Apple left the Mac in a bad place when it came to external displays between 2016 and 2022. After discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display, Apple relied on LG to sell a plasticky monitor with PC-maker build quality if you wanted a standalone 27-inch monitor with 5K Retina resolution. Apple eventually started selling an ultra premium (in Mac display terms) monitor with the 32-inch 6K Pro Display XDR, but it has always been priced the same as a small truck of Mac mini computers.
However, just three years after releasing the Apple Studio Display, it sounds like Apple may be planning a decent revision in the near future.
The rumor comes from Display Supply Chain Consultants boss Ross Young. According to his sources, Apple plans to upgrade the 27-inch 5K Apple Studio Display with a more modern backlighting technology.
The current Apple Studio Display is LED-backlit like what’s found inside the iMac and LG UItraFine display. Apple charges a whipping $1600 for the rather mid monitor, although it sells for $1200 from Amazon and others. Young expects the next revision to switch to MiniLED that provides a picture with better contrast and more evenly distributed backlighting.
Think of it like comparing the MacBook Air to the MacBook Pro in terms of backlighting.
What’s not rumored at this time, however, is a more modern refresh rate.
Apple ships displays with variable refresh rates on Pro-model iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro computers. These displays can refresh content up to 120 times a second. The Apple Studio Display, like the LG 5K Display that debuted nearly a decade ago, only refreshes up to 60 times.
Refresh rate is a point of appreciate for users who appreciate smoother animations. In turn, a higher refresh display makes the computer feel faster and less, well, janky.
So for now, Young says to expect a MiniLED standalone display, sized 27-inches and with 5K resolution, and it won’t be an all-in-one computer. Could we see something like a Studio Display 2025 arrive at Tuesday’s just announced Apple event? Anything is possible, but it hasn’t really been rumored before now — save for a weird rumor in 2022 that one was coming months after the Studio Display actually launched.
Adding to the rumor is reporting by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who says that the product is codenamed J427 and will arrive by 2026. Gurman says to expect more details on Sunday in his weekly Power On newsletter.
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