2 min readApple has added to its monitor family with the new Studio Display XDR, and on paper, it ticks all of the boxes. Like the standard Studio Display, it has a 5K resolution, which, as I explained in my review from a few years ago, gives you native display scaling when used with a Mac, for a sharper, clearer image.
On top of this, the Studio Display XDR addresses a couple of pain points that made the original Studio Display feel dated. The panel is now mini LED rather than LCD, allowing for HDR, and it supports refresh rates up to 120Hz when paired with recent Macs, rather than just 60Hz. This makes for a much more modern package, but it will set you back $5,499 in standard glass or $5,999 with nano-texture to reduce glare.
That pricing may be justified - 5K monitors are far from common, and no other 5K mini LED display has shipped in Australia yet. LG and MSI have announced their own alternatives, but neither has confirmed pricing or launch details. The Studio Display XDR is also far cheaper than the 32-inch 6K monitor it replaces, which cost around $10,000 when you added a stand. At the same time, $6,000 is the kind of money that gets you a maxed-out MacBook Pro or hell, even a Vision Pro.
Apple also has a cheaper-but-still-expensive second-generation Studio Display in its monitor family, priced at $2,599 for standard glass or $3,099. The new Studio Display uses a 5K LCD display like the old one, but has improved speakers and Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4.
