Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#131

Post by archagon » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:41 PM UTC

klardotsh wrote: post #120

strongpigeon wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My M3 Pro is on the list as supporting 120 hz Can you point me to said list? All I could find was: > Mac models with M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, and M3 support Studio Display XDR at up to 60Hz. All other Studio Display XDR features are supported. And The Verge reports: > There’s also support for adaptive sync that can adjust between 47Hz and 120Hz (if it’s connected to an M4 Mac or later, or the M5 iPad Pro)…

I’ll give you an anecdote: my work laptop is an M3 Pro MBP, and my Dell U4025QW works just fine with it over Thunderbolt at 120Hz VRR

It’s quite possible this is running with a reduced color space (chroma subsampling). Degradation happens automatically based on available throughput and most people don’t notice.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#132

Post by jen20 » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:46 PM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #72

densh wrote: post #13

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation St…

I bought that original 5k iMac on release day in 2014. I was thrilled with that display, and stoked to see the entire display industry go the route of true quadruple-resolution just like smartphone displays did. Sadly, it basically never happened. There was the LG display that came out a couple of years later. It didn't have great reviews, and it was like two thirds the cost of an entire 5k iMac. It took Apple over 7…

The LG UltraFine's were garbage, but got better over time as either the firmware improved or macOS added drivers that worked around the nonsense. For a while I ran with two of them on an iMac Pro with a 5K itself, but switched to a single Pro Display XDR with a laptop eventually. I'm very sad to see the 6K/32" form disappear, it's by far the best screen I've ever used.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#133

Post by archagon » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:46 PM UTC

Curious to see if the XDR works at 120Hz on Windows; and if so, if there’s a KVM switch that would work with it.

Probably not worth the hassle, but I wish there was literally any other display manufacturer out there with premium build quality.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#134

Post by jryio » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:53 PM UTC

thiagoperes wrote: post #4

I got the Kuycon G32P and it’s an incredible alternative. 32in + 6K for less than 2k$ Also works great with other sources like an Xbox I used a Pro Display XDR as my daily driver at work and the difference is minimal

I own this as well and while I appreciably the levelized cost, there is simply zero comparison to my gen 1 Studio Display. The gloss and shin on the Kuycon means it only works in dimmly lit rooms.

Nano texture in mixed lighting scenarios is worth every penny even on a lower resolution and lower refresh rate panel.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#135

Post by recursive » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:54 PM UTC

densh wrote: post #13

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation St…

Does gloss mean reflective? Like where I can see the room lights reflecting off my screen. I never considered the possibility that someone might consider that a good thing.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#136

Post by ItsHarper » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:55 PM UTC

hatsix wrote: post #127

densh wrote: post #13

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation St…

Personally, I can't handle glossy displays, trying to read with reflections gives me a headache. Most other manufacturers offer both glossy and matte, except for Apple, because they know better.

The nano-texture matte finish is available as an option

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#137

Post by whalesalad » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:55 PM UTC

recursive wrote: post #135

densh wrote: post #13

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation St…

Does gloss mean reflective? Like where I can see the room lights reflecting off my screen. I never considered the possibility that someone might consider that a good thing.

In an environment with little to no reflections, gloss looks so much better. It becomes truly transparent with no distraction. Matte displays always have a little frost to them.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#138

Post by data-ottawa » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

I was hoping for OLED or dual-OLED based monitors, especially for this price point but I’d want this slightly lower than the XDR price. Sequoia+Tahoe seems like they’ve been laying the groundwork for OLED macs — removing the menu bar background and making text dynamically change colour, moving/cycling backgrounds, liquid glass reducing the effect of static UI elements, etc.

I personally wouldn’t buy a new LCD based display anymore at this price. There are flaws inherent to the technology that affect all of my recent Apple displays (Studio Display, M1 Pro iPad, M1 Pro MPB, M4 Pro MPB). After using OLED TVs and OLED iPhones for years, it’s very difficult to look past LCD’s issues (edge yellowing+dimming specifically affects all my Apple screens more than I am happy with).

There are no reviews/studies on long-term aging of Apple’s LCD displays, so all of this should be taken with a grain of salt, maybe my devices are just unlucky.

I don’t know if the Pro XDR line is better or how that would carry over to the Studio XDR. I haven’t seen many complains about the Pro XDR, but the Studio Display form factor has a different cooling design which would affect longevity.

I will say I can never go back from retina resolution text, and that alone has made the experience of Studio Display good. If we could get OLED it would be perfection. I think I would have to see the XDR in practice to be convinced, but 120hz requiring a whole new computer does make it a non-starter for me.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#139

Post by recursive » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC

whalesalad wrote: post #137

recursive wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does gloss mean reflective? Like where I can see the room lights reflecting off my screen. I never considered the possibility that someone might consider that a good thing.

In an environment with little to no reflections, gloss looks so much better. It becomes truly transparent with no distraction. Matte displays always have a little frost to them.

If you do most of your computing in a prepared or controlled room, I can see the logic in that, although I think I'm not personally nearly sensitive enough to care.

For me though, I am frequently working in different rooms with arbitrary lighting situations. Net effect of the gloss is negative for me unquestionably.

Re: Apple Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

#140

Post by bsimpson » Tue, Mar 03, 2026, 7:01 PM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #72

densh wrote: post #13

I might be the only one, but it's still to this date (and dating all the way back to 2014 with the first iMac 5k display) Apple is the only company that truly gets HIDPI desktop displays with high quality gloss and 200+ ppi at screen this large. In the meantime popular and widely sold gaming screens with matte blur filters and mediocre ppi give me headache and eye fatigue after a few hours of use. Prior generation St…

I bought that original 5k iMac on release day in 2014. I was thrilled with that display, and stoked to see the entire display industry go the route of true quadruple-resolution just like smartphone displays did. Sadly, it basically never happened. There was the LG display that came out a couple of years later. It didn't have great reviews, and it was like two thirds the cost of an entire 5k iMac. It took Apple over 7…

The iMac Pro is nearly 9 years old at this point. At the time, there was no other option for a retina-quality 27" display, but you could get a 4k 27" for $400.

A decade later, it boggles my mind that it's so hard to find a retina-class desktop monitor. The successor to the Cinema Display is basically an iMac, and priced like it. There have very recently been releases from ASUS and BenQ, but it still feels like an underserved niche, rather than standard expectation.

All that is to say: hard cosign.