Rumor: Apple comes with 5k screen with integrated GPU

According to a new rumor, Apple is coming with a 5k screen with its own GPU. Thanks to its own GPU, users can connect the display to a Mac that is not graphically powerful and still control the many pixels on that screen.

The 5k screen would have a resolution of 5160×2880 pixels, 9to5Mac reports. What type of display it would be is still unknown. If the rumor is true, it wouldn’t be the first Apple product with that resolution. There have been iMacs with that resolution since 2014.

The connection to the laptop probably takes place with Thunderbolt via USB-C. The new MacBooks already have a USB-C connection and future Apple laptops will probably all have at least one such port. According to the Apple fan site, the 5k display is unlikely to be compatible with current MacBook models.

It is unknown which GPU Apple would like to put in the screen. In the 27″ iMacs with 5k screen, Apple uses at least an AMD Radeon R9 M380. The most powerful option is currently the AMD Radeon R9 M395X.

The current Thunderbolt display is from 2011 and has been getting less and less available in recent weeks, usually a sign that Apple is about to replace its product. The first logical moment is the keynote at WWDC’s own developer conference, which will take place on June 13.

Apple site 9to5Mac will have to do without editor Mark Gurman in the future. The 22-year-old American has been working for the site for six years and was the first to publish about many new Apple products and services, including the upcoming Siri update. He will work for Bloomberg and will not only write about Apple, but also about other tech companies.

Apple Thunderbolt Display from 2011