Studio Display Review - 6 Months Later

Review of the Apple Studio Display monitor after using one for 6 months, whether it's worth the cost, who should pick up this monitor, has the webcam improved enough, and why you should think twice about getting just the tilt adjustable model.

We'll also walk you through how good the display panel is compared to previous Apple displays like the 27" iMac, if the display is good for watching TV shows & movies, how the build quality has held up over the past 6 months, how the Studio Display mics sound compared to a set of Bluetooth headphones like the AirPods Max for video calls, if the Studio Display's webcam has improved enough over the past 6 months and why Apple's continuity camera feature might be the ideal fix for the Studio Display's webcam, how well the Studio Display works with a Windows PC, how to adjust the brightness of the Studio Display with a Windows PC, and why most people should purchase either the VESA version of the Studio Display or the Height and Tilt adjustable version of the display.

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0:00 - Intro
0:27 - Display quality
0:50 - Updates to display panel
1:24 - Good for watching TV & Movies?
1:59 - Design & Build Quality
2:47 - Height & Tilt Adjustments
3:05 - No power button?
3:38 - No power brick!
3:56 - Speaker & Mic Quality
4:33 - Mic quality test
5:08 - Webcam quality
5:52 - Continuity Camera feature
6:49 - Adjusting brightness with Windows PC issue
8:08 - Only one display input a miss?
8:40 - Who should get a Studio Display?
9:24 - When you shouldn't get a Studio Display
10:00 - Tilt stand vs. Tilt & Height Adjustable Stand
11:00 - Apple should just have one stand.


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#apple
#studiodisplay
#review
#monitor

[PeterbFree]

The issue with this display is the price. $200 less than the previous iMac, minus the entire cost of the computer, mouse, and keyboard. This is Apple showing its customers disrespect.

[BrettOHarris]

Wow, man… Just discovered your channel. I like the idea of "6 month later reviews" — and you do them exceptionally well. 👍

[marcopfeiffer]

Can all reviewers please stop recommending 4K displays for Mac OS?
Apples scaling can’t properly deal with it and either scale up a 1440p image or scale down a 5k image. There is no proper 150% scaling like in windows.
This results in 1440p screens looking much better than 4K monitors on macOS.

[tronam]

I had the 27” 5K iMac as well. Although similar I’ve definitely noticed improved contrast and deeper blacks with the Studio Display, so it’s clearly not the exact same panel. The speakers are amazing. I like the lack of detail with the FaceTime camera because it makes me look 20 years younger. ;)

[lxhon]

So, no real-world downsides for people who actually do work instead of playing. Thanks.

[Plymouthmusicschool]

I was against buying this for a while, saved up for a year and got a certified one refurbished. Using with M1 Mac mini, touch ID magic keyboard and insta 360 Webcam...amazing combo! no complaints its amazing

[theloniousMac]

Good job on this video. 

To me, the monitor is totally worth it. I tried lower resolution, lower PPI 4k monitors, but I am spoiled. The text usually looks big and fugly. I've become accustomed to the RETINA look. I need my 200+PPI. And brightness. Other monitors make me feel like I'm being gaslighted (original meaning) they are so dark. 600 nits, now we're talking. This monitor allows me to take off the reading glasses.I

like the fact that the images are sharp as heck as well. My primary use is coding, and I can flip that puppy vertically and see clean, sharp code from top to bottom. I like that it fits into the ecosystem and that I can control brightness and everything else from the settings pad. I like the extra USB-C ports. I don't need HDMI. For crying out loud, , it's 2023.

Present review excepted, there is this weird tendency for Youtubers to demand better than competitor's products from Apple, and turn around and whine about higher than competitor prices. It has gotten old. The "Should You Buy" and "Is it worth it" type videos. It would serve the audience more to simply report on the product's features, pros, and cons, and allow the audience to make up their highly capable minds. Flat-out saying that the monitor is too expensive needs to be changed to "It's too expensive for me."

I know that $6000 for a Pro XDR monitor is not justifiable, though I could eat beans and tuna for a year and purchase it. Saying that you're going to tell me if its worth it, well t hat's a bit insulting. Tell me how much it costs, and I'll let you know if it's worth it for me.

[BenBloodworth]

You can set a hot corner to turn the display off. Works like a charm!

[thewok]

Youre doing your reviews very well and your "Aluminum" Joke was awesome 😂

[sweealamak]

After comparing it to the Dell U2723QE, the Studio Display is actually fairly priced. At 5K, it has 77% more pixels than 4K, extrapolating that from Dell's price, you're left with just a $350 price difference. That $350 gets you an aluminium chassis, great speakers, a camera and colors that match your Macbook's display without having to get a separate calibrator. Plus the longevity of the 2017 iMac Pro implies that this display can easily last 6 years at least. If anyone is happy holding on to this for a long time, it checks out BUT there'll most probably be better displays coming to the market within the next few years with HDR and local dimming zones, that's why I am sitting on the fence on this one.

[raymonddsouza]

The other critical use case - one that applied to me, and convinced me to buy this monitor - is where you have a lot of light behind you at your desk, and need the completely non-reflective screen you get with the nano-texture option. No other monitor I have used is as good at eliminating reflections and glare as this one. I still need good colour and detail plus the ability to fit a lot of info on the screen with excellent resolution.

[cylack]

Unfortunately, MacOS does not upscale perfectly on 4K displays as MacOS is native to 5K. I am a longtime Mac user and fan, but the cynic in me feels this was done to entice people to buy Apple's expensive displays. There are tons of 4K displays out there that are fairly priced, but the only non-Apple 5K display is the LG, which is also very expensive.

[phreakii]

Dead pixels! Can Apple deny a return if it have dead pixels? At that bad ass price I think you can expect a none dead pixels monitor right?

[maf]

Josh -- You didn't mention scaling. My limited understanding is that MacOS doesn't play especially well with 27 inch monitors at 4K. Being able to use a monitor now and in the future without incurring a scaling-induced performance hit might be a factor for some folks.

[ziruxiao]

I love my studio display. It makes me want to work more.

[scottweaverphotovideo]

I'm more than happy with my 2020 27" iMac. The 5k display and 40 GB RAM are more than enuff for me, and I'm a pro photographer and videographer. One thing pro photogs DO NOT WANT is the color temperature of the monitor changing from how they have it deliberately set. We need a standard to view from that is consistent and un changing. So... Apple doesn't really understand what pro's need. As for the stand, the 2020 iMac does not have height adjustment... and I never have a need to change the monitor height. It's perfect as is. And of course I paid less for this 27" iMac than I would for only the Studio Display. I don't use a webcam and or make calls from my desktop. Thanks for your videos, they are always very informative.

[dazzer]

I took the plunge. I was disappointed with the price, especially as I was coming from a 27" iMac. For my use case, the only choice was the Mac Studio, so I was looking at £3, 500 minimum compared to the £1, 800 I paid for the iMac. When the M2 Pro mini came out, I then went for it. Kept the screen in the box for 2 weeks before deciding to open it as I considered sending it back for something cheaper. Glad I didn't. No regrets at all.

[jordanmiles]

You can plug the studio display into a iPad as well and display brightness…possibly even your phone

[seattledude]

I got to say, studio display beats most of the monitors under $1200 in terms of HDR video playing, if this matters to you. Here is why.

1) studio display natively support playing HDR video on Youtube or your local file, while for others, at least some LG monitors I owned which supports HDR, they need to manually switch to a HDR mode first, then when video looks good, the other things like your Windows or Mac system look weird
2) studio display has all screen 600 nits brightness, so technically this is the best you can get out of a HDR600 monitor. So Apple has already support it. It just doesn't say it.

So the only thing lacking here is showing the pure black picture, studio display has a backlight. But other monitors have it as well, unless it's OLED or mini LED. That can be more expensive for a monitor. I'm not talking about TV here.

[doompod]

Hard to justify the purchase if you own a 27" 5K iMac. I paid $2, 300 for my iMac and it came with a computer. I'm waiting for a mini-LED Studio Pro display...if that ever happens. THAT would be worth the price tag.