A whopping 20-inch MacBook featuring a ‘crease-free’ foldable screen is rumored to be in the works

Macbook
(Image credit: Unsplash)

A new rumor has begun to spread amongst Apple enthusiasts, detailing the potential mass production of ‘crease-free’ foldable screens made by LG for a 20.2-inch MacBook (or possibly 18.8-inch), that might be released late next year. 

Analyst and prolific Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo listed some pretty interesting details surrounding the supposed foldable MacBook in a Medium blog post. It will supposedly run an M5 series processor (hinting Apple will proceed with its SoCs in a logical manner) alongside a crease-free panel. After some time, foldables like the Google Pixel Fold or the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 Gen 1 can reportedly develop a noticeable line where the screen folds.

It seems that to combat this danger, the supposed LG-manufactured screen will have “high design specifications” for the panel and the hinge, which would lead to a very high cost of production. Kuo estimates the panel and hinge to cost around $600 to $650 and $200 to $250 respectively.

That’s a scary figure, considering that cost would be passed on to the consumer and possibly make the rumored device so much more expensive than already expected. 

 Will this MacBook really happen? 

Do I think this rumored foldable has even a smidge of a chance of becoming a reality? Probably not. In the last few years, it seems like after every MacBook launch there are rumors about a foldable laptop or tablet, and they inevitably come to nothing.

The specifications of the rumored MacBook also lead me to believe that this product may never be realized. There are very few 20-inch laptops in the market, and there’s no clarification on whether the device is 20-inches unfolded or folded. 

Apple has made it quite clear that MacBooks are not iPads and vice versa. A foldable laptop would have to come with a touchscreen, and arguably it would be in Apple's best interest to keep these entities separate, to ensure more people have to buy separate products for their separate needs.  

Plus, Apple has never been known to jump in at the height of a trend like foldable devices. The company’s approach has always been to wait till the very end of a trend and swoop in and revamp the hype, or completely miss it out entirely. I personally can’t even envision a foldable MacBook, at least not in the next few years at the very least. Still, this rumor is fun to think about - maybe one day it'll be true.

You might also like...

Muskaan Saxena
Computing Staff Writer

Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison. Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she's joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you've got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you're in the right place. Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook's Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).

Read more
A folding iPad concept, with an Apple Pencil magnetically attached to the top edge.
Apple’s foldable iPhone specs hinted at in fresh leak – here are 5 things to expect
Foldable iPhone
New foldable iPhone rumors predict Apple’s bold plans – here are 6 things to expect, from cameras to launch date
Foldable iPhone concept image
Foldable iPhone: latest rumors, news and everything we know so far
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 in Paris in front of the Louvre pyramid
The foldable iPhone could have a surprisingly small cover screen, but I’m not convinced
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
Apple is rumored to have taken another key step towards making a foldable iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 Review
Here's how big the two displays on the foldable iPhone could be
Latest in Macbooks
apple macbook air against blue background
There's a huge MacBook Air sale right now – shop record-low prices from $629.99
13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M4 in Sky Blue
The new Apple MacBook Air M4 has a weird quirk with its performance cores - but it's nothing to worry about
MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open
I've reviewed the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4) - and it remains the best 15-inch laptop I'd recommend for most people
Apple MacBook Air M3 on yellow background with lowest price text overlay
Forget the MacBook Air M4: here are 9 older-model MacBook deals from $629.99
MacBook Air mute key
The new M4 MacBook Air finally fixes an Apple keyboard annoyance that's been around for decades
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) REVIEW
The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M4) is the best ultraportable – and the new price makes it even more appealing
Latest in News
Pebble smartwatch countdown
Pebble confirms its smartwatch announcement is just hours away
Logo of YouTube Shorts
Is YouTube auto-playing Shorts when you open the app? Well, you’re not alone - here’s how to fix it
Google DeepMind panel discussion
“More sovereignty and protection” - Google goes all-in on UK AI with data residency, upskilling projects, and startup investments
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 expected to have AI upscaling and I can't wait to finally play Tears of the Kingdom with upgraded graphics
PowerColor Red Devil AMD RX 9070 XT graphics card shown side-on
Your next GPU could be from AMD, not Nvidia, if Team Red’s success with PC gamers continues
Intel Lunar Lake concept
Intel's Panther Lake processors won't arrive until Q1 2026 - corroborates previous delay rumors despite former Intel CEO's promise of 2025 launch