Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

Apple could launch a new external monitor with its own dedicated processor

Chuong Nguyen
By

When Apple unveiled the pricey Pro Display XDR alongside the refreshed Mac Pro, the company played up the strengths and innovation behind its pro-grade display. It seems that the next Pro Display is about to get even more powerful, as we’re learning that Apple is working on an external monitor that has its own dedicated ARM-based processor.

According to a report on 9to5Mac, the codename for the external display that Apple is working on is J327, and the monitor comes with its own A-series processor. More specifically, Apple has been testing the panel with the A13 Bionic chip, the same one that debuted on the company’s iPhone 11.

Apple's next-gen Pro Display XDR monitors could come with the power of an iPhone 11 inside.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If accurate, this means that a Mac setup with an external display will have two ARM-based processors. While the display is reportedly being tested with the A-series chipset, Apple is using a more powerful M-series variant on its Macs, including the refreshed M1-powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac.

Recommended Videos

It’s still unclear how Apple will leverage the power of a separate processor on its display — the A13 Bionic not only comes with integrated processor and graphics cores, but it also has a Neural Engine to help speed up artificial intelligence processing on the chip. Potential uses being speculated for the added processing power include the ability to better control and tune the screen’s performance as well as the ability to drive higher resolutions or connect even more displays to a Mac for a robust multi-monitor setup.

People photographing the Apple Pro Display XDR at the WWDC 2019 Hands On.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

A monitor with its own powerful CPU could also help Apple in its push into PC-based gaming. Like gaming monitors that support rivals AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, an Apple-designed monitor with its own powerful silicon could help Mac gamers experience less screen tearing, blurring, or ghosting when playing fast-paced AAA titles. Given that Apple is relying on its integrated graphics solution as part of its transition on the Mac from Intel chips to its own in-house processors based on ARM designs, this would allow Apple to create its own complete gaming ecosystem to rival G-Sync and FreeSync. It’s also unclear if the processor on the display can be daisy-chained with the one inside the Mac to deliver even more performance when the two are docked.

Related

Still, another potential use of a second silicon found only in the monitor may relate to Apple’s ambition to expand AirPlay. With the debut of MacOS 12 Monterey, Apple showcased a new feature called AirPlay to Mac, where you can mirror content on your iPhone to the Mac’s display. Further evolution of this, and something that rival has done on its smart monitors, is to allow iPhones to AirPlay content directly to the monitor without having a Mac connected to the display panel. Samsung’s smart monitor solution works with its DeX software interface found on its smartphones and tablets. Apple’s MacOS Monterey is due for release this fall.

At this time, even though Apple may be testing such a smart monitor, it’s unclear when such a solution will arrive or if Apple will even debut the monitor. Given that the Pro Display XDR debuted with the most recent refresh of the Mac Pro, perhaps we’ll have to wait until Apple once again refreshes its pro-grade desktop to its M-series chipsets to get a new Pro Display.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Apple ramping up production of Vision Pro ahead of sooner-than-expected launch
A woman wears the Apple Vision Pro headset while sitting on a couch.

Apple is aiming to launch its Vision Pro headset “by February,” according to new information from reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman.

The tech giant unveiled the $3,499 mixed-reality headset to great fanfare in June, and said at the time that it would launch first in the U.S. in "early 2024."

Read more
Apple Vision Pro launch nears as staff get special training
The Apple Vision Pro reveals the wearer's eyes on a front-facing display.

Apple is making final preparations for the highly anticipated launch of the Vision Pro, the $3,499 mixed-reality headset that it unveiled in June.

As it’s a new product line for the tech giant, a crucial part of the preparations includes training Apple Store staff on how to present it and demonstrate it to potential customers.

Read more
A new iMac Pro could still launch. Here’s what I want from it
An Apple iMac Pro in a dark room flanked by two monitors, one on either side of it.

A week ago, a shocking report emerged: Apple apparently had no plans for a larger iMac, potentially meaning the iMac Pro was dead and buried. However, opposition voices soon emerged, and the consensus now seems to be that Apple has only ruled out the 27-inch iMac, not the idea of a larger all-in-one entirely.

In fact, just yesterday, Bloomberg Mark Gurman reiterated his previous claims that a larger iMac is still in the works. That’s an exciting rumor because I’ve felt for years that the iMac isn’t quite living up to its potential. If a larger, more powerful version really is still in development, it could be a seriously impressive device. Here’s everything I want to see from it.
More raw power

Read more