Apple's Two New Studio Display Models Feature Different A19 Chips

[magbarn]

They quite literally released a 120Hz screen...If you're spoiled and can only use that now, get it! It litearlly exists in 2026!

Or if you think the XDR is too expensive you could just get a cheap 120Hz gaming monitor. They've existed for years. Just know that you get exactly what you pay for. And you're going to realize very quickly when you look at the display why that 27" 4K 120 HZ ended up costing you thousands less. It'll be like looking at today's iPhone next to an iPhone 1. It'll be super jarring, but to each their own!

Save that money!

They had 4 years to add promotion to a $1599 display for pete's sake. This isn't some cheap gaming monitor. The XDR is too expensive for a non OLED display, it's also significantly smaller than before. I would spend $4999 for a 32" 6K Tandem OLED XDR as that would be a forever monitor.

 

[Imperial926]

They could have used this refresh to offer tilt and height adjustment within the basic model but I guess that's just me being naïve.

 

[dypeterc]

isn't that what the computer you're plugging in is for ?

No. They’re 2 different subsystems. The GPU in the computer generates the image. The A19 chip in the display is to “drive” or pipe this generated image onto the screen

 

[dypeterc]

Yes, the inclusion of this ultra pro feature, for the most pro of pros, further proves this is truly the display for pros.

I’d be up for DICOM support. I occasionally look at X-rays and CT scans at home for work. And I’m always got my nose to the screen and say to myself “How did this radiologist see that?!?!”

 

[Ad47uk]

Monitor? sure, I guess. But every webcam I've ever owned has had firmware updates and a few speakers I've owned as well.

But why? I have not used a webcam for years, the ones I have in a box somewhere would not require an update of any kind. My video cameras have had updates, a Panasonic and DJI pocket, but i also have older ones a JVC harddisk SD one, no updates and a mini DV camera. Granted the last two is not used these days.

As for speakers, the only speakers I have that is updated are the echo units, but they are not just speakers. i sometimes miss the days when things just worked out of the box, without waiting for them to be updated.

 

[Ad47uk]

Asus monitors absolutely have firmware updates important to keep up with for their prosumer and gaming monitors.

I own several Asus ProArt and ROG monitors behind my Pro Display XDR.

They offer substantial updates for stuff like HDR/image performance

sorry, I meant Acer, not Asus, that was because i was chatting to someone about a Asus motherboard.
I have an Acer BM320 monitor, no firmware updates.

Updates for stuff the monitor should do when you buy it.

 

[Royksöpp]

Several comments pointing to the sleeping iMac inside the new Studio Displays. I would beg Apple to wake it up, if it were a sleeping giant:
A 32” iMac. But both beds are only 27”.
(probably too much to handle for an A19 anyway)

The one thing they keep forgetting is that there is no network connectivity or Bluetooth. We all thought the A13 was overkill, the A19 is just ludicrous!

 

[JSRinUK]

If this had come out a year ago when I bought my Mac Studio, it’d have been a day one purchase. Now, I need to justify it. I’ve since bought screens that are adequate but I’d still love to have the Studio Display, so it may yet happen …

Can’t stretch to the XDR, though.

 

[lilkwarrior]

sorry, I meant Acer, not Asus, that was because i was chatting to someone about a Asus motherboard.
I have an Acer BM320 monitor, no firmware updates.

Updates for stuff the monitor should do when you buy it.

Firmware isn’t inherently a good or bad thing though. Some add more features and more compatibility with newer things like desktop software

 

[Joe Bogger]

I’d be up for DICOM support. I occasionally look at X-rays and CT scans at home for work. And I’m always got my nose to the screen and say to myself “How did this radiologist see that?!?!”

In the not so distant future - one or two years from now - an AI will see it more accurate than any human ever can.

 

[turbineseaplane]

In the not so distant future - one or two years from now - an AI will see it more accurate than any human ever can.

Uh huh ... as it also misses stuff and falsely tells you about something you don't have.

 

[theluggage]

This would make a decent base level iMac...

With limited RAM, limited SSD, no WiFi, no Bluetooth, no Ethernet, an iPhone processor and a likely cost close to $2000… Pass. It’s a display, not a computer.

 

[Nugget]

But why? I have not used a webcam for years

Are you seriously asking why a device that runs software internally sometimes needs to have that software updated?

I understand that you, personally, haven't used a webcam for years but surely you are aware of how they function, right?

 

[dysamoria]

Apple could've released these as specialty purposed iMacs with the ability to work in Target Display Mode (remember that super useful iMac feature??).

Or, they could literally act as supplemental processing power for whatever computer you’ve plugged into it. I highly doubt that center stage, desk view, Siri, and the surround sound audio system is particularly taxing on the A19 and A19 Pro.

Especially since all that stuff is in devices that are powered solely by such processors and they do a lot more than just those things.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

It's not burn-in of the sort you get with a CRT or even an OLED display, but it can happen in some LCDs when they display a static image at high brightness for many hours every day, especially if the display is always on, and especially if the display has a single refresh rate, which is the case with the last Studio Display.

There's a phenomenon called ion migration, which can happen when a constant voltage is applied to the same pixels for a long time. This can cause ions in the liquid crystal fluid to accumulate near the electrodes, and this can create a parasitic electric field that keeps the crystals partially twisted even after the voltage is removed. This can almost always be fixed by either running an app that will display various colored patterns (fast color cycling), all-white screens, etc. for anywhere from a half-hour to several hours, and/or by leaving the display powered off for a day or two.

In the worst cases, the liquid crystal molecules can actually develop a physical "memory" or "stiffness," and fail to return to their fully relaxed state even when the image changes or the display is powered off.

Thanks for the explanation, I had no idea this was possible. Regarding dust behind the screen, which was a big problem on my last several imacs, is this something you have encountered in the Studio Displays?

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Regarding dust behind the screen, which was a big problem on my last several imacs, is this something you have encountered in the Studio Displays?

My only face-to-face experience with Studio Displays has been with one at my local Best Buy a year or two ago. I didn't look at it closely enough to see if there was dust behind the front glass. My overall impression of the display was that it was nice, but I didn't think it was bright enough for me, or had enough contrast.