If you’ve been in the computing world long enough, you’ll know that Apple doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation when it comes to gaming. For years, the company’s computers were not ideal for gaming performance. You were more likely to be able to run Crysis on a potato than on a MacBook.
Then Apple silicon came along and changed everything. Mac gaming performance, while not on par with Nvidia’s RTX 5090, has come a long way. Apple even teamed up with CD Projekt Red to bring Cyberpunk 2077 to the Mac, complete with macOS-specific optimizations. It feels weird to say it, but Macs are serious gaming machines these days.
All that is why I’ve been waiting for news of Apple’s new Studio Display with bated breath. Unfortunately, today’s announcement that Apple has refreshed its standalone display has left me disappointed, and it looks like my ideal Mac gaming setup will have to wait.
Bitterly disappointing
Imagine, if you will, a 27-inch Apple display with a 5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. That holy trinity is the thing of gaming dreams for Apple fans. You’d get Apple’s famous design and quality built in, alongside a smattering of features to take your games to the next level.
The previous Studio Display had checked off the first two features from that list, meaning it just lacked a 120Hz refresh rate. Today, I had my fingers crossed for a third strike. Sadly, that’s not what we got from Apple.
Sure, the Studio Display comes with some notable improvements. There’s a 12MP Center Stage camera with better image quality and support for Desk View; higher-quality microphones; ramped-up audio with Spatial Audio; and support for Thunderbolt 5.
But I would have traded all of that for one thing: a 120Hz refresh rate.
If you’ve never experienced refresh rates over 60Hz, they can make a huge difference to not just gaming but standard computing, too. Everything feels smoother, from simple web page scrolling to immersive movie watching. The benefits are particularly noticeable in gaming, as the constant on-screen action lends itself well to smoother motion.
Yet for one reason or another, Apple has once again left Mac gamers without anything better than 60Hz when it comes to standalone displays. Sure, you could get 120Hz on a MacBook Pro, but there you’re limited to a maximum screen size of 16 inches across. The Studio Display measures 27 inches across, making gaming far more enjoyable and immersive.
Mac gamers now have a choice. On the one hand, you could buy a MacBook Pro and get 120Hz but sacrifice screen size. On the other hand, you could buy a Studio Display and get an expansive display size, but forgo 120Hz refresh rates. The lack of 120Hz feels like a needless compromise on Apple’s part, leaving Mac gamers with a thankless decision to make.
And considering the last Studio Display update came four years ago in 2022, it’s bitterly disappointing to be left without this basic gaming feature for yet another product cycle.
Unanswered prayers
Sure, I know what you’re thinking: many of these features (and more) are available in the all-new Studio Display XDR. This device is Apple’s high-end display and replaces the Pro Display XDR, which has been sadly neglected since its 2019 debut.
Compared to the Studio Display, the Studio Display XDR comes with a smorgasbord of high-end features to salivate over. Its mini-LED panel – absent in the basic Studio Display – features 2,304 local dimming zones for fantastic levels of contrast. Its peak HDR brightness reaches 2,000 nits, a far cry from the 600 nits of the regular Studio Display.
But most importantly for gamers like me, it has that all-important 120Hz refresh rate, plus Apple’s Adaptive Sync feature that automatically adjusts refresh rates between 47Hz and 120Hz on the fly.
So, does that mean the Studio Display XDR is the Apple screen that gamers should be looking towards? Sadly, the answer is no. For one thing, its $3,299 price puts it well out of reach for all but the most serious of pro gamers. Apple’s gaming reputation might be improving, but it hasn’t captured that market just yet.
And even then, there are better non-Apple options for close to half the price, at least when it comes to gaming features. Take a look at our round-up of the best gaming monitors, for example, and you’ll find a healthy selection of screens that offer gaming-specific features that Apple’s Studio Displays lack.
Our favorite 4K monitor, the Alienware 27 AW2725Q, is outfitted with a 240Hz refresh rate, for example. Sure, it’s not at 5K resolution, and it’s nowhere near as bright as the Studio Display XDR, but then its $899 RRP is a fraction of Apple’s $3,299 asking price.
Or you can get the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, with a 4K OLED panel and 240Hz refresh rate, for $1,199 RRP, which will net you 240Hz of OLED goodness for almost a third of the Studio Display XDR’s price tag.
And speaking of OLED, that’s another weakness of Apple’s that’s been highlighted by the world of gaming monitors. Apple’s flagship monitors have used mini-LED technology for years, and while it’s an excellent choice for many people, there’s a sizeable contingent of users who swear by OLED and won’t back down.
That’s especially true in the gaming world, where OLED is seen as a premium choice that deepens your immersion. While Apple has been rolling OLED panels out to its devices (all the best iPhones got it years ago, for example), it’s nowhere to be seen in the Studio Display series.
So no, despite its advances, Apple’s Studio Display XDR is unlikely to become the monitor of choice for Mac-based gamers. And that’s fair enough, because that’s not what it’s made for.
But I was hopeful that the base-level Studio Display would answer my prayers and at least add 120Hz into the mix. As today’s news has shown, though, Mac gamers are going to have to keep looking elsewhere for their monitor fix.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
