Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The problem with the Studio Display is just knowing what it could have been.

The displays on the 14” and 16” MacBook Pros are absolutely beautiful and I think people expected the same level on this display, especially for the $1600 price tag. Then they ask $400 more for an adjustable stand, and add a non-removable power cable..it’s just odd.

For that price, it should have all the tech from the MacBooks. HDR, 120hz with variable refresh rate, mini-LED.

Really a disappointment knowing what they could have done..
You can’t get 5K 120hz yet. We need DP 2.0, a newer thunderbolt, and then a newer computer to run it (ideally with twice the GPU power). MiniLED would more than double the price.
 
MKBHD had a great observation:

When using the Studio Display next to a MacBook Pro, the difference in quality (and modern features) between the displays is untenable. The big display is so inferior, you end up just using your laptop for the proper screen.
 
What’s disappointing is that this is a “but“ product.

The speakers sound nice….“but” I can buy nicer external speakers.
The camera is okay, and center stage is nice…”but” I can buy a pretty nice external camera, and who needs Center Stabe on a monitor they sit squarely in front of 99% of the time?
It looks fantastic…”but” I can‘t adjust the screen height or attach it to a VESA mount without spending extra.

It’s a confounding product that is great….”but” it sucks.
VESA mount is the same price as the base model.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cobaltlemon
Sure, and plastic is not inherently poor, ugly, or cheap. There are many well-styled, ergonomic or at least interesting executions in plastic, but the LG Ultrafine is not one of them (along with most other monitors).
It's utilitarian and, honestly, good enough for most people. I'm not sure where this fascination with the tiny bezels, must be aluminum, etc. began but in my experience it often interferes with the utility of the device.
 
You can’t get 5K 120hz yet. We need DP 2.0, a newer thunderbolt, and then a newer computer to run it (ideally with twice the GPU power). MiniLED would more than double the price.
Is 5K that important?

Wouldn’t a 4K display with HDR, mini-LED, 1000nits, and 120hz VRR be a better option than a 5K display with none of those things?

Even so, if Apple is convinced 5K is needed for proper scaling, 5K 120hz is possible with current connections using DSC.
 
Does anyone know the width of the bezel on the SD?

I'm trying to compare the actual screen to my Cinema HD. I can see that the monitor as a whole is somewhat smaller, 18.8 inches wide instead of 21.3, but the bezel on the HD was fairly wide and the ones on the SD seem somewhat smaller.

And for anyone complaining about the price, my Cinema HD was $1,799 ($2,460 in 2021 dollars) and has lasted 15 years and counting. It's one of the best price/performance products I've ever purchased.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tikatika
Is the camera really that much worse on the LG, or are there lighting differences between the two shots? There appear to be major shadows in the LG shot, but not the Apple shot. I would like to see a comparison with good lighting, especially since the reviewer clearly has the expertise to do so.

Edit: When I say "worse" I really just mean much darker. Looking more closely the Apple shot is oversaturated and edges are quite jagged. These shots both really need to be redone with proper lighting.
 
Last edited:
Is 5K that important?

Wouldn’t a 4K display with HDR, mini-LED, 1000nits, and 120hz VRR be a better option than a 5K display with none of those things?

Even so, if Apple is convinced 5K is needed for proper scaling, 5K 120hz is possible with current connections using DSC.
No, I already have been using a 24 inch 4K screen for years. I need more pixels now, not the same pixels spread out over a larger area. 5K is a huge upgrade from 4k in working area. The studio display is about the brightest SDR display you can get and I didn’t even need to calibrate it for my printer.
 
It's utilitarian and, honestly, good enough for most people. I'm not sure where this fascination with the tiny bezels, must be aluminum, etc. began but in my experience it often interferes with the utility of the device.

It's not solely about the build materials. It's more about the build quality. The LG (and other brands as well) sway and jiggle when you bump the desk. Are hard to adjust so the screens are level. They also creak, crack, and moan when you adjust them which makes you feel like you paid ~$1,300 on a display that is no better constructed than a sub $300 one. Not to mention the ports and connectors have a high-rate of failure which is mostly attributed to the flexing case allowing the ports to move and dislodge the leads from the logic board. The plastic mounts that hold the ports are sometimes incapable of securing the ports from moving under the weight of cables over time as gravity pulls them down like a lever straining the solder on the other end.
 
Last edited:
The old Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display still has a nice picture next to the Apple Studio Display.

I have 5 of the old 27" Apple Thunderbolt display. Used for both PC and Mac computers.
 
It's utilitarian and, honestly, good enough for most people. I'm not sure where this fascination with the tiny bezels, must be aluminum, etc. began but in my experience it often interferes with the utility of the device.
I agree on the bezels, but it is the whole package: the wobbly stand is garbage, etc., etc., as I stated in my previous post.
As for "good enough for most people" - this is true for just about everything. Apple (along with many other brands and organizations) would be in serious trouble if everyone thought that way.
 
Is 5K that important?

Wouldn’t a 4K display with HDR, mini-LED, 1000nits, and 120hz VRR be a better option than a 5K display with none of those things?

Even so, if Apple is convinced 5K is needed for proper scaling, 5K 120hz is possible with current connections using DSC.
I upgraded from a 27" 4K HP monitor to the 5K LG display. It does make a big difference. Though, it does depend on what you do with the display. I mainly use it for text, and then the super crisp 5K dpi makes a big difference.
 
I would definitely get the Apple display over the LG for it's other abilities and its aesthetics. The $380 27" 4K display I am using now looks good to me, so for me to actually buy one of these, the LG would need to cost about $500 and the Apple maybe about $900.
Curious- do you run yours scaled to 5K or native at 4K?
 
It's very sad, and should be downright embarrassing for Apple, that a video comparing a 6 year old LG plastic monitor to Apple's brand new "studio" monitor is even happening. As much as I really love Apple's industrial design, I simply cannot fork over $1600 for speakers and a web cam I don't need, for basically the same panel as my 2015 iMac. After all these years of no stand-alone Apple displays (minus the semi-recent out-of-reach-for-me XDR) I had hoped Apple would offer a true little brother to the XDR — something around 30" that would actually deserve the "Studio" moniker. But they did not. So now, I'm putting aside my industrial design snobbiness and appreciation for 5K, and seriously looking at a BenQ SW321C (32" 4K UHD). Sorry Apple. I've loved my iMac, but ya lost me in the display market this time.
 
Last edited:
I assume LG are not totally stupid; I can only think they had some non-compete agreement with Apple to not sell their 5K panel in an enclosure that competes with the iMac (which used their panel).
Well, we could just take a look at other LG monitors to see if those where they don’t have an assumed non-compete clause look any better.

They don’t. LG are just totally stupid. :)
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: cobaltlemon
The problem with the Studio Display is just knowing what it could have been.

The displays on the 14” and 16” MacBook Pros are absolutely beautiful and I think people expected the same level on this display, especially for the $1600 price tag. Then they ask $400 more for an adjustable stand, and add a non-removable power cable..it’s just odd.

For that price, it should have all the tech from the MacBooks. HDR, 120hz with variable refresh rate, mini-LED.

Really a disappointment knowing what they could have done..
There literally isn’t a display on the market with those specs for $1,600. Apple is gonna offer all that in 3 months for $3,000 most likely. You and others need to be more realistic about the monitor market.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.