Apple has not offered an affordable Apple-branded display since the 27-inch Thunderbolt display was discontinued in 2016, but that’s set to change sometime in the not too distant future.
Right now, Apple only sells the $5,000 Pro Display XDR, but rumors suggest new standalone displays are in the works. We don’t know a lot right now, but everything we’ve heard so far is aggregated in the guide below.
A Lower-Priced Display
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, who often provides accurate insights into Apple’s plans, there is a successor to the Thunderbolt Display in the works, which will be sold as a lower-cost consumer-oriented monitor alongside the Pro Display XDR.
The display won’t be as expensive as the Pro Display XDR, and as a result, it will feature reduced brightness and contrast ratio in comparison.
It’s possible that Apple is planning to release the display in two sizes, perhaps 24 inches and 27 inches. LG is allegedly working on new standalone displays that could be for Apple in 24, 27, and 32-inch sizes. The 24 and 27-inch models could be new lower-cost options, while the 32-inch model could be a Pro Display XDR followup.
Apple already makes 24 and 27-inch iMacs, so it would make sense for standalone displays to come in the same size options, and the Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch display. The 27-inch model and the 32-inch model are mini-LED displays with a 120Hz variable refresh rates, so if these LG Displays are being manufactured for Apple, we can expect the higher end versions to feature ProMotion and mini-LED technology.
We don’t know anything about the display’s design or specs at this time, but it’s definitely in the works.
Pro Display XDR Successor
As mentioned above, Apple is working on a successor to the Pro Display XDR. It’s expected to measure in at 32 inches like the current model, and it could continue to offer a 6K resolution.
A rumor from 9to5Mac has suggested that Apple is working on an external display that will include an A-series chip, offering GPU cores that could help power graphic intensive tasks. The Pro Display XDR successor is expected to have this A-series chip inside. The rumor is from mid-2021 and it said that Apple would use an A13 chip, but there are newer A14 and A15 chips that Apple could pick instead.
Possible Pricing
The Pro Display XDR successor will likely continue to be priced at around $5,000, and rumors suggest that the consumer-oriented display could be priced at $2,500, making it half the cost of the Pro Display XDR.
If there are actually three sizes coming, the 32-inch display could be $5,000, the 27-inch display could be $2,500, and the 24-inch display could be cheaper, perhaps somewhere around the $999 price point that Apple sold the Thunderbolt Display for.
Release Date
Apple has a lot of new Macs coming in 2022, including a refreshed Mac mini, a new MacBook Air, an smaller version of the Mac Pro, a revamped iMac, and a refreshed MacBook Pro, so it would make sense for the company to release standalone displays to go with this new wave of Macs.
That said, we have no word on when Apple’s planned displays could see a launch, and it’s not yet clear if we’re going to see them in 2022.
Guide Feedback
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