Apple Reportedly Working on 90Hz Studio Display, iMac, iPad Air

A new rumor suggests Apple is developing 90Hz display technology that could make its way to future versions of the Studio Display, iPad Air, and 24-inch iMac, all of which currently feature 60Hz refresh rates.

studio display purple february
The claim, spotted by 9to5Mac, comes from an anonymous source who contacted the Upgrade podcast, hosted by Myke Hurley and Jason Snell. According to the source, Apple is working on "a higher refresh rate LCD display with a new liquid motion panel fixed at around 90Hz," with plans to implement the technology across multiple products.

Such a development would be particularly noteworthy for the Studio Display, which hasn't received any hardware updates since its March 2022 launch. Many Apple users had hoped to see a refreshed model before the end of 2024, amid on-again, off-again rumors about a potential upgrade featuring mini-LED technology and ProMotion support. Apple's higher-end Pro Display XDR has also remained unchanged since its 2019 debut.

Display analyst Ross Young, who is known for accurate predictions about Apple's display technology, reported in April 2023 that Apple had abandoned plans for a 27-inch monitor with mini-LED backlighting. That canceled project, which could have been a next-generation Studio Display, was said to include the use of ProMotion technology with refresh rates up to 120Hz. Earlier, Young had anticipated such a display launching in 2022, but the release never materialized.

According to the anonymous source, the 90Hz display technology will debut first in the next-generation M3 iPad Air, expected in early 2025, before expanding to other products. The 24-inch iMac, which just received an M4 update, likely wouldn't see this display improvement until late 2025 at the earliest.

The current Studio Display features a 27-inch 5K LCD panel with 60Hz refresh rate, P3 wide color support, and up to 600 nits brightness, starting at $1,599.

Related Roundups: iMac, iPad Air
Related Forums: iMac, iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

When Is iPhone 17 Coming Out?

Thursday July 24, 2025 9:11 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 series is expected to debut in September 2025. This release follows Apple's recent trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. To unveil the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Saturday July 26, 2025 5:50 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should launch in late September, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

Tipster: iPhone 17 Pro to Feature 8x Zoom, Pro Camera App, and More

Sunday July 27, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will have several new camera-related features, according to an anonymous tipster who contacted MacRumors today. The tipster claimed to be familiar with an iPhone 17 Pro commercial that is allegedly being produced by a film company that has publicly listed Apple as one of its clients. MacRumors has not independently confirmed any of the information shared ...
Apple Partridge Creek

Apple Store in Michigan Permanently Closing Next Month

Saturday July 26, 2025 1:51 pm PDT by
Earlier this month, MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to permanently close its Partridge Creek store, just outside of Detroit, Michigan, and now the company has announced a closure date for the location. Apple Partridge Creek Apple Partridge Creek's final day of business will be Saturday, August 16, with the store set to close for good at 8 p.m. local time that day. All of ...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.6

Tuesday July 29, 2025 10:13 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.6, the sixth update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.6 comes more than two months after Apple released watchOS 11.5. The update is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.6 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.6

Tuesday July 29, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.6, the sixth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched last September. macOS Sequoia 15.6 comes a over two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.5. Mac users can download the ‌‌‌macOS Sequoia 15.6 update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. ...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Leaked

Friday July 25, 2025 6:20 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a Macworld report this month, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report...

Top Rated Comments

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
10 months ago
That's embarrassing; just make it 120Hz. They have all the technologies in-house.
Score: 57 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
10 months ago
90Hz?

$200 Android phones have 120Hz OLED panels.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
singularity0993 Avatar
10 months ago
With Thunderbolt 5 there's no reason to make it less than 120hz
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
10 months ago
For the love of God stick a motherboard back there and make it an iMac like it was supposed to be in the first place.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vantelimus Avatar
10 months ago

Would 90Hz work with the older Thunderbolt 4 devices? Can't really think of any other reason they would go for 90 over 120Hz otherwise.

In a way I can understand it though, why release a 120Hz monitor that only works with like 2% of Macs out there at the moment? Once market share of TB5 is higher, we'll see 120Hz 5k devices take over.
Good observation. Thunderbolt 4 is 40Gbps and can support a 5k or 6k monitor at 60Hz. A 90Hz 5k monitor requires 31.85Gbps and a 120Hz 5k requires 42.36Gbps. So 120Hz 5k is just out of range for Thunderbolt 4.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
omenatarhuri Avatar
10 months ago
90hz? What an odd choice.

But it's more than 60hz, so take my money!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)