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Apple Studio Display Reviews: 'A Confounding Miss'

spcopsmac21 said:
It’s not as sexy but this is so much better for the money and so much more monitor
https://www.amazon.com/LG-32UN650-W-Compatibility-Borderless-Adjustable/dp/B08FQ42MN1/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=E84T6J4ELJGY&keywords=32+lg+4k+monitor&qid=1647528626&sprefix=32”+lg+%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-4
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Well, better if resolution, brightness, and color reproduction aren't the measure, sure I guess?
 
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jakeowens said:
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?
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I think you've nailed it! For many, a cheap $500 4K display will do what they need it to do, so there is no reason for them to consider this display. For others like you and me, all of the attributes you've mentioned will be important, and they will be willing to pay a premium price for the features, build quality, and design aesthetic of the Apple display.

The complaining strikes me as a bit like bitching that a BMW M3 is overpriced because you can get a Nissan Whatever that does the same 0-60 time for half the price. Different market segments, different customer needs and wants.
 
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I’m bummed. I don’t care so much about it not being HDR/120 as my now 6.5 year old 27 inch 5K iMac screen I love and this now adds True Tone, more accurate color, and is 100 nits brighter BUT the camera… THAT I expected in 2022 and after this pandemic to be outstanding. At least as good as other recent Apple devices (which other than iPhone to be honest are only so so) and I can’t imagine how this looks so bad.

I know they said something about software but I have big doubts it is software… sounds more like they cheaped out on the hardware.

I’m getting mine tomorrow and pairing it with my 1 year old M1 MacBook Air to replace that 6.5 year old iMac… hopefully this gets resolved.
 
While I agree with some of the gripes, I feel like other than the Verge, most of those reviews were not bad, so the headline is a bit off. If we assume the webcam will be fixed in software, seems like a good display to me? And actually as the verge pointed out, 5k resolution with no scaling IS important to a lot of users, and that wasn’t going to happen at 120hz.
 
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I was originally excited to order, but given the "meh" reviews I think I'll hold off on this until more people report their experience.
 
falkon-engine said:
A lot of early adopters who 'sold out' initial supply will be pissed off. I'll keep my 4k 144 Hz or 1440p 165 Hz... and a $80 Logitech C930e.

And what was the point of putting an A13 in the monitor... if it doesn't have Apple TV functionality, or airplay, or whatever. $1600 for 60 Hz and subpar webcam???
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You would think with the A13 they would include FaceID LOL
 
neuropsychguy said:
I'm not defending the display (I don't have one and won't buy it because it's out of my price range for what I need) but this statement seems unfair: "The real issue is that $1,599 is a lot of money, and here it's buying you panel tech that is woefully behind the curve."

What other 5K displays compete at this price range? They need to be ideally in the 27 - 32" range without being ultrawide -- those are great but they are a different sort of 5K resolution because they don't have the vertical resolution, which is important with a lot of productivity work. How does their "panel tech" compare to this one?

Who is producing something better than this with comparable color accuracy, brightness, resolution, and refresh rate?
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Well, if one has such a hard-on for 5K, there is no choice.

But for people who just want to get work done? There are plenty of choices.
 
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i don't understand why apple are so stubborn about refusing to support 4k resolutions properly. i understand that people don't like the scaling applied when using a 4k display but this is entirely down to apple and their rendering choices. it's very possible to support 4k resolution properly. both windows and linux are able to.

apple needs to face facts and realize 4k is the de facto high resolution standard for tvs, desktops and laptops and start properly supporting it or they are going to be left behind in the face of the new wave of oled, qd-oled and micro led panels coming from lg and samsung. there will be affordable 4k variants available long before it's worth anyone developing a 5k variant
 
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TheDailyApple said:
The display is obviously targeting previous iMac users, but I think that speakers, webcam, and microphones are a mistake. These make it stupid to buy more than one of these, and many people wouldn’t even use them on a single display. I have a set of bookshelf speakers at my desk, and wouldn’t use the speakers once. Built in peripherals make sense for an all in one, but not a display. Apple should have released a screen with no camera, microphone, speakers, or A13 chip for $750-999. Or at least one like that along side this.
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They added those overpriced "features" so that they can justify marking it up to $1599.
 
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jakeowens said:
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.
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If 5K is a must for you there are not going to be many alternatives. Said that, this being the "best" 5K relatively affordable option doesn't mean is a good enough option to go forward with a purchase.

I decided to wait and see what happens in Summer and see whether the rumors of a higher quality display are accurate: if not I might consider a 4K HDR monitor instead of the Studio Display.

Different people have different needs so what works for me might not work for you and vice-versa, but IMHO this monitor remains merely a decent product, not a great one.
 
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With no HDR and only 60hz it sounded like a crap product for the price. Seems that assessment was fair. It's basically an iMac that's been lobotomised and given fancy speakers, offered up for a similar price.
 
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The Studio Display is like an XDR mini.

And by that, I mean that they will sell in low volume.
 
Liquid Galaxy said:
I thought it was just me that thought that way.

other tech reviews: yeah it’s alright
iJustine: OMG ITS AMAZING IM SO BLOWN AWAY RIGHT NOW!!!! ITS SO PERFECT!! LOOK AT MY RIDICULOUS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS
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I gave up on her many years ago. At first I was curious because she is a cute "hot" girl in a nerd world but it did not take long to realize most of her reviews are superficial and her constant look at "how beautiful I am" poses were getting annoying. Sorry to say but her success comes from her looks more than her content.
 
mabhatter said:
A P3 rated 4K display is still pushing $1000+

I wonder if Apple is doing video compression to get 5k video and still use bandwidth for the other devices built in. I'd like to think there are optimization issues, not just weak hardware.

LTT had a pretty cool Alienware wide screen HDR gaming monitor yesterday. It's slightly cheaper and got pretty good reviews from them.
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LG 27GP950-B is a 27" 4k 144hz monitor with 98% DCI-P3 coverage for $899.
 
Just cancelled my order. I was really excited about this display until I heard Apple just recycle their iMac display for this. Come on. It's $1,599. Apple can do much better than this. I will wait til the more expensive prosumer version of this then. 27" XDR with $2,500-$3,500 sounds great. Can't wait for the June event.
 
While the Studio Display is not perfect, it is still the ideal display for me.

I love my all-in-one iMac, and I wouldn’t have switched back to a Mac mini setup if not for the Studio Display.

There are things I would not give up, such as excellent built-in speakers, microphones, and a camera. Most important to me is True Tone. I also want a beautiful design in a singular package as much as possible for a simple and clean set up.

It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t have mini LED or a high refresh rate.
 
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I don’t understand why webcam quality is such a difficult thing to achieve. And yet, it shouldn’t be that difficult considering that the 24” iMac has an excellent webcam, the best I’ve ever seen on a Mac, better than the new MBP. I would’ve expected this webcam to be as good as the 24” iMac or better.
 
jarman92 said:
Resolution is a pretty important spec for a display. The most important spec, really. And it isn't just a question of 4K vs 5K...macOS doesn't scale properly to a 27" 4K display and looks terrible as a result.

And the rest may be "meh" for you, but is very important for many, many others.
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I have a 4k 27'' philips monitor and I use it for my UX/UI work and it has a perfect image quality... as long as I use the best setting:

1647532216833.png
 
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