Apple Studio Display XDR Review: Too Much but Not Enough | WIRED

TriangleUp Buy Now Multiple Buying Options Available $3,199 at Amazon $3,600 at Best Buy (Nano Texture) $3,299 at Apple Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Rating: 7 /10 Open rating explainer Information WIRED The best HDR performance in a monitor you can buy. The excellent adjustable stand now comes standard. Incredible built-in speakers. TIRED It's not as unique as it once was. Some compatibility and port problems. There's a category of halo Apple products that seem to exist primarily as a flex. It's niche. It's hyper-specific. It does something no other product in its class can do, at a price almost no individual could justify. Think the Mac Pro or the Vision Pro . The Pro Display XDR was one such product when it launched in 2019. The sticker shock was unbelievable, and at the time, it was delivering HDR capability at a level no other monitor in its price range could. Now that the Pro Display XDR isn't alone in that regard, Apple has launched the Studio Display XDR—a monitor with more modest claims about its unique status. Hence, the $1,700 price drop from the original Pro Display XDR. The Studio Display XDR still does a few things that no other monitor can, but the competition has somehow made this an even more niche monitor than it used to be. Disappointment Is Real The speculation about the sequel to the Pro Display XDR and Studio Display were running rampant leading up to the days of the launch. Some said both monitors would be Mini-LED, and others said Apple would use updated chips inside. After all, it had been six and a half years since the Pro Display XDR, and surely Apple would be back to raise the bar again. Meanwhile, it had been three years since the Studio Display, which was highly criticized for its price and lack of features at the time. Apple would learn from its lessons and give the people what they want. No one out there guessed that the new base Studio Display would be nearly identical to the first version outside the upgraded webcam and still be sold at the same price of $1,599. Even worse, no one would have predicted that the the Studio Display XDR would be smaller and lower resolution than the original . It measures 27 inches instead of 32, and has a 5K resolution instead of 6K. For some people, it's going to be hard to accept a 27-inch version of this monitor, no matter what. For those people, I'd suggest you check out the LG Ultrafine 6K that I tested late last year. It's much cheaper, and even with a 60 Hz refresh rate, it'll scratch your itch for a large, supersharp premium monitor. Photograph: Luke Larsen Now that you've dealt with your disappointment, let's get to what makes the Studio Display XDR special. It's not the design, which is essentially identical to both the original base Studio Display and the new one. The complete flat screen is thick, but it's 1.3 inches versus 1.2 inches, so not noticeable versus the standard model. Apple stuffs a lot in, including active fans, the A19 Pro chip, a 12-megapixel 1080p webcam, three microphones, two Thunderbolt 5 ports (and two USB-C ports), and a six-speaker sound system. All of these features are not new, but are still unchallenged the world of monitors. The speakers sound particularly full, bassy, and balanced. They're so good, I was actually excited to listen to music on them. The main physical difference between the Studio Display and XDR model is the weight. The screen alone on the XDR model itself is two pounds heavier. Internally, the base Studio Display also uses the standard A19 versus the Pro chip, presumably to help with the image processing an real-time tone mapping needed for HDR. Photograph: Luke Larsen The XDR model also comes with the height-adjustable stand. It used to be an add-on for $1,000 and now comes standard. There's tons of height adjustment to find what's comfortable, and it can even get tall enough to fit an open MacBook Pro right beneath it, if that's your preferred setup. I was also reminded of how smooth the tilt on the stand feels to adjust. Most monitor stands (and even monitor arms) feel quite rigid. But also, no monitor that costs thousands of dollars should lack something as basic as height adjustment. HDR to the Max It all comes down to HDR, also known as High Dynamic Range . It's why this monitor exists. One of the problems with HDR, though, is it's hard to quantify and measure. You know it when you see it, most often on your TV or your phone. But to really stack up the Studio Display XDR against the competition, you need to understand how Apple approaches HDR—and explain why this monitor mostly likely needed to be 27 inches instead of 32 inches. The Studio Display XDR is an LED display with local dimming, much like the original Pro Display XDR. But the new model takes a dramatic step up in how many tiny lights are used to backlight the panel, also known