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M1X MacBook Pros rumored to get 120Hz mini-LED display, new pricing scheme

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The rumored M1X MacBook Pros are almost upon us, and with Apple’s now official event scheduled for October 18, more details about some of these new laptops are emerging.

Perhaps the most exciting is the prospect of a mini-LED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. If true, this would make it the first MacBook to receive both display technologies.

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Panel suppliers are the same between the iPad Pro's and MacBook Pro's – LG Display and Sharp. Expecting similar technology – oxide backplanes, miniLED backlights and 120Hz refresh rates. MiniLEDs, 100% confirmed.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) October 12, 2021

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The information comes from Twitter user Ross Young, who claims that the new MacBook Pros will share the same panel supplier as the iPad Pro. He claims that the shared supplier means we’ll see similar technology across both devices, including 120Hz refresh rates, oxide backplanes, and mini-LED. The mini-LED display first appeared on the newest iPad Pro, and is said to have greatly improved the contrast ratio and color range of the smaller display. However, these displays have also been known to have blooming issues.

Like all rumors, this should all be taken with skepticism. Many of these features line up with what other analysts and leakers have said about the new MacBook Pros over the course of this year, but we’re still considering this no more than a rumor.

Including a 120Hz refresh rate panel, however, could be important as it has begun showing up in some nongaming Windows laptops, such as the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio.

New displays aren’t the only things changing on the MacBook Pros, of course. The most anticipated feature is the M1X chip, the pro-oriented variant of Apple’s in-house processor. We’re also expecting an improved 1080p camera, the return of legacy ports like HDMI and SD card slots, and even a new squared-off chassis design.

But information dropped on Twitter by well-known leaker @dylandkt suggests we may see also some changes to the pricing structure of the 14-inch and 16-inch models.

https://twitter.com/dylandkt/status/1447997813602799630?s=21

In the past, the MacBook Pro 16-inch has been a much more expensive model, starting at $2,399. That left a $700 gap between it and the Intel-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro. But according to this tweet, the new M1X versions of these laptops will be closer in price. There had been both a CPU and GPU difference between these models, which is where that large difference in price came from.

But since both models will share the M1X as the standard configuration, having them be closer in price makes quite a lot of sense. There’s still no word on what exactly that price will be, however.

Other interesting tidbits from Dylan’s tweet include smaller bezels with no bottom logo and a new charging brick, both features we hadn’t heard before from the rumor mill.

We’ll find out all the details officially soon enough. Apple announced a new keynote event for October 18 and it is expected to announce the new series of MacBook Pros, AirPods 3, and more.

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Caleb Clark
Caleb Clark
Caleb Clark is a full-time writer that primarily covers consumer tech and gaming. He also writes frequently on Medium about…
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