Apple Studio Display (15-inch LCD, 1998) vs Apple Studio Display (2026)

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Studio Display (15-inch LCD, 1998) compared with Studio Display (2026)

	AppleStudio Display (15-inch LCD, 1998)	AppleStudio Display (2026)
Overview
Released
Released	May 1998	March 2026
Display
Screen size
Screen size	15.1″	27″
Resolution
Resolution	1024 × 768	5120 × 2880 (5K) (better)
Sharpness
Sharpness	85 pixels per inch	218 pixels per inch (better)
Panel
Panel	LCD (TFT active-matrix LCD; Apple does not identify the panel subtype)	IPS (5K Retina)
Refresh rate
Refresh rate	75 Hz (better)	60 Hz
Brightness (typical)
Brightness (typical)	180 nits	600 nits (better)
Colour range
Colour range	–	Wide colour (P3)
Screen finish
Screen finish	–	Glossy
Contrast ratio
Contrast ratio	200:1	–
Shape
Shape	Flat	Flat
Colour depth
Colour depth	24-bit colour interface; up to 16 million displayed colours in Apple's April 1998 datasheet	1 billion colours
Colour modes
Colour modes	–	Apple Display (P3-600 nits), HDTV Video (BT.709–BT.1886), NTSC Video (BT.601 SMPTE-C), PAL and SECAM Video (BT.601 EBU), Digital Cinema (P3-DCI), Digital Cinema (P3-D65), Design and Print (P3-D50), Photography (P3-D65), Internet and Web (sRGB)
Viewing angles
Viewing angles	Typical 120° horizontal and 90° vertical	–
Connections
Video inputs
Video inputs	DA-15	Thunderbolt 5
USB-C charging
USB-C charging	None	Up to 96 W (better)
USB ports
USB ports	–	Thunderbolt 5, 2 × USB-C
Ethernet
Ethernet	–	No
Speakers
Speakers	–	Yes
Webcam
Webcam	–	12MP Center Stage with Desk View
USB-C detail
USB-C detail	–	Upstream Thunderbolt 5 (up to 120 Gb/s) with 96 W host charging
Daisy chaining
Daisy chaining	–	Downstream Thunderbolt 5 port daisy-chains more displays; up to four Studio Display models with a MacBook Pro with M5 Max
USB hub detail
USB hub detail	–	1 × Thunderbolt 5 downstream (up to 120 Gb/s), 2 × USB-C (up to 10 Gb/s) for peripherals, storage and networking
Speaker detail
Speaker detail	–	Six speakers with force-cancelling woofers; wide stereo; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Webcam detail
Webcam detail	–	Three-mic array with directional beamforming; camera features and firmware updates need a Mac
Other connections
Other connections	15-pin D-sub analogue RGB computer connection with included VGA adaptor; separate RCA composite and 4-pin DIN S-video inputs; left/right RCA audio inputs and mini-stereo audio output. Two downstream ADB sockets on desktop stand and an ADB connection on display; no USB hub is specified.	–
Design
Stand adjusts
Stand adjusts	Height, tilt, swivel (better)	Tilt
VESA mount
VESA mount	–	Yes
Weight with stand
Weight with stand	4.5 kg	6.3 kg
Height adjustment
Height adjustment	110 mm with desktop stand	105 mm with the optional tilt- and height-adjustable stand
Tilt
Tilt	−10° to +45° with desktop stand; +15° fixed picture-frame stand	−5° to +25°
Pivot
Pivot	–	Landscape only on either stand; portrait with the VESA mount adapter
VESA pattern
VESA pattern	–	100 × 100 mm (VESA mount adapter option)
Swivel
Swivel	±45° with desktop stand	–
Size with stand
Size with stand	Desktop stand, 39.9 × 38.1–49.0 × 24.9 cm (width × height × depth), from Apple's April 1998 datasheet. Service manual lists slightly different metric dimensions beside the same imperial figures; datasheet retained here. With included picture-frame stand, 15.7 × 11.6 × 6.9 inches (width × height × depth), weighing 2.3 kg.	Tilt stand 62.3 × 16.8 × 47.8 cm; tilt- and height-adjustable stand 62.3 × 20.7 × 47.9–58.3 cm and 7.6 kg (W × D × H)
Size without stand
Size without stand	–	62.3 × 3.1 × 36.2 cm with VESA mount adapter (W × D × H)
Weight without stand
Weight without stand	–	5.4 kg with VESA mount adapter
Controls
Controls	Power, brightness, graphics/video source toggle, reset and on-screen display navigation; software controls for white point, black level, tracking, positioning and sharpness	–
Colours
Colours	Original translucent Azul blue enclosure; not the later Blueberry or Graphite models	–
Power and support
Power use
Power use	Display operating consumption below 30 W, from the revision-specific Apple technical note; separate 45 W power adaptor	–
Power supply
Power supply	External power adaptor, 100–240 V AC at 50–60 Hz; this mains frequency is not the display refresh rate	100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, single phase
Software
Software	Apple announced this model on 17 March 1998 for worldwide availability in early May; Apple's archived support sheet gives introduction on 7 May 1998. Release month follows retail availability rather than announcement. Native 1024 × 768 accepts 60, 70, 74.9 and 75 Hz in the original maker manual. Apple Technical Information Library article 30460 explicitly distinguishes original Rev. A (180 cd/m², 4.5 kg desktop stand and below 30 W) from 1999 Rev. B (200 cd/m², 5.5 kg and below 35 W). The April 1998 datasheet and archived support sheet give the later figures; the later revision-specific technical note is followed here. PowerPC Mac with Mac OS 7.5 or later, or Windows 95/NT; see manual exclusions for older Macs and graphics cards.	Needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 or later, or an iPad with iPadOS 26.3.1 or later
Certifications
Certifications	–	ENERGY STAR
Warranty
Warranty	–	1-year limited warranty and 90 days of complimentary technical support from Apple
In the box
In the box	Display, desktop stand, picture-frame stand, VGA adaptor, power cord and adaptor, Apple Displays software with ColorSync profile and user manual	Studio Display, Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable (1 m)