Next Year's MacBook Pro Refresh Could Fix the Screen's Ugliest Feature

Ever since Apple released its iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, Apple has had the answer to the absolute worst element of today’s MacBook displays. And still, the dreaded “notch” remained. The notch that hangs just below the top screen bezel, encompassing the webcam cutout, is like a stalactite hanging precariously above the main screen. The next MacBook Pro refresh could finally see Apple break out its chisel to remove the notch as it gears up for its most important laptop refresh of the last half-decade.

Market analyst firm Omdia, first reported by DigiTimes Asia (via 9to5Mac), made the big claim that Apple would finally offer us an OLED MacBook Pro in 2026. This type of screen uses an organic light-emitting diode compared to the backlit LEDs of a typical LCD panel. This allows for deep colors and the oft-remarked “inky” blacks. Samsung could be the company Apple taps to bring OLED to its long line of laptops. We still don’t know if they’ll receive the tandem-OLED found on the iPad Pro M4. Samsung was previously tapped to make the displays for the 11-inch iPad Pros. The news was propped up by Korean news site DealSite, which mentioned the laptops could be revealed toward the end of 2026.

Current MacBook Pro models like the 14- and 16-inch from 2024 use a mini-LED display that Apple calls Liquid Retina XDR. What may be more important to longtime Mac fans is the mention of moving from the notch to a “pill-shaped cutout.” If you’ve used any of the recent iPhones, you’ll know this is reminiscent of the Dynamic Island surrounding the front-facing camera. I’ve been hearing about the pill-shaped cutout since late 2024, and I’m on my knees praying that the rumor holds true.

While some Apple fans derided Dynamic Island at its release in 2022, it’s become a well-regarded fixture on iPhone thanks to more app support. The cutout expands depending on what app is running in the background. This can offer quick direction updates in Google Maps or access to your tunes playing in Apple Music. There’s no word from Omdia if this pill-shaped cutout may expand or contract. Apple has pushed for more iPhone integration on MacBooks with the phone mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia. That’s expanding with macOS 26 Tahoe to include “Live Activities.” This feature shows you your phone notifications on your lock screen.

Apple’s software updates may give the company more impetus to change its Mac screens. The Mac maker’s most controversial visual update in years is the Liquid Glass redesign, which makes the Mac menu bar fully transparent instead of the gray opaque bar of previous OS iterations. The notch will look even more obtuse on macOS 26 than any previous version.

Apple had previously positioned its Pro-level refresh for fall. Back in June, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple would be pushing its next MacBook Pros to 2026. The updated laptops could arrive in the first half of the year with M5 chips, the sequel to Apple’s most recent silicon, the M4. While we can hope Apple launches two MacBook Pros in a single year, like it did back in 2023, Gurman suggested that the OLED model was being moved all the way to 2027.

We’ve been hearing about the supposed OLED model for years now. So we have to remain skeptical about any final OLED MacBook release date, as much as we may be jonesing for it. Year after year, the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air sport updated chips and a few extra capabilities, like additional external monitor support. Each refresh feels less impressive than the last. They feature the same rectangle shell, the same thin Magic Keyboard, and the same display. A modernized MacBook can’t come soon enough.