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A tandem OLED is an OLED screen in which each pixel contains two stacked emitting layers instead of one. Stacking lets the panel reach higher brightness without pushing a single layer as hard, and OLED's ability to switch pixels fully off keeps blacks deep. The Verge reported that Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro uses this kind of panel, which Apple calls "PROLED XDR."
What is OLED, and what makes it different?
An OLED display makes light at the pixel level. Each tiny element glows on its own, so there is no separate backlight shining through a layer of liquid crystals, as in a traditional LCD.
The practical result is that a pixel showing black can simply turn off. That is why OLED screens are known for deep blacks and strong contrast, the ratio between the brightest white and the darkest black a screen can show.
How does a tandem design work?
In a standard OLED, one organic emitting layer produces the light for each pixel. In a tandem design, two such layers are stacked and driven together. Each layer can share the work, so the pixel can get brighter, and the panel can generally hold up longer at a given brightness, since neither layer is pushed to its limit.
This is established background on how the technology works. The sources do not detail Apple's exact construction. Ars Technica noted that Apple referred to burn-in protection but did not yet say which approach it uses.
What does it mean on the new MacBook Pro?
According to the reports, the display reaches up to 2,000 nits of peak SDR brightness, a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. Tom's Hardware said the refresh rate ranges from 10Hz to 120Hz. The screens measure 14.2 and 16.3 inches, with slimmer bezels than before.
Tom's Hardware also reported that Apple credits OLED's display stack for part of the thinner build. The 16-inch model is "nearly a millimeter" thinner and the 14-inch is half a millimeter thinner, per Apple.
The Verge added that Apple built the touch sensor "directly into the display panel" instead of layering it on top. Apple claims this reduces latency. Ars Technica noted that the demonstration footage showed the laptop in a normal clamshell configuration, not as a 2-in-1 convertible.
