Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Studio Display vs. Dell's Latest $655 27-Inch UltraSharp Monitor
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That and the fact that up until relatively recently, 5K support on PCs was pretty hit and miss, with both DisplayPort and HDMI, esp. the latter since for proper 5K support over HDMI you’d want HDMI 2.1.
Dell used to make one, I have it; the P2415Q. Still not quite retina but a lot closer. Was my preferred screen (over a 27” 4K) until I got the Studio Display. I actually wish Apple made one with the same panel as the 24”iMac.
I really wish these posts would stop. I didn't visit MacRumors to watch a video.
Depends how close you sit. For my preferred viewing distance it is retina. And I use the same distance for my 5K 27". Can't tell the difference between them.
On one hand:
It is beautifully designed, great panel, will last for ages, includes Webcam and speaker.
On the other hand:
It will last 15y, no problem. HDR is content-wise right around the corner to become the standard and 120Hz Panels are also becoming more popular. No height adjustment in the standard configuration and a 1749€ prize tag.
I was hoping for a $999 Monitor, plastic back, for students or so with the 24“ iMac panel. That would be a no brainer…
It is beautifully designed, great panel, will last for ages, includes Webcam and speaker.
On the other hand:
It will last 15y, no problem. HDR is content-wise right around the corner to become the standard and 120Hz Panels are also becoming more popular. No height adjustment in the standard configuration and a 1749€ prize tag.
I was hoping for a $999 Monitor, plastic back, for students or so with the 24“ iMac panel. That would be a no brainer…
It is not same panel. It is panel with better contrast, better dark colors, better brightness,…
As others have mentioned, it depends on seating distance.
2160p 22” is Retina at 17”.
2160p 24” is Retina at 19”.
2160p 27” is Retina at 21”.
However, as mentioned, I want 5K at 30”.
2880p 27” is Retina at 16”.
2880p 30” is Retina at 18”.
2880p 32” is Retina at 19”.
I have a 27” Retina 5K iMac and a 30” 2.5K Cinema Display BTW.
Can we stop comparing 4k display to 5k displays? 4k 27" is worthless to anyone who works with text or graphics due to inability to scale @2x unless you want oversized UI.
normal distances is not 21 inches?
" ...
Adjust your screen's distance
Move your screen a comfortable distance away from your eyes, between 20-30 inches (50-75 cm). Adjust the screen’s angle to be comfortable for you...."
Ergonomics - Apple Support
Learn to set up your environment and use your devices safely.
" ...
- Position the monitor at least 20 inches (51 cm) from your eyes—about an arm’s length distance. If your screen is larger, add more viewing distance.
Ergonomics Made Simple: A Formula for Health | Ergotron
Computing comfort starts with paying attention to your body’s experience. Just three basic elements define The Ergonomic Equation of comfortable computing.
www.ergotron.com
" ... The recommended range from your eyes to the screen is somewhere between 20 inches and 40 inches. Ideally, this is about an arm’s length away from the screen. You can also figure out the right distance based on the screen size and resolution. Having the right distance from monitor to eyes helps you sit back in the right posture without leaning too far back or too far forward.
..."
https://www.autonomous.ai/ourblog/ideal-distance-from-computer-screen-to-eyes
If there is some kind of abnormally short "depth" desktop then would need something shorter than 21" because run out of room. However, 21" is well within the ergonomic norms.
Its not noted anywhere but I have a P2721Q monitor and its nice... however, the Speaker bar I got as an addition is terrible quality.
I then wanted to put a Camera on it and opted for the Dell HD camera - looked very nice
Because of this display's USB-C hub I power my MacBook Pro M1 off it - I can't stand wires so this has been nice (note the 24 came with 1 metre cable which was too short to be able to hide it away. The 27 comes with a 3m one that is both long enough and SHEILDED)
Anyways - I plugged the camera into the monitor... to the MBP and it does not work. I would guess insufficient power. The camera works plugged directly to the MBP but that defeats the whole setup here.
So point being is that the Studio Display brings better quality, minimal and efficient integration.
Dell does not do those things. You have to buy extra peripherals to match... and well, they don't work.
I then wanted to put a Camera on it and opted for the Dell HD camera - looked very nice
Because of this display's USB-C hub I power my MacBook Pro M1 off it - I can't stand wires so this has been nice (note the 24 came with 1 metre cable which was too short to be able to hide it away. The 27 comes with a 3m one that is both long enough and SHEILDED)
Anyways - I plugged the camera into the monitor... to the MBP and it does not work. I would guess insufficient power. The camera works plugged directly to the MBP but that defeats the whole setup here.
So point being is that the Studio Display brings better quality, minimal and efficient integration.
Dell does not do those things. You have to buy extra peripherals to match... and well, they don't work.
It's less than half the price but sounds like it's way, way more than half as good.
normal distances is not 21 inches?
" ...
Adjust your screen's distance
Move your screen a comfortable distance away from your eyes, between 20-30 inches (50-75 cm). Adjust the screen’s angle to be comfortable for you.
..."
Ergonomics - Apple Support
Learn to set up your environment and use your devices safely.support.apple.com
" ...
..."
- Position the monitor at least 20 inches (51 cm) from your eyes—about an arm’s length distance. If your screen is larger, add more viewing distance.
Ergonomics Made Simple: A Formula for Health | Ergotron
Computing comfort starts with paying attention to your body’s experience. Just three basic elements define The Ergonomic Equation of comfortable computing.
" ... The recommended range from your eyes to the screen is somewhere between 20 inches and 40 inches. Ideally, this is about an arm’s length away from the screen. You can also figure out the right distance based on the screen size and resolution. Having the right distance from monitor to eyes helps you sit back in the right posture without leaning too far back or too far forward.
..."
https://www.autonomous.ai/ourblog/ideal-distance-from-computer-screen-to-eyes
If there is some kind of abnormally short "depth" desktop then would need something shorter than 21" because run out of room. However, 21" is well within the ergonomic norms.
“While this is all technically true, its also missing the point. Every monitor achieves "retina" simply by being far enough away average human eyesight can't perceive individual pixels.
We use Retina to indicate the monitor achieves a high level of sharpness at normal distances.”
You can’t see it’s pixels beyond 21 inches doesn’t mean it is sharp.
It's not for sure, but I was surprised how sharp 4K is at 27". It's 163 PPI versus 109 PPI on a 1440p 27" monitor. At the distance I sit I honestly don't see pixels. I have the same screen real estate as the Pro Display XDR scaled down by the OS. So it's both scaled and "low-res" but somehow looks great. I have owned a couple iMacs in the past with 5K displays, so I know how they look.
It’s almost as good if your job doesn’t pay enough so that the added productivity of more pixels can’t easily pay for them.
Bah. I've got a 4k 27" and a 5K 27" sitting here in front of me. £1500 down the ******* on the SD but I love it and think it was worth every penny. It's crisp as a crisp thing from planet crispy, the audio is absolutely ******* crazy amazing and it doesn't look like it was thrown together by design students on crack.
No Apple logo no sale. Am i right fellow diehards!
I agree 27” 4K is Retina in the normal range for seating distance for ergonomic guidelines.
That said, its pixel density is low enough that a lot of people would notice. A lot fewer people would notice at 24”.
To put it another way, I think it would be reasonable to call a 24” 2160p monitor Retina, but it’s really pushing it to call a 27” 4K monitor Retina.
It supports EDR, which will display 2 f-stops above white, unlike the Dell.
The studio display costs in Greece 2000€ with a basic monthly salary 600€. It is for sure just a few people is gonna pay that price for a 6 year, non mini-led, HDRless old monitor just because there is an iPhone inside and an apple outside.
Just for the record, I run an mid 2011 imac 27inch i7 16gb and 1tb ssd with superb results for pro wedding photography and occasionally video. My only complaint is that I cannot use the latest Adobe's software updates.
Just for the record, I run an mid 2011 imac 27inch i7 16gb and 1tb ssd with superb results for pro wedding photography and occasionally video. My only complaint is that I cannot use the latest Adobe's software updates.
So I don't care whether a display is retina or not. I'm still using a pair of 23" 1080p monitors. Using the standard scaling and sit about 36" away and things look fine. Apparently that is "retina" and it's hard to tell the difference between those and my MBP, unless I get up closer.
But...can someone explain why scaling doesn't work well at 4k, but does at 5k and 6k?
But...can someone explain why scaling doesn't work well at 4k, but does at 5k and 6k?