordered 2.5 million panels, but as usual, the actual production volume is likely to be adjusted depending on how high demand for the MacBook Ultra ultimately turns out to be. Mass production of the panels is expected to begin in August. The Apple MacBook Ultra is expected to be available with either a 14-inch or 16-inch screen.

While the final technical specifications of the Apple MacBook Ultra’s display are not yet known, Samsung Display recently unveiled a panel that would be suitable for Apple’s flagship laptop. This panel, which is already used in the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i Aura Edition ($3,049 on Amazon), achieves a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits – just like the Mini-LED display on the current MacBook Pro. Samsung also touts a full-screen brightness of 1,000 nits, a refresh rate of 120 Hz, and near-complete coverage of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces.