At first glance, the Studio Display looks just like Apple’s flagship Pro Display XDR, while costing only a fraction of the price. But does this mean spending money on a new Apple Studio Display is a worthwhile investment? Probably not for most people, and here’s why.
6. The Studio Display Is Overpriced
We were quick to point out that the Studio Display costs a fraction of the price of the Pro Display XDR, but that still doesn’t mean it’s a good deal, due to the various reasons we’ll uncover shortly. Apple charges $1,599 for the Studio Display, which is pretty expensive considering the display targets the mainstream market.
If you want to save some cash, there are cheaper alternatives, like the LG’s UltraFine 5K display, costing $1,299 for similar specifications. Of course, you’re not getting Apple’s top-notch build quality, but most people don’t care much about the build quality of a monitor anyway.
And if you’re willing to drop down to 4K resolution, you have plenty of options, like the 32-inch Samsung Smart Monitor M8 for $700. At less than half the Studio Display’s price, you’re not only getting a bigger display, but also a monitor that doubles as a smart TV.
5. Height Adjustment Costs Extra
Consider this point as an extension of the Studio Display’s price tag we just talked about. The worst part about the Studio Display and its exorbitant price tag is that you don’t even get a height-adjustable stand with the base model; you’re limited to tilting.
That feature is optional and costs an extra $400, which is unheard of for any mainstream monitor. The Studio Display sits a bit lower on the desk, so if you’re looking to sit upright, you may want to get the height-adjustable variant or settle for the VESA mount adapter option to hook it up to a third-party monitor arm.
So, are you one of those few desktop users who would drop two grand on a height-adjustable monitor?
4. The Built-In Webcam Is Mediocre
Apple’s Studio Display houses the same camera hardware as the iPad Air 2022 and iPad Pro 2021 models, which allows it to support the Center Stage feature. So you might expect the camera quality during video calls to be just as impressive, right? Well, not quite.
Unfortunately, the Studio Display’s built-in 12MP webcam looks worse than those iPad models, with muted colors and grainy video, especially in dim lighting conditions. It also appears softer overall, but that’s primarily because of the cropped feed from the ultrawide camera, which is needed to accommodate Center Stage.
We’re not quite sure why the quality is so poor; it might have something to do with the older A13 Bionic chip that handles the processing, unlike the M1 chip in the iPad. Apple has seemingly addressed this issue with a firmware update, but you’ll need a Mac running macOS Monterey version 12.4 to update the Studio Display.
3. There’s No HDR Support
If you were expecting HDR capabilities just because you spent nearly two grand on a monitor, get ready to be disappointed. Unlike Apple’s flagship Pro Display XDR, which delivers a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, the Studio Display is a standard monitor that maxes out at 600 nits. Although that’s respectable brightness levels for SDR content, it’s not good enough for an ideal HDR viewing experience.
Although there aren’t any 5K HDR monitors yet, you can find plenty of HDR-ready 4K monitors for less money if you’re willing to sacrifice some pixels. For example, the Alienware AW3423DW is a 34-inch ultrawide monitor, with a cutting-edge QD-OLED panel that delivers 1,000 nits of peak brightness for just $1,300.
2. It Uses an IPS Panel Instead of Mini LED
Let’s expand on the last point we just talked about. We called the Studio Display a standard monitor, and that’s because it uses a regular IPS style panel, which has been around years. In fact, it uses the exact panel as the 27-inch Intel iMac that Apple killed in early 2022.
Considering the new MacBook Pro models use a Mini LED display, we would have really appreciated the same panel in the Studio Display. It seemed like the practical choice for Apple, since Mini LED would’ve also brought HDR support, but that’s not what we got.
If you hook up your 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro to the Apple Studio Display, you’ll be disappointed that it can’t deliver the same black levels and brightness as the Mini LED panel. But that’s not all; let’s talk about the refresh rate.
1. There’s No ProMotion Support
We’re moving towards a world of high refresh rate displays—from smartphones to TVs. Although Apple has been pretty late to the high refresh rate game, the high-end models of the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro all have 120Hz screens under the company’s “ProMotion” moniker.
Unfortunately, Apple’s new $1,600 monitor doesn’t get ProMotion support. In 2022, most other brands wouldn’t dare to sell a 60Hz monitor in this price range to mainstream consumers.
Anyone who’s planning to hook up their iPad Pro or M1 Pro MacBook Pro to the Studio Display is in for a disappointment, as it’s easy to spot the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz. After adjusting to 120Hz, everything on the Studio Display screen will appear choppy. Also, don’t forget the gamers who were excited to use the Studio Display as a gaming monitor for their Windows PCs. This will put an end to those dreams.
Apple’s Studio Display Is Far From Perfect
The Studio Display is unlike any other, but unfortunately, it targets a very niche market. It’s certainly not for most mainstream desktop users. Of course, it’s the perfect companion if you got yourself a new Mac mini or a Mac Studio, provided you can afford it. But be wary of all the shortcomings.
Apple has over-engineered the internals of the Studio Display, but these costs could have gone towards a better panel to match 2022’s standards. The lack of features like HDR or a high refresh rate screen will be a deal-breaker for the vast majority of people who’re in the market for a new monitor.
