In summary:
- Macworld explores rumors of Apple’s potential iMac Pro revival, featuring a 32-inch display with mini-LED technology and M5 Pro/Max chips expected by 2026.
- The rumored iMac Pro matters for professionals seeking an all-in-one desktop solution with enhanced connectivity like Thunderbolt 5 and up to 128GB unified memory.
- Despite analyst predictions from Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman, Apple’s larger iMac release remains uncertain with no official announcements and previous timeline predictions proving inaccurate.
Prior to March 2022, Apple sold two sizes of its iMac desktop computer. The smaller-screened model was more suited to home users due to its less powerful processor, while the larger 27-inch model, with more speed, higher-end features, and high-res display, was meant to be powerful enough for more demanding users, and for those who needed even more oomph, there was the iMac Pro.
When Apple introduced the 24-inch iMac in 2021 with a colorful redesign and M1 chip, it was the beginning of the end for the larger and more powerful iMac. First Apple discontinued the iMac Pro, and a year later introduced the Mac Studio with the 27-inch Studio Display in March 2022, and discontinued the 27-inch iMac at the same time.
But the story doesn’t end there. Ever since it was retired, there have been rumors that Apple has plans to introduce a new version of the iMac Pro that would also mark the return of the 27-inch iMac–although it could have an even bigger screen, rumored to be 32-inches! In this article, we’ll evaluate the reports that suggest that Apple could revive the old brand with a brand-new iMac Pro. Read on to find out when it could launch and what features it might offer.
Is there even a need for a new iMac Pro now the Mac Studio has arrived? We think there will always be room for a pro desktop with a large screen built in. See: How the iMac Pro could come out of retirement to dominate the desktop.
Is Apple’s iMac Pro dead? The rumors say otherwise
The rumors that Apple would revive the iMac Pro have been circulating for years. Back in October 2021, in a tweet that is no longer online, retired Apple leaker Dylan made predictions about an iMac Pro. Clearly, Dylan was incorrect about the timing of his prediction, but even if we discount him, others have also claimed that Apple is working on a new iMac Pro.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo then made predictions about a new iMac Pro back in March 2022. Suggesting that Apple would ship an iMac Pro in 2023. However, that prediction came just before Apple introduced the Mac Studio and removed the 27-inch iMac from the lineup.
Then in October 18, 2023, Kuo tweeted that a 32-inch iMac could arrive in 2025.
It’s not only Kuo who sees a larger iMac in Apple’s future. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote in April 2022 (after the launch of the Mac Studio): “For those asking, I still think an iMac Pro is coming. It just won’t be anytime soon.”
In June 2023, Gurman mentioned the larger iMac again. He claimed that Apple “is also conducting early work on an iMac with a screen over 30 inches.”
And towards the end of October 2023, Gurman wrote that the larger iMac, although “tabled” a while back “due to cost concerns”, was never “canceled”. Predicting: “This larger model is still poised to follow the 24-inch one, coming in either late 2024 or 2025.”
That’s a lot of predictions that a larger iMac Pro is coming, but not much actual news. One thing does seem to be clear though: if the above claims are accurate, Apple has been working on a replacement for the 27-inch iMac (and iMac Pro) for some time. It seems that, either there are difficulties that are leading to delays, or Apple’s new iMac Pro isn’t destined to be released.
There is evidence that development was even at the prototype stage before being put on hold: In July 2022, a report on MacRumors, based on information shared by a source to a forum member (so we can’t vouch for its accuracy) suggested that “Apple prototyped at least three larger iMac models with Apple silicon chips” back in 2021.
In December 2022, Gurman indicated that the iMac Pro had been delayed, citing (as with the new Mac Pro) high development costs and difficulties engineering chips as the cause of the delay. In his first newsletter of 2023, Gurman also wrote that the iMac Pro “has been on and off Apple’s road map”, and that “I would be surprised at this point if it arrives in 2023.
And, in December 2025, MacRumors reported that an iMac with an M5 Max chip is being used within Apple. It’s possible, however, that this iMac isn’t slated for release and is being used internally for testing only.
iMac Pro: Release date
Kuo’s tweet that Apple will ship a “Higher-end 32-inch mini LED display iMac in 2025,” clearly didn’t prove true. Kuo wasn’t the only one pinpointing at 2025 (or earlier) launch though:
When Gurman referred to the big iMac in July 2023, he claimed that the 32-inch iMac has entered the early testing phase of development and suggested that while it could launch in late 2024, a 2025 was also possible. In an October 2023 newsletter, Gurman reiterated this, writing: “This larger model is still poised to follow the 24-inch one, coming in either late 2024 or 2025.”
With the end of 2025 is fast approaching a new iMac is not looking likely, especially as Apple doesn’t usually release new Macs in December. No further reports have been made as to the status of this new iMac.
With the M5 chip now on the market, we could see Apple launch a new larger iMac alongside an update to the 21-inch iMac. This could happen in spring 2026, but there have been no rumors indicating this.
iMac Pro: Design and colors
- A four-year-old report said the iMac Pro could have a similar design to the current iMac.
- No color options have been reported.
In a July 31, 2021 newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that the new iMac Pro will have “a similar design to the M1 iMac.”
It makes sense that the iMac Pro will borrow some of its design inspiration from the 24-inch iMac. Apple offers the 24-inch iMac in several color choices, but there haven’t been reports on what color choices Apple will use for the iMac Pro. To create a differentiation between the consumer and pro levels, Apple may decide on different color choices, as with the iPhone Pro, or stick with the traditional shades.
The next large iMac Pro will probably look nothing like the current 27-inch model (right) and more like the 24-inch iMac (left).
Apple
Another difference we could see on the larger iMac is dark bezels rather than a white border around the screen. There may also be a notch, as there is with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. This could allow Apple to extend the height of the screen as it has with these models. We’d also like to see the iMac Pro lose some of its “chin.” Based on teardowns of the iMac and the Studio Display, and the low power and heat requirements of Apple silicon, a chinless iMac Pro could be possible.
iMac Pro: Display size
- 27- or 32-inches have been reported
- Upgrade over the current LED display in the iMac
Display analyst Ross Young and others had stated that the iMac Pro will have a 27-inch display, the same as the predecessor, which is a little disappointing. However, in June 2023, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicated that he had information suggesting that Apple is developing an iMac with a screen larger than 30 inches. He then elaborated further a few weeks later, suggesting that a 32-inch iMac is reportedly in testing. In October 2023, he reiterated that the new iMac Pro “will have a 32-inch display, making it the biggest iMac in Apple’s history.” Currently, the 32-inch Pro Display XDR is Apple’s largest display.
Kuo agrees that this new, larger iMac could have a 32-inch display, as per his October tweet. Neither Kuo nor Gurman expands on the screen specs, but it will presumably have ProMotion and XDR (Extreme Dynamic Range).
A larger display would certainly make the iMac Pro more attractive to potential buyers. Next to the 24-inch iMac, with its 4.5K display (4480 by 2520 pixels), the 27-inch iMac only looks slightly more impressive with its 5K display (5120 by 2880 pixels). But it’s not only the 24-inch iMac that the iMac Pro will be compared to. The 27-inch screen also doesn’t compare particularly favorably with many modern displays that are larger than 30 inches (including the 32-inch, 6K Apple Pro Display XDR).
Apple’s Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch 6K display.
Foundry
Gurman has previously predicted that the 27-inch iMac could see its display size increase by a similar amount to the 24-inch iMac: “I absolutely still believe that a larger, redesigned iMac to replace the Intel 27-inch models is en route. Apple increasing the screen size of the smaller model from 21.5 inches to 24 inches seems to indicate that the 27-inch model could see a size increase as well,” he wrote in July 2021.
A larger display could be possible without increasing the size of the iMac significantly. The 27-inch iMac measured 25.6 inches wide, 20.3 inches tall, and 8 inches deep, and Apple’s new design helps make the 24-inch iMac smaller than even the 21.5-inch iMac it replaced (21.5 by 18.1 by 5.8 inches versus 20.8 by 17.7 by 6.9 inches). Apple could also incorporate a notch into the top of the screen to accommodate the FaceTime camera, thereby reducing the size of the bezel at the top of the screen.
The new iMac Pro wouldn’t actually need to be as big as the Pro Display XDR to offer a 6K display. A 30-inch display with smaller bezels could still accommodate the 6016 by 3384 pixels for Retina 6K resolution and a 6K iMac.
In an October 2024 post on X, Kuo stated that the new iMac will have a 32-inch mini LED display, which would be an upgrade over the LED display used in the 24-inch iMac.
To get an idea of what we could expect with the display in the larger iMac if Apple takes it beyond the Studio Display, we can look at how it compares to Apple’s Pro Display XDR.
- Pro Display XDR: 6K Retina display (6016-by-3384 resolution), 1000 nits (XDR) or 500 nits (SDR) brightness, wide color (P3), True Tone
- Studio Display: 5K Retina display (5120-by-,880 resolution), 600 nits, wide color (P3), True Tone
The upcoming larger iMac is likely to have smaller bezels than the 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro, which could help the display reach a higher pixel density without having to make the display much bigger. A rumor by Ross Young in October 2021 and a follow-up report in December 2021 claimed that Apple would bring a Liquid Retina XDR display with “around 1,000 zones and over 4,000 mini-LEDs” to the iMac. That would be fewer than the 10,000 mini-LEDs in the iPad and the 8,000 mini-LEDs in the MacBook Pro, though it would likely be visually indistinguishable due to the size and viewing distance.
The 27-inch iMac used to ship with standard glass on the front of the display, but (for $300) Apple offered a nano-texture glass that provided a matte-like finish and did a good job of cutting down glare. Apple will probably continue to offer this with the new iMac Pro. As you can see above, it dramatically cuts down on the gloss and glare.
The 27-inch iMac has a nano-texture glass option (right) that does a better job of resisting glare and reflections.
IDG
iMac Pro: M5 Pro & M5 Max?
- A report suggests that an M5 Max iMac Pro exists, but it’s not known whether it will ever be launched to the public
- With M5 Pro and Max expected in the MacBook Pro in early 2026, the rumored iMac Pro could also feature these chips
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported back in January 2022 that Apple would launch an iMac Pro with “similar chips to the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors inside of the MacBook Pro.” That rumor came before the launch of the Mac Studio, which did ship with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, so it seems likely that Gurman’s source was referring to that machine.
With the M5, M4 Pro, and M4 Max already on the market, and the M5 Pro and M5 Max coming, we can get some idea of what to expect from a larger iMac. The M4 Pro offers a 12- or 14-core CPU and 16- or 20-core GPU, but it is likely to feature the M5 Pro.
The expectation has been that Apple will differentiate the Mac Studio and Mac Pro from the iMac Pro by offering just the M5 Pro with that model, as it does with the Mac mini. However, reports that Apple is using an M5 Max iMac internally indicate that, should the model make it to market it won’t only offer the Pro chip, it may also offer the Max chip too.
Apple is expected to release the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro in the first half of 2026.
iMac Pro: RAM
- The standard configuration will follow whatever is planned for the M-series Pro and Max chips
We don’t yet know what the M5 Pro or Max offers, but the M4 Pro can support up to 48GB of unified memory (up from 36GB) while the M4 Max can support up to 128GB. The 27-inch iMac did support up to 128GB RAM, so that’s one reason why the new iMac Pro may support the Max chip. The M4 Pro comes standard with 24GB unified memory; the M4 Max comes with 36GB as standard (previously 32GB). Other configurations include 48GB, 64GB, and 128GB.
Apple is going to be releasing the M5 Pro and Max chips soon, but those chips are expected to have the same base RAM configurations as the M4 Pro and Max.
One limitation of Apple’s RAM is that it will not be user-upgradable. The 27-inch iMac had RAM slots that were user-accessible. With Apple silicon, RAM (Apple calls it unified memory) is built into the SoC, so it is not user-upgradable.
iMac Pro: Storage
- Apple typically sets the base SSD at 512GB or 1TB for its pro Macs.
An October 2021 tweet from the now-retired account from “Dylan” suggested that there will be 512GB storage as standard with the new iMac (Pro).
That would be an improvement on the 256GB offered by the entry-level 27-inch iMac prior to it being retired. It would follow the pattern of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which has 512GB and 1TB options for the standard machines (and 8TB as a build-to-order option).
iMac Pro: Ports and expansion
- Thunderbolt 5 is currently implemented in pro Macs.
The 24-inch iMac comes with four Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports, and a headphone jack (the base $1,299 iMac has only two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports). After Apple launched the MacBook Pro with HDMI and an SDXC card slot, rumors suggested the iMac would follow suit. The thin enclosure could be an issue, but Apple solved that issue on the 24-inch model by putting the headphone jack on the side. Apple could position the SD slot similarly to avoid making the iMac thicker.
Thunderbolt 5 is now on the M4 Pro/Max MacBook Pro, so this would be included in an iMac Pro. Thunderbolt 5 offers double the bandwidth at 80 Gbps. Learn more about Thunderbolt 5.
The iMac power adapter has an< ethernet port. Apple could do the same with an iMac Pro.
Foundry
For all but the entry-level 24-inch iMac, Apple placed the ethernet port in the power adapter brick. The same power adapter is likely to be used for the larger iMac as well.
iMac Pro: Other features
With the M4 iMac, Apple upgraded the camera to a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera with Center Stage support. It replaced the 1080p camera in the previous iMac. Apple would use the same 12MP camera in an iMac Pro.
We’d like to see the camera also support Face ID. True Depth references were spotted in macOS Big Sur, indicating that this was something Apple had looked at. However, no Mac has yet arrived with support for Face ID. If it doesn’t have Face ID, the new iMac will have Touch ID built into the keyboard, that being offered with the 24-inch iMac and the Touch ID keyboards. Read: When will Face ID come to Mac?
iMac Pro: Price
As for the price, it will likely fall in line with the pricing of the 27-inch iMac, which started at $1,799, since Apple kept similar pricing to the 21.5-inch iMac when it launched the 24-inch model. It’s also possible that the price will be a bit higher, perhaps starting at over $2,000, which would be more in line with Apple’s price increase for the higher-end MacBook Pro.
The price is likely to be adjusted outside the U.S. in line with the exchange rates.
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.