- Edge Light brings a ring light feature to the MacBook
- It is part of the next macOS Tahoe 26 update
- The dev beta drops today with early access to the new feature
We’ve all been there: the last-minute video call on our MacBooks where we park ourselves in front of a window and end up looking like our shadow self. A ring light could have solved the problem, but who has time to search for one and set it up? But what if the screen could be your light? The next macOS Tahoe update introduces Edge Light, and as the name suggests, it turns your best MacBook display into a rectangular ring light.
Coming to macOS 26.2 Dev beta today (November 12) and shipping later this year, Edge Light creates a band of light around the edge of your MacBook, provided it’s running an Apple Silicon CPU.
As you might expect, the effect, which comes as part of Apple’s MacBook Video Effects Suite (which also includes Portrait Mode, Effects, Voice Isolation and Studio Light), illuminates a wide border around the outer edge of your MacBook screen. It does not cover the menu bar at the top and thus avoids the notch.
For MacBooks made after 2024, Edge Light can be set to turn on automatically, e.g. when the system detects that the ambient room lighting has decreased and you are in shadow. As you can imagine, this can be useful for late afternoon, after DST, calls when the sun is setting earlier and earlier and by 4:00 PM you’re plunged into darkness.
There’s no word for now on if and when Edge Light might also come to iPadOS 26 and Apple Silicon iPads.
There are a few controls, mainly for sliding between warm and cool light; if you want the harsh brightness of whiter light or the complexion-pleasing warmth of a slightly more orange shade.
Using the system’s integrated Neural Engine, the Edge Light can detect where your face is and even multiple faces and adjust the Edge Light accordingly.
It’s not clear how Apple manages the balance between the screen display and the Micro LED backlight on, for example, the new and excellent MacBook Pro 14-inch M5. But the intention is not harsh, for the full-nit capabilities of the screen, brightness and instead leans towards pleasant lighting and less strain on the eyes.
The Edge Light is also smart enough to know that this is still a portable screen and will move itself out of the way if you slide your cursor over it, so as not to block important information on the screen.
Since we don’t know the lumen level, it’s not clear if the Edge Light can be a true replacement for a decent Amazon-bought ring light or even a small one that clips to the top of your screen. That said, it sounds like it’ll shine enough light on your smiling video conference face to make sure you’re heard and seen.
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