Now that Apple has brought its custom system-on-a-chip (SoC) to the 2021 MacBook Pro lineup, there’s really only one last holdout when it comes to completely replacing the Intel chips that used to power its Macs. This group includes the 27-inch iMac, as well as the Mac Pro and the higher-tier Mac mini. New leaks look to point towards a big redesign for the 2022 27-inch iMac, including upgrading it to a mini-LED display.
On Wednesday, Ross Young, a noted display analyst, shared a tweet (via 9to5Mac) stating that he expects Apple to launch a new 27-inch iMac in the first quarter of 2022. This new iMac, Young says, will include a mini-LED display with ProMotion and support for up to 120Hz.
Upgrading the 27-inch iMac 2022
While the 24-inch iMac has already received the M1 treatment, it doesn’t offer the same power as Apple’s portable professional offerings like the 2021 MacBook Pro. With the introduction of the M1 Pro and M1 Max, it makes sense for Apple to push the iMac 2022 with a 27-inch display into the spotlight with some big upgrades.
According to Young, one of the most notable upgrades coming to the iMac is a display like that seen on the new MacBook Pro notebooks. The new display will offer a 24 – 120Hz variable refresh rate and will feature mini-LED like the newer MacBooks and some of the newer iPad models. Young also predicted the appearance of the new mini-LED displays on the MacBooks and turned out to be correct. He has predicted other supply chain commitments from Apple in the past, many of which have turned out to be true.
Replacing the iMac Pro
Many believe that the upcoming iMac 2022 with a 27-inch display will replace the now discontinued iMac Pro. As such, it’s possible we’ll see the new 27-inch iMac running the M1 Max SoC, as well as making use of some of the same internal design we’re already seeing in the new MacBook Pros. There were also reports that the newest MacBooks would run a beefier M2 chip, so it is also possible we could see that pushed to the new iMacs. However, with the M1 Max and M1 Pro already showing such impressive benchmarks, it’s possible that an M2 chip isn’t needed just yet.
Apple originally said that it was aiming to bring ARM processors to its new products within two years, completely removing Intel CPUs from the equation. So far Apple is making great strides towards that, and releasing a new 27-inch iMac running an ARM processor would be another great step forward in that goal.
