Although Apple's new Studio Display (opens in new tab) is set to begin shipping out to customers, several news outlets have experienced issues with the giant display's built-in webcam (opens in new tab).
The iPhone maker's new 27-inch monitor starts at $1,599 (£1,499 / AU$2,499) and is designed to be used by creative professionals alongside the company's new Mac Studio (opens in new tab). In addition to its 5K Retina display and high-fidelity six-speaker audio system, the Studio Display ships with a 12MP Ultra Wide camera with 122° field of view.
And TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal and several other news outlets say the webcam's image quality doesn't live up to the rest of the Studio Display's features.
During its testing of the device, TechCrunch (opens in new tab) said that the device's camera “produces grainy, low contrast and generally poor images”. After trying the Studio Display with both a Mac Studio and a MacBook Pro (opens in new tab), the news outlet came to the conclusion that it must be “some sort of processing error” with the monitor's built-in A13 chip (opens in new tab).
Issues will be fixed with an update
Despite the fact that other publications experienced issues with the Studio Display, our own Matt Hanson said that the webcam produced clear footage while the device's Center Stage (opens in new tab) feature did a good job of keeping you in the shot as you move around. TechRadar also tested out Apple's Studio Display in an office with plenty of ambient light which may have led to better results.
Regardless, Apple is now aware of the issue some reviewers experienced and a company spokesperson told TechCrunch that it would address the camera's performance in an update that will hopefully arrive soon.
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If you're a creative professional thinking about picking up Apple's Studio Display, there is another catch that you should be aware of. The monitor comes with a choice of several different monitor stand (opens in new tab) options including a tilt adjustable stand, a tilt and height adjustable stand and just a VESA mount adapter in case you want to use your own stand or monitor arm. However, Apple's stands and mount adapter are not interchangeable (opens in new tab) as they are built in. This means if you want to change your setup down the road, you're out of luck and will need to buy a new Studio Display instead.
Although Apple's tilt and height adjustable stands look great and will certainly compliment the Mac Studio or even the Mac Mini (opens in new tab), you're better off going with the VESA mount option instead if you prefer flexibility.
- We've also featured the best workstations (opens in new tab) and the best business webcams (opens in new tab)
Via Engadget (opens in new tab)
