27-inch iMac could get big refresh with 120Hz mini-LED display in early 2022

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2020 iMac: The new iMac looks just like the old one (only faster).
It's about time the larger iMac switched to Apple silicon.
Photo: Apple

Apple didn’t deliver the 27-inch iMac refresh many fans were hoping for during its big “Unleashed” event on Monday, but according to one analyst, it will arrive in early 2022 — complete with a mini-LED display and ProMotion technology.

The next-generation all-in-one is also expected to finally ditch its Intel processors for new Apple silicon chips that bring huge performance gains.

Apple hasn’t forgotten about the 27-inch iMac

Apple has already brought the first-generation M1 chip to a new 24-inch iMac that’s slimmer, more colorful, and better than the 21.5-inch model it replaced in every way. We didn’t think it would take Apple long to roll out a larger model.

However, a number of Apple events have come and gone since then, and the 27-inch iMac hasn’t changed since it was last refreshed in August 2020. That’s going to change early next year, according to display analyst Ross Young.

Young, who has proven reliable in the past, published a tweet on Wednesday morning that predicts a new 27-inch iMac with ProMotion technology will debut during the first quarter of 2022. It’s also expected to get a mini-LED display.

Apple silicon on the way

It’s not year clear if the new iMac will get a notch, like the new MacBook Pro, but it will almost certainly get Apple’s new and incredibly impressive M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, which look set to blow Intel’s high-end CPUs out of the water.

We won’t know exactly how spectacular those chips are until the new MacBook Pro starts shipping and users can put them through their paces. But if Apple delivers on its promises, and it usually does, they’ll be much faster than the M1.

Early estimates also suggest that the high-end M1 Max could deliver even greater graphics performance than the PlayStation 5, which is great news for those who use their iMac to edit photos and videos, 3D modeling, and more.

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