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

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

iPhones Could Cost Up to $2,300 in the U.S. Due to Tariffs, Analyst Says

Friday April 4, 2025 9:30 am PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that steep tariffs will be applied to imports from many countries, starting April 9. The tariffs could have a significant impact on Apple, as the company assembles the majority of iPhones in China, and products imported to the U.S. from China will be subject to a 54% tariff. iPhone prices could increase by up to 43% in the U.S. due to the...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro: New 48MP Telephoto Lens May Change How Zoom Works

Thursday April 3, 2025 5:11 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, and while it may seem like a step back on paper, the change could actually improve real-world usability, if one leaker's claims are anything to go by. According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new Telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor, up from the current 12MP sensor found in the iPhone 16...
iOS 18

Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 18.5 to Developers

Wednesday April 2, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming just two days after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. We don't yet know what Apple is introducing in the iOS 18.5...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 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 ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...

Top Rated Comments

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

$200 Android phones have 120Hz OLED panels.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
singularity0993 Avatar
22 weeks ago
With Thunderbolt 5 there's no reason to make it less than 120hz
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
22 weeks 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
22 weeks 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
22 weeks ago
90hz? What an odd choice.

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