Apple’s next-gen iMac 24-inch could get a much-wanted upgrade for the screen (though maybe not the one you want)

Rumor is Apple could upgrade to a 90Hz display – not a 120Hz effort, though

News By Darren Allan published 6 November 2024

• Apple could give next-gen iMac 24 and Studio Display a 90Hz screen
• This would be a considerable upgrade on the current 60Hz displays
• Notably, though, it would stop short of a full ‘ProMotion’ upgrade to 120Hz

Apple’s next-gen iMac 24-inch could benefit from a major upgrade with its display, as could a future Studio Display monitor (and iPad Air).

This rumor (add seasoning, and plenty of it) was shared by 9 to 5 Mac and comes from the ‘Upgrade’ podcast, the hosts (Myke Hurley and Jason Snell) of which were contacted by an anonymous source making the claims about the possible display upgrade.

The theory is that Apple is working on a “higher refresh rate LCD display with a new liquid motion panel” and this will have a 90Hz refresh rate, with the screen coming to the next-gen iPad Air M3, and also the iMac 24-inch and next-gen Studio Display.

Currently, the LCD panels on those devices offer a 60Hz refresh rate, so this would be a considerable upgrade – but perhaps not as big a leap as some would hope for (we’ll come back to that shortly).

The source of the rumor just mentions the ‘iMac 24-inch’ getting the 90Hz treatment, but we can draw the conclusion that this must be the model for 2025 (with M5 chip) – or a later one, even – seeing as obviously we’d have heard all about it already if the imminent iMac M4 refresh was receiving this.

What the iMac M4 does offer, screen-wise, is a new nano-texture glass option, which means the 4.5K Retina display will better handle reflections and glare in well-lit environments.

Analysis: A refreshing change

Why is the refresh rate so important? A higher rate means the screen refreshes more often, and more frames appearing every second equals a smoother picture. That’s important not just for gaming – where smoothness is vital (assuming your GPU can push the necessary amount of frames per second) – but also for everyday tasks like scrolling down a web page or document.

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