(Credit: Apple)
Apple is no stranger to top-end monitors designed for content creators, filmmakers, and other professional designers. Its Studio Display and Pro Display XDR models are among the best on the market, but Apple is now introducing successors to both.
The new Studio Display is a refreshed version of the 2022 model of the same name, while the Studio Display XDR replaces the Pro Display XDR, a mainstay in PCMag's guide to the best computer monitors since its 2020 release.
The XDR model is the “world’s best Pro display," according to Apple, with 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness and up to 1,000 nits at SDR. It features a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display with a 5,120-by-2,880 resolution, for a pixel density of 218 pixels per inch.
There’s also support for P3 and Adobe RGB wide color gamut, a 120Hz refresh rate with Adaptive Sync, and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. “This wide dynamic range — from the brightest brights to the deepest blacks — makes HDR content pop off the screen while virtually eliminating distracting halo and blooming effects," Apple says.
The newer Studio Display model, without XDR in the name, also sports a 27-inch 5K Retina display with a 5,120-by-2,880 resolution and 218 pixels per inch. The brightness is lower at up to 600 nits, and the refresh rate is locked to 60Hz.
Both models come with a new 12MP webcam with the brand’s Center Stage tech, using software to keep you in the middle of the frame as you move around. There's also a new six-speaker sound system with support for Spatial Audio, and what Apple calls a "studio-quality" three-mic array.
There’s also Thunderbolt 5 connectivity for the first time, offering an additional connectivity option via two ports with speeds up to 120Gb/s. Both models have two USB-C ports, and each comes with a Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable included in the box, which Apple normally sells for $69.
Both feature a tilt-adjustable stand, and the Studio Display XDR also lets you adjust height.
Preorders for both begin Wednesday, March 4; they launch on March 11. The Studio Display costs $1,599, matching the price for the last-gen model, while the Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299 and jumps to $3,599 if you want nano-texture glass.
This is one of Apple's latest announcements during its week of March reveals. We've also seen the introduction of a new MacBook Air with an M5 chip, as well as new MacBook Pro models powered by M5 Pro and M5 Max.
That joins yesterday's announcements of the iPhone 17e and an iPad Air powered by the M4. If you're looking to follow along with the brand's latest announcements, read PCMag's live blog of everything Apple reveals this week.