BenQ MA270S 5K Display
It was first announced last month without pricing or availability details, but BenQ has now shared all the specs for its new 27-inch 5K display designed for Mac users. The MA270S matches the size and 5,120 x 2,880 resolution of the new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR Apple announced yesterday, including a Nano Gloss surface providing improved viewing angles.
The BenQ MA270S will be available through the company’s online store and retailers including Amazon this month for $999, making it $600 cheaper than Apple’s new $1,599 Studio Display. However, it’s not quite as fully featured as Apple’s latest monitor. The MA270S delivers 99 percent of the P3 color gamut, but is limited to 500 nits of brightness, compared to 600 for the Studio Display.
It has Thunderbolt 4 instead of Thunderbolt 5, but 4 USB ports instead of 2, plus 2 HDMI. There’s no camera. You do get a height-adjustable stand (that can also pivot) and a power button.
BenQ’s MA-series is especially designed for color accuracy when paired with a MacBook.
Previously:
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I never imagined I'd still be using a 27" LED Cinema Display for nearly 16 years. After the Studio Display was released in 2022, I thought I'd wait for the second generation, which I didn't expect would be another 4 years. And then, with an underwhelming update, I think for the first time in nearly 23 years, I'm seriously considering a non-Apple display. I've always preferred the color accuracy and aesthetics of Apple displays, even when competing products had better specs and a lower price. This BenQ and the ViewSonic VP2788-5K seem like compelling alternatives.
In addition to being $600 less, this monitor also can be used with an Intel Mac and non-Mac hardware (like video game systems or even PCs).
I am now rocking two LG 32” 6K displays but would’ve considered upgrading my ASD if they weren’t trying to charge $3300 for the model with 120hz. Absolutely not. And the fact that Apple is continuing to charge $1600 for a monitor that is a decade old (it’s almost unchanged from the LG UltraFine 5K, a monitor that was cheaper than the ASD) and a panel that itself is basically 12 years old, is insane. Like well and truly.
No one should buy an Apple monitor at this point when you can go a 6K Kuycon for the same price (and it is glossy and looks like a XDR Pro Display), 6K displays from other manufacturers for $2000 or less and a number of good 5K options.
I like the aesthetics and glossy panel of an ASD a lot, but at a certain point I have to accept that I’m rewarding terrible product and pricing decisions.
