I do not understand the hate for the studio display

[maflynn]

And a 32" with 16:9 aspect ratio has more area (square centimeters) than a 34" with 24:10. Which resolution are you running the 32" at?

On the mac 2048x1152 and my other systems 3840 x 2160 with a scaling factor 166% or 150% (linux and windows)
This gives me an effective resolution of 2304 × 1296 and 2560 × 1440 respectively.

 

[tornado99]

They have best-in-class calibrated OLEDs

Apple don't sell any OLED laptops. That's why I bought a Snapdragon X Elite laptop. The display quality is a step above anything offered by Apple. And it also has an ARM chip.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

Because it is an IPS LCD 60Hz panel at the price of a high end Mini-LED. And you can actually buy great mini-LEDs for less than half the price.

Soon, you’ll even be able to get a 27” 5K glossy mini-LED @ 160Hz for less than $1k.

Do you know of one, or are you making a statement that the technology vs price has almost reached that point. Serious question. No sarcasm intended.

 

[CSAppleFan]

I bought a refurb 2022 from Best Buy in excellent condition for $1,000 a couple months ago. Even at that point I thought it was over priced but at least wanted to try it. Well, I still have it. My work laptop supports 5k and it's been a game changer compared to my dell or Samsung 4k plastic monitors. the clarity and crispness are unmatched on the Studio Display.

 

[JtheLemur]

Both Studio Displays are overpriced. However, as mentioned, there are features that you legit cannot get anywhere else.

- Physical build that doesn’t creak when you look at it funny.

- Fans that are actually silent (looking at you every LG model).

- Built in webcam, speakers, and mic, reduces clutter and cabling and positioning.

- A great webcam. The 2026 webcam in both models is great. Not amazing. But perfect for video calls and other core needs. It is pro-ish level in terms of quality. No, you don’t need more than this for sitting your ass in front of a monitor and hopping on work calls, stop kidding yourself. If you are some sort of content creator this isn’t meant for you not even because of quality but because it is built into the damn monitor - wrong tool entirely.

- A great set of speakers. Cannot be overlooked. The speakers are amazing for built-ins. I don’t have to think, they just belt out great audio, done.

- Good microphones. Don’t have to consider placement, don’t have to think about feedback, just talk at the screen.

- Nanotexture, for those that celebrate.

- No need to be concerned if the panel has good edge-to-edge consistency, backlight consistency, even whites, etc. it will.

I’ve been through the LGs and the ASUS ones and even a Kuycon. If you can deal with the shortcomings and extra peripherals, go for it. For sure price sensitivity is a factor. But if 27” 5K can work for you and you don’t have the time or patience for ********, the ASD models are the best fit and worth the investment.

 

[Circa1984]

The hate is for 1. Still 60hz, and 2. the high price - it stings more since the 10 year old iMac 27” included (the identical panel?) plus a computer at that price.

What makes it superior to the competition is always the aluminum build quality, Apple’s better picture optimization, and plug and play connectivity.

 

[AppleTO]

As others have mentioned, most of the hate has to do with the fact that Apple used to offer a full computer with nearly the same panel, for essentially the same price.

 

[Harddrive]

The one thing I don't understand is why Apple choose not to include an ethernet port preferably 10gb as with the already USB-C ports I realize you could use a dongle but you give up a port and it does not look as clean.

 

[PaulD-UK]

@Harddrive "The one thing I don't understand is why Apple choose not to include an ethernet port preferably 10gb as with the already USB-C ports I realize you could use a dongle but you give up a port and it does not look as clean."

Because, as the name implies, 10GbE requires a significant amount of bandwidth, and providing that as well as all the bandwidth needed within the monitor (screen image + webcam +USB-C ports etc), that would have meant restricting the monitors to TB5 Macs, cutting everything else (TB4 and USB-C Alt-mode) out of the party.
That would have gone down well. Not. 🙁

 

[bunce66]

I recently purchased a Studio Display 2026. It works flawlessly with both my MacBook and iPad with zero configuration and looks and sounds great. It looks cool. I thought that was the whole reason people liked Apple (it just works).

Why are people so shocked by the price of this thing? Why is it that when it comes to monitors people suddenly start saying that the Apple experience does not matter and that it is far superior to use a Samsung monitor with a thumb nub on the back that you have to use to change any settings? Bit simplistic but I’m genuinely baffled by the response to this monitor’s release considering the audience it is targeted at.

I agree. I debated between the ASD and a 5K from BenQ. I needed tilt/heigh adjustment.

Bought it refurbished on apple.com 2 weeks ago, so it ran about $1800. The BenQ was $1050.

For $750 more, you get a built-in webcam, far better speakers. It also looks awesome, as opposed to a generic computer monitor, which I think is worth something. The tilt-height mechanism is actually quite impressive, and I can see why they upcharge for it.

People complain about 60 Hz, but it's fine for me, and there aren't a whole lot of options above that in the 5K market.

 

[conmee]

I don't think it's hate. I mean did people hate $700 wheels for the Mac Pro? Or $19 cloth? Every now and then Apple just comes out with something where it takes a lot of Apple loyalty or Reality Distortion Field to justify the price. I think the ASD/XDR displays fall into that category.

For people who care about display specs (mini LED, OLED, HDR, refresh rate, pixel response, etc), the display is massively overpriced and the Apple design, integration with macOS, camera, speakers, TB ports do not bring enough value to justify the price.

For arguments sake, in 2026, the display specs are about $699 for a 27” 5K display (there are comparable displays with ASD specs for this price). That means Apple is pricing the Apple goodness (build, camera, speakers, ports, etc) of their display as being worth $1,000. A lot of people find that ridiculous.

That said, I have a 2022 ASD and the build and macOS integration are fantastic. Love the ASD but I’m not going to gaslight myself and say it was great value for the money. But sometimes people buy things “just because” and since I didn’t splurge on a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 or a yacht this year, I figured the least I could do was buy an overpriced Apple display. And with AppleCare I won’t have any unexpected bank draining repairs like I might have with the Porsche or the yacht. It really is a fantastic display, and although I really really like my Alienware 4K 240Hz display it's just so smooth, I prefer my ASD even at 60Hz.

I'd honestly have zero complaints and would have sold my 2022 and gone straight for the 2026 ASD if it were 120Hz.

And if the XDR were $1,699 I think there would be a lot fewer complaints in general (not none, but certainly fewer).

 

[MasterHowl]

I absolutely love my Studio Display. 'It just works', doesn't have ugly logos/icons/lights on it, and matches the aesthetic of the rest of my desk (Mac mini, Apple keyboard, Apple trackpad).

Did I have to hold my breath during checkout? Yes. But I feel like that with every Apple purchase I make, but I've never regretted it.

 

[Populus]

Do you know of one, or are you making a statement that the technology vs price has almost reached that point. Serious question. No sarcasm intended.

Yep, the MSI model that was shown months ago in… was it CES? The MSI 271KRAW16

Also, I think there is at least another glossy monitor coming form LG, but I’m not sure if it’s 4K or 5K.

I’ve been waiting too long, honestly, but I think manufacturers are putting more efforts in Mini-LED technology, and some even considering glossy. But they are expensive. Not as expensive as the Studio Display, but in 2025 mini-LEDs were in the $400-600 price range, and the models coming this year are very close to the $1K mark.

 

[cheesygrin]

From the research I've done, the Studio Display is way overpriced for the on-paper specs that it has. But like many Apple products, the experience of using it seems to be greater than the sum of its parts, and it is very popular with owners.

I think it is a "luxury" product, more so than most Apple products, but a nice complement to your Apple ecosystem IF you can eaily afford it. If you can't, there are plenty of "better value" options that will work perfectly well.

 

[rafale77]

I bought a refurb 2022 from Best Buy in excellent condition for $1,000 a couple months ago. Even at that point I thought it was over priced but at least wanted to try it. Well, I still have it. My work laptop supports 5k and it's been a game changer compared to my dell or Samsung 4k plastic monitors. the clarity and crispness are unmatched on the Studio Display.

It really all depends on what your starting point is. I take that your Dell or Samsung 4k monitors were priced nowhere near what you paid for your ASD.

I had a very similar experience as yours, got an ASD just to try but for half the price you paid and I still didn’t want to keep it. For me it was very hard to look at it next to my Kuycons and my HP. The size is a major factor but the blacks/contrast just couldn’t keep up. It does a lot of things well though and I can’t really fault it other than for the fact that it felt very old. The tilt only stand is lackluster and pales even next to my much cheaper HP 32”. It is really a niche product which just was not a fit for me.

 

[TheGeneralist]

Both Studio Displays are overpriced. However, as mentioned, there are features that you legit cannot get anywhere else.
[...]

Well...this is a contradiction in terms in my opinion.
Either they are overpriced. Or they deliver a feature set which you can't get anywhere else.

I'm far from defending Apple in every respect - while I do like some things they do, I think they deserve a lot of justified criticism these days, especially because of their quite low software quality standards, but not only for that reason.

Having said that, I think both Studio Displays are not overpriced. They offer a feature set and integration which is simply not matched by competing products, therefore the high price is justified in my eyes. If you want a very good solution for workflows like e.g. home office work & video conferencing (for the normal Studio Display) or HDR video editing (for the Studio Display XDR), the displays just deliver a level cheaper products just cannot reach - or which require even higher priced products, e.g. if a HDR retina display with more than 27" is reqired.

 

[ascender]

The "hate" is due to the price, it always has been. And I think some of that is fair as you can buy a similar panel for a much cheaper price. Fair criticism is also that the standard stand is not very adjustable.

The flip side to this is that the Apple displays offer native integration with the OS that other displays just can't. Decent speakers and now a pretty good webcam.

You're paying more for those items and I think it comes down to how much you value those things in your day to day use as to whether you think the display is over-priced or not.

 

[redjar597]

For me it's simple. Especially as I see a lot of posts here comparing the ASD with the panels etc of other manufacturers.

1. The display is only part of the attraction.
2. 5K, great panel, 60hz is better than probably 95%+ of monitors out there
3. 4K doesn't render great on MacOS
4. The speakers and mics that are inbuilt are a major attraction
   1. The speakers are way better than any other monitor it's not even close, and better than a lot of sub $200 standalone speakers imo.
   2. I'm not an audiophile. I want the speakers for meetings and YouTube etc. They are excellent for that. I don't want an external speaker set up and wires on my desk.
   3. The mics are truly excellent, picking up birds chirping outside my window, that I can barely hear with my ears.
   4. They might not be good enough mics for podcasting, but I don't do that, and they are great for what I do.
5. The webcam gets a lot of hate, but on the 2026 ASD it's much improved over the 2022 ASD. I've owned both
6. The webcam is more than good enough for work meetings.
7. I don't want wires and different webcams, mics, speakers all over my desk.
8. And as an added bonus it integrates perfectly with my apple devices, and I can control it from the keyboard, plus it looks better than any monitor (subjective) on my desk. Yeah, I want my work environment and room at home to look good and pleasing.
9. 27-inch is perfect for me. Above 30 inch then you need to swivel your head slightly, not just your eyes.
10. I don't need to trial or take a punt/risk on another manufacturer to see if their monitor is any good, I know the ASD is just going to work fine.

I could be wrong, but I don't know an all in one that offers 5k, plus screen ASD screen quality, plus internal speakers that match the ASD quality and volume, plus internal mics that match ASD quality, plus have an in built webcam that is good enough, and that the brightness and sound can be controlled from my Magic Keyboard, and looks this good.

If anyone knows one then please list it. I work mainly with text and databases, not interested in photography or videos, or precise colour matching, nor gaming. Plus need it for meetings, and I don't like wearing headphones.

 

[HiVolt]

But my question is, how long will it last? How long will it work until Apple decides it's vintage/obsolete and you can't use it anymore?

That is interesting, never thought of that. I assume it needs software support? I believe it's not supported on the Intel Macs, even though the old Studio display was at the same resolution/refresh rate.

So who knows when they deem it not be supported on 1st gen Apple Silicon for example?

 

[Vincent Hanna]

My 27” iMac was the best Mac I ever had but now Apple wants me to buy that overpriced Studio Display and a separate machine, keyboard, mouse, etc, to get that 27” screen experience.

The entire time Apple sold 27” iMacs the hobbyists screamed that Apple was greedy and evil for making them buy a monitor they didn’t want instead of giving them more headless desktops.

And now that Apple sells two headless desktops you can use with any monitor you want, the hobbyists complain about that instead.

 

[StevenJobsJr]

As others have said, it's just the price. If it was $999 it would be a much better option. The monitor itself is fine and I also like the design of it.

 

[JtheLemur]

I could be wrong, but I don't know an all in one that offers 5k, plus screen ASD screen quality, plus internal speakers that match the ASD quality and volume, plus internal mics that match ASD quality, plus have an in built webcam that is good enough, and that the brightness and sound can be controlled from my Magic Keyboard, and looks this good.

If anyone knows one then please list it.

There literally is not. Apple is the only company that makes a monitor like this. Even if you skipped the ecosystem factor - the easy control of the monitor from within macOS (and via keyboard, etc) - there is still nothing like it from any manufacturer on the market. If there was, I would own it. 🙂

Long live the ASDs and their too-high prices T__T

 

[redjar597]

There literally is not. Apple is the only company that makes a monitor like this. Even if you skipped the ecosystem factor - the easy control of the monitor from within macOS (and via keyboard, etc) - there is still nothing like it from any manufacturer on the market. If there was, I would own it. 🙂

Long live the ASDs and their too-high prices T__T

Exactly, hence my challenge. For all the people saying this panel has this better spec or is cheaper, when you take into account the whole package, there is nothing like it, or nothing that comes close at any price point, let alone cheaper.

I don't think anyone can rise to the challenge, too fixated on panel specs. Even when Apple 5k even if 60hz is unbelievable quality.

I think some are missing the point and use case of the ASD.

If people want a 5K PoS BenQ monitor for less because the specs are nicer on paper, knock yourself out, if you want a well designed, MacOS integrated display, with very good loud speakers, excellent mics, a perfectly good webcam, and is totally hassle free, then there's only the ASD.

I had a look at the Samsung all in one displays, and the speakers, mics, webcam, design, don't come even remotely close, plus they add in a stupid OS and stupid remote control imo, and the webcam is balanced by a magnet on the top of the display.

Like you, if something was better than what the ASD does, then yeah I would buy it too.