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 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

noraa Avatar
59 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
59 months ago

What exactly is surface mounting technology?
The technology to mount things on surfaces
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
noraa Avatar
59 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)
mech986 Avatar
59 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)
Alan Wynn Avatar
59 months ago

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