Apple Studio DIsplay
AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
A rumored Apple 27-inch display using mini LED backlighting may not arrive in early 2023 after all, with an analyst claiming Apple has shelved the project — at least temporarily.
Rumors circulated about a pro-level 27-inch display since the introduction of the Studio Display. As a screen that lacks HDR, ProMotion, and the improved mini LED backlighting as found in other Apple products, an upgrade was thought to be on the way.
However, in a Monday tweet by Display Supply Chain Consultants analyst Ross Young shared with paying super followers, Apple has “killed off the 27″ display completely.”
According to Young, Apple did make some progress with the panel, with some shipping to the supply chain in 2022, but they did not make it into a consumer-facing product at all. The display may still be used in a future product though, as Young offers that the pause is “at least for now.”
Young previously advised of a 27-inch mini LED display launch for early 2023 back in October 2022. Again, that tweet was shared to super followers on Twitter, making it visible only to paying members.
Apple already employs mini LED in the displays of the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. A replacement for traditional LED backlighting, mini LED enables for higher contrast levels close to those of OLED, localized dimming, and a generally more vibrant display.
An updated display would give consumers an effectively smaller and probably cheaper alternative to the Pro Display XDR, a 6K 32-inch screen that has localized dimming for high contrast ratios. While the Studio Display offers Apple’s aesthetics and a generally well-designed screen, the lack of display features makes it less of a small Pro Display XDR than it could’ve been.
If it ever ships, the 27-inch mini LED display stands to become the mini Pro Display XDR that rumor followers wanted.
