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5K, 6K or 8K: new Asus ProArt monitors
- Thread starter rafzamz
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There are existing settings for the Dell UP3218K, there is a good GitHub thread about using it with Apple silicon (starts in 2021, but still going), the most informative illustration for our purposes here is this comment from June 2023.
It’s possible Apple will approach this new 8K display differently. They could dismiss the 2017 edge-lit, tiled panel in the Dell as not really in the same class as the 2019 Pro Display XDR. But this AUO panel and backlight is different. If Apple doesn’t fully support it, they risk alienating the same market that the Pro Display XDR caters to.
But I still wouldn’t get my hopes up. It might depend on what Apple has planned for the next generation of its own displays.
Ah, so basically macOS treats an 8K monitor as a 6K monitor and then upscales that 6K render to 8K for final output.
That's kind of the reverse of what my old 2017 12" Core m3 MacBook is doing with my LG 6K monitor. It internally renders at 6720x3780 for a "looks like" 3360x1890 resolution by default (with an option for 3008x1692), but then downscales that 6.7K render to 4K for output to the monitor (since that MacBook can't output more than 4K). The monitor then re-upscales that 4K image back up to 6K for final display. It actually looks OK BTW, better than what I remember for a native 4K 32" monitor.
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I was looking at the Apple Pro Display XDR 32" 6K @ 218 ppi tech spec page and the Macs that support it are
- Mac Pro (2019) with MPX Module GPUs
- Mac Studio (2022)
- Mac mini (2018 or later)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or later)
- 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021 or later)
- 15-inch MacBook Pro (2018 or later)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
- MacBook Air (2020 or later)
- 27-inch iMac (2019 or later)
- 24-inch iMac (2021)
- 21.5-inch iMac (2019)
- iMac Pro (2017)
- Any Mac model with Thunderbolt 3 ports paired with Blackmagic eGPU or Blackmagic eGPU Pro
The 2017 m3 MacBook only outputs 4K, but luckily the LG UltraFine 6K can accept a 4K input and upscale it 6K to make use of the entire screen space.
Yes, that Core m3 is slow, but it's not really the monitor that's the issue but the CPU in general. Also, it was mainly just for testing purposes and to do a firmware update on the LG 6K.* However, once the machine gets fully booted up and the apps are loaded, it is adequate for light usage like surfing, Messages, and email, along with light business application work. It also helps that I have a 16 GB model so swapping is kept to a minimum.
However, I usually don't use a Mac laptop anymore, as I don't travel for work anymore. My travel companion is an M4 iPad Pro since my on-the-road computing needs do not usually require macOS.
*I use the LG 6K with an M4 Mac mini, but for some reason, a firmware update I needed to do on the LG 6K kept on failing on the M4 on Tahoe. Finally I tried the m3 Intel MacBook on Ventura and the firmware update was successful.
Nevertheless, it’s true. People come to these high-resolution display threads from Reddit, for example. The most prominent recent example is the Kuycon thread. It’s the best place to find people who actually own the display(s) in question. Most are Mac users, obviously, but there’s always a few people asking questions who aren’t.
In 2011 I bought a 2010 Dell U2711 27" 1440p from HK because it was cheaper than the US and my home country.
On the 20th month it needed servicing and I had to ship it back to HK and ship it back to where I was.
Headache to do... sure it was cheaper but still a headache.
How's Kuycon's reliability in the countries people will be using it in?
To my surprise, pretty good actually, anecdotally at least. You’re supposed to ship defective units back but some people were able to get Kuycon to ship them a new unit as a replacement for a defective unit while keeping the old broken one too.
That said, my impression is that Kuycon likely has a higher failure than average based on anecdotal evidence, and we already know it has some weird bugs on macOS. I also think making the monitor depend on a remote control is a very weird design choice, and one that could bite you in the assets in the future if the remote fails or gets lost.
I imagine that Apple will have to figure out a way to support 8K (and hopefully better than it supports 4K at screen sizes beyond 21.5”) and I expect it to be tied to whatever their XDR successor display is. Who knows, maybe they’ll do a 36” 8K. Or a 42” 8K to make the LG TV people who have done that hack super, super happy AND maintain their 2x scaling they foisted upon themselves when they abandoned pursuing resolution independence in the Leopard dev cycle.
In the past, Apple has been a bit ahead of the standards (DP, HDMI, TB) with some of the displays (hence why the first 5K iMac had that custom timing controller to basically create DSC, prob developed in parallel and without knowledge of the upcoming DP standard) and even with the custom panel type they had to do for the 6K with TB3 limitations. With 8K panels much more plentiful (largely for TVs, but still) and with HDMI, DP and TB5 available for the bandwidth, I’d hope Apple could figure out an scaling model that isn’t simply going to either scale to 6K and then upscale or worse, try to scale to 10K (or even 12K) and then scale down.
Like @tenthousandthings, I’m not holding my breath, but I also don’t know if Apple can reasonably get by by simply offering an OLED upgrade to the current panels. And on the OLED front, feels like it would be much easier to source 8K panels (for the presumed XDR replacement), than to get someone to make them a custom panel again at a resolution again.
The bigger reality is video folks are going to want 8K displays, presumably as more than just playback monitors. But of course, that assumes Apple cares about video editors, and honestly, I don’t think they do.
In the past, Apple has been a bit ahead of the standards (DP, HDMI, TB) with some of the displays (hence why the first 5K iMac had that custom timing controller to basically create DSC, prob developed in parallel and without knowledge of the upcoming DP standard) and even with the custom panel type they had to do for the 6K with TB3 limitations. With 8K panels much more plentiful (largely for TVs, but still) and with HDMI, DP and TB5 available for the bandwidth, I’d hope Apple could figure out an scaling model that isn’t simply going to either scale to 6K and then upscale or worse, try to scale to 10K (or even 12K) and then scale down.
Like @tenthousandthings, I’m not holding my breath, but I also don’t know if Apple can reasonably get by by simply offering an OLED upgrade to the current panels. And on the OLED front, feels like it would be much easier to source 8K panels (for the presumed XDR replacement), than to get someone to make them a custom panel again at a resolution again.
The bigger reality is video folks are going to want 8K displays, presumably as more than just playback monitors. But of course, that assumes Apple cares about video editors, and honestly, I don’t think they do.
I'll take your idea and think that if Apple is smart, they'll really bring out an 8K+ display, but not in a 16:9 form factor. Instead, they'll go wider and keep the vertical resolution constant at 3456 pixels. This way, the 218/224 PPI can be maintained (a scaling of 200% will continue to work) and macOS and all static graphic content will not have to be adjusted for PPI values beyond 270. For example: 8000 x 3456 on 40" in a 21:9 ratio.
But it shows once again that Apple has probably shot itself in the foot again in the graphics/video sector.
@filmgirl @Dark-Signature
If 8K comes out at the same 218ppi of the 21.5" 4K, 24" 4.5K, 27" 5K & 32" 6K then that 8K will be on a 41" panel at the same 16:9 aspect ratio.
Apple would likely wait for it to reach their target BoM price, production yield ratio and other design targets.
This is why we did not see a iMac 32" 6K when the 2021 iMac 24" 4.5K M1 came out. It would never be priced at $1,799 for the M1 8GB 256GB iMac 32" 6K model.
Where did I get the $1,799 price?
That was the base model 2020 iMac 27" 5K price point. For reference all the base model iMac 21.5" 4K or iMac 24" 4.5K were $1,299. Going further back the 1st iMac from 1998 was also $1,299.
It took 6 years for the 32" 6K displays to drop to sub-$1.2k pre-US tariff prices like those of the ASUS or Acer.
Will we see a 32" 6K iMac M5 16GB 256GB at $1,799 in 2026? Hopefully! Ideally it has Target Display Mode so I can use the 32" 6K display with a $499 2036 Mac mini M15.
If 8K comes out at the same 218ppi of the 21.5" 4K, 24" 4.5K, 27" 5K & 32" 6K then that 8K will be on a 41" panel at the same 16:9 aspect ratio.
Apple would likely wait for it to reach their target BoM price, production yield ratio and other design targets.
This is why we did not see a iMac 32" 6K when the 2021 iMac 24" 4.5K M1 came out. It would never be priced at $1,799 for the M1 8GB 256GB iMac 32" 6K model.
Where did I get the $1,799 price?
That was the base model 2020 iMac 27" 5K price point. For reference all the base model iMac 21.5" 4K or iMac 24" 4.5K were $1,299. Going further back the 1st iMac from 1998 was also $1,299.
It took 6 years for the 32" 6K displays to drop to sub-$1.2k pre-US tariff prices like those of the ASUS or Acer.
Will we see a 32" 6K iMac M5 16GB 256GB at $1,799 in 2026? Hopefully! Ideally it has Target Display Mode so I can use the 32" 6K display with a $499 2036 Mac mini M15.
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We will never see Target Display Mode ever again. We could’ve had it in the 5K iMac era. We could have it now in the terrible abomination poor excuse for a machine current iMac era. We will never get a good, consumer-focused, e-waste avoiding feature from Apple like TDM ever again, I feel as sure of that as I do of anything. Same as they took target disk mode from us, only to replace it with a much inferior macOS recovery mode.
I also don’t think we will see a 6K 32” computer from Apple, at a sub $2500 price point, well, ever! (And I’d expect it to be closer to $3000 tbh) If Apple can sell Apple Studio Displays for $1600 with zero embarrassment for close to 4 years, there is now way they would sell us a higher resolution panel and a whole-ass computer for $100 more. I too would like to live in your fantasy, but it’s just not going to happen, in my opinion.
The original 27” iMac and then later the 5Ks (excluding the iMac Pro, which I consider a failure with poor design decisions that were consequences of the failure and poor design decisions of the trashcan Mac Pro that I ultimately think soured Apple on the higher-end all-in-one space at all) were always outsized values, especially since 1440p monitors in 2009 were rare and an Apple Cinema or Thunderbolt Display was $1000 and the computer a bit more than that starting price (and then the LG 5K was $1300), but that’s such an anathema to Apple’s current strategy. No one should buy a current iMac unless it’s for aesthetics alone. Get a Mac mini and a decent 4K monitor (yes, those of us in this forum thread would be bothered by a less than Retina screen, but who wants to pay a nearly $1000 premium for a 4.5K display paired with a base-model Mac mini!). And unfortunately the smaller iMacs were always worse values.
So while I don’t really expect a 32” 6K iMac at all (although I’m the target audience), let alone for under $2500, I could see Apple selling a cheaper IPS 32” 6K for $2499 or something — just enough of a premium over LG to justifiable with better build quality and a built-in (but terrible) web camera.
But in my opinion, there is no way Apple responds to the very-much warranted criticism of the ASD (and I still bought the VESA version on preorder the day it was announced even tho I had an LG UltraFine that was almost exactly the same but with a better quality 6 year old webcam) by actually being competitive on price. I mean, we all bought the ASD. I was on track to buying another or waiting for the refresh until I saw the Kuycon’s and then won the two LG monitors (I was researching the ASUS since CES too).
I could see them replacing the XDR with an 8K (size TBD) and a $2500 32” ASD, but I could just as easily see them just to with an OLED 27” 5K (which would be tempting) and slot that into the $1600 ASD slot and then do something insane for the XDR and forego consumer 6K altogether.
The only thing I am confident about is that it won’t be affordable or anyone’s definition of a good value. But that many of us will convince ourselves to buy them anyway because the fit and finish is just enough better to warrant the price that on its surface is indefensible.
I think before TB4 or TB5 driving a 5K 60Hz display in TDM wasn't possible.
After that they may not have introduced that feature publicly because it had little to no market value or users actually using it.
That feature may be macOS-depedent so a future version of it may happen.
Display parts need to be a certain price to merit the introduction of the product. When the 1st 24" iMac came out its base price in 2003 was $2199 for a 1.7K display fast forward to 2021 and it is now $1299 for a 4.5K display.
2019 Apple's 32" 6K display starts at $4999 without improvements of VESA mount, stand, matte display or 3Y warranty but the ASUS equivalent is <16% of that Apple display with improvements.
There's also rumors of them introducing refreshed displays. Odds are it'll be cheaper at similar design targets or similarly priced with superior design targets.
This is based on my observations of over quarter century of a Mac user with citations I provided as links.
The 2024 iMac 24" 4.5K is a great value at starting price of $1,299 for M4 16GB 256GB.
I tried using a 2017 Dell 3818DW 38" 4K ultrawide in 2020 but the scaling & other issues bothered me. Good thing I was able to sell it at a profit.
But then again here are some 4K displays recommended for macOS by RTINGS
- https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/monitors-macbook-pro
- https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/mac-studio
- https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/best/mac-mini
I'm currently using the 2025 ASUS PA32QCV 32" 6K display whose review will be likely after next Monday. This is being driven by the 1st MBP 16" that can drive 32" 6K the 2019 MBP 16" Core i7.
Pre-tariff price of the the ASUS was under $1.2k so add EDU priced $499 Mac mini then that's under $1.7k. Add over $100 worth of keyboard + mouse to be within $1.8k price point previous base model larger iMac models.
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As I think others have tried to point out earlier, those displays are not in the same class. The price of the Pro Display XDR is a result of the 576 LED (32x18) backlight array, which was state-of-the-art at the time it was introduced. Even today, its only competition is in the 4K realm. There are no 5K or 6K displays that compete directly with it. None of them are "XDR" -- indeed, the only high-resolution competition for the XDR is this new 8K. It has a next-generation 4,032 mini-LED (7x 576) backlight array -- the original AUO prototypes for it had 4,608 mini-LEDs (8x 576) in the backlight array, but for unknown reasons (probably due to cost) it was pared back to 4,032 in the final product.
All of these new 6K displays are welcome, but with regard to Apple's current lineup, they compete with the Studio Display, not the Pro Display XDR.
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This is not a useful way to characterize this history. Again, you can't compare the *price* of the XDR to that of these later displays. The high price doesn't come from the cost of the LCD panel itself, like you seem to believe. It comes from the cost of the backlight. The first edge-lit 31.5" 6K panel was the 2023 LG Display panel in the Dell U3224KB. It took two years for AUO to respond with the panel that you own in the ASUS PA32QCV.
The Acer that you mention is a multi-touch variant of the AUO panel, so production is limited, thus the slow rollout, but it's expected to list for around $1,499 in the US when it finally launches. The price of the Acer will be higher than the ASUS not because the underlying panel costs more, but because the multi-touch glass costs more.
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Lucky you! I bought a stock ASD the first week in an Apple Store, I got the last one they had. It has served me well, and it is still going strong.
I think there is solid evidence that AppleDisplay 3,1 (J427) will be a 27" 5K Studio Display refresh, probably with an IPS Black panel, but AUO is also possible. No matter what A-series silicon it has, it will still have the identity crisis (“Am I an iPad?”) so you’ll still have to turn off Center Stage to stop the camera from behaving strangely.
But there is also a serious rumor about a 27" with a mini-LED backlight — so I'm inclined to wishfully-think the refresh could be introduced alongside AppleDisplay 3,2 (J527): Studio Display XDR. There was an IPS Black 27" 5K planned with a 1,560 mini-LED backlight in 2023, but it never went into production and it dropped off the 2024 roadmap. But that could just mean that LG Display didn’t get the sale, and AUO is building it for Apple instead.
On the Pro Display, I tend to agree 8K is likely, especially in light of this new, professional ASUS monitor we’re talking about. A 40" 220-ppi monster seems unlikely, both from an ergonomic standpoint and with regard to practical aspects of real-world desktops, including ease of rotation. There’s a reason why all four of the 8K panels I’m aware of have been ~32" — I could see it stretch to 34" or 36" as you suggest, or even 37" — but I think beyond that is unlikely. And, yes, $10,000 for sure, unless it’s three years away and Dream OLED.
Since @bigglow was musing on what things will be like a decade hence, I’ll just say a simple 27" 5K, 32” 8K, 37" 10K progression would be nice. I think anything 16:9 larger than 37" belongs on a wall, and not on a desktop.
Color is the frontier, the wild unknown where there is a *lot* of room for improvement. But it’s hard science. We’re still at about 70% (at best, and few of these displays even approach that) of what the human eye can see.
I completely agree with you.
Apple didn’t build the Pro Display XDR or its successor for YouTubers or casual creatives. They built it for studios, colorists, cinematographers, and editors who normally buy Sony Trimaster or Flanders Scientific monitors that cost several times more. In that context, Apple’s pricing is actually aggressive because they’re offering a reference-grade panel with macOS-level calibration and ecosystem integration.
But for the rest of us that don't need the last 1% of performance I could not justify any display >$7,300 for hobby use. At the time of release in 2019 I had a 2015 Canon EOS 5Ds R 50MP full frame dSLR body. I'm now getting a 2024 FujiFilm GFX100S II 102MP medium format body hence meriting to get a <$1,200 2025 ASUS 32" 6K display whose price merits the features even when it is still lacking those of the 2019 Apple Pro Display XDR 32" 6K that starts at $5k without stand, VESA mount, matte display or 3Y warranty.
In essence anyone who is buying an ASUS or Acer and maybe the LG & Dell as well aren't looking for a display that rivals the Sony or Flanders much less those of Apple.
We're looking to replace our iMac 27" 2.5K or 5K at the same price range of $1799 to $3199 after a Mac mini was added. That does not amount to an iMac Pro's $4999 to $7399 after a Mac Studio was added.
I'm looking for a larger than 27" display at 2x the ppi of my 2012 iMac 27" 2.5K. After a dozen years it is expected to have better colors too.
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6 years in tech is a long time and it’s maybe descriptive of how good Apples 6k display has been that it’s still the best in class by quite a margin. Yes, you could argue that new models have some better features but they are pretty minor when considering what areas Apple still excells in (not that I would pay that much for it).
I really doubt Apple would release two versions of the 27” model. I don’t think the display market is big enough for them to have those. Also they would be competing too much among each other for it to make sense. The two existing displays are very different, but if was just the backlight that would be confusing to most non-tech users and the more expensive model would not sell a lot.
I really doubt Apple would release two versions of the 27” model. I don’t think the display market is big enough for them to have those. Also they would be competing too much among each other for it to make sense. The two existing displays are very different, but if was just the backlight that would be confusing to most non-tech users and the more expensive model would not sell a lot.
Let's be honest. Anyone looking at any non-Apple display/product is most likely looking for a cheaper alternative.
It's astounding that an ASUS thread is being replied to by people who don't look at at it through that price bracket & limited application.
Pretty sure this thread is being looked at by people that are interested in cheaper alternatives to the studio display. At the same time, it’s probably not looked at by people who are the target audience of the XDR display.
Honestly, I would not even be surprised if Apple leaked info on new displays because there are suddenly serious alternatives…
Honestly, I would not even be surprised if Apple leaked info on new displays because there are suddenly serious alternatives…
But one member of the ProArt family is listed at $8,799! That’s why the discussion has gone the way it has.
These three ProArt displays cover a similar range as Apple’s current lineup, just without a 6K Studio Display to go alongside the 5K — it will be interesting to see how it matches up with the revised Apple display lineup in 2026.
Literally an orange to apple comparison
32" 8K @ 275ppi vs 32" 6K @ 218ppi.
All those PorArts are cheaper with diminished abilities unique to Apple's target audience.
ProArt's being a niche to lower-end pplication.
Apple wanted to go after the final 1% of performance leaving behind the 99% of users.
Like, if they can't be bothered to service those on a ProArt-limited feature set couldn't they make 3rd party displays better supported? Or make a 1st party display at par but $50-100 more expensive just for the purpose of Apple tax?
When Apple VP was talking about large iMac users waiting for the the 32" 6K they kept saying we should get the Apple 27" 5K or 32" 6K display + Mac mini or Mac Studio.
The allure of the AIO is the space savings and cost.
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The PPI is not relevant — anything ~218 or above is what it is. What matters is how the backlight array and timing controller handle HDR motion and color. That’s why the ProArt 8K is a direct competitor for the Pro Display 6K.
Except for one of them, which is more expensive with enhanced abilities unique to Apple’s target audience for the Pro Display XDR.
While price is a concern for many people, my main concern about the Studio Display is the size. It’s too small. Plus the fact you can only use it with one device is a downer.
I tried to get a used Pro Display XDR but could not find one for the half price that one lucky local person managed to do, complete with 2 years left of AppleCare.
Apple would have known about these for years.
More likely is Apple will discontinue the 27” ASD and replace it with a new model. I’m thinking 27” IPS Black with HDR support, but still at 60 Hz.