Tech Review: The Apple Pro Display XDR

When it was announced in 2019, the Apple Pro Display XDR was all everyone could talk about. It ended up becoming the most-anticipated monitor ever, according to some, and now that it is landing in the hands of creators, the reviews are in. Below, we look at what the Apple Pro Display XDR offers and why professionals love it so much.

First Impressions

When it was announced that the Apple Pro Display XDR would cost over $5000, a lot of people were stunned. That said, professionals who truly understand what this machine offers were not. There is no other video editing monitor that offers the same specifications as the Apple Pro Display XDR at the same price range. Most of them are in the tens of thousands range, which makes what Apple has done here a lot more impressive.

The first thing you will notice even before you turn it on is the industrial design. It is built like a tank with the noticeable circles in the back that a lot of people say look like a grater. Jokes aside, this is a beautiful monitor.

Turning it On

The one thing you will notice as soon as you turn it on is the blacks. They are some of the deepest blacks you could experience on any monitor or TV. The blacks are also not the same as you would get on an OLED panel because this monitor has a tonal range. This monitor also uses local dimming which means it is possible to see some halos or highlighting on objects if they are placed against dark backgrounds.

The monitor has HDR capabilities, which means that when you use it to watch a video, the colors pop more and the image is not washed out as you would see on other monitors. Companies that need pinpoint color correction like those doing corporate video production Miami will appreciate just how accurate the colors on this monitor are.

Because the back is well ventilated and the whole machine is built like one giant heat sink, the machine is very quiet. This is also true even if you turn on its full 1000+ nits of brightness.

Some Issues

The Apple Pro Display XDR is a 6K display. That is 6016 by 3384 pixels. While this is amazing for when you are editing 4k or 6k videos or retouching a huge photo, it comes with some issues. The bandwidth needed to drive this monitor is more than the one supplied by DisplayPort 1.4 which is the protocol used by most Thunderbolt controllers. This means that if you want this monitor, you might have to change your computer.

That said, Apple has a workaround for Macs that have MacOS 10.15.2 and above that allows these machines to have a higher data output through their thunderbolt connections.

There is also no ability to connect different sources so that you can switch between them when working with multiple machines and operating systems.

The Apple Pro Display XDR is an impressive machine. It is going to open up a new world of video production where the quality of videos produced will go up. That said, it does have subtle quirks. It deserves a 9/10 for what Apple has been able to do at the $5000 price range.