Apple’s Mac laptops and desktops are now almost all powered by Apple silicon. The move from Intel processors to the company’s own has been a huge success, with increased performance, better battery life in laptops and so on. Now, Apple has announced an all-new product, two in fact, that radically upgrade the Apple Mac range even further. The first is something that looks like the Mac mini on steroids. The Mac mini, as you may know, is a small square Mac with no screen. You attach a display, keyboard and mouse. But the new Mac Studio, as it’s called, is taller than the mini and is immensely powerful.
The second new product is a monitor. That may not sound very interesting but, just you wait. The Studio Display is a 27-inch screen with 5K resolution, but it’s so advanced that it needs a processor in it. The two products go together as a seamless pair to offer a sumptuous, outstandingly powerful desktop solution. Both products are high-end and expensive, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good value. Read on for our exclusive review of the Apple Mac Studio and the Studio Display
Apple Mac Studio and Studio Display In a Nutshell
Pros
- Astonishing speed
- Supreme connectivity
- Gorgeous design
Cons
- Far from cheap
- More power than many people need
Apple Mac Studio: Technical Specifications
Price From $1,999 | Processor Apple M1 Max or Apple M1 Ultra | Storage: 512GB, 1, 2, 4, 8TB | Memory: 32, 64, 128GB | Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.7 x 3.7 inches | Weight M1 Max 5.9 pounds, M1 Ultra 7.9 pounds
Apple Studio Display: Technical Specifications
Price From $1,599 | Processor Apple A 13 Bionic | Camera 12MP Ultra Wide camera | Display 27-inch 5K Retina display 5,120 x 2,880 pixels, 218 pixels per inch | Dimensions: 24.5 x 18.8 x 6.6 inches including stand | Weight 13.9 pounds
Design
If all you want from a computer is somewhere to type an email and surf the web, let’s be honest, the Mac Studio is overkill. But boy, it looks so dreamy that you may talk yourself into getting it anyway.
The Mac Studio is a compact box like a flattened aluminum cube with the invitingly curved corners Apple is known for. On the top is a big, shiny black Apple logo. The only other breaks in the aluminum are the sockets, and there are plenty of those.
Underneath, there’s a perforated base. This is set back from the edges of the unit so that if your eyeline is anywhere above the Studio, as it’s likely to be, the whole thing appears to be floating above your desk. It’s as though the Mac Studio was capable of magically levitating, and, to be honest, this tiny computer is so remarkable, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were.
The Studio Display is a 27-inch flat screen with thin bezels. But it has a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera in the top edge which is capable of Center Stage, the advanced video calling feature that crops, scans and pans the image intelligently to keep you in the middle of the action, even if you fidget or move around a lot. It has six speakers on board capable of Spatial Audio sound, which is one of the features that needs an advanced processor like the A13 Bionic inside.
The stand tilts the display easily, and there’s also a more advanced stand that tilts and adjusts the height too. The one that doesn’t raise and lower has the perfect height for the Mac Studio to slide underneath. The design of these products is inviting and professional: There are no warm and friendly colors like the 24-inch iMac offers. But there’s an elegant seriousness to the Mac Studio and its complementary display. These are products which mean business.
Apple Mac Studio and Studio Display Performance
Serious is also the word you’d use to describe the performance of the Mac Studio. It comes with a choice of two different processors: The Apple M1 Max, which is very, very fast, and the Apple M1 Ultra, which is described by Apple as “the most powerful chip ever in a personal computer.” The Ultra is essentially two M1 Max chips artfully fused together to double the number of CPUs and GPUs in one place.
Even with the M1 Max chip, Mac Studio delivers three times the performance of the just-deleted 27-inch iMac in its most high-end configuration. The results are slightly mind-blowing. Take an advanced program like Lightroom, where the Mac Studio can display high-resolution images. There’s nothing remarkable about that, of course, but start testing the capabilities of the computer by scrolling through full-size images and the system really flies. Instead of the slideshow older systems can present, you’ll see consecutive images whizzing by, almost as though you’re watching video.
I’ve tried lots of other power-hungry programs, and nothing makes this system break a sweat—and my testing has been on the Max version. The Ultra would be a whole other level. Everything happens at a ridiculously brisk pace. It means that workflows are simplified, that you’re never left waiting while a file updates, and that an import completes or a program performs a complex calculation before you’ve had a chance to think about how to fill that time.
In turn, this grants the Mac Studio greater staying power, letting it perform at speed for longer. And once you have this kind of power, then those creative, demanding people who really need it will find ways to exploit the capabilities further. It’s a virtuous circle.
A word on connectivity: There are 12 ports on the Mac Studio altogether, some positioned at the front. There are two USB-C sockets on the model with M1 Max processor, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M1 Ultra. Either version has an SDXC memory card slot on the front as well, which is much easier to locate than it was on the back of the 27-inch iMac, for instance.
Spin it through 180 degrees and the rear is perforated for ventilation. You’ll also find four Thunderbolt 4 sockets, one 10Gb Ethernet, two USB-A, one HDMI, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a rather big power socket. This, by the way, is not the same magnetic connector found on the latest iMac. Altogether, this is a very well-connected computer, so the need for dongles and adaptors is significantly reduced.
Apple Studio Display
This 27-inch display costs little more than a third of the price of the 6K 32-inch Pro Display XDR. The XDR goes much brighter and is higher-resolution, though with the same pixel density of 218 pixels per inch. Both have three USB-C ports and one Thunderbolt 3 port. But while the XDR is the ultimate pro display, the new Studio Display offers better value for most users, I think.
It has a 12MP camera for Center Stage, a three-microphone array and six speakers, capable of delivering Spatial Audio. The camera’s value is evident the second you do your first video call, offering a great, pristine image. Both displays offer True Tone, Apple’s technology to ensure real color fidelity no matter the lighting where you are, as well as an anti-reflective coating and the option of a nano-textured glass.
I formerly used a 27-inch iMac and feared I would feel the new iMac with its 24-inch display would feel cramped, but not a bit of it. On the other hand, the extra screen real estate is great here, and because the display is just screen and a bit of bezel, it’s an even more minimalist look than the iMac.
Apple Mac Studio Accessories
And there’s more. You can use your existing Mac mice and keyboards, of course, but to match the monochrome delight of the new Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple has created a silver extended Magic Keyboard with black keys and Touch ID, and a very cool black and silver Magic Mouse. A similarly colored Magic Trackpad is available. The gloss-black mouse does pick up fingerprints, but then you have the pleasure of polishing them off and it looks brand-new again.
The keyboard feels as sublimely tappable as the regular Magic Keyboard that comes with the iMac: It’s only the look that’s different for any of these accessories.
Apple Mac Studio and Studio Display Verdict
Hard work is that little bit easier when you don’t spend valuable time waiting for your computer to catch up with what you’re doing. The Apple Mac Studio is dazzlingly fast, even when you tax demanding programs to the full, and that’s just with the M1 Max on board. With the M1 Ultra, well, I can only imagine.
Hard work is also better when the instrument you’re using looks and feels good as well as performing well. So, a handsome aluminum and gorgeously inviting high-resolution display can really help, as can a slick mouse and a deeply comfortable keyboard.
The price tag is not low and most people will be able to get more than all they need in terms of power from any Apple Silicon Mac, but the components, the build quality and—above all—the breakneck speed of the processor mean the Apple Mac Studio is still great value. Although there is the Mac Pro which is more expensive than this, the Mac Studio is the perfect balance of decent price and astonishing performance.
