Report: Apple is beginning development on a 24-inch OLED iMac

Just when you thought we were going to go the year without a really juicy iMac rumor, along comes a report from Korean publication The Elec. According to its report, Apple has filed “requests for information” with Samsung Display and LG Display regarding OLED displays that could be used for a future iMac.

An RFI is essentially when a company asks its suppliers to provide specifications and other details on a part that the company needs for product development. According to The Elec, Apple said in its requests that it was looking for a 24-inch OLED display with a density of 218 pixels per inch and 600 nits of brightness. It’s the same size and density as the current iMac LED display, but with higher brightness.

However, The Elec points out one big caveat: “RGB OLED technology capable of reliably mass-producing 20- to 30-inch displays has not yet been developed. » Mass production is for much smaller screens, so if Apple continues with an OLED iMac, suppliers will have to develop a manufacturing process to create the screens, which will take some time.

The Elect reports that Apple could complete development of the iMac OLED by 2027 or 2028. If all goes according to plan, the iMac OLED would ship no earlier than 2027 (if development ends early in the year). But it would be more likely that it will be available in 2028 or 2029. It is also possible that Apple decides to abandon the project during the development phase.

Apple has been gradually upgrading its devices from LED displays to OLEDs. Apple’s current iPhone lineup uses OLEDs. The iPad Pro is the only iPad with OLED, but reports indicate that Apple plans to introduce it to the iPad mini and iPad Air within a year or two. Reports also indicate that Apple plans to launch an OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro in the second half of 2026.