Apple is getting serious with its displays. It already had the Pro Display XDR, but it had room in its lineup for something a bit cheaper. When the company announcing both its new M1 Ultra desktop chip and the Mac Studio it powers, there was the opportunity for a new monitor. Enter the Studio Display, which you can order from Apple starting today for a base price of $1,599.
We all love our Ks, right? The more Ks, the better. While the Studio Display’s got Apple’s crowd pleasing retina display technology, it’s also firing across the bows of most other premium displays with a 5K screen that supports up to 14.7 million pixels at one time. There’s no word on refresh rate yet, but all of those Ks come packed into a svelte 27 inch all-aluminum body. We’ll also have to test the display ourselves to be sure, but Apple’s claiming 600 nits of max brightness and up to 1 billion colors on the screen at one time.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Apple without bonuses to throw on top of that fidelity. On top of standard features like VESA mount compatibility, the Studio Display comes with a built-in A13 Bionic Chip, which powers the monitor’s 12MP ultrawide camera and allows it to use the same Center Stage tech that Apple’s laptops and tablets use. Think of Center Stage like Nvidia Broadcast, in that it moves your camera’s focus to try to intelligently keep you in its center. There’s also a three-mic array to go with that camera.
There are also three USB-C ports and a single Thunderbolt 4 port here, with the latter able to pass on up to 96W of power to any compatible device. Six speakers also come with the device, which also hint towards its macOS integration, as they’ll be able to work with Apple’s virtual Spatial Audio technology.
Getting away from the screen’s featureset, the build’s also as premium as you’d expect from that price point. By default, it comes with an all-aluminium stand that can tilt up to 30 degrees, and you can also add an arm to that stand to allow you to adjust height as well. A nano-texture glass option that reduces screen glare is also available.
Adding nano-texture glass to your purchase will add $300 to the price, while the combination tilt-and-height-adjustable stand will up your price by $400. With prices like that, we’d expect this to mostly be aimed towards A/V professionals and enterprise customers, but with the Mac Studio costing as much as it does, there’s something to be said for “if you’re in for a penny, you’re in for a pound.” At least, that’s what Apple’s closed-garden release history implies.
You can order the Studio Display from Apple’s store starting today, and it’ll begin shipping out on March 18.
