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Early specs of the 20-inch foldable MacBook display tipped as Apple may be testing it for launch after the OLED iPad

MacBook with 20-inch foldable display may be in the works indeed (image: Apple)
MacBook with 20-inch foldable display may be in the works indeed (image: Apple)
Apple may indeed be working with Korean OLED display suppliers on testing a foldable 20.25-inch screen panel to gauge the concept's viability for a future MacBook. When bent, the screen half that would serve as the display of a regular laptop, could form a 15.3-inch diagonal, but the release date is still far away.

While Apple may have given up on the whole foldable iPhone idea as it has determined that the current form factor does do job nicely, it is still starting to probe for larger devices with foldable displays, including a 20-inch MacBook whose screen may get to about 15 inches when closed, reports Korean media.

That's not the first time we are hearing about a MacBook with 20-inch foldable panel, too, as reputed display analyst Ross Young mentioned way back in February that "there is interest at the largest size yet, around 20.x-inches" on Apple's part. Now, The Elec cites "industry" sources who claim that Apple has actually embarked on the "project for a foldable product with a size in the early 20 inches with major domestic parts makers."

Last we heard, both LG and Samsung were jostling for a place in Apple's supply chain for larger flexible OLED displays that will go into anything larger than an iPhone. These two could also be the "domestic parts makers" mentioned here and they would allegedly be providing Apple with a panel that has an exact 20.25 inches diagonal "when the product is fully unfolded," further fleshing out Ross Young's claims for a "20.x" inches MacBook display.

The report also goes on a tangent regarding the resulting 15.3-inch display size when this eventual OLED MacBook with a flexible OLED panel is closed, but, of course, this is still pure speculation without knowing if the existing aspect ratio will keep. In any case, even if Apple decides that this is a viable form factor, the eventual release of this OLED MacBook with 20-inch foldable display has reportedly been pushed to at least 2027.

Apple is expected to out the first OLED iPad in 2024 and is the only larger device with such a screen it has in the advanced planning stages, while an OLED MacBook and, eventually, its version with foldable display, will only follow in the 2025-2027 timeframe. Apple may even be developing an iPad mini form factor with foldable screen, too, with "observations" for a release no earlier than 2025.

As for the touted foldable iPhone, there are apparently no rumors for its preparation around the supply chain, so that project may have been put on the backburner for the time being, or cancelled altogether.

Apple reportedly has very clear guidelines about the quality it would expect from larger foldable OLED screens for its future iPads and MacBooks, as it would prefer a dual-stack method that increases the panels' longevity, as well as ultrathin cover glass for the surface. Both LG and Samsung are scrambling to meet those demands, but the report doesn't specify which of them has now provided Apple with a 20.25-inch flexible MacBook display for testing, or to what extent that panel's characteristics have met Apple's guidelines.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2022 12 > Early specs of the 20-inch foldable MacBook display tipped as Apple may be testing it for launch after the OLED iPad
Daniel Zlatev, 2022-12- 9 (Update: 2022-12- 9)