Apple's $4,999 Pro Display XDR reference monitor is a welcome addition to a growing niche of panels that serve prosumer and professional content creators alike. This emerging class of "creator" displays provides reference-level color accuracy and extremely powerful HDR capabilities for a price that might seem high on the surface, but is fair, comparatively speaking, when you look at traditional alternatives. Apple's macOS doesn't have much of an HDR-ready content library (this is, after all, the first HDR display ever released by Apple), and the panel's Pro Stand is wildly pricey. But outside of those complaints, the Pro Display XDR stuns in every other metric it competes in, earning our Editors' Choice. Its exceptional design, sturdiness, and "just works" philosophy make it a must-have for pro-level, Mac-bound content creators. Windows- or Linux-based creators will want to go with alternatives like the Asus ProArt PA32UCX instead (which we're also reviewing), since the Pro Display XDR works only with Apple devices.
Great Panel, Not So Great Grater
The 32-inch Pro Display XDR has a 6,016-by-3,384-pixel native resolution, known casually as "6K." The chassis shares much of its design aesthetic with the revamped 2019 Apple Mac Pro, in particular the "cheese grater" metal housing that serves a dual purpose: looking good, and keeping the circuitry and LEDs at work underneath cool.
The Apple Pro Display XDR's LED-backlit display utilizes a feature known as "full-array local dimming," or FALD for short. FALD is a method used to backlight displays that differs significantly from other monitors. In traditional LED-backlit displays, the whole panel is brightened and dimmed through "global dimming," in which every LED at the back of the panel is controlled by a single setting. This means that as scenes brighten or darken, the whole panel brightens or darkens with them.
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First Look: Apple’s Pro Display XDR is the ultimate content-creator monitor
Conversely, in FALD displays, each part of the scene can be dimmed or brightened independently, allowing for much greater contrast and visual quality. Right now, FALD technology is the closest that (relatively) less-expensive displays can get to matching the contrast ratios of two other key emerging display technologies: OLED and microLED.
The latter is especially one to watch; microLED is a new screen technology that is just getting off the ground in the first half of 2020, spearheaded by TV manufacturers like Samsung and LG. In microLED displays, every pixel is its own individual LED, which can lead to some of the best-looking images seen on displays yet. But for now, the cost of manufacturing these panels is almost prohibitively expensive, to the point that a 6K monitor like the Pro Display XDR couldn't realistically use the tech (yet).
Apple doesn't classify the Pro Display XDR as microLED, OLED, or another emerging type, mini LED, but the panel does have 576 full-array local dimming zones, which means it has much in common with mini LED. Displays with this kind of discrete-LED array are notorious for running much hotter than standard LED-based displays. The metal grating of the Pro Display XDR both passively cools the display while allowing for airflow to move from the panel to the outside world and back through the rear of the unit. That means no noisy fans are needed to direct the air where it needs to go.
Up until this point, monitor manufacturers have kept their passive-cooling heatsink designs hidden under a shroud of plastic. This is the first time any designer has thought to use the passive-cooling apparatus as the actual housing for the monitor itself, and as a design element.
After running the monitor for about 30 minutes with HDR content, I took a reading of the back of the unit using a FLIR One Pro camera, which illustrates heat output using thermal imaging. As you can see, the Pro Display XDR does get quite warm, but only in the center back portion of the unit, and the heat dissipates pretty quickly anywhere the grated metal has open airflow to work with.
Monitor designs don't differ all that much these days, with gaming displays often showing the most variance in flair and style. But the Pro Display XDR sits in a class all its own, both from a build-quality standpoint and its ability to turn heads at your local production house.
The monitor itself (helped in part by the extravagant Pro Stand, more about which later) is incredibly sturdy, which it should be at just under 26 pounds. The display can be used in landscape mode, or rotated to portrait when extended to its maximum height of 9.5 inches with the click of a button on the back of the mount.
The screen on the $4,999 version of the XDR we reviewed is reflective, something that Mac-loyal content creators have railed against in the current lineup of Apple iMacs. Reflective glass makes it difficult to see what you're doing in well-lit offices or home environments, and while most content-creation-focused displays will include shrouds that attach to the top of the monitor to keep out excess light, the Pro Display XDR has no such option available.
But Apple wouldn't just leave content creators in the cold like that, of course! You can get the Pro Display XDR in a version with a matte screen. It uses what Apple calls "nano-texture glass" that requires a special cloth to clean and removes all reflectivity...for an extra thousand dollars, bringing the MSRP up to $5,999.
Overall, the Pro Display XDR's design is flat-out exceptional on the surface, but it could use some refinements to better suit cash-strapped creators who can't afford a $1,000 tax on nonreflective glass. Other than that gripe, though, the Pro Display XDR proves itself as a leader in both form and function, seamlessly bridging the gap between each to produce a product that looks and works unlike anything else out there right now.
Who Is the XDR For, Exactly?
When we used the term "reference monitors" earlier on while discussing the Pro Display XDR, what are we really talking about? Well, in the world of content creation (and HDR content creation, especially so), specs for reference monitors—color accuracy, sustained brightness, and gamut coverage—are much more important than factors like refresh rates or response times.
Apple is a company that's known primarily for making products marketed to the wider consumer base, but it's also got a strong presence in the professional content creator space. Products like the MacBook Pro, the Mac Pro, and the iMac Pro all cater to professionals, and in the case of the Mac Pro specifically, content creators who need a lot of horsepower available to them, but still want to design and do what they love inside the macOS ecosystem.
According to the company's keynote introducing this panel, the Pro Display XDR is made to compete with vastly more expensive reference monitors like the 31-inch Sony BVM-HX310, which retails for $43,000. These monitors are in demand from customers like major movie studios, production houses, and game developers because when working on a Hollywood film, a TV show, or a big-budget game, you want the most accurate color possible when you're mastering that content to be sure it looks as good as it possibly can. You won't outfit a whole team with $40,000 reference panels, though. Only the key player or players in the production chain will have a panel like that.
That's where the XDR comes in. Apple says this monitor will do everything those reference monitors can but at a fraction of the price, giving creators the ability to work with reference-level colors at a price that makes access to that level of accuracy available to more members of staff instead of just having one reference monitor station for an entire production.
So, how did it fare in testing? Let's move on to our performance section to find out...
Testing the XDR: Color Is the Key
Apple products invariably look elegant, even gorgeous, but in the laptop and desktop worlds, sometimes how well they perform lags behind cost-equivalent entries from other makers. Looking at the Pro Display XDR's capabilities, that's anything but the case here.
To test each color space, we had to first change the color configuration on the monitor, which, unfortunately, can only be done through an Apple device capable of outputting a video signal through a USB-C cable. There are no buttons to be found anywhere on this monitor. Not on the side, not behind the display, or even underneath. The entire monitor is controlled via macOS, which means that even if you wanted to hook up a non-Apple laptop or desktop capable of outputting video through USB Type-C, you couldn't. It won't turn on in the first place. (Trust us: We tried.) You can achieve full functionality with Windows, but you'll have to be running it on a Mac in Boot Camp.
Another key thing to note: As of this writing, there is actually no way to calibrate the monitor yourself. Apple says that calibration and settings for further customization (such as white balance and color gamut) are coming soon. However, there was no firm date on when that option would become available.
For what the monitor lacks in customizable calibration, though, it more than makes up for in offering a long line of preconfigured settings profiles. These will automatically switch the colors, brightness, and gamma to a color profile that suits the type of work you're doing. These settings include ones for photography, digital cinema, HDTVs, and web-based content.
Color Gamut Testing: sRGB
To start our color-coverage evaluation of the Pro Display XDR, I checked out the sRGB gamut using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, and an X-Rite Pro 3 Plus spectrometer. It bears mentioning that because the XDR works only with Apple devices except in some limited scenarios (according to Apple, you can work with the XDR outside macOS in an SDI workflow via the Blackmagic SDI to DP Teranex box, as well as in some Linux scenarios), we had to run a workaround to get CalMAN working correctly, since the software is compatible only with Windows. This meant running Boot Camp on a MacBook Pro with Windows 10. Other than that, all other testing methodologies were identical to the rest of our monitor reviews.
Here, the monitor scored a little lower than usual in a test that often sees 100 percent or close results among monitors a fraction of the cost. But the result was still solid enough for most users at 94.3 percent coverage. It's also moot: Almost no content creators spending this kind of money for a monitor are mastering for sRGB, in any case, so this color space is not likely to see much use in the pro community with this panel.
Color Gamut Testing: Adobe RGB
In the Adobe RGB measurement, which generally tells you how a display will do when handling content-creation tasks such as photo or video editing or 3D modeling, the Pro Display XDR, expectedly, excelled with a result of 96.7 percent coverage. However, it was surprising to see the monitor get beat on this test by what is almost strictly a business-centric display, the Dell U3219Q, with its Adobe RGB reading of 98.1 percent.
Color Gamut Testing: DCI-P3
After that comes the DCI-P3 test, which measures how accurately a monitor can display movie and TV content in creative editing apps.
This is where the rubber truly meets the road for the Pro Display XDR. And the Pro Display XDR delivered here big-time, securing an all-time record for monitors we've run this test on at PC Labs. With a result of 98.7 percent coverage, the Pro Display XDR fell just shy (really, within the margin of error) of its advertised 99 percent coverage. That's well higher than even the OLED-based Alienware 55, our now second-highest scoring monitor in this category, at 96.5 percent.
Brightness & Contrast Ratio
We then moved on to brightness testing. In SDR using Bootcamp in Windows, I was able to get a reading of 499 nits in SDR mode, which is impressive, but things really got mind-blowing (and eye-bugging) when we went over to HDR testing. In HDR using a DisplayHDR 1600 test pattern, the XDR was capable of displaying content according to our meter at a peak burst of 1,560.9 nits, just shy of the 1,600-nit rating Apple gives it out of the box.
Because of the FALD system, black levels were very low, at just 0.04. That's the lowest we've seen outside of OLED displays, extra-impressive because OLEDs are capable of fully turning off individual pixels, resulting in what's known as "infinite contrast." The Pro Display XDR may not have infinite contrast, but even at its lowest SDR brightness of 499 nits, that gives the Pro Display XDR a contrast ratio of 12,460:1. (A number that, when divided against the max luminance reading of of 1,561.49 nits, climbs to an astounding 39,037:1.)
Color Accuracy
Next: color-accuracy tests. This aspect is important to anyone who works in pro-level content creation, because having the "most orange orange," as we like to describe it, means that you're working with colors at their most accurate. How "orange" your monitor's "orange" is is measured using a figure known as "delta E." (It's expressed more commonly as "dE.") The lower the dE on a monitor, the more accurately it's displaying the color it's trying to produce.
More records broken. In the industry of content creation, any monitor that scores below a 1.0 dE is considered top-tier, but the Pro Display XDR isn't content with just winning here, it has to command the lead. In these tests, which I ran through all three color-space presets we tested above (sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3), the lowest score achieved was just 0.68 dE—and that, achieved with no calibration required.
Now, this would normally be the part of the review where we would discuss how a monitor performed after we calibrated it from factory settings, but as we mentioned above, there's currently no way to actually calibrate the Pro Display XDR. That said, even if we wanted to, it's doubtful we could get a dE result much lower than what we've already seen.
Apple has done a spectacular job of calibrating this monitor to "just work" right off the factory floor, and every reference setting we tested scored at the top of its respective class (that is, by scoring the lowest). In fact, despite testing way outside my normal parameters just to see if there was anything that would throw the Pro Display XDR off its game, I couldn't get it through one ColorChecker accuracy test returning results above a score of 1.0 dE. That's incredibly impressive for a monitor that didn't require any settings adjustments out of the box.
Anecdotal Testing
Outside of the pure technical achievement of the Pro Display XDR, there's the anecdotal testing. Not that you'll be using it for pure casual content consumption, but how does the Pro Display XDR hold up during tasks like web browsing, or watching 4K streams on Netflix?
Well, for now the only way to view 4K content in either HDR or Dolby Vision through macOS Catalina is the Apple TV+ app (or through 4K HDR files you've locally downloaded to the machine), and even then you're limited to the content that Apple itself has produced, like The Morning Show or See. Those frustrations aside, both these shows looked stupendous on the Pro Display XDR. With a panel at just 32 inches, though, it's unlikely that anyone will be using this monitor as their main way to consume HDR content.
Since we only had a MacBook Pro to connect to the Pro Display XDR, anecdotal gaming testing was basically a nonstarter. However, being the gaming snob I am, I probably wouldn't use this monitor as my main gaming display anyway (no matter how good it looks), since I haven't gamed below 100Hz in almost five years, and the Pro Display XDR's refresh rate maxes out at just 60Hz. Of course, if you're even considering buying the Pro Display XDR as a gaming panel to start with, you're doing it wrong.
We Need to Talk: That Stand
Like the names of the Apple Mac Pro and the Apple Pro Display XDR imply: This monitor is not a piece of kit designed for your average consumer. This is a monitor made for professional and prosumer content creators, designed for production houses or home content studios to work with and master content. This is not a casual-consumption panel by any stretch.
The Pro Display XDR is as color-accurate as they come, and the 6K resolution is the perfect size for 4K content creators who like having their palettes, toolbars, and timelines available on the same screen alongside full-resolution content. That makes the 6K aspect key for production houses or content creation professionals who work on highly sensitive color-specific projects, especially those who work in 4K and hate having to zoom in on their project to keep their tools close at hand.
But then there's that stand. Or "Stand," I guess I should say. "Pro Stand", to be exact. Monitor stands now have their own category, thanks to Apple.
Is it a nice stand? Oh heavens, yes. Is the articulating motion of the counter-balanced arm as smooth as butter? More like whipped butter, mind you. Does it look nice? It's shiny and it's metal and sure, why not?
Is it worth almost $1,000? Judge for yourself; we had some fun with the stand in between bouts of testing...
10 ridiculous uses for the new $1k Apple monitor stand
In materials and manufacturing cost it's certainly far ahead of a typical monitor stand. But to my eyes, it didn't need to be. Both in style and in its reach for trying something new, I'm reminded of the Razer Raptor 27, one of our Editors' Choice monitors from 2019. The stand on that monitor was sturdy and stylish, and it allowed for a fair amount of ergonomic adjustment; but all told, the whole unit was only $799.
We've also had in-house for a while the Asus ProArt PA32UCX I mentioned earlier, and I love the stand on that unit too. The black-on-gold aesthetic lends itself to a sense of professionalism, and it slides up and down almost as smoothly as the XDR's Pro Stand does, with all the same options for ergonomic adjustment, minus the $200 adapter for VESA mounts that Apple demands if you want to use an arm or stand you already own.
That's right: Even if you want to use your own VESA-compatible stand, you won't have the option unless you spend $200 for Apple's VESA-mount compatibility kit. That's not a VESA mount, mind you—it's a VESA mount mount. To my eyes, this should have been included in the box.
Consider that the whole ProArt PA32UCX setup costs just $3,999. (Yes, that's with the stand included.) Also, you can mount it on a VESA mount without any special adapters—just a screwdriver and a handful of screws. So, if prospective owners buy the Pro Display XDR with the $200 VESA mount, they're getting a heck of a deal. Otherwise, you need to look at the Pro Display XDR as a $6,000 monitor ($5,000 for the panel, a grand for the stand) to start with. (Or a $7,000 one if you insist on the matte-panel version.)
Of course, opting for the Pro Stand is, in a sense, enabling Apple to push the limits of future premiums: The company may well convince XDR buyers to spend $999 on a hunk of metal, albeit a very nicely designed hunk. To my eyes, Apple would have been better served by not making the Pro Stand a separate purchase and just baking it into the cost of the monitor.
Banking on Beauty
Overall, the XDR does exactly what it sets out to: provide reference-quality production capabilities to creators who work exclusively on Macs. We have to take issue with the stand price, and wish Windows users had access to the XDR's charms outside of Boot Camp and specialized broadcast-grade setups, but apart from those complaints, the Pro Display XDR is a beautifully made, well-designed, hyper-accurate content creation monitor that—say it with me now—"just works."
In the world of digital creativity, the easier it is to get through the tech side of things when inspiration hits and straight to your project, the better your results will be. The XDR is a tool supreme to make this possible—and makes it possible to scale this kind of functionality to more key personnel in your creative enterprise than any other panel like it before. For that alone, it earns our Editors' Choice.
[Editors' Note: We tweaked this review on Feb. 4, 2020, to clarify compatibility details around the Pro Display XDR with Windows, Blackmagic hardware, and Linux, as well as regarding details on the LED lighting technology used.]
Apple's Pro Display XDR provides exceptional color accuracy and build quality at a price that's quite competitive with those of reference-grade pro monitors. It's exquisite enough that swallowing the wildly extravagant cost of its Pro Stand is worth it.
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