Studio Display Outputs At 1440p Resolution When Connected to 4th-Gen iPad Air and iPad Mini 6

Apple's new 5K Studio Display supports the 11-inch iPad Pro, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third-generation or later), and the new fifth-generation iPad Air, but it isn't officially compatible with the fourth-generation iPad Air or the new iPad mini because the USB-C ports on these devices can't achieve the required data throughput to output in the native resolution.
apple studio display blue

That has led some users to wonder what happens, if anything, when a fourth-generation iPad Air or iPad mini 6 is connected to the Studio Display. Apple has now confirmed to MacRumors that these two devices output to the 5K-capable display in a downscaled 1440p resolution. Suffice to say, other older, non-supported iPads with USB-C aren't capable of driving the Studio Display at 5K either.

Apple's new Studio Display is compatible with a range of Macs, according to Apple, including the following:

  • Mac Studio (2022)

  • 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or later)

  • 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021)

  • 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or later)

  • 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or later)

  • MacBook Air (2018 or later)
  • Mac mini (2018 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2019 or later)
  • 24-inch iMac (2021)
  • 27-inch iMac (2017 or later)
  • 21.5-inch iMac (2017 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017)

Customers can order the Studio Display starting now through Apple's online store, with availability starting March 18, although delivery dates for both the new Mac Studio and its accompanying Studio Display have begun to slip well into April.

In the U.S., the Studio Display is priced at $1,599 with a tilt-adjustable stand and at $1,999 with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand. The monitor can also be configured with nano-texture glass and/or a VESA mount adapter.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 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 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...

Top Rated Comments

Pakaku Avatar
43 months ago

Why does anyone hook a laptop to a bigger display? To get more screen RE and/or to get more done. There are those who use iPads as their computer. Even the biggest iPad Pro offers a relatively tiny screen. Hook one to a bigger screen much like linking a laptop for the same general purpose.
Hooking it up for more desktop real-estate is a good reason, yet last I checked, the iPad doesn't get any extra real-estate and just mirrors its screen. Not comparable to a laptop in the slightest.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Haiku_Oezu Avatar
43 months ago

I would legitimately consider buying one with the stand to connect to my 2021 12.9 iPad Pro, but because the iPadOS only outputs a mirror image of the iPad display, it’s wasteful. I use my iPad Pro all day everyday and study quite a bit at home and would love the large screen size. I wonder, however, is it not more sensible to get a base iMac 24” at that point.
Technically iPadOS does support using a monitor as a second display, but it’s app to the apps themselves to support this so it only works with a handful of them (last time I checked)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sebosz Avatar
43 months ago
Why would anyone want to mirror iPadOS on Studio Display?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PeteBurgh Avatar
43 months ago
I really hope that Apple specifically mentioning iPad compatibility for the Studio Display is a harbinger of better external display support in iPadOS. But I feel like I've become Captain Ahab hunting the white whale on this - iPads have had the technical capability to use external displays for ages now, without any sign of better software support.

It's become like the iPad Pro people hoping for Final Cut Pro (and other Pro apps) on the iPad - it makes a certain amount of a sense, but is this actually Apple's vision for the iPad? Do they really envisage the iPad as a Viticci's modular computer ('https://www.macstories.net/stories/modular-computer/'), or do they still imagine it as a much simpler device?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
43 months ago

Why would anyone want to mirror iPadOS on Studio Display?
Why does anyone hook a laptop to a bigger display? To get more screen RE and/or to get more done. There are those who use iPads as their computer. Even the biggest iPad Pro offers a relatively tiny screen. Hook one to a bigger screen much like linking a laptop for the same general purpose.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mkoesel Avatar
43 months ago
It’s good to have confirmation that it’s merely a bandwidth concern rather than the devices not being able to produce the proper signal or being explicitly blocked by the display somehow.

Theoretcally these two older USB-C iPads should be able to output @ 4K/30Hz to this display as well.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)