Pro Display XDR: Hands-on with Apple's new $5,000 6K monitor

We got up close and personal with Apple's first standalone monitor since 2016.

James Martin

James Martin is the Managing Editor of Photography at CNET. His photos capture technology's impact on society - from the widening wealth gap in San Francisco, to the European refugee crisis and Rwanda's efforts to improve health care. From the technology pioneers of Google and Facebook, photographing Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, to the most groundbreaking launches at Apple and NASA, his is a dream job for any documentary photography and journalist with a love for technology. Exhibited widely, syndicated and reprinted thousands of times over the years, James follows the people and places behind the technology changing our world, bringing their stories and ideas to life.

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David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech

David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.

Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials

Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.

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James Martin

David Katzmaier

June 3, 2019 3:58 p.m. PT

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Apple is back in the computer monitor business. Today at WWDC 2019 the company announced a new monitor targeted toward pro users -- the same folks who might want to buy the powerful new Mac Pro computer.

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Called the Pro Display XDR, it starts at $5,000, a fitting companion for the $6,000 starting price of the Mac Pro. And yes, there's an optional stand for another grand. All three will be available in fall, 2019.

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Apple likened the new display to professional reference monitors in the $40,000 price range, with brightness so "extreme" it had to replace the "H" with an "X" in the product name.

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It's got four USB-C ports: one is Thunderbolt 3 (96W host charging), three are USB 2-compatible.

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The display is 31.6 inches diagonal, 28.3 inches wide, and 16.2 inches high.

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Resolution is an incredible 6,016x3,384, which is why Apple is calling it a 6K display.

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It boasts 1,000 nits brightness (1,600 nits peak), and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

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Other key specs:

576 zones of full-array local dimming
P3 color gamut with 10-bit capability
Low reflectivity with matte screen finish option

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The monitor's chief feature is high-dynamic range, aka HDR. Doing HDR correctly requires a lot of horsepower to illuminate the screen, and the XDR monitor can get exceedingly bright -- and stay that way. Apple says an advanced cooling system can maintain its 1,000 nits brightness "indefinitely."

You can daisy-chain multiple Pro Displays together, too.