Apple Reportedly Spending $200 Million to Improve Mini-LED Production for Upcoming 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro

Apple is taking a significant step to improve the production of mini-LED displays for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, by investing $200 million in purchasing new equipment for four brand new mini-LED assembly lines, according to a paywalled report from DigiTimes, seen by MacRumors.

Mini LED MacBook Pro Feature
According to the report, Apple will spend $200 million on procuring additional SMT or surface mounting-technology equipment to create four brand new assembly lines dedicated to mini-LED production for its upcoming MacBook Pros. The investment and purchase Apple hopes will provide an additional monthly SMT capacity of 700,000 to 800,000 mini-LED MacBook Pro devices.

The equipment that Apple is set to purchase will go to the company's main mini-LED module supplier, Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology. The report states that the equipment will be installed at TSMT'S plant in China, and citing a source, the report says that TSMT has confirmed it will be expanding capacity at its plant in Dongguan, southern China.

The new SMT machines to be purchased by Apple are likely to be installed at TSMT's plants in China, the sources said, adding that TSMT has just disclosed plans to enforce capacity expansions at its manufacturing complex in Dongguan, southern China.

Yesterday, a preview of the now published report from ‌DigiTimes‌ indicated that Apple is continuing to struggle with keeping up with mini-LED display demand for its 12.9-inch iPad Pro, announced this past April, and expected demand for its upcoming MacBook Pros. Apple is reportedly looking for additional mini-LED SMT suppliers, including existing supplier Radiant Opto-Electronics.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature

Apple Announces Special Event in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4

Monday February 16, 2026 6:05 am PST by
Apple today announced a "special Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Apple invited select members of the media to the event in three major cities around the world. It is simply described as a "special Apple Experience," and there is no further information about what it may entail. The invitation features a 3D Apple logo design...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Event on March 4: Here's What to Expect

Tuesday February 17, 2026 8:08 am PST by
Apple on Monday invited selected journalists and content creators to a "special Apple Experience" on Wednesday, March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai. At an Apple Experience, attendees are typically given the opportunity to try out Apple's latest hardware or software. Following the launch of Apple Creator Studio last month, for example, some content creators attended an Apple Experience...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

iOS 26.4's New CarPlay Video Feature Shown in Action

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:29 am PST by
Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability. There are several new references to CarPlay video streaming functionality within the iOS 26.4 beta's source code. The feature is not yet visible to users, but...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Rumor: Apple to Announce Multiple New Products in First Week of March

Tuesday February 17, 2026 6:35 pm PST by
Apple on Monday invited selected journalists and content creators to a "special Apple Experience" on Wednesday, March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai. And now, rumors are surfacing about Apple's broader plans for that week. Daring Fireball's John Gruber today guessed that Apple will announce new products on a day-by-day basis from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4:What strikes...

Top Rated Comments

61 months ago

Don’t we have M1 chip for that?

I honestly think it’s the visual appearance from the screen.
The M1 doesn’t magically make LCD displays more power efficient or have better color accuracy. There’s a drastic difference in color reproduction and local dimming with mini-LED vs traditional LCD that the M1 has absolutely nothing to do with.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lamerica80 Avatar
61 months ago

What exactly is surface mounting technology?
The technology to mount things on surfaces
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
61 months ago

How would mini-LED improve productivity over normal LED on a laptop?
Better color reproduction for creative works and lower power requirements come immediately to mind.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
61 months ago

What exactly is surface mounting technology?
It’s a means of soldering very miniaturized components like resistors, capacitors, chips and other parts on printed circuit boards without resorting to component leads, through holes and individual soldering techniques. SMT has been around for 30+ years and really increases component density and utilizes Automated placement and wave soldering techniques which increases productivity and lowers overall production costs. Really came into its own with motherboards.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
61 months ago

would I be able to run macOS on this thing?
It is a Macintosh, so yes?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
61 months ago
I’m holding out for the yocto-LED display.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)