The introduction of Apple’s M4 chip with its support for tandem OLED technology with display engine is sparking rumors about OLED screens possibly coming to future MacBooks. This feature could significantly enhance display quality with better brightness and longer lifespan. If Apple goes this route, we could see a major upgrade in the visual experience offered by their laptops. Exciting times ahead for MacBook enthusiasts!
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Will the New M4 Chip Bring OLED to MacBooks?
- Thread starter aditya1503
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If OLED comes to the Mac’s, it has nothing to do with the SoC.
As @NT1440 noted, it is not the M4 that makes tandem OLED possible. It just launched in a product at the same time M4 did.
My guess is Apple would prefer tandem OLED for MacBook Pros as it improves battery life and panel life (less likely to suffer from image retention and burn-in). But I do not believe anyone is making tandem OLED panels in 14" and 16" 16:10 and I expect only Apple will be willing to pay an OEM to develop them so, as @m.x noted, we're likely looking at a few more years.
My guess is Apple would prefer tandem OLED for MacBook Pros as it improves battery life and panel life (less likely to suffer from image retention and burn-in). But I do not believe anyone is making tandem OLED panels in 14" and 16" 16:10 and I expect only Apple will be willing to pay an OEM to develop them so, as @m.x noted, we're likely looking at a few more years.
Not to mention that MacBook Pro screens are not 16:10. The content under the menu bar/notch is 16:10. They extended the screen up from there rather than taking away usable space.
So no matter what, MBP screens regardless of technology are 100% custom for Apple.
I would disagree, especially since it was made clear in today's event that the new display engine in M4 is what enables the Tandem OLED for the new iPad Pro (The slide is at 17:53 in the event video). If Apple plans to use that display tech in a future Mac, then putting it in the iPad Pro first makes sense.
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M3 can drive two displays and that should effectively be what a tandem OLED is. As such, I expect that is just a general "Apple marketing statement" and not an indication that M4 has a specialized display controller designed explicitly for tandem OLED displays and that an M3 or earlier chip lacks the physical ability to do so.
We'll likely find out soon enough once people start x-raying the M4 die.
As stated above, earliest I've seen for MBP OLEDs is 2025. If I had to guess, we'll get M4 Pro/Max later this year still with mini-LED, and we will get OLED with M5 later next year.
I could see a design refresh happen in conjunction with an oled switch. Perhaps making the lid slightly thinner and whatever else. Wouldn’t the typical MacBook design life cycle be due for a refresh around the time of the m5?
I will also add that the Tandem OLED display feature appears to be the reason the iPad Pro has an M4. Apple would not have developed a variant of the M3 with the Tandem OLED controller. So, it had to be the M4. Which then suggests the view that this tech is coming to the entire lineup.
I think today's announcement suggests we will see them in the MBP line up this year.
I think that apples marketing here is probably misleading. It implies that they’ve been able to use stacked OLEDs In part because of advancements in apple silicon. In reality they’re able to do this because the price has come down enough and display tech has matured enough. Sure, maybe they‘ve had to do something in the silicon to work optimally with the OLED tech, but this would have been done whenever the OLED screens were available.
To me it seems like the main benefit of OLED vs mini-LED is power saving, so I look forward to it coming to the MBPs. I personally don’t think that the M4 makes it any more likely that we’re getting OLED MBPs this year - I think the well get them as soon as they’re affordable enough At those sizes.
On the flip side - in 2021 we saw mini-LED iPads in April, followed by mini-LED MBPs in October - so we can hope
To me it seems like the main benefit of OLED vs mini-LED is power saving, so I look forward to it coming to the MBPs. I personally don’t think that the M4 makes it any more likely that we’re getting OLED MBPs this year - I think the well get them as soon as they’re affordable enough At those sizes.
On the flip side - in 2021 we saw mini-LED iPads in April, followed by mini-LED MBPs in October - so we can hope
The "semi-credible" rumors on this topic have indicated that we won't see OLED in MacBook Pro until 2026-ish. I think we'll see it appear for sure, but probably not "immediately".
...I'm also interested in the "nanotexture" option they have added for iPad Pro and whether that might be available in MBP at the same time as OLED. I sure would like a more matte-looking / less glare-y finish on the screen.
...I'm also interested in the "nanotexture" option they have added for iPad Pro and whether that might be available in MBP at the same time as OLED. I sure would like a more matte-looking / less glare-y finish on the screen.
I am also curious to see how Apple will justify a non-OLED display later this year for the pro MacBooks. If that is the case, I would rather wait for the m5 MacBook pros and upgrade then.
I think that apples marketing here is probably misleading. It implies that they’ve been able to use stacked OLEDs In part because of advancements in apple silicon. In reality they’re able to do this because the price has come down enough and display tech has matured enough. Sure, maybe they‘ve had to do something in the silicon to work optimally with the OLED tech, but this would have been done whenever the OLED screens were available.
To me it seems like the main benefit of OLED vs mini-LED is power saving, so I look forward to it coming to the MBPs. I personally don’t think that the M4 makes it any more likely that we’re getting OLED MBPs this year - I think the well get them as soon as they’re affordable enough At those sizes.
On the flip side - in 2021 we saw mini-LED iPads in April, followed by mini-LED MBPs in October - so we can hope
What Apple is aiming for with Tandem OLED is not the same as running dual displays in mirrored mode (which I have seen several people try to equate this to). One thing to keep in mind is that when using stacked/"tandem" OLEDs, the timings for both panels have to be extremely precise and synchronized - otherwise you would have blurry and out of sync images/ghosting during use. This need to have extremely precise synchronization between the two OLEDs is most likely what the new display engine in the M4 was designed to handle.
I think we see M4 MBPs launch late this year or early 2025 with a redesign. Then Apple saves the OLED for 2026/2027. They always have to hold something back for future upgrades.
Why I think there will be a redesign in the next refresh: the M4 is so much more efficient that it would be weird for it to come to the MBPs without a thinner/lighter frame IMO. Either that or the battery life will just get a lot better.
Why I think there will be a redesign in the next refresh: the M4 is so much more efficient that it would be weird for it to come to the MBPs without a thinner/lighter frame IMO. Either that or the battery life will just get a lot better.
I think the N3E process is supposed to be a bit more efficient than N3B, so there should be some benefit in apples to apples
According to Anandtech's chart https://www.anandtech.com/show/1883...n-schedule-n3p-n3x-deliver-five-percent-gains there will be low-single digit percent improvements in performance and efficiency. N3E is actually less transistor-dense than N3B. The "E" in N3E isn't to indicate the chips themselves are much more efficient, it's just more efficient (and lower cost) to produce them.
it's worth noting Apple didn't just bring OLED to iPads. They increased the price significantly when doing so.
So my guess is apple will do it with a macbook redesign and a price bump but not this year. Ipad took 6 years to get to this point, the m1 macbook design came out what 4 years ago?
So my guess is apple will do it with a macbook redesign and a price bump but not this year. Ipad took 6 years to get to this point, the m1 macbook design came out what 4 years ago?