What's the Point of the Studio Display?

[bunce66]

I am giving serious thought to buying a Studio Display (with tilt and height adjustable stand) to connect to my MacBook Pro M1. However, I see that it costs $2000.

Thinking this through, I can buy a whole 2nd computer (iMac M3) for around $500 LESS than just this monitor. Granted the iMac is 24 inches vs 27 on the Studio Display and I won't be able to operate 2 screens at once, but I tend to think that the Studio Display sort of prices itself out based on this.

Anyone here have the Studio Display? Are there any compelling reasons why the Display only is worth $500 more than an entirely separate computer with an almost as big/good display?

 

[1096bimu]

Yes you could buy an iMac, but what if you don't need an iMac you just need a display for your Mac Mini or Mac Studio? You can't use that iMac as a display can you?

 

[SRQrws]

I have two ASDs along with a Mac Studio. From a purely financial standpoint, yes, you can make the argument that the ASD is overpriced for what you get, but for me there's a value to the display real estate and the integration with Mac OS. Having the volume/brightness controls seamlessly integrate; never having an issue with the displays being recognized or sleeping, etc., all are valuable to me. Given the hours I spend working each week, and given the costs of other non-revenue producing stuff in my life, the ASDs are worth it. I guess it just depends on your workflow and how much value the ASD would bring to you. If the answer is "not much," then go with the iMac.

 

[MasterHowl]

I have a Studio Display and use it with my Mac mini. I absolutely love it. It looks awesome on my desk (important, given it's the biggest thing on there), works flawlessly, and will last me at least a decade. Build quality is fantastic. I like it so much that I'll probably buy another one soon and have a dual monitor set up.
Why not the iMac? I would have if Apple still sold a 27 inch version. Alas, they don't. The extra money it cost me for my Mac mini plus monitor (a lot for sure) will be spread out until the mid-2030s, and so it's not that bad really.
(PS: I'm a writer and public speaker, and so my workload is light and I don't use many apps beyond Ulysses, Keynote, and Mail/Safari.)

 

[picpicmac]

The ASD is the top half of a Mac system.

The algorithm goes like this:

1) Do you need a portable computer or one that only sits on your desk?
1.a. "portable" -> buy a MacBook.
1.b. "desktop" -> goto 2.
2) Do you want an easy to use all-in-one machine that is really sexy, or do you want a more powerful or flexible computer?
2.a "all-in-one -> buy an iMac.
2.b. "more power or flexible" -> go to 3.
3) Buy an ASD, and go to 4.
4) Do you need industry standard expansion slots or not?
4.a "expansion slots" -> buy an Mac Pro.
4.b "not" -> go to 5.
5) Do you need the highest performing processors, or not?
5.a "highest performance" -> buy a Mac Studio.
5.b. "not" -> buy a Mac Mini (version depending on budget.)

Don't think of the ASD as just another monitor. It's a Mac without the macOS-running CPU.

 

[drrich2]

I follow some of these discussions out of interest; I don't own one, so take what I'm passing along from others with a grain of salt.

1.) Do you value a 5K, 27" monitor where the ratio is a good match for what the Mac OS works well with? (There are threads discussing the issue of optimal resolution and size combo.s).

2.) Does having excellent color accuracy out of the box matter much?

3.) Does having an excellent in-monitor speaking system matter to you?

4.) Does have a built-in webcam with Center State matter to you?

5.) Does the Thunderbolt hub functionality, yet lack of other ports, matter to you? If you want something with HDMI ports for your video gaming console, well... And if you're a gamer, does the 60-Hz refresh rate (not faster) matter to you?

6.) Does the smooth, integrated function with a Mac, or conversely the difficulty making adjustments if you use a PC, matter to you?

7.) How much does build quality matter? Since you seldom touch it, does the excellent built quality raise perceived value for you?

8.) Does it bother you if you want one you can stick a VESA arm on, you might ought to get one made for that up front? I don't recall offhand if you can add an adaptor after the fact.

9.) The price is quite expensive; how much does that matter?

10.) Add up the factors that matter, combine them synergistically, and compare with other options on the market and their prices.

You could potentially use this thing a very long time - through a couple of computer systems.

All that said, yeah, they're pricy.

 

[RobinNL]

It’s a fine display.

But what bothers me is that the display could be better for the price and feels dated. It does not have HDR support. It does not have local dimming in any form. No IPS black or high contrast display.

It’s saving grace is the glossy panel and the high ppi, both of which are rare in the monitor industry.

I also think that for a lot of creators ultrawide is the better resolution. For example allowing more room in a davinci timeline or displaying multiple simulators next to the code in Xcode.

 

[xraydoc]

I am giving serious thought to buying a Studio Display (with tilt and height adjustable stand) to connect to my MacBook Pro M1. However, I see that it costs $2000.

Thinking this through, I can buy a whole 2nd computer (iMac M3) for around $500 LESS than just this monitor. Granted the iMac is 24 inches vs 27 on the Studio Display and I won't be able to operate 2 screens at once, but I tend to think that the Studio Display sort of prices itself out based on this.

Anyone here have the Studio Display? Are there any compelling reasons why the Display only is worth $500 more than an entirely separate computer with an almost as big/good display?

Yes. Lots of people have them. Just look through this forum.

Given that there are only a few true 5K monitors on the market, your choice will be limited and prices will be somewhat inflexible if you've determined that a 5K monitor is the right display resolution for you.

The Studio Display, however, is an excellent display. Extremely bright (600+ nits), highly accurate color & grayscale tracking, extremely well built and serves as an all-in-one solution for many Mac owners (webcam with Center Stage, really good speakers, 96w of charging for MacBooks, full software control of display settings, etc), and the text quality is nothing short of incredible at Apple's standard scaling ("looks-like 2560x1440").

No, it does not have HDR capability, but there are no other 5K displays on the market that do. It does not have mini-LED backlighting, but the display is already expensive enough -- adding that would add even more to the price (especially given Apple's self-imposed profit margins). It does not have multiple computer inputs, but the last Apple Display to have multiple inputs was over 20 years ago. Yes, it's over-engineered as are a lot of Apple products, and it's designed basically to be used on one Macintosh at a time (thus no additional inputs), but again, this is as with all things Apple.

If you want a more platform-agnostic 5K display, the Samsung is less expensive and has additional inputs, though I cannot comment on picture quality as I've never used or seen one in person. It is made of plastic, so you'll have to decide if that's something that matters to you or not.

I have more than one Apple Studio Display and I love mine, but I knew what they cost and the pros and cons of them going in to it.

 

[Rafterman]

I considered the Studio display, but only 60hz, not a lot of ports.

I'm getting the Dell U4025QW, arriving Monday. 40" curved 5K display 120hz with Thunderbolt 4 (upstream, downstream, supports DP, 140w power) 5 USB3 A ports, 2 USB-C ports, 2.5g ethernet port, DP and HDMI ports. No camera though. But it supports controlling settings through Mac software, no need to hit a stupid little button on the back. It looks promising, though $1800. 4.7 / 5 on Dell's site.

Hoping for a good experience.

 

[serrano]

I considered the Studio display, but only 60hz, not a lot of ports.

I'm getting the Dell U4025QW, arriving Monday. 40" curved 5K display 120hz with Thunderbolt 4 (upstream, downstream, supports DP, 140w power) 5 USB3 A ports, 2 USB-C ports, 2.5g ethernet port, DP and HDMI ports. No camera though. But it supports controlling settings through Mac software, no need to hit a stupid little button on the back. It looks promising, though $1800. 4.7 / 5 on Dell's site.

Hoping for a good experience.

Did it come in? What's your thoughts? Are you able to get full resolution at 120hz?
What Mac hardware are you running it with?

Thank you in advance,

serrano

 

[bluespark]

As always, the answer depends on your needs. For me, the ASD text/images are considerably sharper than those on the 24" iMac. This is a big deal for me since I use it to read text all day long. 27" displays are big enough for my work while 24" displays feel cramped to me. The ASD's built-in audio is excellent -- much better than the (also good) iMac's audio reproduction. The tilt-height feature is very nice (although obviously overpriced in that version). The fact that it easily charges my 16" MBP is great, and it also works well as a USB-C hub. It's also important to me that when I decide to upgrade my MBP (or get an Air, etc.), that doesn't mean I have to replace the ASD.

So, quite a few factors, if they happen to be important to you. For those with different priorities, picking up an iMac might make perfect sense.

 

[MacGizmo]

The brightness of the display, the glossy screen, and the crispness of the Retina resolution aren't enough for me to justify the cost of the ASD. BUT...

I have a really snobby, first-world-type-problem, overly obsessive, absolute hatred for wires and cables. I have a wire going from the stupid external webcam to the Mac. I have a power cable, a audio cable going into the audio port on the Mac, and another wire connecting the left and right speakers (which isn't nearly long enough) just to get mediocre sound from the Studio Mac. Then there's the power cable from the monitor to the wall and the USB-C (or Display Port) cable connecting to the Mac.

That's 6 god-forsaken wires/cables! And that alone, my dear friends, is enough to get me to spend $1,500 on a 27" 5K display to replace my 34" 5k/2k LG Ultrawide... I just need to have one really bad day to use as an excuse.

I don't care that the ASD webcam is sub-par. And considering I'm using a $29 pair of Insignia speakers from BestBuy, I'm obviously not an audiophile... the speakers on the ASD sound amazing to me. I hate wires that much!