Apple's Pro Display XDR Is Five Years Old Today

Apple's Pro Display XDR is five years old today, marking half a decade since its release alongside the 2019 Mac Pro.

Released on December 10, 2019, the Pro Display XDR was Apple's re-entry into the high-end external monitor market, following a three-year hiatus after discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display in 2016. The announcement came at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2019, where the company presented the display as a rival to traditional reference monitors. The XDR in its name stands for "Extreme Dynamic Range," a feature that Apple emphasized as a key differentiator from other high-resolution monitors available at the time.

It features a 32-inch Retina display with a 6K resolution of 6,016 by 3,384 pixels, powered by Apple's proprietary LED backlighting system. Apple utilized blue-colored LEDs with custom lenses and reflectors to achieve a maximum brightness of up to 1,600 nits in HDR mode, while sustaining 1,000 nits across the entire screen indefinitely. This allows for what Apple describes as "stunningly accurate colors and contrast," supporting the P3 wide color gamut and delivering a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

The rear of the display features the same lattice pattern used on the 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌, which functions as a heatsink to aid thermal management. The display is also available with matte nano-texture glass to cut down on glare—the first Apple product it's featured on.

Upon its release, the Pro Display XDR garnered significant attention for its high price. In the United States, the display starts at $4,999, and users who opt for the adjustable Pro Stand must pay an additional $999. The Pro Stand, which is sold separately, was met with mixed reactions upon its unveiling. Apple justified the cost by highlighting the engineering involved, with the Pro Stand offering height, tilt, and rotation adjustments, as well as support for both landscape and portrait modes. A VESA mount adapter is also available for those who prefer third-party mounting solutions.

As of its fifth anniversary, the Pro Display XDR remains one of only two external monitors sold by Apple, alongside the Studio Display, which was released in March 2022. Unlike the Pro Display XDR, the Studio Display comes with an integrated A13 Bionic chip, enabling features such as Center Stage for its built-in webcam, spatial audio, and support for Siri voice commands. The Pro Display XDR, however, has no webcam or any internal Apple silicon chip.

Speculation about a second-generation Pro Display XDR has been circulating for some time. In December 2022, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple was working on an updated version of the display, this time with an Apple silicon chip to enhance its capabilities. In July 2023, Gurman reiterated that Apple was still developing multiple new displays. Display supply chain analyst Ross Young recently said that the next-generation Pro Display XDR will feature quantum dot technology, just like the latest MacBook Pro models. However, no further details have emerged regarding what other specific upgrades the Pro Display XDR might receive or a potential release time frame. For now, the Pro Display XDR remains Apple's flagship display offering.