Skip to main content

Why an OLED iMac would be so amazing

Apple’s been coy about the iMac these past few years. Sure, it has the M1 24-inch iMac, but it’s gone on pretending the beloved 27-inch iMac never existed.

A new rumor gives some optimism for those of us hoping that Apple would someday revisit a larger, more powerful version of the iMac. The report doesn’t come from one of the usual leakers, such as Ross Young or Mark Gurman — so treat it with a healthy dose of skepticism. But I, for one, am excited about the prospect of this rumor being true.

A student types at a desk on a pink Apple iMac 24-inch M1 desktop computer.
Apple

The rumor, which comes from a display analyst at Omdia, indicates that larger OLED iMacs are indeed in the works. That alone would be exciting. Back in the day, the iMac was known for having a super-high-resolution, cutting-edge display. But since the birth of both mini-LED and OLED, the iMacs have missed the boat entirely, with Apple’s attention being pulled to external displays and MacBook Pros. The 24-inch iMac is more of an entry-level Mac, so both in terms of performance and display, it’s not the high-end machine many were waiting for. An OLED iMac, which is part of a long-rumored transition from mini-LED to OLED across Apple’s lineup, would finally provide a substantial upgrade for the quality of the iMac’s screen, which has been stagnant for almost a decade at this point.

Recommended Videos

And it’s not just the quality of the display we’re talking about. It’s also the size and, by extension, performance. The report says that we are getting not just a 32-inch iMac, but also a 27-inch and 42-inch model. The timing of the switch to OLED maps onto previous reports, aiming at 2027 as the year when this big change will happen. But more excitedly, the timeline also points to a 32-inch mini-LED iMac coming later this year. And oh boy, that’s an exciting proposition.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

A larger iMac, especially one with a high-end mini-LED display, also has room for significantly more performance — at least, in theory. If Apple could squeeze a configuration of the M2 or M3 with more GPU cores into a larger-format iMac, that’d be gold. It would be the return of the 27-inch iMac in the truest sense — and a completion of the true transition to Apple Silicon (except for the Mac Pro, of course).

Please enable Javascript to view this content

An even larger 42-inch model? I mean, sky’s the limit there in terms of how much performance you can pack in.

Unfortunately, the rumor of a 32-inch iMac or iMac Pro coming later this year doesn’t line up with other reports. Apple seems to be planning an update to the 24-inch iMac, but the introduction of a larger iMac has been absent from more consistent reporters.

I do, however, believe Apple will eventually return to one of these larger iMacs in the future at some point. Maybe it won’t be this year, and who knows — maybe the OLED transition in 2027 would be the perfect time. But I sure do hope there’s some validity to this rumor.

Luke Larsen
Luke Larsen is the Senior Editor of Computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
I tested the most popular free antivirus apps for Mac. Here are the very best
A MacBook Air is shown with the Bitdefender for Mac dashboard open.

The best free antivirus software for your Mac offers robust protection without breaking the bank. Although macOS was once an unlikely target for hackers, that's changing. As Apple computers become more popular, malware prevention is increasingly important to safeguard your personal and financial data.
Finding the best antivirus software can be challenging. While subscription prices are affordable, your budget might already be tight. Thankfully, there are several good, free malware solutions for macOS. Here are our top picks for free antivirus software for Mac, with each specially tailored to protect your Apple computer.
Avast One Basic

While Avast One Basic is free and shows no ads, this powerful antivirus software still protects your Mac from malware infections, and blocks new threats before they become a problem. Perhaps more impressive is the Web Shield feature that identifies malicious downloads and prevents access to hazardous websites, halting phishing attempts and other online dangers.

Read more
OLED MacBook Pros can’t come soon enough
Apple MacBook Pro 16 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

OLED MacBooks have been rumored for years now, but ever since the OLED iPad Pro launch, it's turned up the heat on speculation around when Macs will get the technology. And now, in a new report, global tech analyst group Omdia has shed light on the murky subject. While some sources have speculated 2025, and others 2027, Omdia's principal analyst Ricky Park says 2026 is "highly likely."

That might come as a disappointment to some who'd hoped for the massive update to come in the next generation of MacBook Pros, which would launch in late 2024 or 2025.

Read more
Some updates coming to macOS 15 aren’t just about AI
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air on a desk, with macOS Sonoma running on its display.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is coming up soon, and everyone's expecting a huge announcement around AI. But don't worry, according to a report from AppleInsider, there are some practical tweaks coming to macOS 15 that are in the works. Notably, the System Settings app is set to receive the biggest changes, with other menus and app UIs also expecting some rearranging.

The last update to the Settings app happened with macOS Ventura, changing the name from System Preferences to System Settings and shifting to an iOS-style design, a change that ruffled the feathers of diehard Mac users. This time, the organizational system will reportedly be based on "priority and overall importance."

Read more