Forget the Apple Studio Display — here are 3 better-value monitors for Macs with similar visual quality | Tech Radar

Overview

Forget the Apple Studio Display — here are 3 better-value monitors for Macs with similar visual quality

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Details

Apple launched a new Studio Display monitor earlier this week

It has plenty of improvements but misses out on some features

You can get similar features at lower prices with these alternative screens

Apple released a suite of new monitors this week, and that includes a Studio Display that gets its first updates since 2022. But despite its new features and improvements, it falls short in a few areas. That means it might not be the right choice for you.

Thankfully, there are plenty of other options out there. Here, we’ve found three monitors that make great alternatives to Apple’s Studio Display.

Ben Q is well-known for making some of the best monitors around, and its new MA270S continues that trends with a range of features that match (and often exceed) what you get from Apple.

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For instance, it packs in the same 5K resolution, 27-inch frame and IPS LED backlighting. Its 70 Hz refresh rate is faster than the Studio Display’s 60 Hz and it supports HDR10, which Apple’s offering does not. There’s a Nano Gloss texture option, which is similar to Apple’s “nano-texture glass” and cuts out glare and reflections. And Ben Q’s MA270S clocks in at

That said, there are some drawbacks. The MA270S’s 450 nits of maximum brightness falls short of the Studio Display’s 600 nits, for instance. It also lacks Apple-specific features like True Tone, which dynamically adjusts the screen temperature based on your ambient lighting.

The Studio Display offers Thunderbolt 5 connectivity (Ben Q’s MA270S is limited to Thunderbolt 4) and a 12MP camera with Center Stage and Desk View built in. Finally, you’re unlikely to get anywhere near the audio experience as you’ll find on the six-speaker Studio Display, as the MA270S has only half the number of speakers.

Still, for $600 / £600 less, you might not mind those limitations. Considering the savings, it’s a strong option.

Asus is mostly known for its gaming products, but it also has a Pro Art line that is targeted towards the same creatives who might be interested in what Apple has to offer. The Pro Art Display PA27JCV, then, makes for an interesting alternative to the Studio Display.

You get a 27-inch screen, 60 Hz refresh rate, 5K resolution and an IPS LED backlit panel, just like the Studio Display. Asus’s monitor offers marginally less brightness (500 nits versus the Studio Display’s 600 nits) but supports HDR10 and is compatible with both the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces — the Studio Display only works with the former, while you’ll have to shell out for the $3,299 / £2,999 Studio Display XDR if you want Adobe RGB support from Apple.

Like the Ben Q MA270S, Asus’s screen has its share of downsides. There’s no front-facing camera, no True Tone equivalent and no Thunderbolt 5 (there’s no Thunderbolt support at all, in fact). Then again, it costs $799 / £649 (currently down from its usual £749), which is half the Studio Display’s asking price. That’s nothing to sniff at.

More Apple Studio Display 2 details are rumored, with two models tipped

At first look, you might think the INNOCN 40C1U is too good to be true. After all, it exceeds the Studio Display in a number of ways – its 40-inch ultrawide screen and 100 Hz refresh rate are far beyond what you get from Apple – yet it costs just $750 / £795, less than half of what Apple wants for the Studio Display.

The benefits don’t end there. In exchange for your money, you get a 5K resolution, Adobe RGB compatibility and much more ergonomic freedom (including height, tilt and swivel adjustments) than the Studio Display. It also offers AMD’s Free Sync Premium in case you want to dabble in a little gaming. All that led us to score it 4.5 stars in our review.

Of course, INNOCN has to make sacrifices somewhere. For one thing, the 40C1U doesn’t look anywhere near as nice as the Studio Display. For another, there’s no support for Thunderbolt or 10-bit colors and it lacks any kind of webcam. The maximum brightness of 400 nits is outdone by Apple’s 600 nits and its two speakers will be blown away by the six-speaker system in the Studio Display. But for $750 / £795 (note that INNOCN doesn't ship directly to the UK), it still brings plenty to the table.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as Tech Radar, Alex writes for i More, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at Mac Format magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

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Key Takeaways

• Forget the Apple Studio Display — here are 3 better-value monitors for Macs with similar visual quality

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Apple launched a new Studio Display monitor earlier this week

• It has plenty of improvements but misses out on some features

• You can get similar features at lower prices with these alternative screens