Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apple-unveils-new-studio-display-and-all-new-studio-display-xdr/

235 324 5 months ago

sq_2• 5 months ago

I was curious to see the "Innovative DICOM Medical Imaging" section. I wouldn't have thought that Apple would be interested in niche applications like viewing radiology imaging, but I guess they're probably interested in any cost-insensitive market for these since they're so expensive.

AdamN5• 5 months ago

It's probably an easy win for them. It also might have been a good target when they were ideating on specs. Having these pro certifications gives the devices a halo of premium quality.

geerlingguy2• 5 months ago

Regular consumers probably don't buy these displays in bulk, when you can get very nice displays for less than half the price that are 98% the same on specs.

So targeting checkbox-compliance for places like hospital systems is probably an easy win to generating / keeping some long term contracts.

detourdog2• 5 months ago

This also keeps their development targets at the state of the art.

a2tech• 5 months ago

At a local hospital the radiologists have been all Mac for a long long time. They refused to give it up and resisted all attempts to get them to switch. So it doesn’t surprise me at all.

sq_2• 5 months ago

Interesting, I would've guessed that they would've forcibly been on Windows since time immemorial.

Entirely unsurprised that someone would refuse to give up their workflow, though! I've rarely found a user with specific needs who wants to change literally anything else about their system, since what they have works for them.

seec2• 5 months ago

Yeah, in my first job I was an Apple technician for a company that supplied DICOM solutions to radiologist, both in hospitals and standalone.

I thought it was weird they spent so much money on Apple hardware when most of what we sold was servers that would be hidden anyway. But they do like OsiriX; once a solution is established in those fields, they stick with it, very conservative professions obviously...

microtonal2• 5 months ago

Pretty lame that the Studio Display with a height-adjustable stand is still 400 Euro more. My biggest regret is getting my Gen 1 Studio Display without.

Also the non-XDR is only a small upgrade otherwise, no 120Hz, no HDR, only Thunderbolt 5 and a new camera. Finally a downstream Thunderbolt port though.

This is all after 4 years?

mistersquid• 5 months ago

Also the non-XDR is only a small upgrade otherwise, no 120Hz, no HDR, only Thunderbolt 5 and a new camera. Finally a downstream Thunderbolt port though.

The camera is still 12MP but offers Desk View. Maybe this is a feature unlocked by the improved onboard A-series chip (A19?).

I wouldn't sniff too hard about Thunderbolt 5. Thunderbolt 5 doubles throughput to 80 Gbps from 40.

Would have loved refresh above 60Hz but then who's gonna get the XDR?

AdamN5• 5 months ago

Yeah if they put everything on the lower end device than nobody would buy the higher end device.

sylens• 5 months ago

Insanity that a monitor that expensive is stuck at 60Hz

dmix2• 5 months ago

Pretty lame that the Studio Display with a height-adjustable stand is still 400 Euro more.

just buy a nice one on amazon for $100, it's still VESA mounts

conesus• 5 months ago

VESA mounts are only a few bucks and give you even better height and tilt adjustment. You also get desk space back. I have a shorter desk (24" vs typical 30" depth) and I have two monitors and a laptop mounted on 3 VESAs and I can extend them so that the monitor edge is inline with the desk edge, giving me the same 24" that a 30" desk would have with a monitor stand.

bibstha• 5 months ago

Which mount do you have? I've got a 24" as well and I've never imagined I'd fit 2 monitors.

lifty2• 5 months ago

Super disappointed that the base model doesn't get 120hz. I own the old model and it's great, but I will have to look for an alternative 5k display with 120hz refresh rate. There are a few on the market now, and I won't pay 3.5k for 120hz.

thought_alarm• 5 months ago

I just use some old textbooks to raise the height of the display:

- Design Patterns by the Gang of Four

- Modern C++ Design by Andrei Alexandrescu

- Code Complete from the Microsoft Press

That's enough old paper to raise the display height to a comfortable level.

microtonal2• 5 months ago

I do the same, though ideally the height is different between putting my desk in sitting/standing height.

thiagoperes• 5 months ago

I got the Kuycon G32P and it’s an incredible alternative. 32in + 6K for less than 2k$

Also works great with other sources like an Xbox

I used a Pro Display XDR as my daily driver at work and the difference is minimal

askonomm• 5 months ago

I'm really after higher refresh rate than 60, but it seems it would cost me an arm, leg, both kidneys and my newborns to get it at 5k or more resolution.

7839284023• 5 months ago

Take a look at: "AOC AGP277KX" OR "LG 27GM950B", both can do 5k @ 165 Hz

boxed• 5 months ago

Hah, the absolute shamelessness of that design and the site is crazy!

zamadatix6• 5 months ago

That's a hefty premium to pay to not also have high refresh or high nits but the higher density options are so thin there's not really much else to go for if getting the resolution density is the goal.

jryio2• 5 months ago

I own this as well and while I appreciably the levelized cost, there is simply zero comparison to my gen 1 Studio Display. The gloss and shin on the Kuycon means it only works in dimmly lit rooms.

Nano texture in mixed lighting scenarios is worth every penny even on a lower resolution and lower refresh rate panel.

FinnKuhn2• 5 months ago

Do you own the matte display version or the default one?

atombender• 5 months ago

They sell a matte version, the G32X.

lejalv• 5 months ago

I can attest to the greatness of the Kuycon G32P; <1.5k€ in my case.

ebbi2• 5 months ago

I've been holding off as there are no resellers in New Zealand, but I might take the risk of lack of warranty and support and buy it from AliExpress....

fnord77• 5 months ago

only 1/4th the brightness

alexarena• 5 months ago

Sad, but not surprising to see Apple discontinue the Pro Display XDR. Hard to go back to 5K once you’ve used 6K.

AdamN5• 5 months ago

The pixel density is the same I believe - I guess their theory is that 5K is more fungible than a large 6K display since people looking for more real estate can daisy chain the 5K displays.

atonse2• 5 months ago

I have two 27" 5k displays (both more than 5 years old, so they're not HDR or 120Hz).

I know I'm privileged but my biggest issue with them isn't the HDR or 120Hz. It's that the seam between them causes me to not be able to use that "middle" real estate.

So I was side-eyeing a 6k display cuz it would have most of the benefits of a dual 4k but more real estate and more flexibility in windowing.

The curved displays also look quite promising (like the Neo G2), but not feeling like spending money when I have two perfectly good monitors that already work.

ErneX4• 5 months ago

Same pixel density, but smaller monitor though.

covercash• 5 months ago

I vaguely recall an Apple rumor from the last few months about 3 new display model numbers, 2 of them being 27" and one of them being 32"... so still possible a Pro Display XDR refresh is on the horizon.

jakubadamw2• 5 months ago

”Studio Display XDR replaces Pro Display XDR and starts at $3,299 (U.S.) and $3,199 (U.S.) for education.”

densh2• 5 months ago

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation Studio Display is the only external display that truly worked for text heavy work with my eyes (including software engineering), and I'm sure the latest generation is fantastic as well.

isqueiros• 5 months ago

You should try some of the newer OLED panels. They're all glossy and look really good.

whatever1• 5 months ago

Text sucks in oled displays. 200 ppi is not enough to make it look decent.

OLED smartphones have much higher ppi to deal with this.

troupo4• 5 months ago

Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large.

And somehow they completely forgot how to seamlessly work with displays in general. Connect multiple displays via Thunderbolt? Nope. Keep layouts when switching displays? No. Running any display at more than 60Hz? No. Remember monitor positions? No.

pwthornton3• 5 months ago

Great news. Apple announced a 120hz display today.

eklavya• 5 months ago

I was using a dell S3225QC with 120 hz and even variable rate with macbook m1 pro. No hdr with 120 or variable rate though, only at 60.

roboror2• 5 months ago

The Studio Display shares a panel with the MSI MPG 271KRAW16

behnamoh• 5 months ago

Even the new one in this post?

jdgoesmarching2• 5 months ago

Worth noting that these (and the LG with the same panel) aren’t shipping yet.

MagicMoonlight2• 5 months ago

So apple is just selling generic white labelled slop as a $5000 premium display?

tshaddox• 5 months ago

I bought that original 5k iMac on release day in 2014. I was thrilled with that display, and stoked to see the entire display industry go the route of true quadruple-resolution just like smartphone displays did.

Sadly, it basically never happened. There was the LG display that came out a couple of years later. It didn't have great reviews, and it was like two thirds the cost of an entire 5k iMac.

It took Apple over 7 years to release their standalone 5k display, and there are a few other true 5k displays (1440p screen real estate with quadruple-resolution, not the ultrawide 2160p displays branded as "5k") on the market now with prices just starting to drop below 1,000 USD.

Unfortunately in that time I've gotten used to the screen real estate of the ultrawide 1440p monitors (which are now ubiquitous, and hitting ridiculous sub-$300 prices). As of now, my perfect display for office work (gaming, video/photo work, or heavy media playback are different topics) would be 21:9 with 1440p screen real estate with quadruple-resolution—essentially just a wider version of that original 5k iMac display.

seanmcdirmid2• 5 months ago

You can get a 27 inch 5k from Asus for $750. A 31.5 inch 6K goes for around $1200. A 28 inch 4K is around $350-$400.

wtallis• 5 months ago

It was also really disappointing to see 24" 4k displays disappear from the market instead of becoming the new standard resolution for that size. A few years ago, there were several options including a cheap LG that was usually around $300 or less. Those all seem to be gone, likely for good, even though there are still plenty of 24" displays with 1080p and even a fair number with 1440p.

jen20• 5 months ago

The LG UltraFine's were garbage, but got better over time as either the firmware improved or macOS added drivers that worked around the nonsense. For a while I ran with two of them on an iMac Pro with a 5K itself, but switched to a single Pro Display XDR with a laptop eventually. I'm very sad to see the 6K/32" form disappear, it's by far the best screen I've ever used.

bsimpson6• 5 months ago

The iMac Pro is nearly 9 years old at this point. At the time, there was no other option for a retina-quality 27" display, but you could get a 4k 27" for $400.

A decade later, it boggles my mind that it's so hard to find a retina-class desktop monitor. The successor to the Cinema Display is basically an iMac, and priced like it. There have very recently been releases from ASUS and BenQ, but it still feels like an underserved niche, rather than standard expectation.

All that is to say: hard cosign.

cloverich• 5 months ago

I bought an LG Ultrafine 5k at the time and felt kind of stupid for being spending on it. But nearly 10 years later... its still my daily driver. Best ROI of any tech equipment I've bought. It changed my mind about how to think about it, not just the monitor, but having speaker / camera / mac built in, and all over one cable, its been such a joy when I bounce around the house to be able to plugin / unplug so easily; or when I swap from work to personal laptop. Its such a simple setup. Im definitely considering the Apple one, basically regardless of what it costs, once its time. Its simply been too convenient to have a one-plug solution for the laptop that has everything I need, never breaks (my LG may be exception here lol), and that has somehow taken forever to be super ceded by something better.

Only thing that holds back that thought lately is, I'm suddenly spending more and more time in multi-pane terminals, and my screen real estate needs have dropped. The only two things I greatly miss now on my laptop is keyboard quality and general comfort (monitor height, etc).

bombcar4• 5 months ago

The entire monitor market is completely dominated by televisions and it's really, really obvious.

praseodym• 5 months ago

The hardware is great, but the software is lacking. macOS only supports resolution-based scaling which makes anything but the default 200% pixel scaling mode look bad. For example, with a 27" 4K display many users will want to use 150% or 175% scaling to get enough real estate, but the image will look blurry because macOS renders at a higher resolution and then downscales to the 4K resolution of the screen.

Both Windows and Linux (Wayland) support scaling the UI itself, and with their support for sub-pixel anti-aliasing (that macOS also lacks) this makes text look a lot more crisp.

presbyterian• 5 months ago

For example, with a 27" 4K display many users will want to use 150% or 175% scaling to get enough real estate, but the image will look blurry

I use a Mac with a monitor with these specs (a Dell of some kind, I don't know the model number off the top of my head), at 150% scaling, and it's not blurry at all.

jsheard2• 5 months ago

Yeah this is correct, I don't know why you're being downvoted. The decisions Apple made when pivoting their software stack to high-DPI resulted in Macs requiring ultra-dense displays for optimal results - that's a limitation of macOS, not an indictment of less dense displays, which Windows and Linux accommodate much better.

jonpurdy4• 5 months ago

This is correct and also increasingly affecting me as my eyes age. I had to give my Studio Display to my wife because my eyes can't focus at a reasonable distance anymore, and if I moved back further the text was too small to read. I ran the 5K Studio Display at 4K scaled for a bit but it was noticeably blurry.

This would've been easily solved with non-integer scaling, if Apple had implemented that.

(I now use a combo of 4K TV 48" from ~1.5-2 metres back as well as a 4K 27" screen from 1 m away, depending on which room I want to work in. Angular resolution works out similarly (115 pixels per degree).)

Aurornis• 5 months ago

For example, with a 27" 4K display

4K pixels is not enough at 27" for Retina scaling.

Apple uses 5K panels in their 27" displays for this reason.

There are several very good 27" 5K monitors on the market now around $700 to $800. Not as cheap as the 4K monitors but you have to pay for the pixel density.

There are also driver boards that let you convert 27" 5K iMacs into external monitors. I don't recommend this lightly because it's not an easy mod but it's within reason for the motivated Hacker News audience.

badc0ffee2• 5 months ago

I would love to see examples of this. I have a MBP and a 24" 4K Dell monitor connected via HDMI. I use all kinds of scaled resolutions and I've never noticed anything being jagged or blurry.

Meanwhile in Linux the scaling is generally good, but occasionally I'll run into some UI element that doesn't scale properly, or some application that has a tiny mouse cursor.

And then Windows has serious problems with old apps - blurry as hell with a high DPI display.

Subpixel antialiasing isn't something I miss on macOS because it seems pointless at these resolutions [0]. And I don't think it would work with OLED anyway because the subpixels are arranged differently than a typical conventional LCD.

[0] I remember being excited by ClearType on Windows back in the day, and I did notice a difference. But there's no way I'd be able to discern it on a high DPI display; the conventional antialiasing macOS does is enough.

hollerith5• 5 months ago

Wayland supports it (and Chrome supports it very well) but GTK does not. I run my UI at 200% scaling because graphical Emacs uses GTK to draw text, and that text would be blurry if I ran at my preferred scaling factor of 150% or 175%.

benbayard2• 5 months ago

I just tested on my 4k display and 150% and 175% were not blurry at all. I'm on a 32 inch 4k monitor. Is it possible this information is out of date and was fixed by more recent versions of macos?

harr01• 5 months ago

Have you ever seen a MacBook air's screen? Those use fractional scaling and look fine.

nailer• 5 months ago

macOS renders at a higher resolution and then downscales to the 4K resolution

That seems weird to me. I remember 20 years ago one of the whole points of macOS version 10 was display PDF, i.e. a vector based UI.

hbn2• 5 months ago

LG used to with the Ultrafine 5k (I believe it's discontinued now?)

I got a deal on a used one last year and I love it. It's the only monitor I've used plugged into a MacBook that didn't look notably off (worse) compared to the MacBook's display sitting next to it. Only thing a bit jarring is it's 60Hz but I can live with it.

fl0ki• 5 months ago

I've been using a work-issued one since 2018, and my only complaint in 2026 is that some of its rear USB ports are failing.

kllrnohj2• 5 months ago

The $1600 Studio Display is also 60hz, including this "brand new" one (which appears to be the exact same, just with a new web cam?)

Asus has picked up the 5k 27" monitor from LG, it's the $730 PA27JCV

sdn90• 5 months ago

Agreed.

I constantly see people saying Apple displays are a terrible value. Last Apple display I had was the Thunderbolt 27 but from now on I'm sticking with Apple.

I've had nothing but issues with non-Apple monitors as well. Customer service ime is non-existent if you need a repair. For something I rely on to get work done, I'm starting to think the premium is worth it.

hatsix• 5 months ago

Personally, I can't handle glossy displays, trying to read with reflections gives me a headache. Most other manufacturers offer both glossy and matte, except for Apple, because they know better.

ItsHarper• 5 months ago

The nano-texture matte finish is available as an option

perardi• 5 months ago

You are not the only one.

I have an ASUS ProArt Display 27” 5K. And I somewhat regret it.

I love the pixel density. But I don’t love the matte finish. Which is apparently a controversial take. But I really don’t. I like the crisp pop of typography you get with a glossy display. And, for UI design, the matte finish just doesn’t “feel” like the average end-user experience. I am constantly pushing Figma between my laptop display and my monitor to better simulate what a design will look like on an average glossy LCD or OLED display.

paozac2• 5 months ago

I've got that display, too, and quite like it. Matte finish is essential (IMO) if you're annoyed by reflections.

recursive2• 5 months ago

Does gloss mean reflective? Like where I can see the room lights reflecting off my screen. I never considered the possibility that someone might consider that a good thing.

whalesalad• 5 months ago

In an environment with little to no reflections, gloss looks so much better. It becomes truly transparent with no distraction. Matte displays always have a little frost to them.

derefr• 5 months ago

In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use.

I presume you also mean "when used for text heavy work" here, yes? Or do you mean that these displays tire out your eyes even when used "for what they're for", i.e. gaming? (Because that's a very interesting assertion if so, and I'd like to go into depth about it.)

Fr0styMatt882• 5 months ago

There’s a solid use case for matte screens. I use an 800R curved monitor and there’s absolutely no way that would work for me if it wasn’t matte. I know this because when I glance over at my coworker’s 1200R glossy screen it’s like looking in a funhouse mirror.

Edge use case I know.

mark_l_watson• 5 months ago

wow, the prices have come down. I inherited the old Pro XDR display when my father passed away a couple of years ago: I think he paid $6K for the display and another $1K for the stand.

Off topic, but Apple seems to be dropping hardware costs / capability - relying more in subscription, app store, and cloud now? On an impulse buy, I bought the entry level MacBook Air at Best Buy about two months ago because it was $200 off list price. Amazingly capable laptop for $800.

stetrain• 5 months ago

It's cheaper but also 27" 5K instead of 32" 6K.

I think it's kind of weird that they didn't just do two size options with similar specs.

ErneX4• 5 months ago

I was hoping for a 6k 32inch model.

But even so, these 2 new monitors still don’t support multiple inputs.

stevenpetryk• 5 months ago

I've been pretty happy with my ASUS ProArt PA32QCV (32", 6k, but only 60Hz). Kinda infuriating that Apple doesn't let you adjust third-party monitor brightness though (and my work disallows apps like BetterDisplay).

ErneX4• 5 months ago

Thank you, that’s exactly the one I’m going to get now, I was just waiting for these from Apple to be announced to make the decision.

vegardx• 5 months ago

I'm also a little bummed that they seem to have dropped the Pro Display XDR. I wanted a 32" display as the main display, and then use my existing two Studio Display vertically as secondary on each side.

I guess we're going to see how the support for DP Alt-Mode will be, as I'm not sure how much bandwidth that can provide, so 120Hz might be out of the question. But for now that has been a simple way to get around the lack of multiple display inputs, you just needed a separate KVM switch for it.

asdhtjkujh• 5 months ago

I just want to natively hook up a PS5 without capture card latency... I would've bought a Studio Display years ago but can't bring myself to purchase a $2000 device-locked monitor.

kcrwfrd_• 5 months ago

Still no support for multiple inputs

It looks like a nice display, but that’s a deal killer for me.

raydev5• 5 months ago

Current hardware and standards have them backed into a corner.

No Mac today supports 6k 10-bit @ 120Hz because the DisplayPort 2.1 standard can't handle it uncompressed and that's the best Macs offer. HDMI 2.2 just came out last year and would likely be able to handle it over a TB5 cable, but again, no hardware support.

So say that Apple did update the Pro Display XDR, what would it have exactly? More dimming zones for sure, the new Studio XDR has 4x the dimming zones. But they are clearly not confident in OLED tech for standalone monitors yet, so no OLED.

Anyway, their updated XDR would be shipping with the same ol' 60Hz. Reviewers and social media and tech nerds would rip them to shreds, it'd be a PR clownshow. I can already see the "Apple really expects us to pay $7k for a 60Hz monitor in 2026" viral posts.

And Apple being Apple would never explain why a monitor is lacking a feature like 120Hz, because it would mean acknowledging people had higher expectations. So we get an expensive 5k 120Hz monitor instead.

agys4• 5 months ago

Too small… I got used to my 4K Philips OLED 42" that I hung directly on the wall in front of my desk (no stand at all)… USB-C cable also charges the MacBook. This size is so good to work with; so much screen estate.

dwayne_dibley• 5 months ago

42 inches! thats a lot of viewing area.

agys4• 5 months ago

Indeed! The big monitor is about 1m from me, the median a bit below my eyes. The laptop on which I type on sits in-between and the two screens align almost perfectly (optically). This setup works well for me and I feel it’s very ergonomic. That's why I can't go back to tiny (<32") screens anymore.

bsimpson6• 5 months ago

You're using the pixels for something different than the target audience.

People who want a Studio Display want retina crispness. If you enjoy a 42" 4k, you're more concerned with real estate than image fidelity.

I'm happy with a 65" 4K TV in my living room, but a 4K 27" monitor is borderline too low-res for computer work. Same pixel count, but different use cases.

agys4• 5 months ago

I think I’m absolutely the target audience: I’m a designer, programmer, animator. Crispness at 4k is still quite good at 1m distance from my face. I’d buy it without hesitation if it came much, much larger.

jasomill4• 5 months ago

I agree, and use a 55" LG OLED TV similarly. Got it on sale for $1,300.

Especially nice in a small apartment where I use the same display for video, gaming, and desktop.

No USB-C, but HDMI works better for long cable runs anyway, so I can keep my (non-laptop) computers in the other room and just "dock" my wireless input devices to a USB-C charger as needed.

Thunderbolt would be even worse, as even if I could somehow get Thunderbolt out of an Nvidia GPU, I'm not aware of any devices that would allow switching between multiple Thunderbolt inputs, and 4 sufficiently long optical Thunderbolt cables would probably cost more than the display itself.

As for crisp text, I'll replace it with a 120 Hz 8K display in a few years if the price is right. In the mean time, I value screen real estate far higher (and dislike multi-monitor setups).

desideratum2• 5 months ago

It's mind-boggling that Apple is considering the base 27 inch Studio Display with the same 4 year old panel, but with some new accessories slapped on an "upgrade".

desideratum2• 5 months ago

Oh, and if you want to utilize 120Hz on the XDR display, you're going to have to replace your perfectly functioning Mac.

Mac models with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, and M3 support Studio Display XDR at up to 60Hz. All other Studio Display XDR features are supported.

cosmic_cheese3• 5 months ago

Almost certainly due to bandwidth limitations on older versions of Thunderbolt. Full bit depth HDR 5k @ 120hz requires some absurd data thoughput.

kubik369• 5 months ago

I don't really see your point. The chips mentioned do not have enough bandwidth on display outputs to support the monitor at 6K@120Hz. If anything, I find it surprising that Apple supports running the display in 60Hz mode instead of telling people to go pound sand and buy new Macs.

kllrnohj2• 5 months ago

The base 27" wasn't even a new display 4 years ago, it's the same thing they were shipping in iMacs before that. It dates back to like 2017?

raydev5• 5 months ago

The 5k iMac was introduced in 2014. There was one change in 2015 that added P3 color gamut, so it appears to have been the exact same LG-manufactured panel for at least 11 years.

cubefox3• 5 months ago

XDR = LCD

zamadatix6• 5 months ago

Of course, even 5 layer tandem OLED would struggle to hit specs like 1000 nits sustained full panel brightness.

cubefox3• 5 months ago

So what? Any LCD also struggles with black levels. They have advantages and disadvantages. The point is more that Apple tries, like TV manufacturers, to hide the LCD designation by instead coming up with a creative but misleading acronym. "XDR" in this case. This never happens with OLED. Which shows that manufacturers believe that most people care more about black level contrast than maximum brightness.

testfrequency• 5 months ago

I’ve owned my nano-textured XDR since launch (with the stand), and I love it.

As the years have gone, the only upgrade I wished to have was 120 refresh for some very limited design work - but 120 really is still not widely adopted in most places anywhere, so it’s really a non-issue for me.

The new XDR is smaller, has a less ergo stand, and also loses the beautiful lattice etchings on the rear which I often admire.

The XDR was overdue for a refresh, it’s nice the price dropped some, but I won’t be upgrading for now.

tiffanyh2• 5 months ago

So Apple essentially introduce a new (middle) price point in their displays:

  $1,500  Studio Display
  $3,300  Studio Display XDR  <-- NEW
  $6,000  Pro Display         <-- DISCONTINUED ???

Apple is amazing at "laddering" people up to the next higher tier.

EDIT: It appears the Pro Display has been discontinued.

cptcobalt• 5 months ago

it seems like the Pro Display XDR is discontinued. The webpage for that now redirects to the Studio Displays XDR

tiffanyh2• 5 months ago

I can't find it either.

Which means they don't have a 32" display option if true.

Maybe it will also be updated, but on a different day this week?

jakubadamw2• 5 months ago

There is a note at the end of the linked announcement:

”Studio Display XDR replaces Pro Display XDR and starts at $3,299 (U.S.) and $3,199 (U.S.) for education.”

gbjw2• 5 months ago

Do they still sell the Pro Display? https://www.apple.com/pro-display-xdr/ redirects to the Studio Display XDR now.

SirMaster• 5 months ago

Really, a $3300 Mini-LED display in 2026?

post_break2• 5 months ago

Show me an HDR display that is 2000 nits peak HDR calibrated 27" for under $3,300. Not a gaming monitor. Closest you can find is a lilliput UQ31 that has half the nits.

danudey2• 5 months ago

And which supports DICOM calibration, which normally costs you >$5k for a smaller (e.g. 21") display.

It's now vastly cheaper to buy a Mac and a 27" Studio Display XDR than it is to buy a single 21" DICOM display for your clinic. Heck, it's not much more expensive to buy two SD XDRs than to buy one standard DICOM display.

Eric_WVGG2• 5 months ago

I feel like if they can profitably sell a Mini-LED in a $1400 14" Macbook Pro, they can find a way to sell a larger one in a 27" display for under $3300…

I have the last-gen Studio Display, pretty great during the day (the nano-texture is astonishing), but just looks like trash at night when the backlight overwhelms the blacks.

My guess was that the “Studio Display 2” would introduce Mini-LED, and then a “Pro Display 2” would have the high-refresh and maybe 32". Wake me up in five years, I guess.

WilcoKruijer• 5 months ago

Studio Display XDR replaces Pro Display XDR

How does a 5k display replace a 6k display? Are they giving up on 6k? Disappointing.

iojcde• 5 months ago

It's a smaller display

raydev5• 5 months ago

It's impossible for them to support a 10-bit 6k@120Hz monitor with current hardware and keeping the old one around would be embarrassing. The Pro 5k will probably sell better/be more profitable anyway.

adrianmsmith• 5 months ago

keeping the old one around would be embarrassing

On the other hand this is the company that sells a Mac Pro for $7k and it comes with an M2-based chip...

JCharante2• 5 months ago

This is awesome! $3299 is a great price drop. I’m moving countries soon and wasn’t going to bring my old monitor, so this is perfect timing.

ErneX4• 5 months ago

It’s a smaller monitor though, the discontinued one was 32 inch 6K resolution, this one is 27 inch 5K resolution.

But it’s the same pixel density.

detourdog2• 5 months ago

I just tried to look up the power usage for XDR and they only list voltage no amps or watts.

Did I miss something

827a• 5 months ago

Studio Display XDR replaces Pro Display XDR and starts at $3,299 (U.S.) and $3,199 (U.S.) for education.

My father-in-law is a monitor engineer. He is insanely gifted. We were in a Taiwanese factory together years ago and I asked him what it would cost to build the Pro Display XDR today. I will never forget his answer…

“We can’t, we don’t know how to do it.”

MountainTheme12• 5 months ago

My father-in-law is a monitor engineer. He is insanely gifted. We were in a Korean factory together years ago and I asked him what it would cost to build the Pro Display XDR today. I will never forget his answer…

“A lot less than you paid for it.”

amluto• 5 months ago

Featuring extensive connectivity to support a variety of workflows, Studio Display XDR includes two Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports.

That is not extensive connectivity. That’s the bare minimum one might credibly expect.

If I were to consider buying a display like this, I would want at least two and preferably more inputs and at least a DisplayPort input. Not everything in the world is USB-C, especially when discrete GPUs are involved.

johnwalkr• 5 months ago

If I had to guess, with so many devices (speakers, microphone, webcam) on top of any external ones you connect, having multiple inputs especially one that can't possibly connect your computer to those devices, is virtually guaranteeing that some users will complain that it doesn't work. I believe there is a similar reason why usb-c hubs rarely have downstream usb-c ports. When you do find one, they always have several reviews complaining that it doesn't work with 3 hard drives and 2 monitors plugged in.

dmix2• 5 months ago

I might be missing how this differs from the previous model.

zamadatix6• 5 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Studio_Display#Technical... has a good table. The short story is the 2nd generation Studio Display has some minor noted user facing changes but isn't that big of a difference. The Studio Display XDR is a bit of a merge of that and the old Pro level feature set.

massysett• 5 months ago

Few enough differences so that if I could get an old Studio Display at a discount, I would. But right now it seems the old one is still full price where it's available.

sbszllr• 5 months ago

Daisy chaining finally supported.

earthnail• 5 months ago

The only monitor on the market of this size and resolution that I am aware of that has really high brightness and works well when I work outside on the terrace.

Really glad Apple is building it.

jhickok• 5 months ago

Are you being cheeky or do you really drag a monitor outside?

t1234s2• 5 months ago

anyone else still using their 30" cinema display from 2003?

BirAdam• 5 months ago

I was until quite recently. Bought a cheap 4k panel to replace it. I was really sick of the number of adapters to keep it going, plus it was never particularly bright and had low contrast.

mastercheif• 5 months ago

I was keeping mine alive on life support until about two years ago when I updated to the Samsung 5K display.

Loved the extra screen real estate of the 30" ACD and it's a beautifully designed product that I enjoyed having on my desk.

In its last year or two the backlight wear started to result in colors to become uneven. Blues were less vibrant and reds had tint issues.

Was also difficult to justify the power draw, it had a 150w power supply.

petercooper• 5 months ago

Not using, but I still have it. I get it running every couple of years and it's striking how dim it is compared to modern monitors. Yet I just can't bring myself to dispose of it or the 2007 Mac Pro it's attached to, despite them having absolutely zero utility.

kalleboo• 5 months ago

I have a 2000 22" Cinema Display. The software brightness control even works. https://kalleboo.com/linked/cinema-display.jpg

t1234s2• 5 months ago

This looks like a new iMac Pro minus the computer. Its a shame they don't have anything where you can just dock your iPhone Pro to one of these to run macOS.

jasomill4• 5 months ago

Or at the very least pair a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad to an iPhone for remote desktop use.

lifty2• 5 months ago

So it seems the new Studio Display XDR is the only display on the market that offers:

- 5k resolution at HIDPI (27inch)

- 120hz refresh rate

- TB5 and single cable connectivity.

There are a couple of other HIDPI displays at 5k with 120hz refresh rate but they don't do TB5.

SamuelAdams2• 5 months ago

Does this still not support multiple inputs / devices?

adamesque• 5 months ago

Nope. Still does not. I have 2 macs on my desk and no simple way to connect them to a single Apple display! It's a glaring hole that to me suggests they have no idea who their market is for these.

duxup• 5 months ago

I wish it came in an ultrawide format.

laksmanv• 5 months ago

Is buying a used 32" XDR worth it if we want a 32" apple display? or is the tech not as good now?

lgleason2• 5 months ago

The the smaller xdr has better brightness and thunderbolt 5, so it depends on what you are looking for.

raydev5• 5 months ago

- at worst you're getting a 7 year old monitor

- the new 5k XDR has 4x as many dimming zones so it would objectively look better than the old XDR

- not sure what the market for used 6k XDRs is like, but there's a good chance you'd be paying new 5k XDR monitor price for an old 6k XDR used monitor

lgleason2• 5 months ago

For that base display, it is essentially the same as the previous monitor with the addition of Thunderbolt 5.

anon7000• 5 months ago

So the $1600 Studio Display does not have 120hz.

Here’s some monitors you can buy at that price point:

- 6k 32” monitor (similar PPI) (Acer PE320QX)

- most high-end 4k displays (even OLEDs) with 144hz+ refresh rate

32” 4k isn’t great PPI, but it’s still fine PPI, at a reasonable distance. Double the refresh rate is a much more noticeable improvement to me than 40% better pixel density, at a distance where retina matters a bit less than laptops & handhelds. And you can get that for less than half the cost

Plus, you can get it with multiple outputs & KVM to switch between MacBook & PC. And still run it off a single USB C cable.

tmp10423288442• 5 months ago

Do you notice 120Hz and above when doing office tasks? I'd much rather have improved resolution and PPI rather than 120Hz for that use case.

throawayonthe2• 5 months ago

Yes, absolutely

nstfn• 5 months ago

any animation work

archagon4• 5 months ago

Very obvious when scrolling text and moving windows around, for example.

kristoff_it• 5 months ago

100% yes

amarshall• 5 months ago

Yes. Even 90 Hz is a noticeable improvement over 60 Hz. I wouldn’t pick it over high-DPI, though.

jasomill4• 5 months ago

120 Hz vs 60 Hz? Night and day. Immediately noticeable just by moving the mouse pointer. Would expect improvements in scrolling to be apparent to even the most casual passers-by.

120 Hz can also noticeably improve frame pacing for 24p video*.

120 Hz vs 144 Hz? Barely noticeable when flipping between the two. Not sure if I'd pass an ABX test with 100% accuracy.

Can't speak for 240 Hz or higher, as I haven't used them.

* Though 119.88 Hz is probably a better default for this since most non-DCI "24p" video is still 23.976 FPS; this is changing, but until browsers and streaming apps support VRR for video, I'm not convinced this is a good thing due to the mountain of legacy 23.976 FPS content.

akvadrako• 5 months ago

I don't notice it at all, on my laptop or phone. Even when having one monitor 60 and one 120 next too it.

Only when looking at demo pages to show off high refresh rates can I tell.

Though what I do notice is replacing the mouse with a higher polling rate from 125Hz to 250Hz.

nicce2• 5 months ago

So the $1600 Studio Display does not have 120hz.

Usually these exists only to bump the price of the pro model.

hecifato• 5 months ago

Is there any details on from whom Apple is sourcing the panel from? LG and MSI have both shown off 5K monitors at 165hz and 2304 dimming zones recently.

I said about two years back I’d wait to upgrade my 1080p monitor until Apple shipped a high refresh rate one. I knew the monkey’s paw would curl but at nearly $5000 CAD that’s a hard no.

archagon4• 5 months ago

Curious to see if the XDR works at 120Hz on Windows; and if so, if there’s a KVM switch that would work with it.

Probably not worth the hassle, but I wish there was literally any other display manufacturer out there with premium build quality.

data-ottawa2• 5 months ago

I was hoping for OLED or dual-OLED based monitors, especially for this price point but I’d want this slightly lower than the XDR price. Sequoia+Tahoe seems like they’ve been laying the groundwork for OLED macs — removing the menu bar background and making text dynamically change colour, moving/cycling backgrounds, liquid glass reducing the effect of static UI elements, etc.

I personally wouldn’t buy a new LCD based display anymore at this price. There are flaws inherent to the technology that affect all of my recent Apple displays (Studio Display, M1 Pro iPad, M1 Pro MPB, M4 Pro MPB). After using OLED TVs and OLED iPhones for years, it’s very difficult to look past LCD’s issues (edge yellowing+dimming specifically affects all my Apple screens more than I am happy with).

There are no reviews/studies on long-term aging of Apple’s LCD displays, so all of this should be taken with a grain of salt, maybe my devices are just unlucky.

I don’t know if the Pro XDR line is better or how that would carry over to the Studio XDR. I haven’t seen many complains about the Pro XDR, but the Studio Display form factor has a different cooling design which would affect longevity.

I will say I can never go back from retina resolution text, and that alone has made the experience of Studio Display good. If we could get OLED it would be perfection. I think I would have to see the XDR in practice to be convinced, but 120hz requiring a whole new computer does make it a non-starter for me.

craftkiller6• 5 months ago

Along similar lines, there's no way I would buy an OLED at this price point. If I'm dropping $3k on a monitor, it needs to be a technology that lasts, not a technology that wears out over time.

film422• 5 months ago

I bought an LG 32" 4k OLED for $999 and it's hands down the best display I've ever used. No burn in even with lots of static browser/terminal windows for days and days. The fact that it's $3k and _not_ OLED is insulting.

szmarczak7• 5 months ago

Current gen OLEDs almost don't wear out (saying this as an OLED owner). To see the wear you need to have a completely black room and the wear is unnoticeable unless you're specifically looking for it. You don't need to spend 3k, 1k is enough.

nicce2• 5 months ago

If I'm dropping $3k on a monitor, it needs to be a technology that lasts, not a technology that wears out over time.

I bought my OLED TV when fearmongering was the highest, and it still works perfectly with zero burn-ins. So it is definitely possible. I bought the tv 8 years ago.

densh2• 5 months ago

Dimming reduces total brightness over time and shifts color balance away from neutral. Latest "Pro" displays from Apple now have built-in support for calibration but only with high end calibration equipment: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchl628f5edf/...

The implementation is great, since it doesn't add fix up profile on top factory calibration, but actually fully replaces factory calibration internal LUT. It worked wonders to completely fix my M1 MBP screen that got noticeably tinted over time. I don't mind brightness reduction since I almost never use it at more than 200 nits, usually around 100. Nominal 1600 leaves lots of buffer for decay over time.

I've had similar issue my OLED TV with the same fix. Got my LG C1 calibrated as well and it looks fantastic again.

It's a shame there are no iOS or Android phones that support calibration out of the box. Some iPads support subset of pro display calibration software (called fine tune calibration), but still lack full recalibration support.

bsimpson6• 5 months ago

As long as we're here:

What are people's current favorites for a 5K 27" screen that doesn't cost as much as a whole damned computer?

asimovDev• 5 months ago

A lot of people are saying nice things about Kuycon displays, but no personal experience with those. Otherwise I think Asus has good offerings, cannot remember the name though

Also JapanNext offers a 6k screen for <$1000, but it hasn't started shipping yet to my knowledge

dabeeeenster• 5 months ago

I got this https://www.samsung.com/uk/monitors/high-resolution/viewfini... and am pretty happy with it. I got it fairly cheap with a student voucher (I think ~650 GBP).

It had some coil whine initially but that has gone. There's a load of nonsense software in it but I just have it disconnected from the internet and only use it as a monitor. The web cam is not useful but I don't use that either.

This was a couple of years ago - I think that there are a lot more options available now?

SamuelAdams2• 5 months ago

I have been using 3 VP2788-5K for 6 months. Much better than 1440p or 4k monitors IMO. I spend most of the day on teams meetings and looking at code.

Text is very crisp at this DPI. The built in thunderbolt dock works reliably.

It is annoying how the cables stick down on the bottom of the monitors. A few right angle adapters helps with that.

paozac2• 5 months ago

Asus ProArt

Analemma_2• 5 months ago

I can second this. I bought two of the 5K 27" ProArt monitors plus a Thunderbolt hub to be my home setup, all for less than the price of one Studio Display, and it has been working perfectly.

matthoiland• 5 months ago

I've tried the LG UltraFine and LG UltraGear (w/144hz) ... still went with the Studio Display. Expensive, but my previous Thunderbolt display gave me 12 solid years – hoping the SD does the same.

Edit: Also consider the price of speakers, camera, hub, power, and the "it just works" factor.

bsimpson6• 5 months ago

Ultimately, I'm beholden to whatever I can get work to pay for, unless I want to pay out of pocket to subsidize the capex of a multi-trillion dollar conglomerate.

vladvasiliu3• 5 months ago

power

Most modern usb-c / tb seem to come in an integrated "dock" which provides power. But many provide a laughably low number.

Also, for some reason, many come with external power bricks for some reason, which are a special kind of PITA with their short, permanently attached cords.

tristor• 5 months ago

I've been using an LG Ultrafine 27MD5KL-B for years, and it works pretty flawlessly once I set up BetterDisplay with it. This is my primary work setup, and I think I paid around a grand for at MicroCenter some time back. It has worked great.

jibbers• 5 months ago

Get a broken 27" iMac, rip out the guts, and slap in a converter board that adds a bunch of inputs. It's not nearly as difficult to build as most of the blogs make it out to be.

bsimpson6• 5 months ago

Mine's not even broken, but it is corp, so sticking an Aliexpress board in there is ill-advised. Hence, in the market for a 5k when I've had a perfectly good one on my desk since 2017.

briansmith• 5 months ago

BenQ PD2730S.

sberens• 5 months ago

As someone who likes bright monitors, I'm excited to try the 2000 nit peak brightness! Are there any comparable monitors to the XDR brightness wise?

zamadatix6• 5 months ago

If you can put up with wide curved panels the 49" variant of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 from 2021 offered HDR2000 as a 5120x1440 display (basically 2x27" 2560x1440).

I was heartbroken all of the flat panel normal aspect monitors in that family since have had other severe tradeoffs and it's only the curved ultrawides that were given the better specs.

mackopes• 5 months ago

32" when?

IAmGraydon• 5 months ago

Apple just doesn't seem to be hitting on all cylinders anymore. The price for this thing is outrageous compared to the competition, and the competition isn't lagging very far behind. It's certainly pretty and I'm sure it's an incredible piece of tech, but $1,600 on the low end and $3,600 on the high end is just not going to sell in this environment. While the competition has always started with the minimum viable product for a low price and iterated on the product, Apple's approach has been the opposite - maximum possible product and then try to iterate the price point down. The problem is that the competition is now encroaching on their product quality territory, and the offer doesn't seem as tempting. For example, see the ASUS Pro Art, which has arguably better specs with the addition of HDR10 for $799. Or the BenQ MA270S, which you can buy two of for $1,800.

dcchambers• 5 months ago

A $1600 60hz display in 2026 just feels extortionate.

The Studio Display XDR seems nice, but I wish they would have kept a 32" option.

BlobberSnobber2• 5 months ago

Especially since a very similar, if not exactly the same, panel from the XDR will be in monitors from other brands for a fraction of the price (like the LG 27GM950B).

jpsimons• 5 months ago

I keep hoping someone will release a nice monitor that’s monitor shaped (16:10) instead of TV shaped (16:9). That’s part of why early 2000s Cinema Displays are so great. Not to mention the last great Mac laptop before it all went south — the 2015 MBP

bdcravens• 5 months ago

I may (think that I) have a 29 year old mind, but my eyes are at least their true 49 years of age, so I don't feel like I could do anything less than a 32 inch monitor, especially if I'm paying a premium.

maz1b• 5 months ago

I really can't believe they discontinued the Pro Display XDR.. what is wrong with them? A company the size of Apple, surely must have the resources to update it every couple of years.

m1322• 5 months ago

DisplayPort 2.1 cannot reliably drive 6K at 120hz

veber-alex• 5 months ago

With DSC it can drive even 8k@120Hz.

lastofthemojito• 5 months ago

As sort of a tangent, am I the only one who has had bad experiences doing what the woman in the press release is doing? Ya know, touching the laptop while it's connected to external devices via Thunderbolt and/or USB-C.

Sure, most of the time the cable seems secure enough to maintain connection when I accidentally nudge the laptop. But every once in a while, when I slightly shift the laptop here or there, flicker and everything goes batshit. The monitor loses connection, so maybe (depending on config) the laptop screen changes resolution and then eventually reconnects and flickers and changes back. Or the network drops out (if I'm connected to Ethernet over Thunderbolt). Or a program freaks out because the drive it was using disappeared. Or the laptop really freaks out and kernel panics.

Like I said, it doesn't happen a ton, but it's happened a handful of times over the years, just enough that now I always use an external mouse and keyboard with a docked laptop to avoid such nonsense.

BlobberSnobber2• 5 months ago

Happens to me with HDMI, not USB-C

als0• 5 months ago

Since the base model is still 60Hz, I'm struggling to pick between the base model or a Kuycon G32P. Can anyone on here help?

simondotau• 5 months ago

It shouldn't be a struggle. If you need colour quality (e.g. content creation/consumption) get the Studio Display. If you need real estate (e.g. technical work or programming) get the Kuycon.

csjr• 5 months ago

May be an overkill but is anyone using it for coding? How is the experience so far?

OneOffAsk• 5 months ago

I bought one for coding. I no longer can read text for an extended period with lower DPI monitors.

There’s a few reasons why.

1. Non integer scaling sucks on Linux. It sucks on all OSs, but it’s just unusable on Linux IMO.

2. Text antialiasing sucks for most OSs except Microsoft ClearType, but I hate Windows.

I currently use an old LG UltraFine 5k. It’s physically cracking / falling apart and has atrocious burn in. I tried replacing it with a Dell 32” 6k monitor. The stupid matte coating on it and seemingly all other high DPI screens is so, so bad.

I just want glossy 5k at 120Hz with decent build quality and color accuracy.

I don’t even like the fact it’s mini LED. Blooming is pretty awful on those things. I hope there’s a way to turn it off.

So yes, I bought a $3,500 monitor to read text because no one else can seem to do it even remotely acceptably.

Joe_Boogz• 4 months ago

So how is the blooming while editing code with a dark background?

Im also considering purchasing one of these for codework.

QuiEgo• 5 months ago

Oddly thankful my current Studio Display doesn’t feel left behind by this upgrade and thus I feel no need to upgrade

maytc• 5 months ago

Was hoping to upgrade from my 2017 iMac and this new studio display is quite a bummer. 9 years later and it's basically the same display spec. (500 nits spec bump to 600 nits)

ebbi2• 5 months ago

Convert iMac to work as external display, get a Mac Mini -> Win

ChildOfChaos• 5 months ago

Bit disappointed with this release.

I have a iMac 5k that I want to replace with a Mac mini or Studio, but monitors for Mac's are difficult since you need 5k at 27" or even 6k at 32" to keep th pixel density and then they aren't many options.

It's getting better, but prices are very high and a big issue with the 5k 27" monitors is that they are stuck at 60hz, Apple announced an approved offering here, but it's very expensive for the XDR and ideally I'd like to upgrade to 6k at 32" and have 120hz but that just seems unobtainable at the moment.

JCharante2• 5 months ago

27” instead of 32” is very lame

hmeh• 5 months ago

I've tried a handful of 4k HDR/Mini-LED monitors. I think something that folks are missing on this is that HDR on this display will likely actually work for desktop usage, similar to how it does on a MacBook Pro. With any other monitor I've tried, switching to HDR leads to either blown out colors and/or bad blooming/other problems. Maybe LG's version of this will also work, but I'm not holding my breath there.

Having a display that "just works" is worth a lot, in my opinion.

scuderiaseb• 5 months ago

I can’t believe it’s 2026 and while I had a 5K iMac in 2016, today it’s still impossible to find a good 5K display. The Studio Display XDR fits the bill, but in Sweden it’s ridiculously priced, even more ridiculous than in USD which is also ridiculously priced. There are no other monitors that are 5K and 120Hz. But I still can’t pay what Apple is asking for this.

Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

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