Apple’s Studio Display XDR is the best monitor I’ve ever used

The Apple Studio Display XDR is far and away the best display I’ve connected to my Mac, but I can’t recommend it for most folks.

But first, an article from Greg Benz Photography does an excellent job of offering the reasons why some people will be willing to fork out big bucks for the display:

° It cuts the cost for a premium HDR monitor from Apple in half.

° It fills a significant void as the only 27″ monitor offering this level of HDR performance and accuracy

° It adds a wide range of capabilities which were lacking on the Pro Display XDR.

° It breaks new ground as the first 2,000-nit prosumer HDR display.

° Even the base non-HDR model got a huge bump from A13 to A19 chip, which might be solely to support the announced improvements to center stage camera, desk view, audio, and Thunderbolt 5. But it might also be to offer some extra hardware flexibility to support future firmware updates (the life cycle of these displays is generally long and it seems likely Apple would want to leave open room for improvements).

° It offers a new “HDR photography (P3-D65)” reference mode.

It also offers two new DICOM reference modes and Apple has submitted a new Medical Imaging Calibrator for FDA approval.

This is a medical imaging format (such as for viewing CT / MRI scans).

° The shift from 60Hz to 120Hz on a pro Mac display extends well beyond gaming. Motion clarity in timeline scrubbing, animation previews, and UI interactions all improve with the doubled refresh rate. Adaptive Sync adjusts dynamically between 47Hz and 120Hz, keeping frame delivery smooth without screen tearing.

All those reasons are valid. But where’s why I can’t recommend the display for average users: the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299 and $3,199 for education. If the display were 32 inches that MIGHT help justify the price.

And many of us — including me — wanted Apple to release a monitor bigger than 27 inches with 120Hz.

Sadly, this didn’t happen. And beyond the benefits mentioned above, my tests show the XDR’s speakers, microphones, and cameras are exceptional.

It’s just too bad that Apple isn’t offering a bigger (size-wise) bang for the bucks.

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