A leaker with an established track record claims that an Apple silicon edition of the iMac Pro all-in-one desktop is in the works, with claimed new features such as Apple’s latest M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, a mini-LED display featuring dark bezels, the possibility of Face ID, some of the legacy ports found on the redesigned MacBook Pro and other tidbits.
HIGHLIGHTS
- iMac Pro could be resurrected after being discontinued in March 2021
- It’ll run the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips from the new MacBook Pro
- The computer should rock a 27-inch screen like the old model
- It’ll utilize mini-LED backlighting for OLED-like experiences
- Face ID could make the cut but isn’t confirmed at this stage
Apple silicon iMac Pro may feature Face ID?
The system should have a similar design to the 24- iMac 24 and Pro Display XDR.
At least that’s what we’re hearing from pretty reliable leaker Dylandkt, who said that Apple could also release “an added configuration” of the upcoming desktop computer.
If we were betting, we’d say that Apple would likely be providing two basic configurations, one with a 16-core GPU found in the Apple M1 Pro chip and the other featuring its more powerful version with twice the GPU cores, dubbed M1 Pro Max. That’s exactly the way the company segments its offering of the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
Face ID was apparently tested but isn’t confirmed to be coming at this stage.
Dylan has listed several other predicted features for the next iMac Pro, including a much-improved display that should still measure 27 inches diagonally like the discontinued iMac Pro, but this time around featuring mini-LED backlighting and ProMotion.
The current internal naming candidate for this device is "iMac Pro". As a disclaimer though, the marketing team can change gears very quickly. Why will it be called this? To better distinguish this device from the iMac 24. This is a "Pro" device with a Pro Chip.
— Dylan (@dylandkt) October 30, 2021
Mini-LED and dark screen bezels
These pieces of information from the leaker corroborate a recent prediction from Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young who said Apple would launch a new 27-inch iMac with ProMotion, Apple chips and mini-LED by Spring 2022.
Just like we saw on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the latest MacBook Pros, the next iMac Pro should utilize an array of thousands of tiny LED lights enabling local dimming zones. Mini-LED technology brings OLED-like experiences thanks to the deep blacks, rich colors and high contrast and brightness. It also suffers from side effects such as blooming.
@VadimYuryev The blooming effect on my new MacBook Pro M1 16" is very pronounced. I took this picture in a dark room the machine on the left is a Samsung Chromebook OLED. Perhaps something you could test as well – the video is called Stars 4k HDR | OLED. pic.twitter.com/sAMs029wzB
— Apples Oranges (@ApplesTOranges) October 29, 2021
With ProMotion technology, the next iMac Pro’s display will provide dynamic refresh rates going all the way ups to 120Hz for buttery smooth scrolling, animations and so on. And perhaps most importantly, the computer is said to feature dark bezels, setting it apart from the colorful 24-inch iMac that sports white screen bezels.
Starting price around $2,000
The baseline model should feature Apple’s M1 Pro chip with sixteen gigabytes of unified RAM and 512 gigabytes of flash storage. Some of the legacy ports, like HDMI and SD card, will be present on the machine, apparently, with the other ones being USB-C. If the 24-incher is an indication, the next iMac Pro should have a uniformly thin enclosure with the relatively bulky Ethernet port relocated to the power brick.
So interestingly enough, HDMI has never been in an iMac (As far as I know). So then, why is it coming to this iMac? It has to do with display compatibility. Most TV's and external displays have HDMI. It's simply a convenience factor.
— Dylan (@dylandkt) October 30, 2021
The overhauled iMac Pro should launch in the first quarter of 2022 with a starting price “at or over 2000 dollars.” By comparison, the discontinued Intel-based iMac Pro had a starting price of $4,999 and includes an 8-, 10-, 14- or 18-core Intel Xeon processor, a 5K resolution display, AMD’s Vega graphics, ECC memory and 10-gigabit Ethernet.
iMac (Pro)
Promotion and Mini Led
Base model 16gb Ram 512gb Storage
M1 Pro and Max
Dark bezels
HDMI, SD Card, Usb C
Similar design to iMac 24 and Pro Display XDR
Starting price at or over 2000 dollars
Ethernet on brick standard
Face ID was tested (Not confirmed)
1H 2022— Dylan (@dylandkt) October 30, 2021
The Intel-based iMac Pro was discontinued on March 19, 2021, because it was no longer competitive following the launch of the overhauled 24-inch iMac with Apple silicon.