Studio Display XDR Impressions

[HuskerNKS]

That was my first impression too. I had used the old Studio Display for 4 years and was expecting to immediately notice an improvement. The bass is deeper but there is something missing in the mids I feel like.

Hopefully it will be like the release 4 years ago. Lots of initial feedback on the camera for example. They will release updates that improve everything. One of the benefits of the overkill full processor and ram built in. They have plenty of room to adjust the performance of certain functions.

 

[benekreng]

Can people share their experiences with the display uniform and color temperature compared to the Studio Display?

Read lots of stuff that the new XDR display has a warmer, yellow color touch? Especially noticing on white backgrounds - is that true ?

I got my second unit and its bsically perfect, as it should be. I think mine was really considered defect territory id say

 

[wq6e]

Just got my new XDR. Hooked it up to my Windows PC via the thunderbolt 4 card I have in there and can't get it to work–neither an Nvidia GPU or an AMD GPU seem to see it. The PC does however see the camera, speakers, and microphone just fine. It just refuses to see the display. Is there a trick y'all have done to get it to work on Windows? My Mac sees it obviously just fine through the same cables, dock, and TB4 KVM.

 

[weslebsack]

Has anyone tried running a Pro Display XDR at 120Hz plus two standard Studio Displays at 60Hz on an M4 Pro Mac mini? I can run three standard Studio Displays currently, but I'd like to be able to replace one of them with an XDR and run it at 120Hz.

 

[zesta]

I took screen caps from iPhone slow mo vids of the blur busters ghosting test @120hz.
They are in this order:

1. XDR
2. 16" MacBook Pro Late 2023
3. iPad Pro 12.9" 2018
4. Just to make us sad the iPad Pro M4 11" OLED

I think the motion blur on the XDR is roughly the same or maybe very slightly better than the MBP screen, in my opinion if it doesn't bother you there it won't bother you here.

I have an M4 Max MBP and it is quite noticeably better than the SD XDR, particularly with ghosting of high contrast things. I have never seen an IPS this bad ever. Not even 20+ years ago. It isn't just motion "blur" per se. Bright things leave trails reminiscent of ancient TN panels.

 

[zesta]

OK... This is weird. I was testing even more and I have discovered that if I have both the SD XDR and my old SD both connected, then the weird brightness issues do not happen at all, or at least not nearly as drastic. As soon as I disconnect the old SD, the brightness on the SD XDR goes to about the equivalent of ~50%. Both displays are set to max brightness and auto brightness is turned off. This may explain some of the inconsistency I have been seeing. Does anyone have any idea how that could possibly be happening?

 

[goneil45]

So this morning I tried to connect my Studio XDR to my Dell Precision 7680 Laptop over its Thunderbolt 4 ports and it couldn't detect/support any resolutions above 1080p, it didn't even seem to recognize the display at all either, only showing "Wired Display" in the windows settings.

I tried over both the TB4 ports and the USB-C DisplayPort (which doesn't work at all with the XDR).

Which is surprising given that both of these work flawlessly with the regular Studio Display 2022.

I also brought my Dell Latitude 3520 work laptop (which on a spec level is one degree above garbage) into the Apple Store and plugged it into the SD XDR using the Thunderbolt 5 cable and could not get it above 1080p 60hz. It showed “Wired Display” in settings and I wasn’t able to control brightness (not surprised). But it looked beautiful even at low res. I wasn’t totally shocked by the this considering the Windows port is DisplayPort 1.4 vis USB-C and the graphics are Intel Iris Pro. I’m actually surprised it worked at all. So initially I called that win UNTIL I plugged the same PC into the regular Studio Display right next to the XDR. I managed 5K 60hz on it with the same cable. Makes no sense whatsoever.

How can the barely refreshed original display give my piece of **** Windows machine a complete makeover but the XDR only offers the lowest specs possible? Don’t the two monitors share the same TB 5 ports and processor? They certainly can both do 5K 60hz. The big thing separating them is the panel tech. I can’t imagine that limiting output to such a degree. I’m thinking it has to be a software bug that should be fixable with firmware. Or at least I would hope. A $1,700 price difference between the original and XDR makes that result completely unacceptable.

Thinking of going back with it to tinker some more (the Apple store rep wasn’t even confident Windows would display to begin with because the monitor was in “demo mode”) and also bringing my M1 Pro MacBook to see how that goes, maybe switch between the two displays and see if the performance / visual difference is meaningful. I’d be getting 5K 60hz on both with M1 Pro but HDR content should be noticeably better on the XDR.

 

[Pezimak]

I also brought my Dell Latitude 3520 work laptop (which on a spec level is one degree above garbage) into the Apple Store and plugged it into the SD XDR using the Thunderbolt 5 cable and could not get it above 1080p 60hz. It showed “Wired Display” in settings and I wasn’t able to control brightness (not surprised). But it looked beautiful even at low res. I wasn’t totally shocked by the this considering the Windows port is DisplayPort 1.4 vis USB-C and the graphics are Intel Iris Pro. I’m actually surprised it worked at all. So initially I called that win UNTIL I plugged the same PC into the regular Studio Display right next to the XDR. I managed 5K 60hz on it with the same cable. Makes no sense whatsoever.

How can the barely refreshed original display give my piece of **** Windows machine a complete makeover but the XDR only offers the lowest specs possible? Don’t the two monitors share the same TB 5 ports and processor? They certainly can both do 5K 60hz. The big thing separating them is the panel tech. I can’t imagine that limiting output to such a degree. I’m thinking it has to be a software bug that should be fixable with firmware. Or at least I would hope. A $1,700 price difference between the original and XDR makes that result completely unacceptable.

Thinking of going back with it to tinker some more (the Apple store rep wasn’t even confident Windows would display to begin with because the monitor was in “demo mode”) and also bringing my M1 Pro MacBook to see how that goes, maybe switch between the two displays and see if the performance / visual difference is meaningful. I’d be getting 5K 60hz on both with M1 Pro but HDR content should be noticeably better on the XDR.

I expect a TB5 cable won't cut it on Windows PC's, you need to try one of these:

NEXHYPE DisplayPort to USB-C Cable

6.6ft DisplayPort to USB-C Cable, 8K@60Hz DP to Type-C Female Cable Adapter Converter for Apple Studio display, Portable Screen, USB-C Display Device Conversion Cable

www.amazon.com

I guess you could also try a TB4 cable?

 

[Starwolf01]

I also brought my Dell Latitude 3520 work laptop (which on a spec level is one degree above garbage) into the Apple Store and plugged it into the SD XDR using the Thunderbolt 5 cable and could not get it above 1080p 60hz. It showed “Wired Display” in settings and I wasn’t able to control brightness (not surprised). But it looked beautiful even at low res. I wasn’t totally shocked by the this considering the Windows port is DisplayPort 1.4 vis USB-C and the graphics are Intel Iris Pro. I’m actually surprised it worked at all. So initially I called that win UNTIL I plugged the same PC into the regular Studio Display right next to the XDR. I managed 5K 60hz on it with the same cable. Makes no sense whatsoever.

How can the barely refreshed original display give my piece of **** Windows machine a complete makeover but the XDR only offers the lowest specs possible? Don’t the two monitors share the same TB 5 ports and processor? They certainly can both do 5K 60hz. The big thing separating them is the panel tech. I can’t imagine that limiting output to such a degree. I’m thinking it has to be a software bug that should be fixable with firmware. Or at least I would hope. A $1,700 price difference between the original and XDR makes that result completely unacceptable.

Thinking of going back with it to tinker some more (the Apple store rep wasn’t even confident Windows would display to begin with because the monitor was in “demo mode”) and also bringing my M1 Pro MacBook to see how that goes, maybe switch between the two displays and see if the performance / visual difference is meaningful. I’d be getting 5K 60hz on both with M1 Pro but HDR content should be noticeably better on the XDR.

I have both an XDR and a Studio Display 2022 and I have the exact same behavior as you've just described on my Dell Precision Laptop.

I expect a TB5 cable won't cut it on Windows PC's, you need to try one of these:

NEXHYPE DisplayPort to USB-C Cable

6.6ft DisplayPort to USB-C Cable, 8K@60Hz DP to Type-C Female Cable Adapter Converter for Apple Studio display, Portable Screen, USB-C Display Device Conversion Cable

www.amazon.com

I guess you could also try a TB4 cable?

I tried the TB5 cable that came with the XDR as well as the TB4 that came with the Studio Display 2022, they both behave the same.

 

[Baxtrel]

Yes, it works that way as long as the dongle is plugged into the XDR it will share between the two devices.

I'm using a desktop PC but I don't think charging will work, but there is a power input on the cable matters switch. I think that input is just in case the USB-C port you have the switch plugged into doesn't supply enough power.

You could probably use a usb-a to c converter, but I don't have one handy to test.

One thing about the cable matters switch that took me FOREVER to figure out. If you plug your devices into the switch and only get video and no data, you need to reverse the usb-c cable (flip it over even though usb-c is reversible). I don't understand why this is the case, but if you notice you are only getting video just unplug and rotate the orientation 180 degrees and you'll get the data too. Hope this helps someone else because it drove me nuts.

Wow you just gave me the last piece to my puzzle, thanks for that! I've had a similar setup to yours that you described in your earlier comments but had no audio/camera and just video. I flipped the Cable Matters USB-C cable and it actually worked.

It freaked my XDR out though and the fans started running at full blast. Exhaust air was cool and the XDR was still working fine so I'm assuming it wasn't overheating. Fans came down to normal with a quick reboot of the monitor. Other than that, I've had no crashes and have been using the Studio Display XDR with my 5090 PC, M3 Ultra Mac studio and PS5 Pro.

My Setup (Using the 3-port version of the Cable Matters switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLJT49Z3):

Mac Studio Thunderbolt —-> StarTech Thunderbolt 5 Dock -> DisplayPort/USB-A to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch

Windows PC —-> DisplayPort/USB-A to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch

PS5 Pro —-> Club 3D CAC-1335 > DisplayPort to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch
(Can only get 1440p120hz with this setup no HDR at 120hz)

 

[iUserXDR]

@Baxtrel Regarding the PS5 Pro, can you access higher resolutions and/or HDR if you plug the DisplayPort to USB-C cable directly into the XDR instead of going through the Cable Matters switch? The switch has limited bandwidth and mentions various limitations with macOS or TB3 docks, so I suspect it might be the bottleneck.

I am asking this because the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly supports 4K120 with HDR when using the CAC-1335 (not sure about VRR, though), but I am yet to see a direct confirmation for the PS5. I also have limited desk space, so I would love to be able to use the monitor for some casual gaming after work.

Another thread on this forum discussing the PS5 Pro <-> XDR

2026 Studio Display XDR w/ PS5 Pro

I have the new Studio Display XDR ordered for my work/gaming setup. I will be pairing it with a new MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Pro) as my current M1 Pro is finally getting long in the tooth. I currently use the LG 27GX700A-B for my desktop gaming PC and my ps5 pro. I am trying to move away from a dual...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Pezimak]

I have both an XDR and a Studio Display 2022 and I have the exact same behavior as you've just described on my Dell Precision Laptop.




I tried the TB5 cable that came with the XDR as well as the TB4 that came with the Studio Display 2022, they both behave the same.

The below is why I do not think just using a Thunderbolt cable is going to work with the laptops, 2 people on here have got it working with Windows PC’s using HDMI or Display port plus USB A to USB C cables. I will buy one and try it out in the Apple Store when I go.

Wow you just gave me the last piece to my puzzle, thanks for that! I've had a similar setup to yours that you described in your earlier comments but had no audio/camera and just video. I flipped the Cable Matters USB-C cable and it actually worked.

It freaked my XDR out though and the fans started running at full blast. Exhaust air was cool and the XDR was still working fine so I'm assuming it wasn't overheating. Fans came down to normal with a quick reboot of the monitor. Other than that, I've had no crashes and have been using the Studio Display XDR with my 5090 PC, M3 Ultra Mac studio and PS5 Pro.

My Setup (Using the 3-port version of the Cable Matters switch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DLJT49Z3):

Mac Studio Thunderbolt —-> StarTech Thunderbolt 5 Dock -> DisplayPort/USB-A to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch

Windows PC —-> DisplayPort/USB-A to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch

PS5 Pro —-> Club 3D CAC-1335 > DisplayPort to USB-C Cable —-> Cable Matters USB-C Switch
(Can only get 1440p120hz with this setup no HDR at 120hz)

 

[Starwolf01]

The below is why I do not think just using a Thunderbolt cable is going to work with the laptops, 2 people on here have got it working with Windows PC’s using HDMI or Display port plus USB A to USB C cables. I will buy one and try it out in the Apple Store when I go.

I used a HDMI plus USB A to USB C cable and I was able to get it to work, with the caveat that it did not detect HDR and could only go up to 4K60.

Hopefully Apple will fix this in an update later down the line.

 

[Baxtrel]

@Baxtrel Regarding the PS5 Pro, can you access higher resolutions and/or HDR if you plug the DisplayPort to USB-C cable directly into the XDR instead of going through the Cable Matters switch? The switch has limited bandwidth and mentions various limitations with macOS or TB3 docks, so I suspect it might be the bottleneck.

I am asking this because the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly supports 4K120 with HDR when using the CAC-1335 (not sure about VRR, though), but I am yet to see a direct confirmation for the PS5. I also have limited desk space, so I would love to be able to use the monitor for some casual gaming after work.

Another thread on this forum discussing the PS5 Pro <-> XDR

2026 Studio Display XDR w/ PS5 Pro

I have the new Studio Display XDR ordered for my work/gaming setup. I will be pairing it with a new MacBook Pro 16" (M5 Pro) as my current M1 Pro is finally getting long in the tooth. I currently use the LG 27GX700A-B for my desktop gaming PC and my ps5 pro. I am trying to move away from a dual...

forums.macrumors.com

That was the first thing I tried, unfortunately not. I get the same options when connected directly to the XDR and the switch. 1080p and 1440p can use HDR with 60hz, at 120hz HDR doesn't work. No ALLM or VRR either. 1440p is sharper than I expected it to be though, I'm assuming that's because it scales evenly/cleanly with 5K.

Regarding the Switch 2, I don't think it support 4K120 because it doesn't have full HDMI 2.1 support, 120hz requires 1440p or below to work at all. In my case, 4k60 HDR works and the Switch reports that 1440P120 with HDR is possible. ALLM is enabled, don't know if it would actually work.

 

[iUserXDR]

That was the first thing I tried, unfortunately not. I get the same options when connected directly to the XDR and the switch. 1080p and 1440p can use HDR with 60hz, at 120hz HDR doesn't work. No ALLM or VRR either. 1440p is sharper than I expected it to be though, I'm assuming that's because it scales evenly/cleanly with 5K.

Regarding the Switch 2, I don't think it support 4K120 because it doesn't have full HDMI 2.1 support, 120hz requires 1440p or below to work at all. In my case, 4k60 HDR works and the Switch reports that 1440P120 with HDR is possible. ALLM is enabled, don't know if it would actually work.

Thanks for the feedback! This will be an upgrade compared to my current display anyway, and hopefully future adapters can further improve the situation (I'll try a couple of them once I get my display).

 

[ascender]

So now I've had them for over a week, some quick thoughts. They're running daisy-chained to an M4 Pro Mac Mini.

My main use for them is general productivity - retina quality text and brightness are key. I do a lot of video calls so the webcam being built-in is a bonus for me and the main monitors I've used since they were released were the original ASDs although I've literally tried every combination of 5 * 6K screens and ultra wides.

I've not tried connecting a Windows PC or any console to them yet, but I can see there's other threads and posts popping-up which covers those things.

• I've not had any crashes at all so they've been utterly reliable for me. The only issue was the confusion over 120Hz displaying on both screens due to my dock doing something weird
• With the M4 Pro, you're limited to 1 @ 120Hz and the other at 60Hz
• Weird that Apple still haven't updated a lot of their product support pages to specify exactly what machines support what in terms of 5K screens @ 120Hz
• Color uniformity, accuracy etc is great and in a dark room with HDR content, they're pretty much identical to the M5 MBP screen
• Webcam quality is much improved over the original one but if you want/need the best quality available, you'll add your own one
• Brightness and clarity for watching or working with HDR content is incredible
• Bezels could be thinner? I've often got black wallpaper on them both so they kind of blend into one, but I'm still not sure why they're so thick
• The tilt and height adjustable stand is a thing of over-engineer beauty, but it's really poor that the standard ASD only comes with a tilt adjustable one at that price. I think Jason Snell made the good point that its an accessibility issue as much as anything which I genuinely didn't think about.

Some things about the new displays are exactly the same as the first-gen ASD and my take on that is the same - these will be worth the extra money to some people more than they are to others.

• Built-in speakers are good enough for watching YouTube, audio from video calls etc
• I've only used the built-in mic a few times, feedback on it wasn't great from others on the call
• Built-in webcam - works every time with every app and there's no need for 3rd party software
• Volume, brightness keys on the keyboard - work every time, no need for 3rd party software
• Displays wake quickly from sleep and reliably wake, every single time. Amazingly, this isn't always the case with non-Apple monitors
• Ports on the back for (fast) connection and charging also work reliably with everything I connect to them. Again, not always the case
• Build quality and aesthetics are way above every other monitor I've tried although I've not tried the Kuycon 32" which obviously copies the original XDR

 

[Starwolf01]

So now I've had them for over a week, some quick thoughts. They're running daisy-chained to an M4 Pro Mac Mini.

Some things about the new displays are exactly the same as the first-gen ASD and my take on that is the same - these will be worth the extra money to some people more than they are to others.

• Built-in speakers are good enough for watching YouTube, audio from video calls etc

As someone who's been using the original Studio Display 2022 as daily driver for multiple years, the speakers on the XDR are unfortunately not the same as the original.

They have slightly more bass, and the default EQ they come with is downright horrible, completely destroying the mids.

Unless you're willing to do a proper EQ with REW, don't expect the same clarify/performance as you had on the original studio display, at least not unless Apple patches it.

 

[djinn]

As someone who's been using the original Studio Display 2022 as daily driver for multiple years, the speakers on the XDR are unfortunately not the same as the original.

They have slightly more bass, and the default EQ they come with is downright horrible, completely destroying the mids.

Unless you're willing to do a proper EQ with REW, don't expect the same clarify/performance as you had on the original studio display, at least not unless Apple patches it.

Thanks for the info. I went to the Apple Store again yesterday to try to listen to the speakers but it's impossible with the amount of noise. So I'll keep that in mind about the speakers. Hopefully it gets fixed or is there an app that allows you to adjust the EQ?

How's how the 120Hz been? Visually the picture quality is pretty good, impressed.

I'd be coming from the 2022 ASD. Just like you daily driver for 10+ hours a day.

 

[Starwolf01]

Thanks for the info. I went to the Apple Store again yesterday to try to listen to the speakers but it's impossible with the amount of noise. So I'll keep that in mind about the speakers. Hopefully it gets fixed or is there an app that allows you to adjust the EQ?

How's how the 120Hz been? Visually the picture quality is pretty good, impressed.

I'd be coming from the 2022 ASD. Just like you daily driver for 10+ hours a day.

I used an application called eqMac, and it helped immensely.

I couldn't test the the 120hz yet as I do not have a mac capable of driving it that far, which given how many people are experience kernel panics at 120hz might not be such a bad thing at the moment.

Also, something odd happened to me this morning, I went to my office and the fans on the XDR were running at 100% without any device connected to it, they only started to spin back down when I connected my macbook.

This device is in dire need of some firmware updates.

 

[itsboi]

Received my 2nd display and I've noticed less vignetting on this one. I think I'll keep this one.

Also very interesting how 120hz is handled on macOS. For some reason, Windows looks smoother in terms of motion clarity scrolling/reading text.

 

[UncleGuido]

Also very interesting how 120hz is handled on macOS. For some reason, Windows looks smoother in terms of motion clarity scrolling/reading text.

Are you judging the scrolling in Safari? Even with the "feature flags" tweak that some users recommend, its scrolling is jumpy. Compare it to the macOS version of Chrome at 120 Hz, and you will see the difference.

 

[forgetlight]

Yes, it works that way as long as the dongle is plugged into the XDR it will share between the two devices.

I'm using a desktop PC but I don't think charging will work, but there is a power input on the cable matters switch. I think that input is just in case the USB-C port you have the switch plugged into doesn't supply enough power.

You could probably use a usb-a to c converter, but I don't have one handy to test.

One thing about the cable matters switch that took me FOREVER to figure out. If you plug your devices into the switch and only get video and no data, you need to reverse the usb-c cable (flip it over even though usb-c is reversible). I don't understand why this is the case, but if you notice you are only getting video just unplug and rotate the orientation 180 degrees and you'll get the data too. Hope this helps someone else because it drove me nuts.

Hi thanks for all the information you shared!
I bought the same cable (dp + usb -> type c) and I can't manage to make it work on 5k 120hz. It will work out of box on 4k 120hz. If I change the res to 5k, the nvidia console will force it back to 60hz and I can't see 120hz options. It's not throught any switch but directly connection between my 5090 pc to the monitor. Is there any trick I need to change to make it work?

Thank you!

 

[LoopsOfFury]

• With the M4 and M5 Pro, you're limited to 1 @ 120Hz and the other at 60Hz

The M5 Pro can actually run two 5K displays at 120Hz (or three at 60Hz). It's a significant upgrade over the M4 Pro for multi-display support.

 

[djinn]

I used an application called eqMac, and it helped immensely.

I couldn't test the the 120hz yet as I do not have a mac capable of driving it that far, which given how many people are experience kernel panics at 120hz might not be such a bad thing at the moment.

Also, something odd happened to me this morning, I went to my office and the fans on the XDR were running at 100% without any device connected to it, they only started to spin back down when I connected my macbook.

This device is in dire need of some firmware updates.

I guess the question is, is the upgrade worth it?

 

[itsboi]

Are you judging the scrolling in Safari? Even with the "feature flags" tweak that some users recommend, its scrolling is jumpy. Compare it to the macOS version of Chrome at 120 Hz, and you will see the difference.

Yeah, I think it may just be Safari even with "Prefer rendering at 60fps" turned off. Scrolling is better on Chrome.