Your Mac might not work with the new Studio Displays
After what seemed like an eternity, Apple finally updated its standalone display lineup on Tuesday. If you’ve been waiting for one, you can pre-order tomorrow for delivery next week. But before spending a few thousand dollars, there are some important compatibility issues you should be aware of: Your Mac or iPad may not work with the new displays.
First, Apple says that Studio Display and Studio Display XDR only work with Apple silicon-based Macs and iPads. Second, your Apple Silicon Mac or iPad must be running macOS/iPadOS 26.3.1 or later. Here are the compatibility lists, as displayed on Apple.com.
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021 and later)
- 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021 and later)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020 and later)
- 15-inch MacBook Air (2023 and later)
- 13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 2020 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac mini (2020 and later)
- Mac Pro (2023 and later)
- 24-inch iMac (2021 and later)
- iPad Pro (M4 and M5)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd to 6th generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st to 4th generation)
- iPad Air (M2, M3 and M4)
- iPad Air (5th generation)
However, there are a few additional caveats regarding Studio XDR compatibility. The entire M1 series Mac line, as well as Macs with a base M2 or M3 chip, are not capable of running ProMotion on the XDR display. These Macs will stay locked at 60Hz, which somewhat defeats the purpose of buying a $3,299 Studio Display XDR.
A similar limitation applies to iPads. Only the iPad Pro M5 can run Studio Display XDR at 120Hz. All other iPads will stay at 60Hz.
We’ve contacted Apple and will update this article with more details on what works with Studio Displays.
