Apple’s new OLED MacBook Pro has an interesting design change that is easy to miss at first glance. The display now features rounded corners at the bottom, giving the screen a more uniform appearance and bringing its design closer to the iPad and iPhone.
The change comes with Apple’s new MacBook Pro featuring the PROLED XDR display, announced on October 28. The redesigned laptop introduces tandem OLED technology, touchscreen support, slimmer bezels, and Dynamic Island, alongside a noticeably different display shape.
OLED MacBook Pro Now Has Rounded Corners on All Four Sides
Previous MacBook Pro models already featured rounded upper screen corners, but the bottom corners remained square where the display met the lower bezel.
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The new OLED MacBook Pro extends the rounded design to the bottom corners, creating a consistent shape around the entire display.
Apple also confirms in its official announcement that the actual viewable area is smaller than the advertised rectangular measurements because of the rounded corners.
The redesigned display includes several other changes:
- Rounded bottom corners: The visible display now has curved edges at all four corners.
- Slimmer bezels: Apple has reduced the borders surrounding the display.
- Dynamic Island: The traditional MacBook notch has been replaced with an interactive area for notifications and system features.
- Tandem OLED: The new panel uses self-illuminating pixels for deeper blacks and improved contrast.
- Touch support: Users can interact directly with content through taps, swipes, and gestures.
Does the Rounded Display Affect Usable Screen Space?
The rounded corners technically reduce the usable display area compared with a perfect rectangle, although the difference is limited to small sections near the edges.
Here’s how the new displays compare:
| Specification | 14-inch model | 16-inch model |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 14.2 inches | 16.3 inches |
| Display technology | Tandem OLED | Tandem OLED |
| Bottom corners | Rounded | Rounded |
| Refresh rate | Up to 120Hz | Up to 120Hz |
| Peak brightness | 2,000 nits | 2,000 nits |
The rounded corners also fit Apple’s broader redesign of macOS 27 Golden Gate, which introduces touchscreen interactions and Dynamic Island.
However, Apple hasn’t detailed whether applications will receive any special adjustments specifically for the new bottom corners.
For most users, the difference should be primarily visual, although the change is another example of Apple bringing its MacBook design closer to its other devices.
Combined with the thinner bezels and new PROLED XDR display technology, the rounded corners give the latest MacBook Pro a noticeably different appearance from previous generations.
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