MacBook Pros With OLED Displays Won't Have a Notch, Roadmap Shows

[MacRumors]

Apple plans to remove the notch from the MacBook Pro in a few years from now, according to a roadmap shared by research firm Omdia.

The roadmap shows that 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2026 will have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, instead of a notch. It is unclear if there would simply be a pinhole in the display, or if Apple would expand the iPhone's Dynamic Island to the Mac for system alerts, such as for low battery life.

A notch-less MacBook Pro would have more visible pixels on the display, which could slightly increase the macOS menu bar's usable area. The removal of the notch would also make the display look more seamless overall.

Previous rumors have indicated that the first MacBook Pro models with OLED displays will be released in 2026, so Omdia's roadmap corroborates the timeframe shared by other sources. The switch to OLED technology is expected to be part of the MacBook Pro's first redesign since 2021, with a thinner design and other changes likely.

Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more. The switch to OLED displays could also contribute to future MacBook Pro models having a thinner design.

In the interim, the MacBook Pro is not expected to receive any major changes. Unsurprisingly, next year's models are expected to get a spec bump to M5, M5 Pro, and M5 Max chips, but no redesign is expected until the switch to OLED displays.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Air will continue to have a notch through 2028, according to Omdia.

Article Link: MacBook Pros With OLED Displays Won't Have a Notch, Roadmap Shows

 

[quaresma]

THANK GOD!!!

 

[fantasyname_qwertz]

Oh my god, finally. Gonna use my M1 MBP until 2k6.

 

[Stenik]

"in a few years from now"! Is that a joke?

 

[DHagan4755]

A few years from now is 2027. A couple of years from now is 2026. Either way, it's too long!

 

[amaze1499]

No notch? I am listening…

 

[rappr]

Glad we avoided the notch on the iPad side

 

[Spock]

Glad we avoided the notch on the iPad side

For now...

 

[LogicalApex]

Will be interesting to see how they pull it off.

They could integrate the camera into the display I guess so it is less of a notch and more of a hole who knows?

I don't see them brining back a large bezel to hide the camera in as they'd have to shrink the screen real estate to do so.

 

[LogicalApex]

Glad we avoided the notch on the iPad side

iPad has a pretty big bezel compared to everything else.

 

[JippaLippa]

Now that's good news.
I'm often not very critical of apple, but I found the notch on the macbooks to be, frankly, ridiculous (especially since it lacked face id).

 

[filmantopia]

The notch isn't a big deal to me. I literally never notice or think about it in day to day use. But as pro apps are beginning to use more intensive AI/machine learning features, the M1 Max is finally starting to show its age a bit.

 

[Harry Haller]

"in a few years from now"! Is that a joke?

Innovation can't be rushed. /s

 

[mansplains]

I personally don’t care about the notch itself, but the way the menu bar interacts with it is pretty embarrassing to me. They should sherlock bartender, hidden bar, similar

 

[Kylo83]

Keeping my M1 Max until the horrible notch goes

 

[jb310]

Putting a notch on something that doesn't have Face ID was a little odd to begin with. 😬

 

[vegetassj4]

The notch was my entire reason for wanting to get a new MacBook. It is the best notch they've ever created, with phenomenal performance and new capabilities. It was far more powerful and capable than any other notch, and it was light years ahead of any notch ever seen in a notebook computer. It was designed for Apple Intelligence! I was going to love it.

 

[raindogg]

That notch is beyond annoying. Add that to the list of annoying things Apple does for no reason. Charger under mouse, notch on laptops, airplay not working consistently, power button under the new Mac mini, AirPods Max bra, needing to charge AirPods Max to use wired, Touch Bar (bye!) taking ports away......

 

[thefredelement]

I hope they take it off the phone too, I'm notch going to miss it when this era is over.

 

[mozumder]

Oh my god, finally. Gonna use my M1 MBP until 2k6.

same. Will be an epic upgrade. thought about upgrading my M1 to M4 but there's no key AI utility I need or massive performance improvement.

 

[PsykX]

The notch is a turn off in my book. Get rid of it, or at least give a better reason for it (Face ID maybe).

 

[mozumder]

I hope they take it off the phone too, I'm notch going to miss it when this era is over.

They're saying the notch will be replaced by a hole.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Notch what I was expecting!!

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

A few years from now is 2027. A couple of years from now is 2026. Either way, it's too long!

One year away in 3 weeks is 2026. October 2026 is a couple of years out, though, yeah. Apple is too unfocused.

 

[CWallace]

Will be interesting to see how they pull it off.

As OLEDs do not need backlighting (they are self-emissive) they can have active pixels around the camera so Apple can use a pinhole smartphone camera.

Putting a notch on something that doesn't have Face ID was a little odd to begin with. 😬

It was a trade-off to slim the bezel widths, which previously contained the camera module. Also, the current FaceID module is too thick to fit inside the MacBook Pro lid so the lid would need to be thicker (iPhone/iPad thickness?) to contain it.

That notch is beyond annoying. Add that to the list of annoying things Apple does for no reason.

See above - there was a reason. Unless you consider a wider bezel less annoying.