While Apple released the Studio Display just under a year ago, the company is also rumored to be working on a higher-end external display with mini-LED backlighting. Once rumored for June 2022, this display has suffered repeated delays, and it’s currently unclear when (or if) it will actually launch…
More delays for Apple’s 27-inch mini-LED display
The first rumors on Apple’s higher-end Studio Display spinoff suggested it could be released in the summer of 2022. The display was then pushed back, with Apple allegedly targeting an October 2022 release. As it became increasingly clear that Apple wouldn’t make that October deadline, Ross Young then said that Apple was targeting a Q1 2023 release.
Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, it looks like Apple has once again delayed the release of its mini-LED external display. Ross Young reportedly told MacRumors today that he hasn’t seen any signs inside Apple’s supply chain that the display is entering mass production. If Apple was on track for a Q1 release, mass production would have started by now.
This 27-inch display is rumored to feature a mini-LED panel, unlike the LCD panel used by the Studio Display. It’s also rumored to feature ProMotion support for higher refresh rates up to 120Hz. It’s basically going to use the same screen technology as the most recent MacBook Pro models.
At this point, Young hasn’t “provided an updated timeframe for when the display might be released.” Other sources, such as Bloomberg and Ming-Chi Kuo, haven’t recently reported any details about this particular display.
What’s next for Apple external displays?
Top comment by notro
The rumors of a “high end” 27-inch display launching months after the Studio Display never made much sense. My guess? The ProMotion mini-LED 27-inch display IS the new Studio Display (and possibly why the current version was priced so outlandishly high) and/or it is actually the fabled return of the iMac Pro.
Bloomberg did recently report, however, that Apple is prepping “multiple new external monitors” with Apple Silicon inside. One of these is a new version of the Pro Display XDR, which may not launch until after the new Apple Silicon Mac Pro is released.
9to5Mac has reported that Apple is developing a new external display with a 7K resolution. The current Pro Display XDR has a 32-inch 6K (6016 x 3384) panel with 218 pixels per inch. A 7K external display from Apple could have a higher pixel density of 245 PPI with the same size screen. Alternatively, Apple could keep the same 218 PPI as the Pro Display XDR but on a larger 36-inch panel.
Right now, Apple sells two external monitors: the Studio Display and the Pro Display XDR. The former was released earlier this year and starts at $1,599, while the latter was released in 2019 and starts at a whopping $4,999 (without a stand).
Where exactly the often-delayed 27-inch external monitor fits in Apple’s lineup remains to be seen. It doesn’t seem like a successor to the Pro Display XDR, but it will certainly be more expensive than the existing Studio Display. Perhaps Apple is planning a new spot in between those two for it?
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