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This is the Apple Studio Display. It holds my personal waiting time record of 5 months.
The Apple Studio display is often a casualty on the battleground of monitor wars where
most people compare it and judge it alongside regular monitors. I could relate to that,
knowing I had plenty of time to rethink my $2000 purchase. Now that I have it, though,
I realize that it's a lot more than just a 27-inch display. If we see it through the
lens of an all-in-one extension to the Mac, it is undoubtedly a winner in a battle of
none. Allow me to explain, but before diving deep into that statement, I'd like to point
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use Cleaner One Pro regularly to uninstall unwanted apps and the disk map tool that helps
me declutter my SSD. The most used feature is, of course, the Smart Scan that cleans,
protects, and optimizes the Mac with a press of a button. Cleaner One Pro is an all-around
fixer that's worth checking out by going to the first link in the description below and
installing it for free. So, at a glance, the Apple Studio Display
looks like Steve Rodgers. Not captain Steve Rodgers, but Steve Rodgers before he was introduced
to the serum and became Captain America. It's a zero button, no HDMI or Display port, low
60hz, no HDR or local dimming zones, an un-rotatable expensive science experiment that might not
make sense on paper. Most people place it next to a 4K monitor that costs 3 or 4 times
less and calls it a Froot Loop…because all Froot loops have the same flavor.
But the fact of the matter is the Studio Display is not a Froot loop. It's a five-course meal
at an exquisite dining restaurant where you have one-bite hors d'oeuvres, a plated appetizer,
a palate-cleansing salad, the main entrée, and dessert. So let's break it down.
It is a 5K panel coming in with a native resolution of 5120x2880, resulting in a pixel density
of 218 pixels per inch. It is exactly what a 5K iMac can offer and one of the sharpest
panels you can get on a Mac without having a permanently attached computer on the back.
The 5K resolution is essential here because it is precisely double an equivalent 2560x1440p
display. You get perfectly proportioned UI elements. 5K is what MacOS is optimized for,
and you can expect pixel-perfect rendering without any blurred images, shimmering when
scrolling, and moiré patterns. We talk more about this in my weekly newsletter, which
I'll place in the description below. If you select any of the other scaling options, you
can, of course, witness a GPU interference to help render the picture.
The lack of local dimming zones is not a concern here, even though it would've been nice to
have. The only time the Studio Display bends the knee is when placed side by side with
an XDR MacBook Pro, where you can see the difference in panel technology in pitch black.
You, of course, get P3 wide color support as well as True Tone, where the ambient light
sensor automatically adjusts the color temperature to the environment - something I cannot afford
to use given my field of work. What I enjoy most and take full advantage of with this
display is excellent color uniformity and consistency between all Apple devices. Taking
it out of the box, you'll know that you are getting one of the best factory-calibrated
displays that match and represent the picture just as well as your iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.
It is rated at 600 nits brightness, but from what I've seen online, people measure it close
to 700. In real life, that translates to finding max brightness too much to use for extended
periods despite working in a very bright environment. In other words, it is plenty bright and double
what most 4k displays offer. I didn't opt for the Nanotexture coating because I never
place my monitors facing windows. With the standard anti-reflective glossy panel, I can
enjoy a sharper image with deeper blacks which to me matters most. THIS IS WHERE ANY SIMILARITIES
YOU MIGHT'VE NOTICED WITH OTHER DISPLAYS END. Everything that follows is unmatched by other
monitors, hence me saying that the Studio Display is a winner in a battle of none.
Let's start with the built-in camera and microphone. Since this monitor is powered by an A13 Bionic
chip, you get a 12MP ultrawide camera with Center Stage. There were plenty of complaints
about picture quality in early reviews, but half a year later, I don't know how many software
updates I have nothing to complain about. I've tested quite a few dedicated webcams,
and I have to say that the Studio Display handles exposure quite well. Center Stage
comes in very handy in FaceTime calls, and overall, I am pretty happy having the camera
at my disposal without attaching an ugly doohickey on top of this beautiful display. The monitor
has a studio-quality three-mic array and I have to admit, I am very impressed by how
they sound. If I run them through my voice preset, I could even use them for some voiceovers
if necessary. Plus, we all know that sounding good is more important than looking good.
What makes this mic and camera combo special here is their availability. They are not in
your face, yet they are there when you need them and when you need them, you know that
you won't be embarrassed by how you conduct yourself on the other end of the line. Chances
are you'll look just as good as the others and sound much better.
And then there are the built-in speakers. This monitor sounds phenomenal. It fills a
700 sq feet room without hesitation, deformation or bending, even at max volume. If you've
heard what a 16-inch MacBook Pro sounds like, this sounds much better - louder and deeper.
Apple stated that this is the highest‑fidelity speaker system ever created for Mac, and I
believe them. It defeats most of the desk setup speakers you can get and stays toe to
toe with some of the entry-level studio monitors. I am very impressed and so are most people
who stop by my desk and accidentally ask me where the sound comes from.
Just as impressive as the sound system is this product's aesthetics and build quality.
The industrial craftsmanship can only be matched by the Pro Display XDR or the previous generation
Thunderbolt display. I wasn't expecting any less in terms of the unboxing experience,
although I was extremely surprised by the sheer weight of the box. I know how much Apple
is into reducing packaging in the name of the carbon footprint, but I honestly think
that one Studio Display Box compensates for probably 50 iPhone boxes and since I never
throw Apple Boxes, I need to extend the house to store this one somewhere :)
Aside from the black Apple stickers, the only important thing in the box is the 1-meter
braided thunderbolt cable. The power supply is internal, which is fantastic, and so is
the power cable, which I couldn't care less that it doesn't come out easily. I opted for
the height-adjustable stand, which is $600 less expensive than the $1000 XDR stand, yet
$400 more than what I wanted to pay. Nevertheless, I got it because it allows me
to tuck the laptop below the monitor and use a vertical SBS setup without lifting up the
display. If you are wondering what SBS is, check out my dual monitor guide, which I'll
link at the end of this video. No matter which stand option you opt for, you can expect the
most sturdy anchored display out there and one of the few displays you'd want to keep
centered in a room so you can admire it from the back. Usually, with most desk setups,
the monitor neighbors the wall, and most often, it hides some ugly cables and maybe even a
dock or a hub. But in a world of plastic monitors, you'd be proud to display the back of this
product. The Studio Display is as gorgeous to look at from the back as it is from the
front. I noticed a few peculiar facts over the few
weeks of usage. The first is that the Studio Display is the quickest to summon, giving
you an almost instant wake. Another quirky fact pointed out by a friend is the sort of
always-on mode when plugging in to charge your iPad, for example. All updates happen
via the Mac, and no, there are no on-screen controls on this monitor. There are 3 additional
ports on the back, besides the main thunderbolt port, that support up to 10Gbps speeds each,
and you might've noticed that I taped an additional hub for SD card and USB-A support, and that's
pretty much it. So there are 2 main questions I personally
cared about when placing the order that I'd like to address.
The first one is: Is the Studio Display a good Macbook Pro companion knowing that the
latest 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros come with XDR displays that support ProMotion or 120hz?
The answer is yes. Although the Studio Display is only 60Hz, you don't witness any sluggish
or lesser behavior even if you wing it alongside a ProMotion laptop. They work perfectly in
tandem because after all, that's what they are made for.
Second: Can you justify the price tag? Well, if you place the Studio Display next
to any other 4K IPS display at 60hz, the answer is, of course, NO. But if you compare it to
a higher-end 4K panel, throwing in some decent entry-level studio monitors, a proper external
webcam and microphone, plus a hub, things are starting to make more sense. I'd like
to throw another product in the mix and that is the 12-year-old Apple Thunderbold display.
This is a product that, 12 years later, looks, performs and behaves better than most of it's
competitors over the years. The reason I am mentioning the Thunderbold display is its
longevity. Just as the Thunderbold display, the Studio display is expected to sit proudly
on your desk, delivering its best without pretending to be something that it's not.
If you are looking for a great monitor, there are plenty of choices out there. In fact,
I will soon release an update to my monitor guide, with some crazy new products that you
should definitely check out. However, if you are looking for the BEST EXTENTION to your
Mac, then look no further than the Studio Display.
If you enjoyed this video, check out my monitor playlist as well as my monitor guide. Like
and subscribe to the channel as well as my newsletter, and as always, it's been an absolute
pleasure, This is E
Over and out