Apple's Pro Display XDR is now over five years old, and while there are rumors about a second-generation model, surprisingly little is known about the successor to the company's flagship external monitor.
In December 2022, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple was working on an updated version of the display, adding an Apple silicon chip to enhance its capabilities. The Studio Display contains an A13 Bionic chip to power its built-in webcam, spatial audio, and support for Siri voice commands. The Pro Display XDR offers none of these features, so it follows that a second-generation model with an Apple silicon chip would add speakers, microphones, and a webcam.
It is possible that a second-generation Pro Display XDR could feature a higher refresh rate, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, and perhaps even OLED technology. In July 2023, Gurman reiterated that Apple was still working on multiple next-generation monitors for release in 2024 at the very earliest.
In November last year, a report from Display Supply Chain Consultants' Ross Young claimed that the new monitor will likely feature the same quantum-dot display technology adopted by the latest MacBook Pro models. Young said the latest quantum-dot display films have equal to better color gamut support, and offer improved motion performance, compared to the KSF phosphor film that he said Apple uses for the existing Pro Display XDR and previous MacBook Pro models. This means the Pro Display XDR 2 could have improved color accuracy and faster response times compared to the current model.
Most recently, Gurman said a new Pro Display XDR is currently "less of a priority for Apple" as an expensive, niche product.
There have been no further mentions of the device since then and there still have been no reports at all about when it could be released. Perhaps we'll hear more about the second-generation Pro Display XDR later this year.
