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I believe it is a plastic covering. It feels and sounds like plastic when you tap it. I was looking forward to getting rid of them and switching to Apple's excellent build quality but the Studio Display doesn't offer enough improvement other than better materials.

I found this comparison interesting.


I have more or less decided to not cancel my order, but I'm still not feeling great about it.
 
I found this comparison interesting.


I have more or less decided to not cancel my order, but I'm still not feeling great about it.
You will love it!

I have the base Studio display and it has much less reflectivity than my 27" ATD display next to it.

Q:
When I tap my nails on the front, the ASD has a plasticky sound to it - is the front plastic or glass ??

I know for sure my 2011 ATD is glass as I have seen that shatter when dropped.
 
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I found this comparison interesting.


I have more or less decided to not cancel my order, but I'm still not feeling great about it.
Thinking about the same thing. Have nano version on order. Can get regular version but takes 5 weeks longer now. Or LG version for much cheaper. Might do that since there are rumors of a pro level display that's cheaper than $5,000 current version at least. Will be good to compare. Might be a year though.
 
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I guess I'll give the nano coating a try. Or I wait 5 weeks for the regular version. I do have a window to the side of my screen that for a few hours at least, causes glare. Not a major issue but would be nice to get the Studio Mac up and running.
 
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I saw both nano and standard at my local Apple Store, side by side. The nano looked very fuzzy, almost foggy to me. It was looking coarse in store lighting. The standard is of course more reflective, but also far more transparent and clear. Both were more or less uniform, but clearly no patch for the miniLED MBP nearby.

I would avoid nano unless you really have a major reflections issue. There is no real benefit otherwise.
 
All the documentation states "glass", I assume this terminology would not be used if it in fact is some sort of plastic.

I won't even check the documents.. I don't know any recent Apple products that has a plastic screen. All of these trace back to the original iPhone, with a late prototype having a plastic screen which was scratched heavily by Steve Job's keys. Steve ordered to build a glass screen, in a short time, thus gorilla glass.
 
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I don't understand these negative comments about nano-texture glass display from people who don't use any of them. I personally own an iMac 27" with nano glass and I ordered a Studio display in nano-texture too. I'm a basic user and use text editor a lot and I don't understand when people say the text in not clear on the display, it's wrong, it's perfectly clear! I really don't like the mirror effect of the traditional displays and this nano-texture is very efficient to prevent it, plus the matte image is very nice. I also clean the iMac nano-texture display "normally", with a microfiber cloth and spray for windows and I haven't noticed any damage on it for now…
 
Here is how great nano can be if you need it. It does make text softer. Whether that will bother you is entirely subjective. It doesn't bother me one bit.
 

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I don't understand these negative comments about nano-texture glass display from people who don't use any of them. I personally own an iMac 27" with nano glass and I ordered a Studio display in nano-texture too. I'm a basic user and use text editor a lot and I don't understand when people say the text in not clear on the display, it's wrong, it's perfectly clear! I really don't like the mirror effect of the traditional displays and this nano-texture is very efficient to prevent it, plus the matte image is very nice. I also clean the iMac nano-texture display "normally", with a microfiber cloth and spray for windows and I haven't noticed any damage on it for now…
It’s not “perfectly clear”. Yes, the nano texture dramatically reduces reflections. But it is well established that it also has the effect of reducing the clarity of the display. It’s immediately obvious when you see the two side by side.
 
I found this comparison interesting.


I have more or less decided to not cancel my order, but I'm still not feeling great about it.
Amazing that it took this long for someone to actually run a head to head comparison and not just declare “they’re the exact same panel”.

I’ve got the same reservations about nano vs. standard. I’m leaning toward replacing both of my very old displays though (ATD, ACD), so maybe I’ll go with one of each? For things that are sensitive— either sharpness of text or richness of color, I can pull it to the display that’s better at the moment depending on the ambient light.

Here is how great nano can be if you need it. It does make text softer. Whether that will bother you is entirely subjective. It doesn't bother me one bit.

Dumb question until I can get to a store to actually look at one again: is a nano-texture 5k more or less sharp and rich than a standard 4K?
 
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Dumb question until I can get to a store to actually look at one again: is a nano-texture 5k more or less sharp and rich than a standard 4K?
I have been wondering the same, and I don't have Apple store in my country. I am currently on a Dell 4K matte display, and using it at looks like 2560x1440. Text is a little fuzzy, but not a lot. I wish I could make the comparison side by side...
 
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I’m leaning toward replacing both of my very old displays though (ATD, ACD), so maybe I’ll go with one of each? For things that are sensitive— either sharpness of text or richness of color, I can pull it to the display that’s better at the moment depending on the ambient light.

That's actually not a bad idea. I'll evaluate the standard glass when I get it (hopefully this week) and if it's fine I'll keep the order for a second one, and if it's not I'll cancel it and order a nano-texture instead.
 
The MBP has a standard display, the iMac a nano-texture one. Beyond efficiency, I like a lot the pictures provided by matte display.
 

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I returned the nano and took the standard.
for two reasons:
1) I could very easily break down the reflexes
2) I couldn't bear to have bought a slightly blurry 5k monitor.
The difference in sharpness, contrast and unsaturation is evident, not only in the enlargements

62A4571A-244B-4F19-AA39-CEB6F3173F81.jpeg


BAC91DB7-A322-49B3-824C-656F4D07FBF9.jpeg
 
The MBP has a standard display, the iMac a nano-texture one. Beyond efficiency, I like a lot the pictures provided by matte display.
Isn't that a non-retina MBP judging by the IR receiver? It's not exactly an apples to apples comparison...
 
I stared at the nano and glossy Studio Displays side by side at the Apple Store for a while today. The glossy is not as bad at reflections as other glossy monitors I've seen and this was the light-filled Union Square store. That said, the nano doesn't show any reflections at all so there's no worry that you're going have glare from any lighting above or behind you. I'd say the nano texture surface is comparable but better quality than what I get with my Dell U2720Q 27" 4k monitors, but is definitely less vibrant and slightly less sharp. The glossy version is easier to read to my eyes and everything seems bolder. The Apple employee helping me said that most people actually choose the nano version and that was his recommendation but also suggested that it would make sense to use the return policy to go with the one that looks best in your lighting. It's not an easy choice so that's what I'm going to do.
 
That's actually not a bad idea. I'll evaluate the standard glass when I get it (hopefully this week) and if it's fine I'll keep the order for a second one, and if it's not I'll cancel it and order a nano-texture instead.
I changed my order to regular glass and it pushed my delivery back 6 weeks. So will have the Mac Studio but no display for awhile. I'm sure either would have been fine for me but figured no reason to spend the extra money and have to use a special cloth (which I have anyway though). I'm sure a pro larger display is right around the corner too.
 
I stared at the nano and glossy Studio Displays side by side at the Apple Store for a while today. The glossy is not as bad at reflections as other glossy monitors I've seen and this was the light-filled Union Square store. That said, the nano doesn't show any reflections at all so there's no worry that you're going have glare from any lighting above or behind you. I'd say the nano texture surface is comparable but better quality than what I get with my Dell U2720Q 27" 4k monitors, but is definitely less vibrant and slightly less sharp. The glossy version is easier to read to my eyes and everything seems bolder. The Apple employee helping me said that most people actually choose the nano version and that was his recommendation but also suggested that it would make sense to use the return policy to go with the one that looks best in your lighting. It's not an easy choice so that's what I'm going to do.
I did the same thing. Was hard to tell which I'd like better. I'm sure if someone delivered the nano and didn't tell me, I'd probably be just as happy. But I'm getting the glossy now and can control the lighting in the room fairly well.
 
I also saw the nano-texture one with the standard glass side by side in an Apple store today.

From distance, like 1-2 meters away, I'd prefer the image of the nano-texture. However, as soon as I get closer and start to look at text like web browser, the nano-texture does feels foggy and muddy. It almost feel likes as if the screen has fingerprints all over.

There is zero reflection on the nano-texture, which is really magical.
But I'd prefer the standard glass as long as reflection isn't a big issue in your setting.

This is the same experience I had with Pro Display XDR's coating comparison.
 
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