Apple Studio Display

This article is about the display released in 2022. For the previous displays using this name, see Apple Studio Display (1998–2004).

The Apple Studio Display (marketed as Studio Display) is a 27-inch flat panel computer monitor developed and sold by Apple Inc.^[1] It was announced on March 8, 2022, alongside the Mac Studio desktop, and was released on March 18, 2022. It is Apple's consumer display, sitting below its Pro Display XDR intended for professional users.

Apple Studio Display

Developer	Apple Inc.
Type	Computer monitor
Release date	March 18, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-18)
Introductory price	$1599 (standard glass) $1899 (nano-texture glass)
Operating system	Studio Display firmware (iOS 17 distribution)
System on a chip	Apple A13 Bionic
Storage	64 GB NAND Flash memory
Current firmware	Studio Display Firmware 17
Predecessor	LG UltraFine (Apple-endorsed third party) Apple Thunderbolt Display (Apple-branded)
Related	Pro Display XDR
Website	Official website

Overview

The Studio Display is the first Apple-branded consumer display released since the Apple Thunderbolt Display was discontinued in 2016.^[2] In the interim, Apple worked with LG to design the Thunderbolt 3-enabled UltraFine line, consisting of 21.5-inch (later revised to 24-inch) 4K and 27-inch 5K displays.^[3]

The Studio Display features a 27-inch, 5K LED-backlit panel, with 5120×2880 resolution at 218 pixels per inch and 600 nits of brightness, an increase from the 500 nits panel used in the LG UltraFine and 27-inch iMac.^[4][5] The panel also supports P3 wide color and True Tone technology.^[6] It does not support HDR content.^[7] It also includes a six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers that support spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, and a three-microphone array that supports "Hey Siri".^[8] On the rear of the display is a Thunderbolt 3 port that supports DisplayPort 1.4 with Display Stream Compression (DSC) 1.2 and provides up to 96 W of host charging for connected laptops, and three downstream 10 Gbit/s USB-C ports.

The Studio Display includes an Apple A13 Bionic system-on-a-chip, which was introduced with the iPhone 11 line, to power audio and webcam processing. The built-in webcam supports Center Stage, introduced with the iPad Pro (5th generation), which pinpoints the positions of the users and automatically tracks the camera view accordingly to perspectively center them.^[9] The A13 chip is paired with 64 GB of internal storage but only uses 2 GB at a time.^[10]

The Studio Display comes in three mounting option configurations: a tilt-adjustable stand, a tilt- and height-adjustable stand similar to the Pro Display XDR, and a VESA mount. The mounts are built into the display and are not user interchangeable, but can be reconfigured by an Apple Store or authorized service provider after purchase.^[11][12] Like the Pro Display XDR, it can also be configured with the optional laser-etched "nano-texture" glass finish to reduce glare.

The Studio Display has a 1.8 m (6 ft) proprietary power cable, which requires a special tool to separate from the display.^[13] The display comes with a braided 1 m (3 ft) Thunderbolt 3 cable, and longer braided Thunderbolt 4 Pro cables in lengths of 1.8 m (6 ft) and 3 m (10 ft) are available separately.

Compatibility

The Studio Display is compatible with all Macs with Thunderbolt 3 or newer running macOS Monterey 12.3 and later:

• MacBook Pro (2016 or later)
• MacBook Air (2018 or later)
• Mac Mini (2018 or later)
• iMac (2017 or later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (2019 or later)
• Mac Studio (2022 or later)

The Studio Display works with other systems supporting DisplayPort, including Windows-based systems, but only supported Macs have access to features beyond display, speakers and webcam.^[14] Intel Macs running Windows via Boot Camp are supported with version 6.1.17.^[15]

It is also compatible with the following iPads running iPadOS 15.4 and later:

• iPad Pro (3rd generation or later)
• iPad Air (5th generation or later)

Technical specifications

		Studio Display[6]
Timetable	Announced	March 8, 2022
	Released	March 18, 2022
	Discontinued	Still in production
	Unsupported	Still supported
Model number(s)		MK0U3[16]
Video	Display	27 inches, TFT IPS active-matrix LCD, glossy glass or nano-texture glass covered screen, 5K (5120×2880) resolution, LED, True Tone technology
	Aspect ratio	16:9 (widescreen)
	Pixel density	218 pixels per inch
	Refresh rate	47.95 Hz (48000/1001), 48.00 Hz, 50.00 Hz, 59.94 Hz (60000/1001), 60.00 Hz
	Colors	P3 wide color gamut, 10-bit depth for 1.073 billion colors (8-bit panel that utilizes temporal dithering (FRC))
	Contrast Ratio	970:1[17]
	Brightness	600 nits
System-on-a-chip		Apple A13 Bionic
Input/Output	Camera	12MP Ultra Wide camera with 122° field of view supporting Center Stage
	Speakers	High-fidelity six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers supporting spatial audio and Dolby Atmos
	Microphone	Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming and support for "Hey Siri"
Power input		100-240 V AC @ 50–60 Hz
Material		Aluminium frame and glass front
Connections	Cables	AC power cord
	Peripheral connections	3× powered USB-C (10 Gbit/s) ports for peripheral devices 1× 96 W powered Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port
Mounting options		Tilt-adjustable stand	Tilt-adjustable and height-adjustable stand	VESATooltip Video Electronics Standards Association Mount Adapter
Dimensions	Height	18.8 in (47.9 cm)	23.0 in (58.3 cm) – 18.8 in (47.9 cm)	14.3 in
	Width × Depth	24.5 in (62.3 cm) × 1.2 in (3.1 cm)
Weight		13.9 lb. (6.3 kg)	16.9 lb. (7.7 kg)	12.1 lb. (5.5 kg)

Reception

The Verge praised the Studio Display's macOS integration and sound and microphone quality, but criticized the webcam quality, lack of customizable mounting options, and lack of variable refresh rates, local dimming and HDR, saying it includes "panel tech that is woefully behind the curve".^[18] ZDNET praised the display's design, build quality, and color accuracy, but criticized its usability outside of an Apple ecosystem.^[19]

See also

• Apple displays
  • Apple Studio Display (1998–2004)
  • Apple Cinema Display (1999–2011)
  • Apple Thunderbolt Display (2011–2016)
  • Pro Display XDR (2019–present)

References

1. Axon, Samuel; Gaskin, Corey (March 8, 2022). "At long last: Apple will sell a desktop monitor that doesn't cost $5,000". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
2. "Apple announces the 27-inch 5K Studio Display for Mac Studio". Engadget. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
3. "Apple Stops Selling 27-Inch LG UltraFine 5K Display". MacRumors. March 11, 2022. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
4. Wilson, Mark (March 9, 2022). "Apple's Studio Display is overkill for photo editing, but I still really want one". TechRadar. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
5. Welch, Chris (March 8, 2022). "Apple announces 27-inch 5K Studio Display for $1,599". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
6. "Studio Display – Technical Specifications". Apple. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
7. "4 big problems with Apple's brand-new Studio Display". Digital Trends. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
8. Espósito, Filipe (March 9, 2022). "Apple Studio Display tidbits: 'Hey Siri' for connected Mac, A13 handling, Center Stage onboarding, more". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
9. Welch, Chris (March 9, 2022). "Here's why Apple put a powerful iPhone chip in its new Studio Display". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
10. "Apple Studio Display Contains 64GB of Storage, But Only 2GB Used". MacRumors. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
11. "Apple Stores Can Upgrade a Studio Display's Stand After Purchase". MacRumors. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
12. "PSA: Studio Display Stands Are Not Interchangeable". MacRumors. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
13. "Apple Studio Display's power cable is removable, but it requires a special tool". 9 to 5 Mac. March 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
14. "Apple Confirms Studio Display Will Work With PCs, But With Some Caveats". MacRumors. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
15. Espósito, Filipe (March 19, 2022). "Apple updates Boot Camp with Studio Display drivers for Windows users". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
16. "Apple Studio Display 27-Inch (Retina 5K) Specs (Studio Display 5K, MK0U3LL/A*, A2525): EveryMac.com". everymac.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022.
17. "Apple Studio Display". PCMag UK. April 24, 2022. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
18. Patel, Nilay (March 17, 2022). "Apple Studio Display review: nothing to see here". The Verge. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
19. "Apple Studio Display review: You'll need creative reasons to buy one". ZDNET. Retrieved March 26, 2024.

External links

• Apple Studio Display – official site