If you want “5K at 27", for a perfect Retina scaling” then by all means buy it. I don’t think this as important to most people, though. 4K is really “good enough” for a majority of people, especially considering prices on 4K monitors are pretty great And include things like HDR. People are also preferring larger screen sizes. I also think most people considering a decent monitor will also opt for a separate speaker system, making the built-in speakers pointless. For most people, then, you’re getting a good 5K display and nothing else. That $1,599 price means $500 to $1000 you could put into an upgraded Mac, or a nice set of speakers.
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Apple Studio Display Reviews: 'A Confounding Miss'
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That’s an exaggeration. I’ve currently got a 4K 28” sitting next to my 5k iMac and, yes, the 5k is sharper, but the 4K (in scaled mode) is still very clear, and a pretty close second. 4K, 27” at desktop viewing distance meets the “retina” criteria, going beyond that takes you into diminishing returns. The extra GPU load of scaling might be a problem if you have Intel integrated graphics, but shouldn’t be an issue with a decent GPU.
Or, look at getting a pair of 24” 4ks to run in optimal hidpi mode, or a 34” 4K that you can use a bit further away in 1:1 mode, or an ultra wide 5k2k screen…
Its not about whether 5k is better - of course it is - it is whether it is worth 2-3x the price of a decent 4K display.
With the iMac you were “paying” about $800 for the screen (iMac prices c.f. a comparable Intel Mac Mini) - which was almost a no-brainier for the “sweet spot“ of 5k. Apple now want double that (even if you buy it with a $2000 Studio).
The webcam problem means that Apple have really shot themselves in the foot on this one, since one of the few justifications for the price was getting a seamless camera/sound/mic setup. The sound… well, yeah, “best sound out of a display” is kinda faint praise, and still isn’t going to match the sound of a pair of half-decent studio monitor speakers… and surround from such a system is a gimmick. The 96W power is irrelevant for a desktop system, as are the USB ports (anyway, most 3rd party displays have a USB hub).
This sounds, spec-wise, like a consumer MacBook docking station, not a companion for the Mac Studio.
Sounds like the usual complainers, but it doesn't have blacks like OLED, but it is so much brighter than OLED, and doesn't have red shift or burn in. Seriously, did anyone not know that is was not an OLED display? Can't wait until they get OLEDs right.
Wonder how the price compares to any other 5K display, what? About the same after adjusting for extra features like a brighter display, super speakers, on board processing, and a 12 MP camera. How can that be?
OK, I'll admit it is not for everyone. Personally, I would get a cheaper 4k display - well cause I'm cheap. But yah gotta compare it to what is out there. If you don't want it, don't get it.
Wonder how the price compares to any other 5K display, what? About the same after adjusting for extra features like a brighter display, super speakers, on board processing, and a 12 MP camera. How can that be?
OK, I'll admit it is not for everyone. Personally, I would get a cheaper 4k display - well cause I'm cheap. But yah gotta compare it to what is out there. If you don't want it, don't get it.
I don't know. I think if this display had half the features people want it would start to push $2K and then people would be complaining about that. Can't win.
Fact is, aside from that plasticky Ultrafine display, a 5K display was near impossible to find. Now Apple has built one that's not plastic and seems pretty solid, at a few hundred bucks more than the LG. I guess it's a weird choice to lock in the cable and the stand, but is anyone actually surprised? I think the vast majority of users (ie, not armchair industrial designers on web forums) will probably just plop this on their desk, enjoy a nice bright retina 5K display, and move on with their lives.
Fact is, aside from that plasticky Ultrafine display, a 5K display was near impossible to find. Now Apple has built one that's not plastic and seems pretty solid, at a few hundred bucks more than the LG. I guess it's a weird choice to lock in the cable and the stand, but is anyone actually surprised? I think the vast majority of users (ie, not armchair industrial designers on web forums) will probably just plop this on their desk, enjoy a nice bright retina 5K display, and move on with their lives.
No need to, they can always return under 14 days. I was considering it but hit pause once found out the stands options are not interchangeable. Glad Apple have a "cheaper" display than the XDR but it seems they missed an opportunity.
True, if you don't want the brightness, the speakers, the onboard processing, the camera and 5K, it is simply not better
My guess is that they reach a point in R&D where they have a product they generally like and decide to pursue it for sale. At some point they reach a “point of no return” and have to plow ahead with the product and can’t turn back. By the time they realize what they have is less than perfect, they’re too far down the road to turn back, so they release it and hope for the best. In other words, they KNEW the camera quality was less than stellar, but that they could improve it with an update. That’s why they have been able to reply to inquiries so quickly: they’re already working on it. But, especially for many Apple fans, Apple just says they’re sorry and that usually placates those people who made the purchase.
I disagree. 4K on 27" is awful and I speak of experience. Everything is much bigger, especially text and at the end you have to change the resolution scaling in order to get a proper text size but that results in a 1,5x scaling, which most Mac users do not want..
The camera quality is the most disappointing. The quality should be equal to the 24" iMac which is fantastic. Maybe this can be resolved with a firmware update. I'd be shocked if the actual camera quality would be that bad from a hardware perspective.
The speakers have been said to be the best in any monitor but testing will tell further.
The speakers have been said to be the best in any monitor but testing will tell further.
That’s where I am. There’s nothing else like it. However, since anything negative by Apple will get LOTS of traction regardless of how inconsequential (when I apply force to my monitor, it moves! when I touch the screen which.. ok it’s not a touchscreen so I don’t know why I love touching it, it gets smudged! The speakers in front of me don’t make sound come from behind me! This screen that’s not OLED or Mini-LED doesn’t behave like either of those!), it’s never a bad idea to go negative! It’s all about clicks and views (and likes and subscribes!)
Serious question: Can anyone recommend alternatives to these? I decided to get two because I needed: 5k, colour accuracy, webcam, speakers, and something actually beautiful to fit into my space. I looked around and found nothing that could come close... the LG 5k monitors that apple previously sold were decent (althought the Studio Displays have vastly better looking enclosures) but they were only a few hundred less so I'd rather pay the difference to have something nicer. Anyone?
Going to cancel my order for the display and get something cheaper to go with the mac studio. Shame!
is there a review that does a direct comparison against the 27 iMac? purely from a monitor perspective?
I’m writing this on a 28 inch 4K display, scaled, and it’s fine. And I didn’t spend over $500 for it. I’d rather put that money into a better machine than the monitor. I think a lot of people will feel the same. But keep speaking for “most Mac users”. I don’t think “most Mac users” are all that different from anyone else: they want the biggest bang for the buck. This monitor ain’t it, IMO.
No, it’s a dead format. Several companies launched 5k displays years ago - they’re all discontinued now (you *might* find them on sale somewhere). The advantages over 4K are too marginal, and mostly only apply to Macs - without demand from the PC market to produce economies of scale, the price of 5k panels will stay high.
Assuming Apple’s price isn’t just pure greed, it could be that the cost of 5k panels has become too high to make the iMac, or a sensibly priced standalone display, economical.
Really? I have two 30" ACD bought back in 2006 and still perfect to this day. XDR is a great display but expensive.
No wonder the embargo was lifted late. Apple probably didn't want people to cancel their orders before they shipped.
Not in 2022. This is the year when you'll get a truckload of HDR monitors below the $2000 mark, either in the form of WRGB OLED, QD OLED, or mini-ish LED (each one of them subjected to the quality of the implementation which is just as much of a problem as the tech itself).
I would expect most of them to remain at 4K though, 5K and 6K are likely to remain a USP of Apple's displays for a while.
The XDR's HDR implementation isn't obsolete but as of this year not particularly great either. Like any large display HDR implementation right now it still has quite a few compromises.
I was really hoping for under $1000 or max $1200 with promotion and HDR.
I think i will drag my Thunderbolt Display further more.
I think i will drag my Thunderbolt Display further more.
Don't listen to the haters.
"NEW Mac Studio + Studio Display is UNBELIEVABLE!" -iJustine
"NEW Mac Studio + Studio Display is UNBELIEVABLE!" -iJustine
The resolution is the defining feature of a display. “Most important” is obviously subjective, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that resolution is more important to more people than color accuracy.
Of course it’s a miss, this thing is priced bizarrely, just as the Pro Display XDR, HomePod, and AirPod Max are. If this thing was $1,000 (and the webcam wasn’t bugged) every review would be over the moon. Every now and again Apple just whiffs on pricing.