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Will there be a pro Apple Studio Display this year with 120Hz and mini-LED? Analysts disagree

Following the announcement of the Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display at the event on Tuesday, the next logical question is whether there will be a higher-end pro version anytime soon, perhaps to replace the Pro Display XDR.

This morning, respected display analyst Ross Young and Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have both weighed in on Twitter on this topic, albeit with differing views.

The Studio Display will go on sale in a couple of weeks time at a $1599 starting price, featuring a 27-inch standard dynamic range 5K panel. You can spec it up to $2299 with nano-texture glass and a height-adjustable stand. However, that still leaves a lot of room for a high-end monitor option to do and cost a lot more. The current Pro Display XDR retails at $4999, and the stand is an extra $1000.

However, the Pro Display XDR is also a few years old at this point and does not feature 120Hz ProMotion. It seems likely that a new high-end Apple display would be a 120Hz mini-LED panel of some description, whether branded as a Studio Display Pro or simply a second-generation Pro Display XDR. Separately, 9to5Mac previously reported on a 7k resolution Apple display project in development (which might arrive alongside the next Mac Pro).

In fact, Ross Young says that he expects a 27-inch mini-LED display to arrive from Apple as soon as June, at 5K resolution. Their analyst firm believes production has already started.

However, Ming-Chi Kuo suggested the exact opposite, tweeting that Apple may not launch new mini-LED products this year due to high cost concerns.

That being said, cost concerns did not seem to be a primary factor when Apple launched the original Pro Display XDR at an eyewatering $5000 starting price, plus $1000 stand and optional $1000 nano-texture glass upgrade.

Ross Young had previously said that they expect a 27-inch iMac this summer. However, those claims have now been retracted as it seems that their sources had mistaken the Studio Display’s integration of camera, webcam and A13 chip as an iMac unit.

Ming-Chi Kuo has said that he does not expect a new iMac Pro or Mac Pro until sometime in 2023. This timeline certainly seemed to be corroborated by Apple’s wording at the March event, which implied they considered the Apple Silicon transition complete, aside from a Mac Pro upgrade (which we think will be unveiled at WWDC in June, at least as a sneak peek). Meanwhile, the 27-inch iMac was discontinued and removed from sale when the event ended.

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Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.