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New Studio Displays coming ?
- Thread starter Bill Fitz
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No. I don't think so. Judging by how long Apple has kept previous displays on their roster before updating or discontinuing, I think it's unlikely that any changes are coming soon.
It's possible the XDR gets some kind of a minor bump, though I doubt it, since it's currently the oldest. The Studio Display, however, has virtually nothing that is in need of immediate updating -- it's got great speakers, a decent webcam (regardless of it's reputation) and three different stand/mount options.
120Hz 5K panels don't exist, no current Macs could support it (AFAIK) and Thunderbolt 4 may not be sufficient for a 5K 120Hz display (at least not for running two displays over one TB4 port like you can with the current Studio Displays). So I don't see an update until Apple offers Thunderbolt 5 and until there are 120Hz 5K panels available.
It's possible the XDR gets some kind of a minor bump, though I doubt it, since it's currently the oldest. The Studio Display, however, has virtually nothing that is in need of immediate updating -- it's got great speakers, a decent webcam (regardless of it's reputation) and three different stand/mount options.
120Hz 5K panels don't exist, no current Macs could support it (AFAIK) and Thunderbolt 4 may not be sufficient for a 5K 120Hz display (at least not for running two displays over one TB4 port like you can with the current Studio Displays). So I don't see an update until Apple offers Thunderbolt 5 and until there are 120Hz 5K panels available.
There’s no obvious update path for this display, and Apple has never updated their displays quickly, so I can’t see that this one gets upgraded for several more years.
Look, I got my ASD recently (a bit discounted thankfully), and I think the biggest issue is that it's instantly recognizable than being way worse than the Liquid Retina XDR in the MacBook Pro.
I'd love to have ProMotion (which was the first thing I noticed after plugging it in), but it's wild to me that even the contrast ratio and black levels are SO MUCH WORSE than any MacBook Pro. You're paying to upgrade to a better/bigger display... it should at least a tiny bit better.
The Pro Display XDR proved that Apple can deliver some best-in-class hardware, but the ASD is genuinely pretty average and deserves an upgrade immediately.
I'd love to have ProMotion (which was the first thing I noticed after plugging it in), but it's wild to me that even the contrast ratio and black levels are SO MUCH WORSE than any MacBook Pro. You're paying to upgrade to a better/bigger display... it should at least a tiny bit better.
The Pro Display XDR proved that Apple can deliver some best-in-class hardware, but the ASD is genuinely pretty average and deserves an upgrade immediately.
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The current 27" Apple Studio Display only has the A13 chip - same as iPhone 11. It also has 64Gb ram. What is the point of this in a monitor?
Are these hardware restrictions likely to push a spec refresh sooner than usual in the current Apple Studio Display?
I don't know the answer but perhaps others can give some clarity?
I'd also like to see HDR Video support, but as others have said, it needs Thunderbolt 5 before we see much improvement.
Are these hardware restrictions likely to push a spec refresh sooner than usual in the current Apple Studio Display?
I don't know the answer but perhaps others can give some clarity?
I'd also like to see HDR Video support, but as others have said, it needs Thunderbolt 5 before we see much improvement.
I think the A13 chip is used to 1) run the webcam, centerstage, etc. and 2) run spatial audio algorithms when playing sound through the speakers. Pretty low-requirements, so I don't think an updated chip is needed any time in the med-future.
Oof, that does look pretty stark, but really shows the difference between what Mini-LED (in the MBP's Liquid Retina Display XDR) can do on a purely black background like that, versus traditional back-lit LCD...
They can but let's not forget that the Pro XDR display starts at 5 grand. And even that is still an IPS panel without Pro Motion.
A mini-LED/OLED with, Retina and Pro Motion at 27" or higher is going to be anything but 'reasonably' priced like the ASD (Yes its reasonably priced for a 5K display)
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The contrast ratio is disappointing next to the MiniLED MBPs, but this photo really exaggerates the situation. Judging from the noise, this is either a long exposure shot and/or the ASD brightness is cranked up pretty high.
Ambient light is a huge factor as well. Take a look at the ASD or 24" iMac in a Costco and the contrast looks amazing because our eyes can't distinguish true black in such a brightly lit environment.
running both displays at 60%, in a fairly dark environment looks a lot closer to something like this,
not great, but certainly not horrible.
I would LOVE a studio display with the same contrast as the MBP and will probably cave and order one the day they release lol
This is the hesitation with buying one of these now. The MacBook Pro displays are so wonderful it's hard to downgrade in that regard especially when it's a larger screen. Let's also not forget about the studio displays mediocre camera.
There were rumors of a 27" studio display with Mini-LED. Ross Young said that the project was tabled. I would think he'd post on his X account if this display was back on. It's disappointing that it got tabled. Part of me was hopeful it was just a temporary thing — but as was mentioned Apple seems to go awhile between updating its displays.
One other thing... when Apple announced this display 2 years ago & we all had sticker shock on its price part of me wondered whether this was Apple's insane way of offering an upgraded model with Mini-LEDs in the future without having to go up in the price. If this display had Mini-LED & a better camera the price on it would be much more palatable.
Finally, can we all agree the height-adjustable stand should be standard? This is such a rip off.
What would be the optimal or your preferred monitor?
Mine would currently be the following:
Size: 32" in 16:9 format or 40" in 21:9 format
Resolution: 6-8K (i.e. between 6016x3384 and 7680x4320) = at least 200PPI
Coating: glossy
Refresh rate: 120Hz+
Interfaces: Displayport 2.1 and Thunderbolt 4/5, USB-4 2.0
Price: maximum €2,500
Design: narrow edges. Color: Space Black
Speakers: At the level of good Dell build-in speakers.
Optional, but not essential: Webcam compatible with Windows Hello or Face ID
Mine would currently be the following:
Size: 32" in 16:9 format or 40" in 21:9 format
Resolution: 6-8K (i.e. between 6016x3384 and 7680x4320) = at least 200PPI
Coating: glossy
Refresh rate: 120Hz+
Interfaces: Displayport 2.1 and Thunderbolt 4/5, USB-4 2.0
Price: maximum €2,500
Design: narrow edges. Color: Space Black
Speakers: At the level of good Dell build-in speakers.
Optional, but not essential: Webcam compatible with Windows Hello or Face ID
When Ross Young shared that Apple had killed off development of a new Studio Display, he wrote, "Although some panels were shipped last year". He must have had some knowledge of such as panel existing to have stated that.
Ming-Chi Kuo hasn't recanted his assessment that it will be in production in late 2024 to early 2025.
Ming-Chi Kuo hasn't recanted his assessment that it will be in production in late 2024 to early 2025.
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34" 21:9 6k2,5k 120hz, proper black levels. Other than that, no preferences, although Thunderbolt 5 would probably be nice to have.
I think you are referring to the one that says Apple stopped their MicroLED project where they tried to manufacture their own MicroLED screens. The first one was intended to go into one of the next Watch Ultra versions.
It didn't say that they would stop producing displays though. Apple will simply keep on relying on their proven suppliers (mainly LG, Samsung) to provide panels for their displays. We can be sure that there will be future Apple displays, it's just a matter of when those will be released...
