- A new rumor suggests the MacBook Air OLED has been delayed until 2029
- OLED technology could drive up the price, so a delay isn’t the worst news
- By 2029, OLED could be much more affordable
Apple’s MacBook Air offers a surprising amount of quality considering it’s the company’s most affordable laptop, with an incredibly fast chip and excellent build quality that makes it feel much more premium than it should. However, it’s always been missing one truly iconic feature: an OLED display, and a new rumor suggests we’ll now be waiting until 2029 to see that technology make its debut on Apple’s laptop.
This is according to leaker Jukanlosreve at This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about a delay to the MacBook Air OLED and it may seem strange to hear, but I’m actually glad there’s more evidence that it’s been postponed.
That’s not because I’m a partisan OLED hater; No, I would love to see an OLED panel one day on the MacBook Air. But I worry that adding OLED will compromise the MacBook Air’s best feature: its price.
OLED is an expensive addition to any computer and there’s no doubt that bringing it to the MacBook Air would increase its price. Right now, you can buy an M2 MacBook Air for less than $1,000 / £1,000, and the speedy M3 model is just $100 / £100 more. How long could we keep saying that if OLED was part of the equation?
Still the best Apple laptop for most people
After all, the MacBook Air is not a laptop designed for the most demanding Apple users; That’s a function that the MacBook Pro fulfills. Instead, the MacBook Air is for everyone else, and its combination of fair price and some quality features means that, in most cases, it is the best Apple laptop for most people.
I’d bet that most Apple MacBook Air customers care much more about price than their laptop’s display technology. After all, they’re not demanding professionals who need the best of the best: they just want a solid laptop that works well enough for their needs and will last them for years. The MacBook Air fills that role magnificently right now. Could you do it if you got a high-end upgrade that your users don’t need and a price increase that they definitely don’t want?
Ultimately, The Elec report does not say that Apple will never bringing OLED to the MacBook Air, only it’s been delayed until 2029. By that time, OLED costs could have fallen enough that the price impact is minimal, in which case we could have our cake and eat it too.
It would be a good time to introduce OLED to the MacBook Air. However, right now, keeping the price low is probably what most MacBook Air fans care about most.
