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YouTuber Compares Apple Pro Display XDR to $43K Sony Reference Monitor, Says It's a 'No Go' for Professional Colorists

Didn’t realize how many zones the Apple display has. For some reason I thought this was going to be mini led. Less than 600 zones for 6000$ is ridiculous.
The black levels on his review comparison are a huge issue for anyone serious about this display. It should be close to oled levels. Only way to get there is mini and then micro led. For the cost it should of been mini led not under 1000 zones display.
better off getting a high end tv over that thing.
 
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maflynn said:
Like you said, Apple opened the door by marketing against those very same monitors. This is so much out of my league I don't have an opinion one way or another but I can't say the result is all that surprising.

With that said, I've not heard any complaints on the monitor and every YTer I've seen has loved the monitor.
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And honestly, at the end of the day, it's just a sick beast of a display that many people (even my staunch anti-Apple friends) appreciate, albeit one that the majority cannot afford.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Glad to see some sanity in here.

Apple decided to make this comparison, otherwise few would be doing so, other than out of curiosity and for fun.

The Cupertino hubris knows very few limits.
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Lots of sanity. A monitor that costs $43k is better than a monitor that cost $6. Apple never said the xdr could replace a $43k monitor apple used the word compete.

If you were about to invest in a high quality monitor your choices were $43k or ? Now you choices are $43k or $6k.
 
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BC2009 said:
I still want an "Apple 5K Thunderbolt 3 Display" with a built-in Thunderbolt-3 dock including 10 gigabit ethernet, HDMI, USB-A, USB-C, Firewire, Super-fast SD Card Reader, etc.... A thunderbolt 3 display with ONLY more USB-C ports is worthless since because.... the MacBook Pro already has those ports!
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I'll have to hook it up to two TB3 ports on your mac then cause there isn't enough bandwidth to send both the 6K signal and all the rest you aim for.
The XDR only gives you USB-C connections at USB2 speeds for that very reason.
They're good with 15W power to charge your keyboard, mouse, iPhone, iPad etc. but they're not highspeed ports.
As to Firewire, USB-A, SD: it's all obsolete already.
- Firewire was dead for Apple while Jobs was still around.
- USB-A: I personally can't wait for for the USB-C connectors to be the default for those making things like memory sticks, and GPS mice. (My last things that need a USB-A)
- SD: Cameras are switching to significantly faster media in order to do things like 8K, faster still shooting etc. CFexpress is what the likes of Canon are using in their new high-end cameras like the 1D X mkIII and the R5 etc. (CFExpress goes up to up to 4000MB/s vs 624 MB/s for UHS-III SD) .
Cardreaders: just hook them up on a TB3 port and let us use those we actually need vs. getting stuck for years with one choice Apple makes and then is stuck with for years and we all get to pay for even if we don't ever use it.
 
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I was curious what Sony would do to survive. Pretty boring and predictable.
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xitongzou said:
He has over 150k+ subscribers. Not exactly a 'random' Youtube person. Plus Youtubers do a better job reviewing tech than 'real' reviewers (who are 'real' reviewers anyways?). I find that Youtubers like Dave2D, Linus Tech Tips, MobileTechReview, MrMobile etc do a way better job than those editors at Verge, Engadget, Gizmodo, CNET, etc anyways
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Whosoever, they do it for money
 
An excellent, technically insightful review that contains screenshots of Apple's claims comparing the Pro XDR to the Sony so for all of those demanding proof that Apple said any such thing, just watch the video.

I am disappointed with the results with the Pro XDR and the technical information revealed by their results. Though I assumed the comparison to the Sony monitor was marketing speak I was hoping that the Pro XDR would at least be in the ball park. For highlights it seems to be solid, but for blacks there are some real issues revealed in these tests. Though Apple has promised a future release of badly needed calibration software there is no possibility that this will fix the noted issue of the monitor being an IPS display with just 576(?) zones.

So what is the market for the Pro XDR given this reality? Well, it still is insanely bright and able to sustain 1000nits across the entire screen, it is 6K, and has descent colour accuracy. But with the low contrast ratio does any of the rest matter?

This is very disappointing.
 
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Duane Martin said:
An excellent, technically insightful review that contains screenshots of Apple's claims comparing the Pro XDR to the Sony so for all of those demanding proof that Apple said any such thing, just watch the video.

I am disappointed with the results with the Pro XDR and the technical information revealed by their results. Though I assumed the comparison to the Sony monitor was marketing speak I was hoping that the Pro XDR would at least be in the ball park. For highlights it seems to be solid, but for blacks there are some real issues revealed in these tests. Though Apple has promised a future release of badly needed calibration software there is no possibility that this will fix the noted issue of the monitor being an IPS display with just 576(?) zones.

So what is the market for the Pro XDR given this reality? Well, it still is insanely bright and able to sustain 1000nits across the entire screen, it is 6K, and has descent colour accuracy. But with the low contrast ratio does any of the rest matter?

This is very disappointing.
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If you are disappointed, buy a Sony and be happy. It's that simple.
 
Yup, Apple made the comparison, so it basically set itself up for this sort of criticism. The YouTuber seemed quite fair in his assessment. I'm no professional and I can barely tell the difference but he explained it very well and I see where he was coming from. He can run right out and buy that $43,000 Sony reference monitor if that's what he actually needs. I'm not sure how many home-based professionals can afford a $40,000+ reference monitor, but it shouldn't be difficult for a corporation or studio to manage that cost. There are probably used reference monitors available, too, for a lower price. I enjoyed listening to him explain what it takes to create a high-end reference monitor. I didn't find any bias in this YouTuber's comments and it seems he just told it like it is.

Heck, although I could afford the Apple Pro Display XDR it's more than what I would ever need just to watch videos on. Although I have to admit, it looks pretty sweet. Of course, I would rather get a desk-mounted VESA set-up with a floating arm that I find much more useful than Apple's fixed stand.

Apple needs to be careful with its marketing for products if they're going to have some credibility, but I'm sure Apple must have known it could get away with stretching these claims. The Pro Display XDR may not be equal to a $40,000 reference monitor, but it's probably a decent monitor for its $5,000 price. So, It's not a display for professional colorists, but I suppose it's suitable enough for other types of professionals.
 
ruka.snow said:
Random person on YouTube. Let’s hold of for real reviews.
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He's a very serious professional TV calibrator. In fact, having fewer subscribers means he's more legitimate that the mainstream guys that actually know nothing, like Marques Brownlee and EverythingApplePro, iJustine, etc
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Tonewheel said:
Does he start his review with, "Hey guys..." ?
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He's a very serious TV calibrator.
 
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sdreamer07 said:
I'm a bit confused. I get that as a creator you want the best you can do. Makes sense, you want that extraordinary lens flare, add it in and you'll see it on an expensive reference monitor. But us consumers that are going to just be watching what you did will never see that slightly increased flare because our panels generally are exponentially worse than what you just created it on. Didn't that happen with GoT? They can see all the dark details on their reference monitors, but when it hit consumers, we couldn't see squat. So what is it referencing to if the majority aren't even using what is considered a reference?
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It reminds me of how people shoot and edit in 8K--why? I'm never going to the notice.
 
TacoChowder said:
Everyone saying "of course" to this:
Who is the apple monitor for? What user needs a monitor that expensive BUT also not a colorists monitor?
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I was thinking this too. I wouldn't want to pay $5K for a monitor, but I COULD. I couldn't even afford a $43K one.
 
compwiz1202 said:
I was thinking this too. I wouldn't want to pay $5K for a monitor, but I COULD. I couldn't even afford a $43K one.
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I'd buy one.

I might buy one.

It's for whoever wants the best monitors they can get for their Mac.

Is there an objectively better monitor out there? I'm taking raw specs and picture quality.

I stare at a screen all day---I prefer it to be as nice as possible.
 
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If it can’t compete with real pro reference displays (which it absolutely cannot), it shouldn’t have been marketed as such. Deceptive marketing from Apple.
 
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PestoBalsamic said:
"Reference Monitor"

Interesting name for it, considering...

If you're telling me that this monitor stands alone...that no low cost display, or Apple's high end XDR display, or anything in between can match it....

...then what is your monitor a "reference" for? Nothing. The entire rest of the world will see the content differently, so your $43k monitor is useless because it is not a reference for anything other than...other $43k monitors of the same brand and calibration.
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That is not correct. Getting everything correct "up front" with a reference monitor allows everything downstream to have the best fighting chance of displaying the best quality picture with what's available. Getting it wrong up front makes it that much harder to get good results when it reaches the consumer's eyeballs.
 
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Great review, I'd love to have both monitors for video editing and colour grading, dream setup would be two Apple monitors, a Flanders Scientific or Sony and a LG OLED!
 
konqerror said:
People who can't afford a colorists monitor but need something better than crappy office-grade sRGB displays. People like indie productions, YouTube and online, local commercials and TV...

There's a space between an 8K RED cinema camera at $80,000 and filming on an iPhone.
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Yeah, you can rent monitors. You can rent all the equipment. That's what most productions do. Places even have low-budget production rates.
 
Glockworkorange said:
Oh come on.

Watch 2019 WWDC.

They compared the Pro Display XDR with monitors in the class of that Sony.

If you don't know this, you do now.

If you did know this, then you are arguing in bad faith
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Bad faith post. I asked a question and got this run around. Maybe they did say this and I missed it...but then a link should be easy. Right? Because I can’t find it.
 
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