Studio Display with nano-texture glass - pros and cons?

[Arctic Moose]

I’m not sure if you have a specific situation that requires what you’re doing but of course if that source of light is there all the time then you’re going to want to mitigate it with anti-glare or otherwise.

Just standard office ceiling lighting.

Window light from the side is almost as bad, and dark portions of the screen show reflections under all conditions except total darkness.

Or maybe just turning the light off?

I’d love to disable it permanently, but it seems others wouldn’t appreciate such a move. (I haven’t asked, but I assume there’s a reason someone always turns it on in the morning.)

EDIT: Just noticed that your reply perhaps was in response to my photos specifically. I chose lighting and angle to illustrate the differences between the monitors, not my normal working conditions.

 

[dave070]

I have the regular Studio Display now (without anti-glare coating). It's pretty nice. I'm able to control the lighting fairly well so don't notice any glare. I'm sure it's overpriced but works well for now with the fully adjustable stand. But really, older 4K tech in this price range is a little crazy. Hopefully the rumored pro version of this is not 27", rather 30" or 32".

 

[fromgophonetoiphone]

I have the regular Studio Display now (without anti-glare coating). It's pretty nice. I'm able to control the lighting fairly well so don't notice any glare. I'm sure it's overpriced but works well for now with the fully adjustable stand. But really, older 4K tech in this price range is a little crazy. Hopefully the rumored pro version of this is not 27", rather 30" or 32".

I don't mind if the Pro version is 27" myself. I'm guessing you're thinking then you would regret not waiting? But the question is would you also pony up $2499 instead? I don't know. The way I see it is that cost wasn't a huge factor for us splurging on ASDs, otherwise most of us would've probably settled for alternatives, but if the decision was $2499 or 4K scaling with a reasonable alternative like a U2723QE at $600, I might settle for the latter. $1599 is like the cusp of being unreasonable for so I bit the bullet and bought it.

 

[generationfourth]

I got to see both the nano and standard ASD today at the apple store. I have no idea what to get:

• It took me a while to even realize I was looking at a nano-texture, they are both actually pretty similar. The associate told me they were both nano texture but clearly he was wrong.
• Coming from a 27" dell 4k matte I would say the nano texture is not traditional matte, it's kind of an in between matte and glossy
• My gf and I both thought the nano texture looked a lot better but the bright lighting conditions definitely favored the nano (completely different than my office)
• I thought the text looked plenty sharp, and really liked how it looked with a dark UI open. When I switched to a 'light mode' app I could kind of see what everyone is talking about text sharpness and desaturated image but still felt it was a lot better than my 27" dell 4k. When I decreased the brightness it looked somewhat 'meh' but again I think this is due to bright environment.

analysis paralysis

edit: also... that XDR display is jaw dropping

 

[928S]

I got to see both the nano and standard ASD today at the apple store. I have no idea what to get:

• It took me a while to even realize I was looking at a nano-texture, they are both actually pretty similar. The associate told me they were both nano texture but clearly he was wrong.
• Coming from a 27" dell 4k matte I would say the nano texture is not traditional matte, it's kind of an in between matte and glossy
• My gf and I both thought the nano texture looked a lot better but the bright lighting conditions definitely favored the nano (completely different than my office)
• I thought the text looked plenty sharp, and really liked how it looked with a dark UI open. When I switched to a 'light mode' app I could kind of see what everyone is talking about text sharpness and desaturated image but still felt it was a lot better than my 27" dell 4k. When I decreased the brightness it looked somewhat 'meh' but again I think this is due to bright environment.

analysis paralysis

edit: also... that XDR display is jaw dropping

I use a nano ASD and a nano iMac 27" and I'm very satisfied, they do what they are supposed to do, to get rid of these terrible display reflects.

 

[dave070]

I don't mind if the Pro version is 27" myself. I'm guessing you're thinking then you would regret not waiting? But the question is would you also pony up $2499 instead? I don't know. The way I see it is that cost wasn't a huge factor for us splurging on ASDs, otherwise most of us would've probably settled for alternatives, but if the decision was $2499 or 4K scaling with a reasonable alternative like a U2723QE at $600, I might settle for the latter. $1599 is like the cusp of being unreasonable for so I bit the bullet and bought it.

I figured it won't come out for at least a year. I'm sure it will be amazing and probably priced as such. So for what I do, what I have is more than enough. I could simply keep this for a few years and then see what's out there. I still think it's probably overpriced for what it is but it's nice anyway.

 

[generationfourth]

I use a nano ASD and a nano iMac 27" and I'm very satisfied, they do what they are supposed to do, to get rid of these terrible display reflects.

I'm wondering if the nano-texture is still justified if you're not dealing with too many reflections? or if there are any color accuracy advantages to it? Don't think I'll get exact answers because it seems to boil down to personal preference

 

[Arctic Moose]

I'm wondering if the nano-texture is still justified if you're not dealing with too many reflections? or if there are any color accuracy advantages to it?

I’m pretty sure everyone agrees that dealing with reflections is the only advantage of the nano-texture glass.

The question (and personal preference) is if the drawbacks (i.e. loss of sharpness, contrast or brightness) are noticeable, and if they are, if it is a reasonable compromise.

Personally, I find the reflections distracting in every lighting condition except total darkness, so for me it is a resounding yes. (And I really value sharpness as well.)

 

[928S]

I'm wondering if the nano-texture is still justified if you're not dealing with too many reflections? or if there are any color accuracy advantages to it? Don't think I'll get exact answers because it seems to boil down to personal preference

Without any glare issue, I would have chosen a normal display! On the other hand, I find people severe with the quality of the nano which is, according to my preference good enough.

 

[xraydoc]

I purchased two standard-glass ASDs for my home office which are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I have two windows off to the side, not directly in line with the displays, so hopefully there won't be any reflectivity issues. I would very much hesitate, however, to return them and add another $800 + tax onto the price I just paid for two to upgrade to the nano-glass. If the reflections kill me (or drawing the shades don't help), I'll have to consider a different display solution altogether.

 

[generationfourth]

I’m pretty sure everyone agrees that dealing with reflections is the only advantage of the nano-texture glass.

The question (and personal preference) is if the drawbacks (i.e. loss of sharpness, contrast or brightness) are noticeable, and if they are, if it is a reasonable compromise.

Personally, I find the reflections distracting in every lighting condition except total darkness, so for me it is a resounding yes. (And I really value sharpness as well.)

One argument I heard for the nano texture is that if you edit a photo/design on the nano texture or matte screen then it will definitely look good on a glossy screen but a photo edited on a glossy screen may not always look that great on a matte screen. If I went with Nano I do have the screen on my 14" m1, and my iPhone as a glossy reference.

I get the blurry text thing but I feel like at my viewing distance there is currently not much difference between the sharpness of my text on my current 4k monitor and the 14" MBP next to it. Though when I'm using the 14" like a laptop then I definitely appreciate the ~220 ppi.

Without any glare issue, I would have chosen a normal display! On the other hand, I find people severe with the quality of the nano which is, according to my preference good enough.

I'm not sure if the nano hate is the yelp effect? It's probably the least bought option and those who bought it and didn't like it are going to be vocal about it, while plenty of others have bought it and get along perfectly fine are probably less likely to report about it.

Edit: I spent more time at the Apple store comparing the two. Came to the conclusion that I really liked the nano texture for viewing photos. It has a natural paper like feel to it. Different than matte. For the UI, text and everything else I thought that standard was the way to go. Very tough decision.

 

[CubeApril]

Finally caved and bought the ASD with nano-texture + VESA, I was so damned tired of random display issues on my M1 Max + 3x 4k rando displays. Sometimes they'd be RGB, sometimes YPbPr, sometimes windows would move.

I will say that the ASD has a ton of super nice features, and I really appreciate how it turns on and off instantly. Still getting used to the haziness of the nano texture on pure white backgrounds. Don't really notice it much elsewhere, but it's considerably more noticable than the anti-reflective coating on my Dell U2720Qs -- even if it does control reflections better.

 

[rkuo]

Finally caved and bought the ASD with nano-texture + VESA, I was so damned tired of random display issues on my M1 Max + 3x 4k rando displays. Sometimes they'd be RGB, sometimes YPbPr, sometimes windows would move.

I will say that the ASD has a ton of super nice features, and I really appreciate how it turns on and off instantly. Still getting used to the haziness of the nano texture on pure white backgrounds. Don't really notice it much elsewhere, but it's considerably more noticable than the anti-reflective coating on my Dell U2720Qs -- even if it does control reflections better.

I replaced one of my triple Dell UP2715K monitors with an ASD. It would lose my monitor arrangement and resolutions every time i came out of sleep until I set all the monitors to the exact same resolution. Apparently 3200x1800 was the only true common res near what I was using before (3008 x 1xxx). The way apple seems to randomly decide what resolutions should be available to certain monitors is very annoying.

 

[fdw777]

Waiting to snag a refurbished model from the Apple refurbished store (hopefully) in a few months. Its nice reading this thread! I just left the Apple store and both displays are top notch displays and either one would be wonderful coming from a mint condition 23" ACD. Im still not sure which model to get. Glare is really not an issue for me so I guess either will work.

 

[macpro2000]

Waiting to snag a refurbished model from the Apple refurbished store (hopefully) in a few months. Its nice reading this thread! I just left the Apple store and both displays are top notch displays and either one would be wonderful coming from a mint condition 23" ACD. Im still not sure which model to get. Glare is really not an issue for me so I guess either will work.

Why? It’ll literally be only $200 cheaper at most.

 

[Arctic Moose]

Why? It’ll literally be only $200 cheaper at most.

If that's true it is about 12% which is a decent discount. Why spend more than you need to, if you don't have an urgent need? The savings would get you a HomePod and a Magic Mouse.

 

[CubeApril]

Waiting to snag a refurbished model from the Apple refurbished store (hopefully) in a few months. Its nice reading this thread! I just left the Apple store and both displays are top notch displays and either one would be wonderful coming from a mint condition 23" ACD. Im still not sure which model to get. Glare is really not an issue for me so I guess either will work.

If you're okay with the base model, Costco has consistently sold it for $100 less than retail. It's not $200 less but it is brand new. But yeah, I'm doing the same as you... for the second ASD. The first one is a huge improvement as my primary display, the secondary display I'm willing to wait for a discount (or for the next model in line to show up).

 

[fdw777]

Why? It’ll literally be only $200 cheaper at most.

If that's true it is about 12% which is a decent discount. Why spend more than you need to, if you don't have an urgent need? The savings would get you a HomePod and a Magic Mouse.

Yeah.......what Arctic Moose said. Take a look at my signature, another clue Why?

 

[fdw777]

If you're okay with the base model, Costco has consistently sold it for $100 less than retail. It's not $200 less but it is brand new. But yeah, I'm doing the same as you... for the second ASD. The first one is a huge improvement as my primary display, the secondary display I'm willing to wait for a discount (or for the next model in line to show up).

That is a good price from Costco, however being a veteran I get 10% off from Apple. So when the refurbished hit the store Apple's likely price will be 10% off and another 10% off with my veteran discount. In no hurry at all, in fact next year is fine with me since in July 2022 I purchased a refurbished 2021 MBP with 1TB ssd for $1781.