Apple's Pro Display XDR Hands-On: A Powerful Monitor For Professionals

This year, releasing alongside the Mac Pro is the Pro Display XDR, a professional display capable of 6K content. Apart from the Mac Pro, the display can be used with some other machines from Apple.

Here are some of the initial thoughts on the combination of the latest Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR.

As the display is for professional use, it comes with a price tag of $4,999, approximately Rs 3,46,881 in India. Many users will have to pay through the nose for one. However, the display cannot stand upright on its own, it needs an Apple stand, which will set you back $999, around Rs. 69,321. The stand has never failed to be a joke for users for the hefty price the company charges for a stand that has no special functions.

So if you want the display to function properly, you have to either go for the Apple-made stand, which will boost the total price of the combo to $6,000 (around Rs. 4,16,202), or the VESA mount, which comes at the price of $200, Rs, 14,212.

Just like the Mac Pro, the Pro Display XDR is shipped inside a white pull tab box. The accessories include a braided Thunderbolt 3 cable, a braided power cable, and a cleaning cloth made by microfiber.

The one featured in this hands-on is the non-matte nano texture, which has yet been shipped and will set you back $1000 (Rs. 71,060) more. However, those who are willing to stretch their budget for the latter, more expensive version, it is worth remembering that it can only be cleaned by the included cloth, using anything else and you will risk damaging the display.

The stand and the Pro Display XDR is connected by strong magnets, so the whole thing exudes a high-end and sturdy feeling, which is expected for a setup at this high price point.

The Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR share the same lattice design on the back, which is for cooling and ventilation. The display features four USB-C ports, one of them is a Thunderbolt 3 to connect to the Mac Pro.

Those who want to switch between the vertical and landscape mode can use a small button on the stand of the monitor to maneuver. Height and tilt are adjustable too.

The Pro Display XDR has a resolution of 6016 x 3384 and a size of 32 inches. It is an incredible display with 1,000 nits of sustained brightness along with 1,600 nits of peak brightness, a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, and a super-wide viewing angle.

The level of color accuracy is high and suits to be used for professional purposes. Those who have to work with HDR content often will love the 1600 nits of peak brightness and HDR.

The $4,999 price tag seems like too much but since the display is for professionals, the quality and design make it all money well-spent. This is not a high price compared with other high-end monitors on the market though.

Hollywood studios use monitors with a price five times higher than the Pro Display HDR for film and TV editing. Most of these displays offer similar specs with the Pro Display XDR.

While the display comes with this year Mac Pro, it can also work with the 15-inch MacBook Pro releasing in 2018 and later, the 2019 iMac, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It is compatible with the iMac Pro releasing in 2017 but the 6K feature will be lost.