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Apple’s new laptop supports one of the coolest features for color pros

Devices1 min read

Apple's new MacBook Pro with an OLED screen supports a new color standard called Apple CMF 2026. The goal is to make the same picture look the same on different kinds of screens.

What happened

Apple's new MacBook Pro has a PROLED XDR display. It is the first Apple laptop with an OLED screen and touchscreen. It is also the first laptop to support Apple CMF 2026, a new set of color modes. Apple's Studio Display XDR got these modes first.

Key numbers and facts

  • Peak brightness is 2,000 nits for both HDR and SDR content.
  • The Studio Display XDR's peak SDR brightness is up to 1,000 nits.
  • The MacBook has 2 Apple CMF 2026 reference modes: one for P3 colors and one for P3 plus Adobe RGB.
  • The MacBook also has 14 more reference modes that use the older CIE 1931 standard.
  • CIE 1931 was based on only 17 test subjects.

Why colors are hard to match

A color standard is a math model of how people see color. The old standard, CIE 1931, has been used for nearly a century. New screen types, such as OLED and quantum dot LEDs, show colors in very narrow bands of light. Because people's eyes differ, the same image can look different to different viewers on these screens. Apple CMF 2026 aims to fix this.

Why it matters

Color professionals need images to look the same on any screen and for any viewer. A portable laptop with these modes helps people who work on the move. It may also point to how future displays will be built.

What to watch

  • Whether other screen makers adopt Apple CMF 2026.
  • Apple's work with the CIE on new standards, which the article says is in progress.
  • How well the laptop's color accuracy holds up in full reviews and tests.

Glossary

OLED
A type of screen where each tiny light point makes its own light, so blacks can look very dark.
CIE 1931
An old international color standard, made in 1931, that describes how people see color.
Apple CMF 2026
Apple's new color modes that aim to make the same picture look the same on different screens.
HDR
High dynamic range: a way to show brighter brights and darker darks in a picture.
nits
A unit that measures how bright a screen is.

Same story, different eyes

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