Ever since Apple introduced its Studio Display back in March 2022, several customers have been wondering when Apple would release the next generation of its companion monitor. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter, the next Studio Display should be coming out within the first half of this year. Gurman further claims that the next generation “looks quite similar to the current one.” While we shouldn’t expect a major design revamp, the next Studio Display will heavily focus on these spec upgrades to further enhance the Studio Display experience.
- First, the next Studio Display is expected to have a higher refresh rate than the current model, which caps at 60Hz. There have been conflicting rumors on whether the next Studio Display will adopt 120Hz ProMotion technology or will just cap at 90Hz to preserve some bandwidth when connecting external peripherals.
- Second, the current Studio Display features the A13 Bionic chip. The next Studio Display is expected to feature the A19 chip, which should see improved display performance as this chip features a more modern display controller.
- Third, reputable display analyst Ross Young claimed that the next Studio Display would use mini-LED backlighting to match the brilliant display technology that the current MacBook Pro uses.
- Last, but not least, the mini-LED technology will still be leaps ahead of the older LCD technology that the current Studio Display users have, as it brings significantly higher brightness levels, improved contrast ratios with brighter whites/deeper blacks, and superior color accuracy, which means this next Studio Display will officially have HDR support.
Therefore, we might as well call this display the “Studio Display XDR.” Details about pricing and connectivity remain unclear, but I could see Apple launching this “Studio Display XDR” either in March when Apple updates the MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips or at WWDC when Apple updates the Mac Studio with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips. Still, this display will be worth waiting for as it will be the ideal companion for any Mac, especially the Mac mini and the Mac Studio.
