Apple may be planning a new 13.8-inch OLED MacBook for around 2029, according to an updated Omdia display roadmap. The machine would sit between the LCD MacBook Air and the higher-end OLED MacBook Pro, creating a fourth MacBook category if Apple takes the plan forward.
This is a roadmap prediction, not a product announcement. Apple has not confirmed the MacBook, its name, its price, or a launch date.
The 13.8-inch model could fill a gap in Apple’s lineup
The current MacBook sizes leave a narrow space between the 13.6-inch MacBook Air and 14.2-inch MacBook Pro. Apple also sells the 13-inch MacBook Neo at the budget end. A 13.8-inch model would be close to the Air in size, but its OLED screen could give it a clearer reason to cost more.
Omdia’s updated roadmap reportedly separates the 13.8-inch MacBook from the MacBook Air rather than simply listing it as an OLED Air. That points to a new middle tier, although the product category could still change before 2029.
There is some earlier evidence that Apple has explored the idea. In June, ZDNet Korea reported that Apple sent requests for information about a 13.8-inch OLED MacBook panel to Samsung Display, LG Display, and BOE. An RFI is an early technical information-gathering step that comes before a formal quote request, so it does not mean production is locked in.
ZDNet Korea described two possible outcomes at the time. Apple could introduce a new product between the Air and Pro, or it could adjust the Air’s screen size from 13.6 inches to 13.8 inches. Omdia’s later roadmap favors the separate-model interpretation, but Apple’s final lineup is still unknown.
The panel would sit below the OLED MacBook Pro
The rumored 13.8-inch machine would use a single-stack hybrid OLED panel. Apple’s upcoming Pro models are expected to use a more expensive tandem OLED design. That difference would let Apple bring OLED contrast and deeper blacks to a less expensive MacBook without matching the Pro’s display hardware.
Omdia’s panel roadmap also lists an LTPO+ backplane, integrated touch sensing, an under-panel camera, and a color filter built into the OLED encapsulation layer. Those features could lead to a thinner display assembly, a touchscreen, and a smaller or invisible camera cutout, but they are not confirmed MacBook specifications.
The premium side of the plan is already being tracked in reports about Apple’s OLED MacBook Pro redesign. The rumored middle model would use a less advanced panel and could give Apple a way to separate the two tiers by display quality as well as performance.
The MacBook Air may stay on LCD for longer
Omdia’s roadmap shows the MacBook Air continuing with LCD panels into 2030. If that projection holds, Apple would use the new 13.8-inch machine to bring OLED to more buyers while keeping the Air cheaper and simpler.
That would make the lineup easier to understand in one way and more crowded in another. The Air would remain the mainstream choice, the new MacBook would offer a premium display and possibly touch, and the Pro would keep the highest-end screen and performance options. The current MacBook Pro design dates back to 2021, so Apple has room to use a new display tier to mark a wider redesign.
The timeline leaves plenty of room for change. Panel costs, manufacturing capacity, and demand for touch-enabled Macs could all alter the plan before 2029. For now, the 13.8-inch OLED MacBook is best understood as a possible new rung between Apple’s Air and Pro lines, not a MacBook you can expect to buy soon.
