New benchmarks revealed in macOS 26.3 reveal several new Apple hardware products coming soon. Ahead of Apple’s special “March 4th experience,” there are new references to two new Studio Display models, as well as the oft-rumored budget MacBook powered by the A18 Pro chip.
New Mac external displays coming?
The references were discovered this week Macworld inside the kernel extensions (kexts) in last week’s macOS 26.3 public release.
These files refer to three unreleased Apple product identifiers: J700, J427, and J527.
The J700, as previously reported, is the codename for Apple’s rumored budget MacBook powered by the A18 Pro. This laptop is widely expected to be launched next month and will have a display smaller than 13 inches. Bloomberg also announced that it will be made of aluminum and that Apple has been testing it in some fun colors, including light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray.
Perhaps more interesting, however, are the model identifiers J427 and J527. “The differences between the two models are unclear, but the two most likely scenarios are either a larger screen size option or a lower version with fewer features,” Macworld speculates.
However, this is not the first report to reveal these two model identifiers. Bloomberg previously referenced those model numbers last March. Here are two options that Mark Gurman outlined at the time:
Apple is developing both and chooses one to launch, or it’s a second model with a different screen size or set of specs. After all, the Pro Display XDR is also getting a bit longer, so replacing this model might make sense
Apple currently sells two external displays, including the Studio Display (starting at $1,599) and the Pro Display XDR (starting at $4,999). The Studio Display launched in 2022 alongside the Mac Studio, while the Pro Display XDR launched in 2019 alongside the Mac Pro.
The fact that both of these external displays are referenced in macOS 26.3 suggests that they are different products that are still in development. Whether Apple has plans to release both remains to be seen. We should know more soon, with Apple set to announce several new products in the week of March 2.
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