If you’ve been craving a souped-up Studio Display that improves on the original model released in 2022, there’s been some good news: it looks like a new model with a mini-LED panel and a ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate is on the way. Yet it’s left me with more questions than answers about Apple’s long-lost iMac Pro.
In the world of Apple leaks, you quickly learn that there are two sources whose reliability stands above the rest: Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman and display industry expert Ross Young. When these two agree on something, it’s pretty much nailed on, and that’s exactly what just happened regarding Apple’s Studio Display.
First, Young posted on X that Apple is working on a 27-inch display with a mini-LED panel, and that it could launch as soon as late 2025. Gurman then chimed in on X, agreeing that such a device is coming but stating his belief that it might land “by 2026,” (which, technically, could also mean a 2025 launch).
Whatever the release date, it seems apparent that this 27-inch monitor is Apple’s Studio Display, as Gurman endorsed a claim that the mystery monitor was indeed this device. In that case, a mini-LED upgrade would be a big step up for the Studio Display, which is currently using a 5K-resolution LED panel.
Mini-LED screens use huge numbers of individual LEDs rather than large lighting zones. That results in deeper blacks, better highlights and improved shadows, among other benefits. For a product aimed at professional users, that could be a huge boon.
And there’s another intriguing benefit. With a 120Hz refresh rate and 27-inch frame, the Studio Display could make an excellent gaming monitor. Sure, it’s not specifically designed for gaming — don’t expect to find support for Nvidia G-Sync or ultra-high refresh rates — but it would be another option for Mac gamers who want to stay within the company’s ecosystem.
Are two devices better than one?
Yet amid all this talk of a standalone display, I can’t help but wonder where the iMac Pro is. Apple’s pro-level all-in-one was discontinued in 2021, but talk of a resurrection began almost immediately after. There have been intermittent rumors of a comeback ever since, with sources like Gurman saying that Apple is still working on a new model.
The problem? Young specifically claimed that the product mentioned in his X post is a monitor, not a computer. In the end, this latest Studio Display rumor has just highlighted to me the lack of progress and news on the iMac Pro.
The main question, then, is what’s taking so long? Part of it could simply be down to what has been released since. Apple says that a combination of the Mac Studio and the Studio Display does the job of the iMac Pro, giving you professional power both in terms of visuals and raw computing output.
Yet I don’t agree entirely. For one thing, having two products instead of one takes up more space on your desk. And while the iMac Pro is hardly “portable,” it’s still easier to transport one device than two.
That said, I can understand some of Apple’s argument. The cost of purchasing both the base Mac Studio and the Studio Display is $3,598, whereas iMac Pro started at $4,999. As well as that, having a standalone display means you can connect any Mac to it — something you can no longer do with an iMac. Maybe Apple believes its users are happy to get two devices instead of one. Maybe it’s correct.
Another choice for professionals
Ultimately, this doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. I’m glad that Apple is apparently upgrading the Studio Display, as it will give professional users a welcome visual improvement to a monitor that has been crying out for a more competitive edge to take on all of the best OLED monitors. And yet I’d still like to see a refreshed iMac Pro to provide another option to demanding users who are in the market for a powerful new Mac.
Gurman has previously said that it’s unclear whether the iMac Pro Apple is working on will have an M4 chip or something later (like the M5 or even M6), and with the continued dearth of news on this front, my money is on the latter. It sounds like a new iMac Pro could well be coming, but Apple is apparently in no hurry.
With an M4 Ultra Mac Studio likely to drop this summer and an upgraded Studio Display in the works, professional users will still have plenty of options. Here’s hoping they get another one in the form of the iMac Pro before too long.