Apple studio display review; Disappointment in the context of quality

Apple fans have been waiting for years for the release of Apple’s new separate 5K display, the Display Studio. The company first introduced its 27-inch 5K display in 2014, a display that was far ahead of the competition. In fact, the monitor at that time not only displayed extraordinary visual quality, but was a complete computer in itself.

Apple also unveiled the Sutdio Display studio during the Peek Performance event along with the new Mac Studio. A new 27-inch 5K display, equipped with the same company A13 chip. Although this display still follows the same pattern as Apple’s 2014 display, it is not 2014 now and the situation has changed a lot.

As such, unfortunately, Display Studio is not able to satisfy users as we expected. First of all, this frustrating display appears. Aside from the 2020 Pro Dysley XDR, which was priced at $ 4,999 for professionals and content creators only, the $ 1599 lower display studio is specifically designed and built for more users.

Of course, the price is still high, but apart from this display, the only option for users to get a 5K display is the old LG Ultra Fine 5K model, which is priced at $ 1299. On this account, Apple still has the upper hand.

Design and appearance

This display promises high audio and video compatibility. Six speakers, three microphones, a 12-megapixel camera, and an Apple A13 bionic chip are just what we’ve seen before on the same iPad.

At least on paper, with its 5K resolution, it displays Mac OS with spectacular quality and uses the same webcam that stands out in the iOS world. In fact, given the embarrassing history of Macs’ webcams, this might even be an improvement!

The base model of this device, as we mentioned, is priced at $ 1599 and the model equipped with nano-textured matte glass is priced at $ 1899. Both models are equipped with normal (non-adjustable) stands. If you want to adjust the height and angle of your studio display, you have to pay $ 400 more just for the official Apple Adjustable Stand.

Alternatively, you can use a VESA stand instead of a regular stand, which does not require extra payment at the time of purchase. Some confusion and other such problems regarding Apple displays lead us to the conclusion that the company continues to operate entirely on another planet!

When it comes to screens, Apple generally puts the finishing touches on its devices, and Studio Display is no exception to this rule, and given its nature, it can not be! We mean clearly; Dipsley Studio has a high display quality, its brightness is admirable and everything can be seen clearly. If you’ve ever seen a 5K iMac display up close, you know what level of visual quality Apple displays.

Panel performance and efficiency

The display studio uses a 27-inch panel with a resolution of 2880 x 5120, just like the screen. This means 218 pixels per inch, a 60Hz refresh rate and a single-area LED flash. The only difference between the display panel and the 5K Imec model is the maximum brightness of 600 nits compared to its 500 nits brightness. However, you probably will not notice this slight difference.

The visual quality of this display does not leave much to be desired, except that $ 1599 is still a lot of money. In fact, by paying this money, you are creating a display that does not use the latest technologies. Compared to the technology used in other displays on Macs, iPhones and iPads, Studio Display lags far behind. It may be hard to believe, but there are currently $ 379 worth of TVs on the market that use newer technologies.

For example, let’s start with backlight. All in all, the best modern monitors display very deep and real blacks by turning off the lighting completely. There are several ways to do this, and Apple itself uses a variety of methods to produce true black on its devices. OLED displays on iPhones, advanced local dimming on the Pro XDR display, and backlighting on the mini-LED technology used in the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro are examples of these methods.

Display Studio is not equipped with any of these technologies. In this product, the same old LED backlights are used to illuminate all parts of the panel. As a result, the darkest blacks are no more than gray. In normal use, such a thing will not be a problem and it seems good enough.

Users are aware that LCD screens have been satisfying us for a long time, but if you watch a movie in a dark room, you will notice gray areas; The parts that should have looked black! This is where eye problems turn to the $ 379 TVs on the market with local low-light technology to display true blacks.

Display Studio also does not support HDR technology. An all-SDR display in front of you. Apple’s iPhones, iPads, and Macs all support HDR, but the product, which is essentially a display, does not support this crucial visual feature, which leaves much to be desired. Even in terms of software, there is no HDR, and the 600-nit display studio remains a world of despair. As you know, HDR requires local camouflage, which we just explained is missing on this display.

Refresh rate? Another disappointment. The iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Pro and MacBook Pro have high refresh rates, but Apple has set the lowest refresh rate for modern products at Studio Display: 60Hz. These products also use ProMotion technology to deliver variable refresh rates. This $ 1,600 monitor lacks all of these. You might be more and more disappointed to say that many third-party displays on the market support HDR even on Mac OS.

Display Studio has been produced with the sole purpose of providing 5K resolution, and that’s it. Many users care about this, but more than that, there are important technologies that improve the user experience. If 5K is not your only concern when buying a monitor, OLED products are available in the market with high refresh rates as well as high acceptable resolution.

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Audio, camera and processor

Apparently, Apple is also very proud of the speakers, microphones and webcams used in Display Studio. To power this monitor, an A13 bionic processor has been used, which we have seen before in the iPhone 11. This processor is responsible for controlling the audio output as well as shooting with a 12-megapixel f / 2.4 camera. In theory, this camera has the same quality as the selfie lens of the iPhone and iPad.

3 microphones and 6 speakers are other things that Apple can use to justify its $ 1,600 display price. 4 woofers and 2 tweets are used in this audio system to make the minimum visual experience acceptable and also support Spatial Audio. Let’s start with the strengths of these systems. The microphone is accurate and the sound output is considered reasonable.

You can remove all unwanted sounds using the 3 microphones on the display body. In voice and video calls, this is probably your best voice experience in a product. Not only does the sound play well, but the other party just gets your voice. The only reason you might need separate accessories for recording audio is to prepare a podcast or play music for a large audience.

The speakers really have a very loud and clear sound output. If you play an Atmos audio track, you will find that Apple Spatial Audio really works without the need for an all-in-one audio system. After playing such sounds from these monitors, you feel like you are in a 3D environment. With a bit of exaggeration, this is not only the best audio system used in a monitor, but also the best default audio system of a device to date.

Now the weaknesses: webcams, webcams and again webcams. Apple has proven time and time again that it is very good at making 12-megapixel cameras thanks to the A-series chips. Unfortunately, this is not the case this time around, and one of the worst cameras in the history of the company is Studio Display.

This webcam is of low quality in good light and in real light, it becomes a real disaster. The images on this webcam are full of noise and usually without detail in any case. When using FaceTime, Zoom, QuickTime, and any other app that uses the front-facing camera, Display Studio will disappoint you a few times. Turning on portrait mode also does not improve.

In a statement to the source of the same review, Apple claimed that there was a software problem with the display studio and that it was trying to improve the quality of the camera in the future. Currently, the studio camera is not acceptable.

Display Studio comes with a Thunderbolt 4 cable. This cable is able to transfer 96 watts of energy to a laptop; The rate at which a 16-inch MacBook Pro charges. In addition, there are 3 USB-C ports on the display studio. Such ports increase the accessibility of this monitor.

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Conclusion

It’s very rare for an Apple product to end in disaster, but accept it or not, Apple Display Studio is in such a bad situation right now. If Studio Display Webcam shows the same quality level of iPhone or iPad in the future due to software updates, part of the story will change.

But the main problem is the lack of HDR support, dynamic refresh rate, high refresh rate, local dimming and.. That way, when you buy this monitor, you will see a 5K display with minimal functionality and a weak webcam in front of you. On the other hand, the audio system and support for multiple ports are some of the positive features of this display. If 5K resolution does not deceive you, this display is one of the worst options on the market.