Apple just re-entered the mainstream monitor space with the Studio Display, a 27-inch, 5K monitor meant for creative professionals with smaller budgets than those who can afford Apple’s top option.
Up until today, the only monitor Apple sold was the Pro Studio XDR, a 32-inch, 6K display that started at $9,999 before you added the $1,699 stand. It’s made for big Hollywood production teams, and, erm, Hollywood money. Announced at its ‘Peek performance’ event, the $2,499 Studio Display, while not a budget monitor, makes sense as a companion to a MacBook Pro or the new Mac Studio desktop.
Digging into the specs, the Studio Display has a 27-inch, 5K Retina display capable of reaching 600 nits of brightness and offers P3 colour gamut support. It also comes with True Tone, which changes the white balance based on your environment. Sorry, no mini-LED here, but remember, Apple is trying to keep the price down.
The display has all of the outputs you need for video conferencing, listening to music, or connecting peripherals. That includes a six-speaker sound system (consisting of four woofers and two tweeners) with Spatial Audio, “studio-quality” mics, three USB-C ports, a Thunderbolt 4 with 96W passthrough charging, and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle webcam with Centre Stage.
This monitor comes with a stand that tilts and is height adjustable, or you can attach the monitor to a VESA mount (portrait and landscape mode are supported). Apple says you can connect up to three Studio Displays to your MacBook Pro to create a full 3D animation studio.
The Studio Display costs $2,499. The monitor is available today for pre-order and will ship on March 18.