If you’re a creative, a professional, or you’ve sworn off anything other than a Mac, Apple has a new aluminum-and-glass monitor to sell you—it doesn’t start at $5,000, and thankfully, no other monitor does. $1000 just for the stand.
New compared to Apple’s previous professional-grade monitor, the Pro Display XDR Studio Display XDR it costs “only” $3,300. Of course, there are some significant differences in size and resolution between the Studio Display XDR and the Pro Display XDR it replaces – 27 inches with 5K resolution, 32 inches with 6K – but the new monitor supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The price is now more affordable – at least for a professional-grade monitor from Apple.
There are actually two new versions of Studio Screen. It’s just a very small update original 2022 model. Studio Display XDR has a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR support. Therefore, it is a display that is comparable to other permanent displays that you can buy today.
Apple Studio Display XDR
The Studio Display XDR is a great option, as is the cheaper, smaller Pro Display XDR.
- A major improvement over the 2022 Studio Display
- Great contrast and brightness
- Full, loud and dynamic audio
- Much cheaper than the old Studio Screen
- No rotation function
- Thick frames
- The Secret A19 Pro chip does not run macOS
- Almost 2 times more than the non-XDR version
As usual, Apple’s pricing scheme is confusing. The new regular Studio Display starts at $1,600, and you can spend an extra $300 for Apple’s nanotextured glass panel. This addition helps reduce glare and reflections (although it usually comes at the cost of brightness and screen vibrancy). If you want a stand with adjustable tilt and height, that’s another $400. Meanwhile, the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,300 ($3,600 for the nanotexture) and comes with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand. Remember, you’ll want a Mac built to maximize the capabilities of this monitor. Ultimately, you’ll be shelling out a hefty chunk of cash for this beautiful, high-end display.
No spinning action yet
Apple’s Studio Displays are positioned as premium monitors. However, despite the price and design, the stand on none of the new Studio Displays supports any kind of rotation feature. The only way to rotate the screen is to physically rotate the whole thing. The tilt and height adjustable stand doesn’t allow you to raise or lower the monitor all that much—just 105mm, or just over four inches. If you prefer a desktop setup with better versatility, you can get this monitor with a VESA mounting bracket instead at no extra cost.
With this built-in stand, unboxing the display requires no more effort than taking the unit out of its cardboard box, placing it on your desk, and plugging it in. Along with the extra-thick, glassy bezels, there’s also a built-in 12-megapixel camera that supports Center Stage features and Table View. First, it centers the image on your cup for FaceTime or Zoom calls. The latter provides a top-down view of the table area in front of your hand.
Turn the thick, large monitor around and you won’t see any HDMI ports, just USB-C. This means it’s the only way to connect any device that uses HDMI for video output, such as a Transition 2 or PS5an adapter will be required. Both the Studio Display and Studio Display XDR have two Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports. The USB-C cable that comes with the monitor is capable of charging the MacBook at up to 96W via Thunderbolt 5 on the Studio Display and up to 140W on the Studio Display XDR.
Apple’s monitors work well within the Mac ecosystem, but are incomplete outside of that bubble. Nothing has changed there. Studio Display XDR will feel like a natural extension of your Apple-centric desktop or laptop setup.
5K is the new 6K
This XDR model is the only one of the new Studio Displays to support adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz. Of course, you’ll need a more modern Mac that can handle external display refresh rates higher than 60Hz at higher resolutions. For example, M2 MacBook Air it can only output to an external display at 60Hz. The the new M5 MacBook Air or any ending MacBook Pro It can output 5K resolution at 120Hz. Meanwhile, the new $600 MacBook Neo works with both Studio Displays, but you’ll be limited to 4K resolution and 60Hz rather than full 5K and 120Hz refresh rate.
In case you’re wondering, Apple’s “XDR” tag stands for “extreme dynamic range.” This is the name Apple has given its mini LED panels to indicate that they are better for HDR (high dynamic range) content than other IPS LCD displays. Studio Display XDR claims to support viewing angles of up to 90 degrees from both sides or from below without any drop in image quality. I tested this for myself and I could actually see the most obvious hint of a muddy image when standing at about a 70 or 80 degree angle to the Studio Display XDR.
Mini LED display technology uses a panel similar to LCD. Below that screen, the monitor includes an additional miniature backlight layer that allows finer control over brightness and image quality. In particular, Studio Display XDR 2304 supports local dimming. The previous Pro Display XDR 576 used a full-array dimming zone. Both screens have the same pixels for 218 inches, although a smaller display at 27 inches will make images look a little sharper.
Mini LED also allows for better brightness. Studio Display XDR promises 2000 nits of high brightness in HDR content and 1000 nits in SDR (standard dynamic range). The new Studio Display without XDR can only reach 600 nits of brightness; Same as 2022 model. The more expensive display promises to support both P3 and Adobe RGB wide color gamuts, meaning there won’t be a ton in your app stack that can’t be rendered in the correct shade.
What Apple won’t tell you is that the Studio Display XDR has an A19 Pro chip (complete with 12GB of internal storage and 128GB of storage). iPhone 17 Pro. The regular Studio Display has an A19 chip iPhone 17. All this internal processing is used for software updates and controlling the internal webcam. It seems like overkill, but Studio Display XDR is overkill. Still, I wonder why this monitor can’t be an iMac itself?
Now that we know the MacBook Neo and its less powerful A18 Pro chip aren’t flexing, why the hell isn’t a full-blown iMac when the Studio Display has the hardware to run macOS, at least on XDR? That might help justify its hefty $3,300 price tag.
Better picture quality than the old Studio Screen
The difference between the new Studio Display XDR and the pre-2022 generation Studio Display is subtle, though noticeable if you pay attention to visual quality. I installed the old screen next to the new one and ran both a few tests with 4K video using the P3 color gamut. There’s a very slight difference in contrast in shadows, but black levels are better overall on the Studio Display XDR mini LED screen, with less blooming around the edges of bright and dark parts of the image (such as flare or halo).
The most important difference is how the old and new screens handle HDR (high dynamic range) content. The difference in white values between the original Studio Display and Studio Display XDR is even more noticeable when watching video of snow-capped peaks or white caps of waves crashing on a beach. In other 4K content I’ve watched, the tonal difference between the two screens is particularly noticeable. In a few minutes is watching To many I immediately noticed that the actors had an unrealistic red skin tone that was barely noticeable on the Studio Display XDR’s mini LED panel.
There were other scenes – for example, famous To many cameo with John Cena grabs a milk carton-where the highlights were blown up on the old Studio Screen. I was able to see more detail from the same scenes on the Studio Display XDR. It’s the little details that make a big difference in how you view content. Even something as simple as the words “20th century” on the screen in a movie F1 It appeared whiter than a non-XDR display.
As a creative first monitor, the Studio Display XDR is definitely a visual upgrade for anyone using non-XDR models. Keep in mind that there are other, cheaper creative displays that use OLED panels. Because organic light-emitting diode displays eschew backlight for self-emission technology, they can support near-infinite contrast. The fact that Apple is currently pushing Pro Display XDR aside either thinks its Studio Display XDR is good enough, or saving on OLED for the new MacBook Pro. If Apple ever decides to give the Pro Display XDR an OLED makeover, we might have to wait a while longer.
Epic sound from the monitor
Few video editors sitting at their desks would use anything other than a quality headset to add sound to their clips. Still, the Studio Display XDR’s six-speaker system has seriously impressive sound. Along with the speakers, four additional power-cancelling woofers and two tweeters are assembled. It may not match a high-end soundbar or surround sound setup, but it’s closer than you might think.
The difference between the old Studio Display and the new Studio Display XDR sound is apparent as soon as you switch back and forth between them. While both the old and new Studio Monitors support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, only the new models have 30% more powerful bass. While listening to my usual tunes on Apple Music, I found that the sound on the Studio Display XDR can really fill the room if you turn up the volume. Voice shas a clear meaning, especially in the mid-ranges.
For the price, the audio system should not be considered the cherry on top of the quality display. This is the main reason why you should consider both monitors.
It’s expensive even for die-hard Apple fans
Most people would be fine with a regular Studio Display. Hell, most creators can probably stick with their current setup unless they need the brightest monitor Apple has to offer for professional work.
If you’re already spending thousands on a high-end MacBook that can support multiple displays up to 5K, then maybe cost isn’t a factor at all. The Studio Display XDR may not have a “Pro” display in the name, but it’s the kind of professional-minded monitor that will do everything you want it to, except plug directly into HDMI. However, this monitor has everything you need to be an all-in-one PC, except for the OS. Maybe one day we’ll finally get an iMac XDR. Unfortunately, today is not that day.
