Apple in talks with display suppliers for foldable MacBook by 2026

Looks like Apple is prepping its upcoming foldable laptop set to launch in 2026. As a part of rumors stemming from South Korea, the Cupertino giant is in talks with display suppliers to produce foldable panels for a purported foldable MacBook (or at least a foldable iPad).

According to the report, the foldable laptop is destined to launch in 2026. Apple will unveil the said MacBook model in 2025 giving it enough time to make any amends before the model actually arrives a year later. Of course, these are rumors and we will have to wait for sometime to shed light on concrete details regarding the same. 

Apple’s move to launch a foldable laptop will create a spark in the now-sluggish market following COVID-19 pandemic and economic downdraft. With that being said, the foldable MacBook will use OLED panels sourced from Apple’s display manufacturers. Two of the biggest names are Samsung Display and LG Display who have invested heavily into the tech to produce OLED units for Apple and other companies. 

LG Display is investing in medium-sized OLED panels that can be used on tablets such as iPads while Samsung Display has decided to produce 8.6-gen OLED panels from 2025 to 2026 with an investment of 4.1 trillion won (or $3 billion USD).

Currently Asus is the leading contender with the world’s first 17” foldable OLED laptop dubbed ZenBook 17 Fold OLED. The device is packed with a foldable panel from BOE. It is still at a nascent stage and there’s a lot of groundwork that will be required in this segment. 

The report adds that larger displays such as in the case of foldable displays, are more profitable for display makers. Thus, foldable laptop displays triumph over foldable smartphone displays in terms of profitability.