Studio Display XDR vs Pro Display XDR
| Studio Display XDR | Pro Display XDR | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen diagonal | 69 cm | 81 cm (+17%) |
| Resolution | 5,120 ⨉ 2,880 | 6,016 ⨉ 3,384 |
| Pixel count | 14,745,600 | 20,358,144 (+38%) |
| Backlight zones | 2,304 (+300%) | 576 |
| Pixel density | 218 | 218 |
| Contrast ratio | 1,000,000 : 1 | 1,000,000 : 1 |
| Peak sustained brightness | 2,000 (≤25℃) (+25%) | 1,600 (≤ 25℃) |
| Display P3 coverage | ? | 98.7% |
| Adobe RGB coverage | ? | 96.7% |
| sRGB coverage | ? | 94.3% |
| Refresh rate | 47 – 120 Hz | 47.95 – 60.00 Hz |
| USB Power Delivery | 140W (+46%) | 96W |
| Connectivity | Thunderbolt 5 (1 up, 1 down) + 2 USB-C (10 Gb/s) | Thunderbolt 3 (1 up) + 3 USB-C (5 Gb/s1) |
| Dimensions (excluding stand) | 36.2 ⨉ 62.3 ⨉ 3.3 cm | 41.2 ⨉ 71.8 ⨉ 2.7 cm |
| Volume (excluding stand) | 7,442 cm³ | 7,987 cm³ (+7%) |
| Weight w/ stand | 8.5 kg | 11.8 kg (+39%) |
| Weight w/o stand | 6.3 kg | 7.48 kg (+19%) |
| Price w/o stand | $3,299 $2,899 US | $4,999 US (+52% +72%) |
| Price w/o stand w/ nano texture | $3,599 $3,199 US | $5,999 US (+67% +88%) |
All in all… meh.
28% fewer pixels for 34% 42% fewer dollars (47% if you’re talking nano-textured) – so technically better value, if you don’t really care about screen real-estate. But that extra real estate is really valuable, and Apple have now apparently ceded the large display market to… well, mostly the tumbleweeds. Sure, there’s technically other 6k displays, like the LG, the Dell, or the Asus, but while they have some advantages – less than half the price, most notably – they have real big disadvantages – like low brightness and poor contrast ratios.
4⨉ the backlight zones is a significant improvement, I’ll grant Apple that. But it doesn’t eliminate the blooming that was problematic with the Pro Display XDR, merely reduces it. In an era of OLED displays – hell, my old LG TV from nearly a decade ago has an OLED display; this ain’t new technology – a brand new, ostensibly-high-end “studio” display still running on LED backlighting is just sad.
The extra brightness of the Studio Display XDR is merely nice – an extra 25% isn’t a big difference (certainly nothing like the +200% or so in going from a competing 6k display to the Apple Pro…