The current Apple Studio Display launched in 2022 and has remained largely unchanged since, despite growing pressure from third-party displays offering better features. The next version appears designed to address several of those shortcomings.
Apple is preparing a long-overdue update to its Studio Display, with multiple reports pointing to a new model arriving in 2026, possibly in the first half of the year as part of a busy slate of new products.
While nothing has been officially confirmed, the sheer volume and consistency of recent leaks suggest this will be a meaningful refresh rather than a minor revision. It might not look very different, Bloomberg's Mac guru Mark Gurman suggested over the weekend that it will look essentially the same, but under the hood there will be plenty of changes.
Realistically, there need to be. The current Apple Studio Display is coming up to four years old and monitor technology has moved on at a decent pace since it was released. Displays offering higher refresh rates, HDR performance, and Mini-LED backlighting have all hit the market and challenged the home-grown incumbent, especially as they normally come in cheaper.
Our article The Best New Monitors You Can Buy for Your 2025 Mac Studio was one of our most popular of last year, and ran the gamut from the stunning $1299 ASUS ProArt Display 6K PA32QCV to the $349 Samsung ViewFinity S8. In fact, the only monitor we looked at that was more expensive than the $1599 Studio Display was the then forthcoming new LG UltraFine 6K Display. After being released for $1999 in October 2025, however, that seems to have failed to set the world alight.
In other words, the market is ripe for a refresh from the incumbent. So what's coming?
Display upgrades are, of course, the headline change. The strongest rumors point to Apple moving the Studio Display to a Mini-LED panel, which as far as the use of backlight technology goes would bring it into line with the company's MacBook Pro lineup.
More importantly, this would allow for improved contrast, higher peak brightness, and more credible HDR performance compared to the current standard LED implementation.
Resolution is still expected to remain at 5K. And while there were rumors of a move to 32-inch as per the $4999 Pro Display XDR, these seem to have faded in recent months. Some sources are still holding out for Apple to even release two different versions, though, one 27- and one 32-inch.
Refresh rate is another area where Apple may finally move beyond 60 Hz, with 90 Hz emerging as the most frequently cited figure. Some sources speculate about ProMotion-style adaptive refresh, but there is less consensus there. What does seem clear is that Apple is preparing a Studio Display that feels noticeably more fluid in everyday use, even if it stops short of moving up to the full 120 Hz that some people would wish for.
Inside, the display is expected to receive a significant processor upgrade. The existing Studio Display uses an A13 Bionic chip to power features such as the webcam, speakers, and Centre Stage processing. This was originally introduced in the iPhone 11, so is getting a bit long in the tooth as far as these things go.
The new display is likely to be built around a much newer Apple silicon chip, potentially the A19 or even A19 Pro. That would allow more advanced image processing, improved camera performance, and possibly even new AI-assisted features tied to the image-based components of its Creator Studio offering.
The existing combination of a centrally-mounted Ultra Wide camera, multi-microphone array, and six-speaker Spatial Audio system is likely to remain central to the product’s positioning as a single-cable, all-in-one desktop display, though the camera may well get an upgrade from the current 12 MP.
It would be nice to think the Studio Display 2 might be offered with a height-adjustable stand rather than that being a $400 extra. But knowing Apple we're not holding our breath.
So, to the big unknowns. Pricing and exact positioning are all up in the air still. Apple could choose to keep the Studio Display as a relatively accessible companion to the Mac Studio and Mac mini. Certainly it has tried in recent years to keep pricing down where possible, and a new display doesn't use much in the way of memory chips that are leading to price rises across the rest of the consumer electronics world.
Equally though, the introduction of new features could allow pricing to creep upward. The introduction of Mini-LED and higher refresh rates will probably increase production costs, and launching with new features at a higher price is usually an easier sell if there is a decent gap between generations. Four years definitely counts as that
Either way, a refresh arriving in the first half of 2026 would definitely align with broader updates expected across Apple’s desktop lineup.