Apple’s Studio Display is an investment even while Amazon has the tilt-adjustable model marked down to $1,368 ($231 off) — its lowest price in several months. The 27-inch 5K monitor looks incredible, and has a built-in six-speaker audio system that impressed us in our tests. Its three microphone array and Apple’s optional voice isolation mode made us sound loud and clear during conference calls, too.
However, the built-in webcam is only okay — even after a software patch released shortly after the monitor to improve it — and it runs at 60Hz, which means it’s not great for gaming. Apple equipped the display with a single Thunderbolt 3 port, which can carry a 5K video signal and charge a laptop at up to 96W, and three downstream USB-C ports. The monitor offers tilt adjustment, but if you want to adjust its height you’re better off getting the tilt and height adjustable or Vesa mount adapter models, which are more expensive.
There’s no getting around the fact that the Studio Display is a huge up-front investment, especially considering some of its technical limitations, but it’s still an excellent choice for Mac users who have gotten used to the high resolution display on their iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.