I’m still hoping that Apple will release a “Studio Display Pro” with ProMotion support this year — and there’s good reason why it should.
The global PC monitor market ended 2023 on a hopeful note, reaching 31.9 million units during the fourth quarter of 2023 (4Q23), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Monitor Tracker. This translates to year-over-year growth of 3.8%, which slightly outperformed IDC’s forecast of 3.2% growth.
IDC says the recovery came after five consecutive quarters of annual declines while the market was focused on clearing excess inventory from the pandemic era. During the fourth quarter, key market segments all showed growth with the consumer segment outpacing the commercial segment.
The improvement came not from the low end but from mainstream and premium price bands, including gaming. Overall, a more stable performance during the second half of 2023 helped to offset the steep declines of the first half, when shipments were down 17.4%, and enabling the market to decline 8.6% for the full year 2023, adds IDC.
There are rumors that Apple plans a “pro” version of the Studio Display that would offer ProMotion support in a 27-inch (or bigger) monitor. The current Studio Display lacks support for ProMotion, which is Apple’s name for the adaptive, high refresh rate, 120Hz display first available on the iPad Pro.
While a standard refresh rate will update a display 60 times a second (60Hz), the ProMotion’s adaptive 120Hz screen works at twice this speed. This results in smoother scrolling, improved responsiveness and better gaming performance.
A Studio Display Pro would likely utilize mini-LED technology with the most notable design change is to switch the material of the mini-LED backplane from the PCB found in current Apple products to glass. The benefits of adopting a glass backplane include a thinner panel thickness, a narrower bezel, an extended product lifespan, etc.
If/when it arrives, unlike the US$1,599 Studio Display, the Studio Display Pro is expected to support ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120MHz. The display will probably cost more than the “non-Pro” version, but far less than the $4,999, 6K Pro Display XDR.
