Apple's new 27-inch Studio Display XDR is its best monitor yet, offering an exceptionally bright and gorgeous 5K screen aimed at Mac-wielding content creators. Priced from £2,599 (€3,099/$2,899/A$4,799), it sits above the standard £1,499 Studio Display and is £2,000 cheaper than the 2019 Apple Pro Display XDR it replaces.
The display features a 27-inch 5K IPS LCD screen with a miniLED backlight boasting 2,304 dimming zones. It sustains 1,000 nits for everyday content and peaks at 2,000 nits for HDR, making it ideal for bright environments and HDR content creation. The nano-texture coating option effectively diffuses glare.
Unusual for a professional monitor, it includes six speakers, three microphones, and a 12MP webcam with Centre Stage and Desk View. It also has a built-in hub with two Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports, capable of charging a laptop up to 140W. The A19 Pro chip powers these features, with inaudible fans for cooling.
The screen is factory-calibrated for colour accuracy, covering P3 and Adobe RGB gamuts, and supports custom calibrations and various colour reference modes. True Tone and auto-brightness can be disabled for colour-critical work. The adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz ensures smooth scrolling, and it can lock to specific frequencies.
The Studio Display XDR works with most modern Macs and iPads with M-series chips, but Macs require an M4 chip or better for 120Hz. It can be daisy-chained via Thunderbolt and also works with some PCs with Thunderbolt 4 or 5 and DisplayPort Alt mode, though support is not guaranteed.
