Samsung Display to invest $3.1B in OLED production for new MacBook Pro

Samsung Display is investing $3.1 billion in OLED production in South Korea to make advanced OLED panels used in tablets and computers, according to Reuters. This is part of a previously-announced plan for Samsung to invest billions in regions outside the South Korean capital Seoul in the next decade.

For Apple, the importance of this announcement is due to the investment Samsung is making in the 8th-generation OLED panels. Display analyst Ross Young said this factory would produce the screens for upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with OLED technology.

That said, the analyst reports that Samsung has a "new backplane approach and front plane approach to lower costs and improve performance," even though there is "some technical risk." Since Samsung is still in the early days of this OLED technology, Apple's roadmap for its upcoming MacBook Pro models could change.

New MacBook and iPad models will use OLED screens

Currently, there are three products Apple is planning to add an OLED display to in the near future. Most notably, the iPad Pro is expected to get this new screen by the beginning of 2024. Ross Young previously said that Samsung would be the OLED manufacturer that will use the sixth generation of this technology.

This panel could also be used for a new MacBook Air, which could also get an OLED display by 2024. Since Apple is readying two display sizes for this laptop, we could also see two OLED MacBook Air models next year.

Last but not least, in 2026, Apple will roll out this technology to the high-end MacBook Pro models and ditch the current miniLED displays thanks to more advanced OLED technology.

Korea IT News from a couple of months ago still aligns with today's report:

Apple ordered a domestic display company to develop two types of OLED panels for iPad and two types of OLED for MacBook when summing up the reports from the industry including Stone Partners on the 18th. The specific types of panels are 10.86 inches and 12.9 inches for the iPad, and 14 inches and 16 inches for the MacBook. The domestic display companies and related parts and material companies began to develop the panels with the start of the official project. An insider familiar with the subject said, “There are various panel development from 10 inches to 16 inches is in progress.”