I'm really enjoying the Apple Studio monitor
I'm really enjoying the Apple Studio monitor.
✅ Excellent build quality. The clean metal build looks fantastic.
✅ Text is wonderfully crisp.
✅ It’s VERY bright - It can get even brighter than my M1 MacBook Pro’s screen.
✅ The 2560x1440 5K resolution is the perfect amount of real estate to me. (I've found ultra-wide monitors are too big for me - too much cursor and head movement, and too much time futzing with window positions)
✅ In rare cases where I want a 2nd monitor, I open my laptop lid and the Studio display is a perfect match next to my MacBook Pro laptop screen. They’re equally bright, crisp, and color matched.
✅ I can adjust the studio display’s brightness via my keyboard.
✅ I use a separate SLR and speaker system, but the built in speakers and webcam are surprisingly impressive.
✅ It wakes immediately and reliably when I hit a key or touch my trackpad.
✅ Unlike third party displays, it honors "night shift" color changes even when my laptop is closed.
✅ The built-in Thunderbolt hub is reliable and slick. I had a separate Thunderbolt hub, but now I have everything plugged directly into the monitor:
- Sony A6400 SLR connected via a Camlink 4K.
- Shure SM7B mic connected to Audient ID4 USB-C audio interface
- Small USB-C dongle with ethernet and USB-A for keyboard and mouse
Downsides:
🚩 It's only 60hz. I'm coding, so not a big deal to me.
🚩 I wish the bezels were as small as my MacBook's.
🚩 The VESA mount works great, but I wish I could easily switch to a stand when I eventually sell it.
🚩 It's expensive. But I look at it for hours every day, so it feels worth the money. My philosophy: Spend your money where you spend your time.
Here's my new setup.
Here's the Vesa mount and the Thunderbolt dock - I'm using all the ports.
