The Ben Q MA270S breaks Apple’s monitor monopoly | Tech Radar

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A Mac Book-friendly monitor that’s much cheaper than Apple’s own and can equal it for quality

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The Ben Q MA270S is a 27-inch monitor that’s tailored for Apple. You don’t have to fiddle with settings to make it match the Mac Book display — it just works. Its colors and contrast are very good but (like Apple’s own monitors) its glossy coating can still get reflective and it’s not very fast for gaming.

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With Microsoft seemingly intent on turning Windows into malware, Macs are increasingly appealing. But while the Apple tax is increasingly diminishing in the consumer laptop space, it’s rife when it comes to compatible monitors.

PC-focused alternatives have different colors, pixel densities and features that rarely play well with Macs, meaning users frequently fight losing battles matching what they see on their Mac Book screen with a third-party monitor. But Ben Q has taken note.

There are several models in Ben Q’s new specialist Mac range. Most have 4K resolutions, are 27 or 32 inches in size, have 60 Hz refresh rates and offer glossy or matte finishes.

There are two outliers: the 120 Hz MA320UG and this, the glossy, 5K-resolution MA270S.

Setup is simple, with the clip-on stem affixing to the base with a single thumbscrew. There’s a generous amount of adjustment (including 150mm (5.9in) height and 90° bi-directional pivot) which, unlike Apple, Ben Q doesn’t charge extra for.

There’s also an un Apple-like plethora of ports including two HDMI, two Thunderbolt 4 and four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (two USB-C and two USB-A), with up to 96 watts of USB-C power delivery — so one cable can connect and charge a laptop.

The USB-A ports also offer 7.5W charging. They also facilitate KVM functionality to connect multiple devices. Apple’s monitors don’t.

Once connected, Ben Q’s factory-calibrated screen instantly resembled the display of the Mac Book sitting next to it. Like Apple’s own monitors, the MA270S has a native 5K resolution of 5120 x 2880, giving it a much higher pixel density (218 PPI) than 27-inch, 1440p PC equivalents (~109 PPI).

By default, mac OS scales the interface to look like 2560 x 1440, which keeps text crisp without making everything tiny.

The IPS screen is very impressive with near-OLED levels of color saturation and LED-backlight-derived (almost completely) true blacks. Multimedia looks good at default settings (vibrant colors, respectable contrast and minimal noise in gradients), but turning on HDR significantly improves everything: more details simultaneously show up in shadows and highlights and all transitions become smooth.

The brightest highlights can blow out (with no easy fix), though, and note that the glossy coating can turn into a black mirror when displaying dark content.

A common curse of Retina displays is their sluggish speeds and the MA270S is no different. The slow, 5ms response time marries with a 60 Hz refresh rate (it actually goes up to a Spinal Tap-esque 70 Hz) to smear fast-moving objects across the screen, so forget about eye-friendly, fast-and-frantic gaming.

There’s no integrated webcam, but the two 3-watt speakers (surprisingly for a monitor) have well-rounded fidelity and sound good, despite not getting loud.

Despite having a joystick button, most advanced image settings are controlled by Ben Q’s impressive Display Pilot 2 app. The customizable options can easily swap between color modes and toggle settings like Low Blue Light.

Its Focu Sync settings match Mac Focus adjustments and enable you to change core monitor settings using Mac settings. You can also auto-sync different color modes with different applications.

Where can you get it? It’s available in the US, UK, Australia and other regions

While it’s not a cheap monitor, the Ben Q MA270S is significantly cheaper than Apple’s own Studio displays and, therefore, serves as a much-needed, more affordable, third-party alternative in a monopoly market.

2x HDMI 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 4 (96W PD), 1x Thunderbolt 4 out (15W PD), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (35W PD), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (15W PD), 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (7.5W charging), headphone jack

43.0-58.0 x 61.4 x 22.0cm with stand (16.9-22.8 x 24.2 x 8.7in); 36.8 x 61.4 x 7.6cm without stand (14.5 x 24.2 x 3.0in)

8.64kg with stand (19.1lb); 5.7kg without stand (12.6lb)

Apple users have always been an aesthetically appreciative bunch, and so they’ll warm to the color scheme of the Ben Q MA270S, which apes that of a standard silver Mac Book.

The stand is simple to assemble and offers a generous amount of movement in every direction. It's remarkable that Apple charges more for a feature like this — it’s standard on many PC displays.

The multiple ports (which offer different degrees of charging power) mean multiple devices can be simultaneously connected. Furthermore, a single keyboard and mouse can be shared across them using KVM functionality — unholy magic in the eyes of some Apple users.

The joystick button at the base of the screen only provides access to brightness, volume and input selections. To access more comprehensive settings, you’ll need the Ben Q Display Pilot 2 app and the OSD handily provides a QR code to locate it on Ben Q’s own website (it’s not in the App Store).

It provides access to basic brightness settings, eye comfort and HDR, but also Focu Sync settings on your Mac.

Another feature is the rubberized pad on the base of the stand. It provides slightly superior softness and friction compared to the plastic stand, so you may be more tempted to rest your phone on it.

The only element that some users might miss is a built-in webcam. Apple’s own monitors have them, but purchasers of the Ben Q MA270S will have to buy a separate unit or use the one in their Mac Book.

The best thing you can say about the Ben Q MA270S is that it just works. Just connecting it to your Mac Book provides you with a matching image of your Mac Book’s screen without having to fiddle with countless settings.

The screen displays very sharp text, colors are very bright and vibrant, and contrast is generally impressive. However, bright areas and highlights can blow out rather easily when HDR is engaged.

The big drawback is that the 70 Hz refresh rate is nowhere near enough to stop the sluggish 5ms pixel response time from smearing most moving objects across the screen. As such, it’s not good for gaming.

Unusually for a monitor, the two 3-watt speakers offer well-rounded fidelity with a modicum of bass. They don’t get particularly loud, though.

In terms of monitors, it’s not cheap. In terms of Apple monitors, it represents extraordinary value.

The MA270S looks and feels like it belongs in Apple’s world — and that’s hard to achieve for third parties.

The colors, brightness, sharpness and contrast are everything we’d expect from an Apple monitor. Unfortunately, the sluggish speed is too.

At last, Mac Book users can afford a compatible external monitor without breaking the bank.

While the Apple tax isn’t what it once was, it still exists in monitor land. Ben Q has provided some much-needed third-party competition.

Apple loves the simplicity of USB-C ports, but the real world often requires more, and Ben Q provides them.

It’s the one glaring omission. It’s worth highlighting its absence, as some long-time Apple buyers would simply expect it to be there.

The 5ms pixel response time and 70 Hz refresh rate make it one of the slowest monitors on the market.

Philips 27E3U7903 This expensive, third-party alternative can even beat Apple at its own game.

Ben Q GW2486TC Ben Q’s smaller, older alternative can save you even more money.

Want more options? Check out our guide to the best monitors for Mac Book Pro.

Nick Ross is a multi-award-winning, veteran technology journalist. He started out with the UK’s PC Pro magazine before moving to its Australian counterpart, PC Authority. Nick then left to launch The Overclocker before moving on to become the ABC’s first Technology and Games Editor. After that he spent time editing PC World before switching to marketing, commercial and publishing roles. He’s now back as a full-time journalist, writing for his own mastheads, SMBtech.au and High Performance Laptops, while contributing to multiple other titles including Tweak Town, i TWire, APC magazine and Tech Radar.

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Key Takeaways

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
A Mac Book-friendly monitor that’s much cheaper than Apple’s own and can equal it for quality
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission