What are you talking about? Animators don’t need higher refresh rate. 60Hz is totally fine and most studios can prove it. If you think otherwise than you clearly are not from the industry.
32" 6K ProArt Display From ASUS Launching in Late August
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I don’t think you understand the tech here. First, XDR is not mini led. Second, IPS is a type of panel and Mini Led is type of lighting. You can put them in the same comparison as it would be like comparing WiFi with Bluetooth. Different aspects
EugW
macrumors P6
HD CRTs were awesome though. Not 1080p, but no input lag whatsoever. The main issue I had with them at the time was the weight. My 34" widescreen CRT was 175 lbs. The day it was delivered, they didn't have 2 delivery guys available so they sent a delivery guy and a salesman, but the salesman couldn't lift it. So I and the one delivery guy had to carry it up the stairs while the salesman just watched.
Asus has much worse QA than Apple, and of course, much worse integration with Macs than Apple. Plus Asus monitors are amongst the ugliest out there. I really don't understand why Asus continues to make them this ugly, since it wouldn't take much to vastly improve their aesthetics.
For these reasons, Apple doesn't have to match either the specs or the price, but I agree it does need to improve the specs of the Apple Studio Display and/or decrease its price.
Here's hoping the LG 6K 32" is a decent monitor and won't be horrendously priced, but the fact that the Asus was initially announced at $1199 and only went up to $1299 after the tariffs is a positive sign.
klasma
macrumors G3
Mini-LED means smaller LEDs (100-200 µm), which allows for more dimming zones and/or higher brightness per zone. When mini-LED displays where first showcased in 2018, they only had a few hundred dimming zones. When Apple introduced the XDR in 2019, industry observers characterized it as mini-LED. I have no idea how large or small the LEDs are in the XDR, but that’s the history for why people call it mini-LED.
(I’m not a fan of mini-LED either way, by the way, nor of the XDR.)
theluggage
macrumors G3
I think the pertinent point here is that the XDR has a form of "full array local dimming" (even if it is not, technically "Mini LED") while the Asus - as far as I can tell - doesn't have any local dimming at all.
EugW
macrumors P6
Not really. Right from the start, many tech writers made a point to state that the XDR was not classified as mini-LED. In fact, AFAIK, Apple has never marketed the XDR as a mini-LED display, but they do market the MacBook Pros as being mini-LED.
TechnoMonk
macrumors 68040
Pats my wallet, no brainer if it works well with Macs.
Sandstorm
macrumors 6502a
Funny thing though - once you switch back to 60Hz, the difference is both noticeable and irritating. To each their own, but it's 2025 and at this point I won’t invest in any display with under 120Hz.
EugW
macrumors P6
I disagree. I have 120 Hz products and 60 Hz products, and 60 Hz doesn't bother me at all. For a desktop display, 120 Hz is not on my required checklist.
If you really want a 32" 6K 120 Hz monitor, you can wait to see what happens with LG, but I have a sneaking suspicion that one will be 60 Hz too. I'm personally waiting for the LG, but mainly because the Asus is fugly, and I have not been impressed with the ProArts I've tried before. Hopefully the LG will be good quality and will look good in person too, and will be priced at less than CA$2499 retail and even less street.
lilkwarrior
macrumors 6502a
Asus, Apple, LG, and an abundance of developers, interaction designers, and UXers strongly disagree with you.
High Refresh Rate (HFR) content production exists, and you absolutely need ideally 90FPS for work such as spatial content production.
Prosumer monitors/panels again from the likes of Asus already offer 120hz; you think Apple has pro motion displays for giggles?
How can you make proper 3D/spatial/animation content production with invaluable longevity and QA capabilities without 90hz-120hz support?
I’m afraid you’re the one that is defying human-computer-interaction (HCI) computer science.
You’re speaking as though graphic artists and film producers that can get away with 24fps film affordances in 2025 (many do) are the only creative professionals that need to be accommodated.
That’s reckless gatekeeping to drown out the others, that’s also naive in any professional community.
I hope you get this.
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lilkwarrior
macrumors 6502a
They’re ahead of the competition with their seminal manufacturing supply chain advantages for over six years.
This article thoroughly pointed out the very distinct and important disadvantages relevant to a wide variety of creative professionals they and their competitors serve.
Asus notable tried to charge the same price for the PA32UCG believing 4K@120hz can justify that (same sustained nits, same peak nits, and premium HDR) and had to pivot due to market reaction.
Apple can literally just discount the Pro Display XDR or alter it with slightly cheaper materials and its successor slot in its existing price point.
Apple isn’t interested in mainstream monitor sales at the expenses of their reputation and baselines of maximizing and justifying their prosumer hardware specs.
The existing Studio Display is the closest thing to that.
Entry and mid-level Graphic designers and mainstream user benefit the most from a cheaper option that’s passable. More options is good.
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EugW
macrumors P6
Maybe Apple will do that, but there isn't really a need until the other 6K models get released in volume. Assuming they don't scrap that market completely, personally I think another possibility is that they could replace it next year with a new model.
lilkwarrior
macrumors 6502a
Also having the XDR, Asus made a bet that an 4K@120hz alternative via the PA32UCG at the same price and same specs otherwise would be competitive they were wrong also owning that monitor for very specific creative and recreational computing use casesz
Also the build quality is a steep drop off that seems to be the same case here.
The Pro Display is way lighter, thinner, and better thermals. That is a huge deal for creative professionals whose quick detach systems like in various production pipelines as well as people who work with various monitors.
lilkwarrior
macrumors 6502a
The price has aged like fine wine considering what the competition has reduced themselves to sticking with the prices they resort to for prosumer HDR monitors that often don’t have 6K, 1000 sustained nits, 1600 peak nits, but still charge ~$3000+.
Sandstorm
macrumors 6502a
Right now in front of me on my desk, I have a MacBook Pro with a 120Hz display and a 32” 4K LG monitor above it running at 60Hz (I use both screens). The difference in screen fluidity is very noticeable - I can’t wait to replace that last 60Hz screen. Everything else I use (OLED TV, iPhone Pro, and iPad Pro) is already 120Hz. Never going back.
EugW
macrumors P6
I really don't give a chit about screen fluidity for a desktop monitor. What matters to me much, much more is image quality and consistency. In fact, the vast majority of content creation oriented monitors are not 120 Hz, because it's a low priority feature in this space, and because of bandwidth requirements.
So as mentioned, I suggest you wait to see what the LG turns out to be, but don't be surprised if it's not 120 Hz. You can also wait until Apple releases a replacement to the XDR, but even if that happens sooner rather than later, it won't be cheap.
That's debatable. I'm glad they are there, but I wouldn't say their 5K 27" is a good 32" XDR alternative. It's a decent ASP alternative, but even then, it's not exactly great according to reviews.
Dark-Signature
macrumors regular
Why would Apple do this? This is marketing! Apple would ruin its future business if the Apple Pro Display XDR only costs half as much!
Apple probably sells just as many (few) XDR 1st Gen. today as it did 5 years ago. So the thing was never intended for the mass market.
Porsche doesn't simply halve the price of its cars just because a new model is launched on the market.
tenthousandthings
Contributor
Agreed -- the terms are not interchangeable -- not all FALD are Mini-LED -- there's a reason why Apple doesn't yet use the term "Mini-LED" with regard to the Pro Display XDR. I mean, MacBook Pro 16" has 2,554 zones with 10,216 mini-LEDS. Each zone is comprised of four mini-LEDs.
A 32" Retina 6K or Liquid Retina 7K (7040x3960) Pro Display XDR with Mini-LED backlighting could have as many as 4,032 zones like the upcoming 32" ProArt 8K -- so maybe 16,128 mini-LEDs, or perhaps 8,064 zones with 32,256 mini-LEDs? That would still be slightly less dense than the mini-LED backlight in the MacBook Pro...
I don't think Mini-LED directly affects refresh rates, but it enhances the effect of a higher refresh rate. They are complimentary. I think a Retina 6K 120Hz would require, for Apple's Pro Display XDR customers, Mini-LED backlighting. Unless they go to OLED, of course.
So, what is wrong with 60Hz? No gamer is going to spend $1,200 for a studio monitor on a Mac.
macduke
macrumors G5
It sounds like they nailed it on all counts. This checks nearly every box for me, including price. I don’t need more than HDR 600 in my studio, anything above that gives me headaches. What I do want is a bigger display that is pixel dense. Assuming it reviews well, I’ll probably be picking one up in the autumn, maybe see if it drops $100-200 for Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
I’m glad to see more companies lately competing in the 5K and now 6K space. It sounds like companies are finally ready to move on from 4K as they become the standard and offer higher end features. I would wait to see if there is more competition but I feel like I’ve been waiting long enough for more affordable 6K and ASUS is a good brand.
Only thing I really wish it had (even at a decently higher price) is Mini LED for better contrast. I don’t think I want OLED for desktop just yet because I don’t want something that will only last a few years with burn-in since desktop elements are much more static than mobile. 120Hz would be nice but I don’t even think my M3 Max (16/40 cores) could handle 6K 120Hz plus two 27” 4K displays on either side of the main. At least I don’t see anything about 6K 120Hz support on Apple’s specs page.
I’m glad to see more companies lately competing in the 5K and now 6K space. It sounds like companies are finally ready to move on from 4K as they become the standard and offer higher end features. I would wait to see if there is more competition but I feel like I’ve been waiting long enough for more affordable 6K and ASUS is a good brand.
Only thing I really wish it had (even at a decently higher price) is Mini LED for better contrast. I don’t think I want OLED for desktop just yet because I don’t want something that will only last a few years with burn-in since desktop elements are much more static than mobile. 120Hz would be nice but I don’t even think my M3 Max (16/40 cores) could handle 6K 120Hz plus two 27” 4K displays on either side of the main. At least I don’t see anything about 6K 120Hz support on Apple’s specs page.
iPhone2019
macrumors regular
I don’t want a 60 Hz display. How do I order one with 120 Hz?