Apple’s expected switch to OLED for the MacBook Pro is already moving the laptop display market. Counterpoint Research forecasts that OLED notebook display shipments will rise 50% in 2026 and another 24% in 2027, with Apple’s next-generation MacBook Pro models named as one of the main reasons.
Counterpoint Research published the forecast as part of its Advanced IT Display Shipment and Technology Report. It expects the overall notebook display market to shrink 3% this year, since memory cost inflation and higher system costs are holding back demand. Advanced displays, which cover OLED and MiniLED together, are still forecast to grow 11%.
OLED Is Taking Share From MiniLED While the Overall Laptop Display Market Shrinks
Counterpoint expects MiniLED notebook display shipments to fall 38% in 2026 and another 60% in 2027. Manufacturers increasingly prefer OLED for its thinner build, better image quality and improving costs.
Apple’s current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models use mini-LED displays, so the report describes the same move Apple is expected to make. Counterpoint calls Apple’s adoption anticipated, and Apple has not announced an OLED MacBook Pro. Demand for premium AI PCs is the other driver the report names.
Apple’s OLED MacBook Pro Has a Supply Chain Ready to Build Panels at Scale
Samsung Display began mass production of OLED panels for the MacBook Pro in July 2026, with an initial run estimated at 2.5 million panels ahead of a fourth-quarter launch. Apple’s OLED models were also already running macOS 27.1 inside Apple in September.
Reports describe a touchscreen design that is much lighter than today’s models, and the laptop could launch as soon as October.
Counterpoint forecasts OLED notebook panel shipments to grow at a 26% compound annual rate from 2024 to 2030, with panel revenue growing at 35%. Revenue rising faster than volume means each panel is worth more over time. That suits higher-priced laptops like the rumored MacBook Ultra, which is also expected to use OLED.
Counterpoint lists four developments it expects to strengthen OLED’s appeal and lower its cost:
- Tandem OLED architecture: higher brightness, better power efficiency and longer panel life. Apple already uses tandem OLED in the iPad Pro.
- New manufacturing methods: Visionox’s Intelligent Pixelization (ViP) and LG Display’s FLiPP pixel patterning process are expected to improve material use, yields and production efficiency.
- Phosphorescent blue OLED emitters: expected to raise panel efficiency and reduce power consumption.
- Gen 8.7 oxide backplane production: scaling it up is expected to lower manufacturing costs across notebook PCs.
Our Take
Apple might be the reason most buyers hear about OLED laptops this year. Apple has not announced the new MacBook Pro yet, so every number in the report is a forecast. Even so, a 60% miniLED drop in 2027 leaves little room for the current display to stay in Apple’s lineup.
