Report: Future foldable MacBook/iPad could use LG OLED panel

In February, DSCC analyst Ross Young said Apple was “investigating the idea of foldable notebooks.” Then, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that this future product could be a MacBook/iPad hybrid with a touchscreen keyboard.

While this foldable MacBook/iPad is not expected until at least 2025, a new report suggests LG Display could supply the panel for this upcoming device.

According to The Elec, LG is “collaborating with Apple to develop another foldable OLED panel” that is “being designed for tablets and notebooks with ultra-thin glass as the cover window instead of polyimide.”

This tidbit comes in a story about LG Display supplying 17-inch foldable notebook OLED panels to HP this year. At 17-inches in size and 11-inches when folded, it features 4K resolution. The publication notes that this panel, unveiled during the last CES, supports touch and stylus support, and it’s aimed at notebooks, tablets, and monitors.

Although The Elec says that LG is “collaborating with Apple,” it shows that this foldable MacBook/iPad is still in its early days.

Previously, DSCC reported that Apple “does not appear to be in a hurry to enter the foldable smartphone market.” For a future foldable MacBook/iPad, Apple just appeared in DSCC’s roadmap for foldable notebooks. Here’s what Young wrote a couple of months ago:

We hear there is interest at the largest size yet, around 20.x”. This size could create a new category for Apple and would result in a true dual use product, a notebook with a full-size keyboard when folded and for use as a monitor when not folded and used with an external keyboard. It may also allow for UHD/4K resolution or even higher at that size. The time frame is likely later than 2025 though, it could be 2026 or 2027.

After this report, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter:

“The company could go with a foldable 20-inch screen attached to a physical keyboard or just have one side of the display serving as a virtual keyboard. I’m told Apple has indeed been exploring a dual-screen, foldable MacBook/iPad hybrid that would take the second approach. It would trade in the physical keyboard and trackpad for a fully touch-screen base”

It’s interesting to know that this foldable MacBook/iPad is still in the works, although users shouldn’t expect anything concrete for the next few years.

Would you be interested in a device like this? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.