Apple’s Next iMac Upgrade Might Be All About OLED

The 24-inch iMac has been Apple’s “everything in one box” Mac for people who want a clean desk and an easy setup. Now, a new supply-chain report suggests Apple is preparing a display upgrade that could be the biggest change to the iMac in years: moving to an OLED screen, with development targeting 2027.

A Supply-Chain Report Points to a 2027 OLED iMac

According to a report from The Elec, Apple has sent requests for information (RFIs) to Samsung Display and LG Display about building a 24-inch OLED panel for a future iMac.

An RFI is an early but meaningful step. It’s the point where a company shares what it wants, and suppliers respond with how they’d build it, what it would cost, and when they could deliver.

The same report says Apple is aiming to complete OLED panel development by 2027 or 2028, though the iMac that uses it could arrive after that.

What the Rumored 24-Inch OLED iMac Display Could Look Like

If the reported specs hold, Apple’s OLED iMac would keep the familiar size and sharpness, but push the display further:

• 24-inch OLED panel
• 218 pixels per inch (PPI): the same pixel density as the current 24-inch iMac
• Up to 600 nits brightness: a step up from the current model’s 500 nits

In other words, this doesn’t sound like a reinvention of the iMac’s size or resolution. It sounds like Apple trying to make the screen look brighter, punchier, and more premium, without changing the core iMac formula.

Also Read: Leaked Prototype Confirms Apple Considered iMac Logo Placement

Why Oled Could Be a Bigger Deal Than “Just Brighter”

Brightness is the headline, but OLED’s real value is usually what happens when the screen isn’t blasting full white.

OLED technology is known for:

• Deeper blacks and higher contrast (because pixels can turn off individually)
• Better power efficiency in many scenarios
• A generally more “ink-like” look for dark UI elements, photos, and video

On a desktop, that could translate into a screen that feels more vivid in everyday use, whether you’re editing images, watching video, or simply working in apps that use darker interface elements.

The Tricky Part: The Kind of OLED Apple Wants

One of the most interesting details in the report is that Apple may face a “pick your compromise” moment with OLED panel technology, especially at desktop sizes.

The Elec says Samsung and LG are expected to propose their established large-format OLED approaches:

• Samsung: QD-OLED, which uses blue OLED light and a quantum-dot layer to create color
• LG Display: W-OLED, which uses a white-light source and color filters

The report also notes both companies are developing 5-stack OLED designs (adding an extra green layer) to help increase brightness compared to current 4-stack designs.

Meanwhile, Apple is said to prefer RGB OLED, where red, green, and blue light are produced at the subpixel level, often associated with strong color and efficiency. The catch: the report suggests RGB OLED still hasn’t scaled reliably to the 20–30 inch range needed for desktop displays, which is why the first OLED iMac may use different OLED methods.

What to Watch Next

Right now, this story is less about a launch date and more about a direction: Apple appears to be laying the groundwork for an OLED iMac, and the timeline being discussed points to 2027 at the earliest or, possibly, later.

If you’re following the iMac closely, the next clues won’t just be about when an OLED iMac ships, but which OLED technology Apple chooses first, and whether it’s willing to bring OLED to a mainstream iMac before its preferred approach is ready at desktop scale.

Also Read: Massive Apple Leak Reveals 15 New Macs Coming by 2026