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I've worked off Apple Cinema displays since the '90s and Apple Studio displays before that. I am a monitor snob. I care deeply how things look. I currently hav

I've worked off Apple Cinema displays since the '90s and Apple Studio displays before that. I am a monitor snob. I care deeply how things look. I currently have an Apple XDR Pro monitor. It's not a great monitor - it is indeed big, the outside is as cool as anything ever made, and the USB-C hub is nice. But in EVERY other way it is badly inferior to the stock 5K monitor that comes with even the cheapest 27" iMac from a few years ago. I've been wishing for just an 27" iMac monitor that I can plug into my laptop, since that's the best non-laptop monitor I've found - even contemplated building a Frankenstein one. I'm excited I can now just buy one.

newaccount74 5y ago
What's bad about the XDR?
- oppegard 5y ago
  I'm not the OP but I've had an XDR for about a month now, which replaced a 27" LG UltraFine 5K (same panel as the one used on 27" iMac for years). My issue with the XDR is the lack of built-in camera, mic, and speakers that are serviceable for zoom calls. I don't need audiophile stuff, but it's remarkable how bad the built-in AV was on the LG UltraFine. Mic quality is bad enough that I won't inflict it on my co-workers. The camera is angled too low, resulting in the top of my head usually being cut off. And the speakers go from quiet to really loud, with no in-between.
- danielvf 5y ago
  Just to be clear, the XDR is not a _terrible_ monitor. It's certainly better than a random $200 monitor. Most people in the world wouldn't notice the following issues. - There is a noticeable (to me) brightness shift with viewing angle changes. When the monitor is on the back of my desk and displaying a flat color across the monitor, I see a noticeable gradient instead of a flat color because of different viewing angles between looking head at the center pixels vs being off axis to the side pixels. - The adaptive brightness backlighting doesn't do a very good job. Full bright white pixels in a dark areas will be noticeable dark compared to full bright white pixels surrounded by other brighter pixels. - If you have some bright pixels in an otherwise dark area, the backlight cell built into the monitor there noticeable brightens, putting an approximately once inch by one in halo around the bright pixels. For example, this halo shows up around the mouse cursor when moving across a black area. - I tend to work with light text on a dark background. The monitor makes the darks too bright (from the backlight bleeding through) and the brights too dark (because the backlight around there isn't on all the way). Everything is muted. It's noticeably less contrasty, colorful and alive when used with light on light than two iMac 27"s I have had. - Although the PPI specs are the same, there's something about the pixels on the XDR that makes them more visible and less smooth to me than on the 27.
  - hultner 5y ago
    Ah, I haven't noticed much difference between my 27" iMac and my LG 5k UF's (there's a little), and been tempted to get the XDR, mainly because I was hoping for even better and bigger panel than the 5k ones. With your comment in mind I'll decommission that idea. I appreciate your comment, it's exactly the kind of stuff I'm picky about while others think I'm mad.
hultner 5y ago
I’ve been tempted to buy the XDR, would love to hear your opinions. Rocking a couple of LG UF 27” 5k’s today.
- danielvf 5y ago
  Replied in a sibling comment.

newaccount74 5y ago

What's bad about the XDR?

oppegard 5y ago
I'm not the OP but I've had an XDR for about a month now, which replaced a 27" LG UltraFine 5K (same panel as the one used on 27" iMac for years). My issue with the XDR is the lack of built-in camera, mic, and speakers that are serviceable for zoom calls. I don't need audiophile stuff, but it's remarkable how bad the built-in AV was on the LG UltraFine. Mic quality is bad enough that I won't inflict it on my co-workers. The camera is angled too low, resulting in the top of my head usually being cut off. And the speakers go from quiet to really loud, with no in-between.
danielvf 5y ago
Just to be clear, the XDR is not a _terrible_ monitor. It's certainly better than a random $200 monitor. Most people in the world wouldn't notice the following issues. - There is a noticeable (to me) brightness shift with viewing angle changes. When the monitor is on the back of my desk and displaying a flat color across the monitor, I see a noticeable gradient instead of a flat color because of different viewing angles between looking head at the center pixels vs being off axis to the side pixels. - The adaptive brightness backlighting doesn't do a very good job. Full bright white pixels in a dark areas will be noticeable dark compared to full bright white pixels surrounded by other brighter pixels. - If you have some bright pixels in an otherwise dark area, the backlight cell built into the monitor there noticeable brightens, putting an approximately once inch by one in halo around the bright pixels. For example, this halo shows up around the mouse cursor when moving across a black area. - I tend to work with light text on a dark background. The monitor makes the darks too bright (from the backlight bleeding through) and the brights too dark (because the backlight around there isn't on all the way). Everything is muted. It's noticeably less contrasty, colorful and alive when used with light on light than two iMac 27"s I have had. - Although the PPI specs are the same, there's something about the pixels on the XDR that makes them more visible and less smooth to me than on the 27.
- hultner 5y ago
  Ah, I haven't noticed much difference between my 27" iMac and my LG 5k UF's (there's a little), and been tempted to get the XDR, mainly because I was hoping for even better and bigger panel than the 5k ones. With your comment in mind I'll decommission that idea. I appreciate your comment, it's exactly the kind of stuff I'm picky about while others think I'm mad.

hultner 5y ago

I’ve been tempted to buy the XDR, would love to hear your opinions. Rocking a couple of LG UF 27” 5k’s today.

danielvf 5y ago
Replied in a sibling comment.