Mac Studio & Studio Display (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

The $1,599 ViewFinity S9 takes on Apple's Studio Display with 'free' high-end options

Samsung's 5K monitor is coming to the U.S. in August with a height-adjustable stand and matte glass for hundreds less than Apple charges.

www.macworld.com

 

[JohnRice]

What has happened to the AdobeRGB gamut? No monitor even seems to mention it anymore.

 

[Robert Harris]

Was the old 27" iMac actually portable? I can't imagine all that much so... but I suppose it might be barely considered that way by a (extremely) rare few, especially given perceived (by me) Apple fanboy prefs, LOL...

_Man_

The old 27 iMac Pro was anything but portable.

 

[Sam Posten]

The old 27 iMac Pro was anything but portable.

iMacs in Inappropriate Places, Starbucks Edition

Behold, the mystery and the magic that is the desktop at the coffee shop.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Rodney]

The $1,599 ViewFinity S9 takes on Apple's Studio Display with 'free' high-end options

Samsung's 5K monitor is coming to the U.S. in August with a height-adjustable stand and matte glass for hundreds less than Apple charges.

www.macworld.com

This Samsung monitor looks intriguing. i may just have to figure out a way to justify replacing my existing 4K monitor. Hmmmm....

 

[Ronald Epstein]

New Samsung ViewFinity S9 takes on Studio Display | Cult of Mac

 

[dpippel]

Well, I did a thing and picked up both the S9 *and* the Studio Display this past week, so I thought I'd resurrect this old thread since the S9 has dropped to $899 almost everywhere now and some people might be tempted, like I was. I've had a chance to compare and, despite some shortcomings, I find the Apple panel far superior to the Samsung when paired with my M2 Pro Mac mini.

The S9 is positioned as a direct competitor to the Studio Display, but feels cheap and kludgy in comparison, with the design trying to cram too much stuff into the product. It's a PITA to set up and a PITA to use, with the only control on the display itself being Samsung's lame little click wheel, located very inconveniently on the back of the monitor, very close to the hinge on the stand. This placement makes it quite difficult to use. So, you're stuck with either the el-cheapo plastic remote or the SmartThings app on your phone to interact with the display, which requires setting up a Samsung account and giving them a bunch of required personal info in the process. It has built-in smart TV apps like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ but really, I see no advantage here even if you DO want to watch streaming content on the display. You can easily access these services on the web without the extra layer of software cluttering up the S9's already complicated OS. The removable 4K webcam is nice, but it sits too high and I found myself having to tilt the entire monitor down to frame the video properly. The IPS panel itself looks nice for the most part and while it matches the Studio Display in resolution and PPI, the matte finish makes it look a little softer than the Apple product and the viewing angle isn't nearly as good. Sitting directly in front of the S9 with my head lined up with the center of the display, there's about a quarter inch of noticeable vignetting on either side. It also had one dead pixel right out of the box. The speakers are rather weak and tinny-sounding, and I can't imagine using them for anything other than system sounds.

The Studio Display, on the other hand, is gorgeous, despite (like the S9) being a single backlight IPS panel - no Mini LED and no dimming zones. I refused to pay Apple $400 extra dollars just to have a tilt AND height adjustable stand, so I opted for the basic tilt-only stand and standard (glossy) panel finish. This display is remarkably homogenous across the entire panel, with much better viewing angles than the Samsung and a crisp, clean look, partially due to the glossy surface. The HD webcam is meh, exhibiting a lot of noise at low light levels. The speaker system is amazingly good, however, and it's tempting me to ditch my powered Monolith speakers, thereby freeing up some much-needed desktop space. The all-aluminum build is, of course, super-premium and leagues ahead of the plasticky S9. The whole product just exudes quality. My main gripes have to do with Apple not pushing the technology envelope more with this VERY expensive product ($1599 for the base model with either the tilt stand or the VESA adapter). It would have been nice to see Mini LED with multiple dimming zone tech here, and a high-quality webcam instead of the merely adequate one that Apple used. Also, charging an extra FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS for a stand that's tilt AND height adjustable is just insane. IMO, at this price point, the 2-axis stand should be standard and the VESA adapter should be included. Come on, Apple!

So, the S9 is going back to Costco, mainly due to the dead pixel. I'll be keeping the Studio Display. Is it worth the money at almost TWICE the cost of the Samsung? IMO, no. We should be getting more cutting-edge tech at this level. However, Apple has polished this fairly standard panel to a high caliber, it's totally seamless when used within the Apple ecosystem, the build quality is second to none, and it's a beautiful piece of tech. It also wakes from sleep within 2 seconds, which is faster than any display I've ever used. So despite the high cost to performance ratio, I have fallen in love with this thing and will be keeping it.

 

[Greg.K]

I've had my Studio Display for two years now. Like you, I didn't spring for the stand upgrades, and I'm still ok with that decision.

I agree with all of your positives. It works seamlessly with my Mac Studio, like it's a part of it and not a peripheral. Every bit as well as an iMac screen does. Local dimming would be nice but I knew it wouldn't have that when I bought it.

Biggest disappointment was definitely the webcam - it's terrible to the point of it being unacceptable. Very disappointing for an Apple product.

Mine has very occasionally glitched out... where sound suddenly stops working or only plays at low volume, or the brightness goes wonky - restarting the monitor (by either unplugging/replugging the power or just the Thunderbolt cable) corrects it. That seems to not happen as much as it did at first, so maybe it was a software issue that has subsequently been fixed.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks for the comments on the displays. I’m hoping to upgrade to a mini and monitor this year, and I’m really unsure what monitor I’d get. I don’t want to spend Apple money, but I’m so used to the 5K display that I’m not sure I can’t.

 

[dpippel]

I've had my Studio Display for two years now. Like you, I didn't spring for the stand upgrades, and I'm still ok with that decision.

I agree with all of your positives. It works seamlessly with my Mac Studio, like it's a part of it and not a peripheral. Every bit as well as an iMac screen does. Local dimming would be nice but I knew it wouldn't have that when I bought it.

Biggest disappointment was definitely the webcam - it's terrible to the point of it being unacceptable. Very disappointing for an Apple product.

Mine has very occasionally glitched out... where sound suddenly stops working or only plays at low volume, or the brightness goes wonky - restarting the monitor (by either unplugging/replugging the power or just the Thunderbolt cable) corrects it. That seems to not happen as much as it did at first, so maybe it was a software issue that has subsequently been fixed.

The same afternoon I hooked my panel up, I got a notification that there was a firmware update for it. So, Apple is at least working on some things regarding the Studio Display. As is typical though, there was no info provided about what the update actually did.

So far I've experienced no glitchiness, fingers crossed...

 

[dpippel]

Thanks for the comments on the displays. I’m hoping to upgrade to a mini and monitor this year, and I’m really unsure what monitor I’d get. I don’t want to spend Apple money, but I’m so used to the 5K display that I’m not sure I can’t.

Dave, if I wasn't willing or able to spend the cash on the Apple panel I probably would have kept the S9. While not nearly as polished as the Studio Display, it's a capable monitor with some flaws. If you can live with them, it's a pretty good deal at $900.

 

[Robert Harris]

One point of reference that’s always a part of my purchase decisions is the possibility/probability of trade-in value.

While one pays more for Apple gear, there’s a bit of sunshine on the other side.

The Apple display will probably still be worth $500 2-3 years from now, which helps measurably.