The new and advanced display technology will reportedly be used in future MacBooks and iMacs
Apple’s 2026 MacBook Pros offer both touch and non-touch displays depending on the model chosen
Photo Credit: Apple
As a part of its broader shift, Apple this year finally switched mini-LED and LCD to OLED with its MacBook Pro and iPad Mini. However, the displays used in its MacBook Pro are vastly different from anything that's currently available in the market. This is because of a new backplane technology called high mobility oxide (HMO) instead of the usual low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) tech used in older and recent devices. After launching its latest MacBook Pro models with the new HMO display technology, Apple is reportedly exploring cost-effective ways to manufacture the display backplane technology with Samsung and LG.
According to TheElec, Apple is working with Samsung and LG's display divisions to help bring down the cost of manufacturing the new HMO displays. Apple is reportedly even considering HMO as LTPO's successor. LTPO backplane technology which enables fast display refresh rates is currently used in Apple's iPhones and iPad Pro models.
To bring costs down, Apple is prioritising “sputtering” as a deposition method used to manufacture these next-generation OLED panels. According to TheElec, both Samsung and LG are developing both sputtering and atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods for manufacturing these HMO panels. It also claims that Apple is well aware that the ALD manufacturing process offers better precision, but is interested in sputtering due to its lower cost.
Manufacturing costs aside, HMO drastically improves on the existing TFT backplane technology using low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) and LTPO displays. The improvements are due to higher electron mobility, which allows for higher resolution panels and lower power consumption for bigger displays. The only major downside is that HMO panels cannot drop refresh rates as low as 1Hz and that's where LTPO technology has an edge.
Apple's new MacBook Pro models currently support variable refresh rate using ProMotion technology but only allows refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz and nothing lower. Apple's new display supports 1,000 nits of sustained brightness and 2,000 nits of peak brightness and can drop to just 1 nit in dark settings.
In a recent report, it is said that Apple may reportedly discontinue non-touch MacBook Pro models in the future. The company is reportedly planning to launch a 14-inch entry-level MacBook Pro model with a thinner and lighter design. An older report pointed out that Apple will reportedly roll out better touch features and refinements in the upcoming macOS 28 arriving next year.
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