I do not understand the hate for the studio display

[ddhhddhh2]

That is not correct. The iMac (Retina and Non-Retina) has been used for years for professional design work and photo and video editing. The Studio Display was marketed alongside the Mac Studio as Apple's answer for a Pro Apple Silicon workstation. Saying that it's only intended for basic tasks is absurd and goes complexly against the original intention of the display. With that being said, the old XDR display was a niche product, which is why many Pros went for the Studio Display instead. Based on how the new XDR is priced, that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Alright, yeah, I’ll admit I probably exaggerated a bit. Hopefully I didn’t annoy any Studio Display owners.

I’m not saying the Studio Display has no real advantages, because it definitely does. But honestly, compared with “other” brands, I think its biggest strengths are style and taste. Owning one and not putting it somewhere everyone immediately sees it almost feels like a crime.

I guess the best way to explain it is with Dell. I obviously don’t know any of Dell’s monitor designers, but based on the Dell monitors I’ve used, I imagine their process is something like: first, put in everything users actually need—solid construction, lots of adjustability, easy height and angle changes—and then figure out a reasonable price.

Apple, on the other hand... well, we all know how Apple works. First they decide how beautiful, polished, and consistent they want the whole experience to be, and then they figure out how much we’re going to have to pay for it.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Honestly, it’s an advantage pretty much only Apple can get away with.

 

[Sosab123]

Apple has a specific standard. If I was working with colors on a professional level I would certainly get one as my first choice.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I guess the best way to explain it is with Dell. I obviously don’t know any of Dell’s monitor designers, but based on the Dell monitors I’ve used, I imagine their process is something like: first, put in everything users actually need—solid construction, lots of adjustability, easy height and angle changes—and then figure out a reasonable price.

Hard pass. I've used Dells before and everything, from the resolution to the brightness to the contrast to the plasticky construction to the controls, were subpar. Except for the wobbles. They can make a first-class wobbler.

I'm sure they make some better "pro" models, but from my experience I do not see them as monitors that have "everything users actually need," not by a long shot.

I'm glad I no longer work at a place where they put a Dell on my desk.

 

[Petite messe solennelle]

There are not many displays with the same resolution. A quick search gave me these (I included the new XDR at the top as a comparison, then the Studio Display, then the other alphabetically):

Apple Studio Display XDR
– Regular monitor
– Mini-LED panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 120 Hz (variable)
– 100% DCI-P3
– 1.000 nits, 2.000 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 5 ms

Apple Studio Display (2026)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits, 600 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 14 to 16 ms

Acer Nitro XV270X P (announced in January 2026)
– Gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 165 Hz / 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 95% DCI-P3
– 350 nits, 400 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 0.5 ms

ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV
– Content creator monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 400 nits, 500 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 5.0 ms

ASUS ROG Strix XG27JCG
– Gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 180 Hz / 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 97% DCI-P3
– 350 nits, 600 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 0.3 ms

BenQ PD2730S
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 98% DCI-P3
– 400 nits
– 5.0 ms

KTC H27P3
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz, 2560 × 1440 at 120 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 7 to 14 ms

Kuycon G27P
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 75 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 600 nits
– 8 ms (when using Overdrive 4 to 6 ms)

LG UltraFine 5K 27MD5KA-B
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 12 ms

LG UltraFine 5K 27MD5KL-B
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 12 ms

Philips Evnia 27M2G5800 (announced in July 2026)
– Content creator monitor, gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 180 Hz (8-bit colors) or 144 Hz (10-bit colors), 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 98% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 0.5 ms

Samsung ViewFinity S8 (S80HF)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– no DCI-P3 specs
– 350 nits
– 5 ms

Samsung ViewFinity S9 (S90PC)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– no DCI-P3 specs
– 600 nits
– 5 ms

I would say, that the Apple Studio Display is not really worth its money for the display specs, especially in 2026. It is a very good display – I just bought some for my company for my employees and installed them myself –, but the reason to buy one is the looks, the sturdiness, the integration with macOS, etc. If it would be only for the display experience itself, I'd go with a cheaper one.

Side note: The XDR is extraordinary. It's like day and night – no other monitor comes close. I now own one privately and use one at work.

 

[TechRunner]

I've always appreciated Apple's monitors but could never justify the prices considering my workflows. While I'd love to see them release a sub-$1000USD monitor I'm not expecting that to happen.

 

[Antilogical]

They can make a first-class wobbler.

Don't forget they also deliver only the finest plastic creaks if you even as so much brush against the display.

 

[maflynn]

I have the previous model. I love mine. Enjoy. Ignore the haters.

Its not that we hate the monitor, the display is beautiful, but there is a point regarding some of the specs being subpar for 2026 and the price point.

 

[curnalpanic]

The Internet is full of bots and trolls. My advice is to ignore those spewing hate. You do you. I could not care less what others think.

 

[PegLegDreg]

They use to sell you a nearly identical 5K panel + an entire computer and peripherals for just a few hundred dollars more (27" iMac)

It's also just a regular, low-contrast IPS display running @ 60Hz. I say this as someone who enjoys using one every day, but I'm not going to pretend this thing is a great value at retail price or makes sense for most people.

Yeah I know it's overpriced, all apple stuff is. It's just this product seems to be singled out for the same pricing strategy 🤷‍♂️

 

[PegLegDreg]

Overpriced monitor, overpriced stand, average features. The ASD is marketed and priced for the elite few...not the average Apple customer. Apple has single-handedly pushed its monitor business to other manufacturers.

I'm not shocked by the price, Apple has clearly shown what their priority is when they charged a 1,000 dollars for a monitor stand, and 700 dollars for wheels for your mac pro (may the MP rest in peace).

As monitors go, given the price there were better alternatives that cost a lot less then what Apple is charging.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they use an LG panel, so why not look for other monitors that use the same display panel.

It just works (as they say). I plug my laptop in (bit more limited camera wise on the iPad) and the picture looks vivid and great. The speakers are awesome. Plug usb/thunderbolt devices into the back and they just go. It has auto brightness and True Tone just like the laptop which I like. It is the ultimate luxury device and it's priced as such. Would I recommend it for any devices outside of Apple ones? Of course no, you lose 99% of the features.

 

[PegLegDreg]

@Harddrive this is true as well. I won’t call them great speakers in a general sense, but they are hands down the best sounding speakers you’ll find built into a monitor. If you don’t have dedicated speakers they are actually serviceable.

If you are an audiophile you will be using headphones anyway. They sound darn good to me and save a ton of space on the desk.

 

[maflynn]

t just works (as they say).

I won't disagree, and its a beautiful monitor.

I don't quantify my opinions to the monitor as hate, but rather it failing to meet my needs, whether its the price, or the specs, which includes on-mac support (I have PCs and Macs).

 

[PegLegDreg]

They use to sell you a nearly identical 5K panel + an entire computer and peripherals for just a few hundred dollars more (27" iMac)

It's also just a regular, low-contrast IPS display running @ 60Hz. I say this as someone who enjoys using one every day, but I'm not going to pretend this thing is a great value at retail price or makes sense for most people.

Yeah I agree, but no apple devices are 'great value' (apart form the lowest base end stuff like the Neo and mini). The panel may be old but you wouldn't guess from using it. At least not in my opinion but then again I'm just a content consumer who plays football manager lol.

 

[PegLegDreg]

I won't disagree, and its a beautiful monitor.

I'm not shocked by the price, Apple has clearly shown what their priority is when they charged a 1,000 dollars for a monitor stand, and 700 dollars for wheels for your mac pro (may the MP rest in peace).

As monitors go, given the price there were better alternatives that cost a lot less then what Apple is charging.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but they use an LG panel, so why not look for other monitors that use the same display panel.

I have never used the LG one so I couldn't comment, but my gut instinct would tell me that it would be like any other monitor by LG etc. A lot of fiddling around. My previous one was a Samsung (about 500, not cheap but not top of the range either) and the difference between that one and this is night and day. No diving into an on monitor system to change things that are vaguely described (do you want fast, fastest or normal refresh rate as an example. This one has slight glitches and that one doesn't etc etc). Everyone has different wants and needs!

 

[PegLegDreg]

There are not many displays with the same resolution. A quick search gave me these (I included the new XDR at the top as a comparison, then the Studio Display, then the other alphabetically):

Apple Studio Display XDR
– Regular monitor
– Mini-LED panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 120 Hz (variable)
– 100% DCI-P3
– 1.000 nits, 2.000 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 5 ms

Apple Studio Display (2026)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits, 600 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 14 to 16 ms

Acer Nitro XV270X P (announced in January 2026)
– Gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 165 Hz / 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 95% DCI-P3
– 350 nits, 400 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 0.5 ms

ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV
– Content creator monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 400 nits, 500 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 5.0 ms

ASUS ROG Strix XG27JCG
– Gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 180 Hz / 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 97% DCI-P3
– 350 nits, 600 nits peak HDR brightnesses
– 0.3 ms

BenQ PD2730S
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 98% DCI-P3
– 400 nits
– 5.0 ms

KTC H27P3
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz, 2560 × 1440 at 120 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 7 to 14 ms

Kuycon G27P
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 75 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 600 nits
– 8 ms (when using Overdrive 4 to 6 ms)

LG UltraFine 5K 27MD5KA-B
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 12 ms

LG UltraFine 5K 27MD5KL-B
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– 99% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 12 ms

Philips Evnia 27M2G5800 (announced in July 2026)
– Content creator monitor, gaming monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 180 Hz (8-bit colors) or 144 Hz (10-bit colors), 2560 × 1440 at 330 Hz
– 98% DCI-P3
– 500 nits
– 0.5 ms

Samsung ViewFinity S8 (S80HF)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– no DCI-P3 specs
– 350 nits
– 5 ms

Samsung ViewFinity S9 (S90PC)
– Regular monitor
– IPS panel
– 5120 × 2880 at 60 Hz
– no DCI-P3 specs
– 600 nits
– 5 ms

I would say, that the Apple Studio Display is not really worth its money for the display specs, especially in 2026. It is a very good display – I just bought some for my company for my employees and installed them myself –, but the reason to buy one is the looks, the sturdiness, the integration with macOS, etc. If it would be only for the display experience itself, I'd go with a cheaper one.

Side note: The XDR is extraordinary. It's like day and night – no other monitor comes close. I now own one privately and use one at work.

Yeah that's what I'm saying. You buy it for the integration which like all apple products and that comes with a steep tax. They are the richest company in the world for a reason lol. It is the ultimate luxury item.

 

[maflynn]

My prior prior monitor was a 34" 1440p LG - a great monitor, no complaints I've owned that about 6 years before replacing it in 2025 with a BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX 32” 1152-zone Mini LED 4K eARC 144Hz 1ms DP2.1

I opted for a 4k over a 5k, because for the price I paid (under 800), I was getting premium features, where as most 800 dollar 5k monitors had much worse specifications and features.

 

[PegLegDreg]

I've always appreciated Apple's monitors but could never justify the prices considering my workflows. While I'd love to see them release a sub-$1000USD monitor I'm not expecting that to happen.

No they will never do that unless they use the iMacs 24.5 inch one. Not a bad idea actually.

 

[PegLegDreg]

My prior prior monitor was a 34" 1440p LG - a great monitor, no complaints I've owned that about 6 years before replacing it in 2025 with a BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX 32” 1152-zone Mini LED 4K eARC 144Hz 1ms DP2.1

I opted for a 4k over a 5k, because for the price I paid (under 800), I was getting premium features, where as most 800 dollar 5k monitors had much worse specifications and features.

What was it like having a monitor that size? Was it hard to work on sitting so close?

 

[PegLegDreg]

Because it is ridiculously overpriced compared to what is on the market, offers NOTHING above the market offerings, and in some ways offers less (like not having a VESA mount by default, or a removable stand).

Unless you're buying the XDR model for specific needs, the standard model is an absolute sucker purchase.

I hope you own zero apple products because they are ALL overpriced with ridiculous markups.

 

[PegLegDreg]

@Gorlammi I wouldn't say it's an absolute sucker purchase, especially now that you can get one on the apple refurb store for $1200. It depends on what you value.

It has many nice qualities: integration with macOS (brightness/volume) , instant wake, excellent sharpness with the best anti-reflective coating, color accurate and bright, good panel uniformity, enough power from built-in PSU to quick charge your macbook, and (imo) best looking design and build qualiity of any display on the market.

I just wish it had a higher contrast ratio... and now you can shell out for an XDR if you want that lol

The only bad thing about the monitor is the box that is impossible to put back together again. If anything goes wrong it's gunna be a nightmare returning it to get fixed!

 

[PegLegDreg]

I just sold and replace my 2022 model so I can explain why. For me first and foremost it was a sizing upgrade to 6K 32” but in the process, I found my 32” to be just as color accurate but more crisp, better blacks/contrast, similar uniformity, narrower bezel, adjustable height and rotation. Sure I lost a crappy useless webcam and good speakers but I think you get the point… If it was half the price I would understand but at the current offering it’s hard to justify.

Nothing wrong with the ASD but there are better in many ways, bigger, cheaper choices out there.

I would challenge anyone who owns a compatible iPad to use a Studio Display and a competing model. The integration makes it a real game changer for the iPad (the price means it will never catch on I know) for using windowed mode. It really does become a MacBook (For general usage no pro stuff).

 

[mistymac]

It's the price mate! As someone who could benefit from one for the work I do, it's still simply too expensive for what it is. Years ago I grabbed one of the 5K Samsung monitors for around $600. Would I recommend it? Definitely not lol. However, that's $1000 less than the ASD and its close enough in quality. It just miffed me that Apple priced the 'new' one at the same $1599 price point. I was hoping with the actual new one (XDR) coming out at $3K+ that they would throw us a bone and lower the standard one to $999.

I get they're doing cool stuff with the chip inside the panel but it just rubs me the wrong way knowing its almost a full blown computer inside of it and I can't use it as one. Which isn't even what I really want out of it, I have a Mac Studio.. but at that ridiculous price (especially when you compare to old 27" iMac costs) its just like... c'mon Apple, let me use it standalone if I want to. iMac Neo or something. 😂

 

[PegLegDreg]

Overpriced monitor, overpriced stand, average features. The ASD is marketed and priced for the elite few...not the average Apple customer. Apple has single-handedly pushed its monitor business to other manufacturers.

They are not average features by any sense of the imagination. They are built around integration and it transforms the iPad experience completely. Was genuinely gobsmacked doing a FaceTime call with a family member on it using the iPad. No Benq can touch that.

 

[PegLegDreg]

It's the price mate! As someone who could benefit from one for the work I do, it's still simply too expensive for what it is. Years ago I grabbed one of the 5K Samsung monitors for around $600. Would I recommend it? Definitely not lol. However, that's $1000 less than the ASD and its close enough in quality. It just miffed me that Apple priced the 'new' one at the same $1599 price point. I was hoping with the actual new one (XDR) coming out at $3K+ that they would throw us a bone and lower the standard one to $999.

I get they're doing cool stuff with the chip inside the panel but it just rubs me the wrong way knowing its almost a full blown computer inside of it and I can't use it as one. Which isn't even what I really want out of it, I have a Mac Studio.. but at that ridiculous price (especially when you compare to old 27" iMac costs) its just like... c'mon Apple, let me use it standalone if I want to. iMac Neo or something. 😂

Apple NEVER reduce the price of anything (to a substantial degree. 100 of the air here and there maybe). Yeah it's expensive I agree, I had to think about 1000 times before I committed. But it is truly amazing with the iPad. It does turn into that old 'this is a computer' vision. To the degree that I am thinking of selling my MacBook! Again, I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination. Just the whole experience is enjoyable.

 

[maflynn]

What was it like having a monitor that size? Was it hard to work on sitting so close?

Its awesome, the size difference between the 34" and 32" wasn't big enough that it was terribly noticable, and given that I moved up from 1440p to 4k, gave me more screen real estate.

I use this monitor on Windows, Linux and MacOS, the scaling that Windows and Linux are superior to macos, so I have a better user experience on those platforms. Its still nice on macos, I just have less screen real estate as I need to run it at an odd resolution that is HiDPI