New 27-inch iMac could get new colors but miss out on mini-LED upgrade

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The new M1 iMacs come in a range of vivid colors.
It could be as colorful as the 24-inch model.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s upcoming 27-inch iMac refresh could miss out on the mini-LED upgrade that this year graced iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. A new report, citing industry sources, claims the all-in-one computer will stick with more-familiar LCD panels instead.

The same sources also say the new 27-inch iMac will be available in a range of color options, just like the 24-inch model introduced in May.

iMac could have to wait for mini-LED upgrade

Apple has taken steps to move away from LCD panels for a number of years now. While it currently offers some of the best LCD displays in the industry, the panel technology itself is inferior to that of OLED and mini-LED.

Apple Watch was the first Apple device to use an OLED display, while iPhone followed suit in 2017. And in devices where OLED panels wouldn’t prove suitable, Apple began using more-advanced mini-LED screens instead.

It seems, however, that Apple may not be ready to bring mini-LED displays to its larger Mac models. According to sources for Digitimes, next year’s 27-inch iMac upgrade will continue to use LCD screens, just like its predecessors.

The report does note, however, that Apple plans to make the iMac’s LCD display even more dazzling by using new LED chips that are 30% to 40% brighter. The computer is also expected to be thinner, with multiple color options to choose from.

Don’t be disappointed just yet …

We should point out that Digitimes has a mixed track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s moves. What’s more, today’s report contradicts claims made by other, more reliable sources, like display analyst Ross Young of DSCC.

In a report published earlier this month, Young reiterated his expectations for a 27-inch iMac with a mini-LED display next spring. Young also thinks the machine will get 120Hz ProMotion technology, like the MacBook Pro.

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