April 16, 2026 - According to a new report released by Counterpoint Research on April 15, the OLED notebook market is expected to see strong 33% year-over-year growth in 2026, largely thanks to Apple's planned shift to OLED displays in its MacBook Pro lineup.
While rising memory prices have pushed up device costs and softened overall smartphone demand, the notebook segment is bucking the trend. Counterpoint highlights that Apple's decision to adopt OLED screens will significantly improve contrast, color accuracy, and overall display quality on MacBook Pro models. Combined with continued growth in the premium AI PC market, this upgrade is set to boost OLED notebook shipments by 33% next year.
The report notes that high-end AI PCs typically come with higher average selling prices (ASP), which helps absorb the impact of increasing memory costs and creates more room for OLED panels to become standard in premium notebooks.
In contrast, the smartphone OLED panel market is facing more pressure. Counterpoint has lowered its forecast for foldable OLED panel growth in 2026 from the previous 46% to 34%. Flexible OLED panels are now expected to remain flat compared to 2025, while rigid OLED panels are projected to decline by 15% - a noticeable downward revision from earlier expectations of flat performance.
Smartphone OLED Panel Market Forecast Chart
(Source: Counterpoint Research)
Looking at the broader OLED market, global panel shipments are forecast to stay roughly flat in 2026. Growth in other areas - such as a 45% increase in the monitor segment, 13% growth in tablets, and contributions from automotive displays - will be largely offset by weakness in smartphones, which remain the largest application for OLED panels.
Counterpoint attributes the smartphone slowdown mainly to rising memory prices, which increase production costs and eventually push up retail prices, making consumers more hesitant to upgrade their phones.
By comparison, premium notebook buyers are less price-sensitive and place greater value on superior screen quality and performance. This dynamic gives OLED technology a much better chance to gain traction in the notebook space.
