Apple seems to have stepped into the external display market with the new Studio Display, six years after discontinuing the Thunderbolt display. With the starting price of the display coming at $1,599, one should definitely take a look at it and see how it fares against the established titans in this market. Now, one needs to remember that although the Thunderbolt display had been officially canceled in 2016, the Apple-endorsed display did turn into the new LG UltraFine 27-inch 5k and 21.5-inch 4K models.
Apple Studio Display Drives A Hard Bargain
Before the Studio Display came into being, Apple had been making its own display with the Pro Display XDR which began in 2019 and brought with itself lots of excitement. What was a major damper was the price tag of $5,000+ which did turn away quite a few dedicated customers. Now, the LG UltraFine does check quite a number of boxes like the single-cable connectivity, 4 and 5K screen resolutions, P3 wide color, and others. But most customers have disliked the plastic design of the gadget- with the overall build beneath the standards of Apple.
One of the biggest advantages that the new Studio Display has, is that with a starting price tag of just $300 more than the UltraFine 5K and a few appealing features of the Pro Display XDR, the new display from Apple justifies its price range. Currently, the compelling device comes at a price of $1,599- $2,299 range. But sure, for those who have a budget constraint, they could buy a couple of LG UltraFine 4K displays- which have a price of $700.
The Studio Display also comes with a slightly brighter 5K panel than its LG version. For those who have been looking for trade-offs compared to the Pro Display XDR, there will be no HDR support.