There’s 1 thing buying something to try it and see if you like it.
But buying something you have zero intention of purchasing is in my opinion morally questionable.
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I'm genuinely surprised by the negative reviews of the Studio Display
- Thread starter CalMin
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But buying something you have zero intention of purchasing is in my opinion morally questionable.
Brightness can only be considered alone if you have no regards for colour accuracy.
Now, personally I do not believe it is worth £1500 and therefore wouldn’t buy it. What the display offers is not something I place value in and that’s fine.
But at least make a fair argument. At how many nits of brightness does the studio display meet the stated colour accuracy vs competing products?
I'm looking at those populate Dell 4k monitors that advertise things like HDR and I'm not seeing a huge difference.
Here is the requirements for HDR 400 (which seems to be universally hated for not being real HDR). I couldn't find any specs on any of these monitors that matched up with the max Black level or Latency so I can only guess that the ASD doesn't meet one of those.
Here are some specs for the Dells and I threw in the Asus that is $3k
| Model | Current Price | Resolution | Panel Type | HDR Support | Brightness | Contrast | Adobe Coverage |
| Dell U2720Q | $589 | 4k | IPS LED Backlit | HDR 400 | 350 | 1300:1 | 83% |
| Dell UP2720Q | $1519 | 4k | IPS White LED edgelight (?) | No HDR Support | 250 | 1300:1 | 100% |
| ASUS ProArt PA27UCX-K | $2999 | 4k | MiniLED | HDR10/HLG/Dolby Vision | 300/1000 | 1000/1m:1 | 99.5% |
| BenQ PD2725U | $949 | 4k | IPS LED Backlight | HDR400 | 250-400 | 1200:1 | Not listed on their site. Found references from 77%-80% |
| BenQ SW271 | $1099 | 4k | IPS LED Backlight | HDR 10 | 350 | 1000:1 | 99% |
| Studio | $1599-$2199 | 5k | IPS LED Backlit | No HDR Support | 600 | 1205:1 (based on 2019 iMac)* | 85% |
I couldn't find any specs for the ASD for contrast ratio so since we all agree it's the same panel as the iMac I put in that value.Edit: Added a BenQ
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going from 300-400 to 600 is MASSIVE for indoors viewing. I can see the difference myself - just got a ASD
In the PC world they're using 4K panels which have been in the market for over 20 years.
The first 4K monitors came out 20+ years ago. Why are the Windows world so slow?
So - I was going to test the Apple Studio display head to head against the Dell U3223QE which has been on order from a couple of weeks ago and was supposed to arrive this week. The goal was to keep the one that I preferred. Unfortunately that monitor has been now been delayed until April 25th --> well outside my Apple return period ?.
Decision made. The Apple Studio Display wins. Time to update my signature!
Decision made. The Apple Studio Display wins. Time to update my signature!
I love my new Studio Display. And while we know it wasn't intended for gaming, WoW looks amazing on it. 
Not Chex, Life.
"He won't eat it, he hates everything." So, uh, I guess you're Mikey?
The only comp display is 1299. Comparing it to a P3, 60hz, 4K 27in display is disingenuous. The resolution is a significant improvement for scaling options and pixel density. The product is about spot on at 1599 given the market.
I do not think that it is all roses though. I have one of these on order but I have legitimate complaints:
1. The tilt adjustable stand should not exist. The only options ought to be VESA or height-and-tilt at 1599. I feel like this was shameless price stepping to get people to spend 1999 for something that is only a slightly more expensive even when considering R&D, materials, and manufacturing.
2. The power cable should be removable and use the same magnetic deal as the iMac 24in.
3. The stand and VESA mount should be user replaceable. Ideally, use the similar magnetic system in the Pro Display XDR.
As Marques Brownlee pointed out, it is just not a good deal. I’m getting one and paying more for the better stand but it is mostly because I don’t think Apple is going to be making something better or cheaper for quite some time. The rumors out there seem to indicate that Apple is carving out a space between the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR. I was always about this close from buying an LG UltraFine 5K but held off figuring Apple would eventually just repackage it. And here we are…
I do not think that it is all roses though. I have one of these on order but I have legitimate complaints:
1. The tilt adjustable stand should not exist. The only options ought to be VESA or height-and-tilt at 1599. I feel like this was shameless price stepping to get people to spend 1999 for something that is only a slightly more expensive even when considering R&D, materials, and manufacturing.
2. The power cable should be removable and use the same magnetic deal as the iMac 24in.
3. The stand and VESA mount should be user replaceable. Ideally, use the similar magnetic system in the Pro Display XDR.
As Marques Brownlee pointed out, it is just not a good deal. I’m getting one and paying more for the better stand but it is mostly because I don’t think Apple is going to be making something better or cheaper for quite some time. The rumors out there seem to indicate that Apple is carving out a space between the Studio Display and Pro Display XDR. I was always about this close from buying an LG UltraFine 5K but held off figuring Apple would eventually just repackage it. And here we are…
You could still get the Dell and see how it is to compare. I’ve seen a lot of reviews either good or bad on the Apple display but I haven’t seen anyone compare them side-by-side with something else
You're confusing basic with crappy. When I say basic, I mean a quality screen without the frills. I don't NEED Siri in my screen (I have it on 3 other devices on my desk...). I don't need fancy speakers, etc. So, for me at least, basic doesn't mean low quality or marginal, but simply straightforward in its core functionality - displaying things.
The old TB display didn't have all of this extra stuff but people loved it because it was a well-built, high quality display.
A few months ago when we were speculating I posited that they might do something like roughtly divide the price of hte XDR in half, for something in the $2k-ish range and then have a base model at half that, around $12-1300. Instread, they kind of came in between those. If you want all the bells and whistles of the Studio Display the price isn't bad. But I don't want them since they add things that I'm just not interested in and they have caused the price to be higher.
I think you're spot-on that there's not much in the 5k market. That's why I'm disappointed that Apple's entry doesn't really move that market forward by giving us a high quality, well built monitor for a competitive price. As I said earlier, at $1299 or so, I'd likely bite the bullet and do it since the 32" 4k screens that are good are $900 or so. But $1600 is just over the line.
There's certainly a market for the Studio Display as it is. But it's not the people who were looking for a modern version of the TB display.
I’m guessing LG charges more than $200 for the panel. Since Dell exited the market there are no other 5K monitors for sale, and Samsung doesn’t make a 5K panel. If 5K had caught on in the Windows world the situation would be different.
If Apple’s typical margins are any indication, they have a margin of about $600 on the base and closer to $800 on the upgraded models. That’s still more than a typical 4K display retails for, but suggests that LG is able to charge a premium because there are no alternatives. And the build quality of the ASD is outstanding. The LG 5K wobbles like a Jello mold with the height adjustable stand. The ASD is rock solid.
The most valid criticism is that $2,000 is a bit much for a height-adjustable monitor. Mini-LED isn’t realistic at this price point. All other monitors this size with Mini-LED are around $3,000. 120 Hz isn’t possible over DisplayPort 1.4. Apple also could have made the input pirt Thunderbolt 4. But realistically even at $1600 for height adjustment people would be complaining about the price.
It should also come with an adjustable height stand, by default
Not so sure about that, I do photo-editing myself and as long as the output is SDR, especially for print, HDR would just make everything overly bright. Far more important for editing is color gamut and accuracy.
For editing, I need accurate colors, not extremely vivid colors.
Also, black levels don't necessarily have anything to do with HDR, but rather the display technology. OLED/mini LED will always have better black than IPS even without HDR. And HDR alone doesn't make a screen automatically look better, quite the opposite actually.
PS: the 14"/16" displays are absolutely amazing, but not because of HDR. HDR is more of a welcomed side effect of these amazing screens and their technology.
Wasnt there a news article on this? Why was that deleted? Cant seem to find it now.
But no the cable isnt user detachable , and thats again a low point for apple in its quest to frustrate its users.
But no the cable isnt user detachable , and thats again a low point for apple in its quest to frustrate its users.
I watched the video and completely disagree with him. He missed the point, as so many other reviewers did..
This display is targeted to a specific user group with specific needs. For everybody else this is not the display they should be considering..Apple has made this display for all Mac users who want a 27" display at 5k resolution. For those people this is an excellent choice. Is it expensive? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes! Are there other options out there? No, unless you want to spend 1300$ for the LG plastic monitor. This is the truth and despite what everyone here writes or whatever YouTubers say, this display will sell like hot cakes.
Then you didnt get his point.
The issue is that for the regular user this is just very expensive for what it brings.
Its always the case : the argument for apple is always made that THIS items with a specefic set of qualities (like P3, 5k, 27 inch, 600 nits, webcam,.. in this ) is unique. The problem is that this is almost true for any monitor and you have to look at what you actually do with this.
For example the 5k, is a user going to notice the ppi? Well if we look at whats "retina" against a 4k display this starts at 40 cm, the 4k at 50 cm so no, most people sit further then this and arent going to really notice that unless you put them side by side.
P3? again for specefic users and on quite a lot of monitors, ios/A13 ? Isnt really used except for very limited webcam. Webcam itself? Speakers? Nothing spectacular.
So no , for most regular users it doesnt really bring anything to offset the higher price then comparable models . But (as said by that youtuber) if you want a monitor that fits into the apple eco system for looks, has a high resolution and you need P3, webcam, good speakers, 600 nits then yes .
You can't really have it both ways. It's either for "a specific user group with specific needs", or it'll sell like hot cakes. Hot cakes don't tend to be made only for a small niche of people, that's kinda why they sell well.
5k studio monitor that is going to be used for office based work??? Bit of an overkill don't you think? I use MS Office for mac, have done for many years (word documents and spreadsheets) and stopped at 1080p monitors because in my opinion anything higher is just overkill.
So I am curious, if your work is all MS Office based, why do you feel you need a very expensive 5k Apple monitor?
I don't think so. My work is mainly Office-based too. I stare at text all day. My 27" 5K monitor gives me 2560×1440 real estate (which I consider necessary to have at least two windows side-by-side) and pin-sharp text, which is just perfect for my needs. A "4K" monitor only gives me pin-sharp 1920×1080 real estate; that's not enough for me (yes, I tried).
So, the Studio Display's price aside, a 27" 5K monitor is definitely not overkill for that kind of work IMO.
A "1080p" monitor doesn't provide pin-sharp text on macOS BTW.