The problem with that monitor is it only 320cd/m2, which is almost half of the brightness of the Studio Display (assuming cd/m2 has a 1:1 conversion with nits, which might be wrong, but I believe that is correct, please let me know if I am wrong). On the other hand, it has a better contrast rating than the Studio Display (if we are comparing display quality).
Also, it is only 60 Hz and it doesn’t even mention response time. (This might be the wrong forum for this argument.)
I should have clarified that it’s the most “Apple Studio Display like” in terms of looks. It has a clean design, minimal bezels, and a similar stand that is height and tilt adjustable. But there are always trade-offs. This is also $400 cheaper and you get the 32" display. I don’t own this, so unsure what it’s like in the real world, but the reviews look good.
I figured as much, but OP (and myself) said he is looking for a monitor that is Apple-like in its display quality. For a 32" nothing really matches the XDR, but even the Studio Display, which isn’t that great of a monitor really (it’s just a low bar) has decent specs for the most part. I had never heard of Alogic before, but people seem to like their monitors.
I could maybe see myself springing for the XDR, but the stand’s price is just a slap in the face that pushes it over the edge.
I told my wife this afternoon I was considering moving up to a 32" monitor. I showed her the Dell and she frowned and said, “You know you’re not going to be happy with anything except Apple.”
I told her about the Apple XDR display, and that it cost $5,000, plus $1,000 for the stand. “IT DOESN’T COME WITH A STAND???” was her response.
There is no difference in crispness (excepting rounding errors) between any of the retina displays that Apple sells /has sold for desktops (4k, 4.5k, 5k, 6k). Just exterior / diagonal display dimensions, so I wouldn’t expect you to notice a difference
TL;DR Stick with your 27" Studio Display, else go with the Dell and put up with the forehead.
I’ve been battling with this challenge for many many moons, I currently have a Lenovo 27" UDH/4K monitor that has absolutely horrible light leakage on each edge, so at some point I’m going of just push it off my desk.
Problem is, I’m really stuck on what that something should be. I’m keen to move to 32" > 34", don’t need anything larger, ideally at 5k or 6k to keep the PPI at a reasonable level. I also like a single cable lifestyle, how it looks and operates is important, needs to deliver 96w of power for future proofing.
If the monitor stopped working today or tomorrow, I’d probably go for a 27" Apple Studio Display, with the Dell 32" 6k “big forehead” coming a close second.
rtings.com have a few good summary articles and underlying tests:
Here is what I’ve looked at:
Dell UltraSharp 32" 6K HDR Video Conferencing Monitor
Looks a bit terrible with the top speaker bar
6k IPS black is nice and also flexible inputs (HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4) & 140W power for laptop & includes ethernet (meaning it is a full dock)
LG 40WP95C-W (40" 5k)
Questionable build quality & only 4k at 40"
Thunderbolt 4, doesn’t look quite as bad as the dell, 96w power delivery
Apple Pro Display XDR 32"
Cost is high, technology is a little dated now (but still great), only 1 TB3 port for Mac and three USB-c ports (USB 2) for connectivity means you still need a dock in-between it and your MacBook, no webcam
Build quality, looks, 6k, ascetics are outstanding…but the cost for something that is now quite dated, 96w
Apple Studio Display 27"
27" is a bit smaller than I’d like personally, tech is a bit dated but no big deal,
Webcam, 5k with very high PPI, 600 nits, quite good speakers, hey Siri, 96w power delivery & most of all it looks and operates wonderfully )and yes Id likely pony up for the height adjustable stand rather than VESA mount and have it wobble all day long.
Samsung 27" ViewFinity S90 5K Monitor
Plastic questionable build quality & wobble, at list price this isn’t that much cheaper than the Apple Studio Display
Closest thing to Apple Studio, 4k web, airplay, included metal stand, smart tv features (hmm), 90w power, Thunderbolt 4 / USB4
Samsung 32" Odyssey Neo G8
Gaming look and feel (some will like), 4k at 32" is a little light for PPI, no USB-C/USB4/TB4
Curved (1000R not sure if this is a + or -), 240Hz refresh (don’t need it but that is fine), HDR 2000, matte display standard
Marc Edwards at Bjango went down the rabbit hole on resolution and PPI, full read here
In summary to get 220 PPI:
Anything including or below 24" is fine with 4k (3840 x 2160 pixels)
27-inch screens require 5K (5120 x 2880 pixels)
30" and above require 6K (6016 x 3384 pixels)
And a nice chart, that doesn’t have all monitors, but clearly outlines resolution and PPI
Any suggestions for me? I’m very tempted to pull the trigger on the Apple Studio Display, but my biggest concern is that it is now coming up to two years old and I know if they re-fresh it, I’ll have buyers remorse.
I feel like with that chart, the red band should be yellow. The “bad zone” is only bad if you have a trash monitor. My limited sample size of 2 (very limited!) 4K monitors in the 27”-32” range shows me that while PPI isn’t high enough for retina to be really good, it’s still better than no display scaling at all on only 1440p at 27”. Turning off font smoothing is necessary though in my opinion.
Are there any “reliable” rumors that Apple will refresh the Studio Display anytime soon? Did they do refreshes of the 27" display every two years before the Studio Display? I don’t remember any, but I might well be wrong.
If the answers to both questions are no, I wouldn’t wait for a speculative refresh. I love the color and crispness of my studio display, just as I did the 27" iMac display. I’d rather stick with it than compromise on a non-Apple display, even a 32" display.
Nice summary of the market, @SteveMac ! I support keeping the Apple Studio Display and buying one now if you don’t have one. It’s the XDR that will give you buyers’ remorse because the next one will have so many more lighting zones. The ASD’s uniform LED backlight won’t feel obsoleted. I guess the camera might, but you’re mainly after the screen…
If you use a monitor arm, you could push your Apple Studio Display 4-5 inches closer to you and bump the scaling closer to full resolution (‘more space’.) That would effectively maintain pixels per degree of view while filling more of your vision.