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I like the fact that this Asus monitor does not have a built-in webcam and built-in speakers. I'd rather buy a monitor like that along with a top-of-the-line Logitech 4K webcam and Klipsch 2.1 computer speakers, which would total hundreds of dollars less than the Apple Studio Display. Why pay hundreds of dollars more for Apple's low-end built-in webcam and Apple's low-end built-in speakers?
Low-end built-in speakers? You, sir, have obviously never owned a studio display.
 
I'm not wedded to 218 ppi, even though I have a 218 ppi 5K 27" iMac in the house. I'm currently using a 163 ppi monitor just fine with my M4 Mac mini as my main machine, but my next monitor will likely be either 184 ppi (32" 5K) or 218 ppi (32" 6K). Both are coming out in 2025 and both are considered "Retina" at my seating distance of about 22 inches.
 
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Also the TB3 hub is very useful that the ASD provides.

The TB3 hub is also a decision point of contention over connectivity.
How much of an advantage do you figure that gives the ASD, given that the display lacks Thunderbolt out ports?

And the ASUS has other ports, such as HDMI, that make it compatible with a wider range of other devices - perhaps not an issue if someone only ever hooks a Mac to it, but the option for versatility is nice.
 
How much of an advantage do you figure that gives the ASD, given that the display lacks Thunderbolt out ports?

And the ASUS has other ports, such as HDMI, that make it compatible with a wider range of other devices - perhaps not an issue if someone only ever hooks a Mac to it, but the option for versatility is nice.
Typical 40 Gb/s over 10 Gb/s for SSD’s. Anus is just a USB 3.2 hub, which a Mac can’t utilize the 20 Gb/s mode.
 
Typical 40 Gb/s over 10 Gb/s for SSD’s.
But if I understand correctly, the ASD's out ports are USB-C, not Thunderbolt, so you can't get Thunderbolt external SSD-class speeds (e.g.: 40 Gb/s) by hooking even a Thunderbolt 3 external SSD to the ASD and using it as a hub to your Mac.

https://www.apple.com/studio-display/specs/ Under Connections:

"
One Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port, three USB-C ports

  • One upstream Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port for host (with 96W host charging)
  • Three downstream USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s) for connecting peripherals, storage, and networking
"

Granted, the ASD's TB3 connection to the Mac can relay more info. from the USB-C port-attached devices (e.g.: let's say someone had 3 USB-C external SSD drives) on top of the video and audio info. the Mac sends the ASD.

On the other hand, the ASUS has a greater variety of ports.
 
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But if I understand correctly, the ASD's out ports are USB-C, not Thunderbolt, so you can't get Thunderbolt external SSD-class speeds (e.g.: 40 Gb/s) by hooking even a Thunderbolt 3 external SSD to the ASD and using it as a hub to your Mac.

https://www.apple.com/studio-display/specs/ Under Connections:

"
One Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port, three USB-C ports

  • One upstream Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port for host (with 96W host charging)
  • Three downstream USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s) for connecting peripherals, storage, and networking
"

Granted, the ASD's TB3 connection to the Mac can relay more info. from the USB-C port-attached devices (e.g.: let's say someone had 3 USB-C external SSD drives) on top of the video and audio info. the Mac sends the ASD.

On the other hand, the ASUS has a greater variety of ports.
Your correct it’s only that on that display port so would have to use a TB hub that extends the number of TB ports.
 
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Best parts for me are the KVM (easy switching between two connected computers) and VESA capability (I don't love the ASUS stand but would disconnect it on Day 1). That said, the Studio Display wins big on aesthetics, outstanding built-in speakers, better brightness, and built-in webcam. I'm good sticking with my Studio Display but am happy to see competition in this space.
 
You didn’t mention the brightness, I think its 400 nits max in SDR vs. 500 nits on Studio Display?
The Apple Studio display has 600. My 2017 Imac has 500 nits.

The Apple Studio is the same screen all of us who had imac's for the last decade or so have. Nothing new, nothing different, except extremely minor differences, like a small increase in brightness.

It's not a bad monitor, witrh a great picture, but way, way, way overpriced for what you get. It's still with Thunderbolt 3, and has limited ports. The speakers add nothing much, as I, like many of us, have much a better sound system than Apple provides here.

If your interested in an Apple Display, I'd wait. The display isn't on Mac Rumors buyers guide for some reason, but I think a new model is around the corner. Why else would Apple let Amazon and Best Buy sell it recently for $1299?
 
Typical 40 Gb/s over 10 Gb/s for SSD’s. Anus is just a USB 3.2 hub, which a Mac can’t utilize the 20 Gb/s mode.
🤪

The Apple Studio display has 600. My 2017 Imac has 500 nits.

The Apple Studio is the same screen all of us who had imac's for the last decade or so have. Nothing new, nothing different, except extremely minor differences, like a small increase in brightness.

It's not a bad monitor, witrh a great picture, but way, way, way overpriced for what you get. It's still with Thunderbolt 3, and has limited ports. The speakers add nothing much, as I, like many of us, have much a better sound system than Apple provides here.

If your interested in an Apple Display, I'd wait. The display isn't on Mac Rumors buyers guide for some reason, but I think a new model is around the corner. Why else would Apple let Amazon and Best Buy sell it recently for $1299?
The Pro Display XDR came out in 2019. The Apple Studio Display came out in 2022.

I'm expecting a new top tier XDR class monitor from Apple this year. I am not expecting a replacement for the 27" ASD this year.

BTW, the 32" LG 6K monitor looks like a knock off of the Pro Display XDR, but with Thunderbolt 5.
 
I had hopes. But no, it wasn't to be. It had spread. Again.

There it was, in the top center of the display. The dreaded Apple Notch©.

I really hate the notch. It just scream 'bad design' at the top of it's lungs. Why do companies find this terrible design choice from Apple, to be the one they decide to emulate?

I can put up with a lot, I can ignore the bundle of cables, but the notch may be a deal breaker.

But, I'm here for the display, too, and I'd like to see one, to prove me wrong. I'd really like to like this Asus! It sounds great.

Other than the notch.
 
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Only in Apple world would one call a resolution label of "5K2K" for a monitor with a 5K x 2K resolution "misnomered".
People are always bringing these up and claiming that they are 5K monitors the same as a Studio Display but cheaper. It isn’t until you dig a little deeper that you find it is just a slightly wider 4K monitor.
 
Mine arrived last week, and I'm considering returning it due to some bad backlight bleeding (may be just my unit) and because of the matted coating. My last monitor is an ASUS 2K 60Hz matted display that I've had for a decade.

While I'd like to do a full review, it has one big issue that I haven't seen acknowledged enough:

The matted coating is very strong. First, it gives white colors a textured look which makes the display look less crisp (can hardly tell a different from 2K), so documents aren't as nice to read as you would expect from a high DPI display. Dark colors are nicer to read, so dark mode helps. Second, when looking on at the center of the display, the corners appear slightly darker. I believe this is caused by the matted finish as the display does have a high contrast unlike old LCD technology. It's like a vignetting. I've been getting used to it, but this was the first thing I noticed when I unboxed it. It "goes away" when panning your head to each of the corners.

In spite of this, photos are outstanding. So I'd say this monitor is really intended for photographers and designers. Not for programmers and spreadsheet dwellers. Reviews seem to agree with this by they don't articulate that this matted coating is the culprit.
 
Mine arrived last week, and I'm considering returning it due to some bad backlight bleeding (may be just my unit) and because of the matted coating. My last monitor is an ASUS 2K 60Hz matted display that I've had for a decade.

While I'd like to do a full review, it has one big issue that I haven't seen acknowledged enough:

The matted coating is very strong. First, it gives white colors a textured look which makes the display look less crisp (can hardly tell a different from 2K), so documents aren't as nice to read as you would expect from a high DPI display. Dark colors are nicer to read, so dark mode helps. Second, when looking on at the center of the display, the corners appear slightly darker. I believe this is caused by the matted finish as the display does have a high contrast unlike old LCD technology. It's like a vignetting. I've been getting used to it, but this was the first thing I noticed when I unboxed it. It "goes away" when panning your head to each of the corners.

In spite of this, photos are outstanding. So I'd say this monitor is really intended for photographers and designers. Not for programmers and spreadsheet dwellers. Reviews seem to agree with this by they don't articulate that this matted coating is the culprit.

Thanks for this! I was intrigued by the display because they claim to have a coating that doesn't soften the pic as much as a traditional matte coating (see below), but from what you wrote that's clearly not the case.

For those of us who strongly prefer glossy displays because of their text sharpness and lack of "sparkling snowfield" effect on white backgrounds, there has been, unfortunately, nothing out there that's competitive with the ASD. Everyone else's 5k and 6k displays are matte only, with the exception of the much older 5k LG Ultrafine. So this is yet another matte 5k. Disappointing.

When MR did their review and said its PQ was the same as the ASD's, they really should have said whether they were comparing it to the glossy or matte (nano-textured) version. There's a noticeable difference between the two when it comes to text sharpness.


1739422008945.png
 
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Thanks for this! I was intrigued by the display because they claim to have a coating that doesn't soften the pic as much as a traditional matte coating (see below), but from what you wrote that's clearly not the case.

For those of us who strongly prefer glossy displays because of their text sharpness and lack of "sparkling snowfield" effect on white backgrounds, there has been, unfortunately, nothing out there that's competitive with the ASD. Everyone else's 5k and 6k displays are matte only, with the exception of the much older 5k LG Ultrafine. So this is yet another matte 5k. Disappointing.

When MR did their review and said its PQ was the same as the ASD's, they really should have said whether they were comparing it to the glossy or matte (nano-textured) version. There's a noticeable difference between the two when it comes to text sharpness.


View attachment 2481746
I don't notice much if at all with darker colors.

Here's a quick, unscientific example using my iPhone flash that demonstrates the strengths of between the decade old ASUS 2K and the new 5K matted coatings. Here the monitors are both off with a 40W lamp in the background (different angles). In some ways it's quite impressive.

result.JPG
 
Looks like a good monitor to pair with the Mac mini and the price seems to be ok. Can definitely consider this.
 
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it's just freakin' great to have all of that additional workspace for macOS and Windows.
Agreed - I have an ultra wide (109.68 PPI) and I probably won't buy a 16:9 again.
If someone would build an ultra wide retina display (afaik, it doesn't exist), it would be a dream, but I probably wouldn't be able to afford it :/
 
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