Review: BenQ 27-inch 5K Thunderbolt 4 Designer Monitor is a proper Apple Studio Display competitor for $1199

Zac Hall | Jan 27 2025 - 9:20 am PT

Starting today, BenQ is opening pre-orders for its first 27-inch 5K Thunderbolt 4 Designer Monitor. Announced last fall, the BenQ PD2730S is a proper competitor to the $1600+ Apple Studio Display with the same pixels-per-inch range. I’ve been using the $1200 BenQ 27-inch 5K Thunderbolt 4 Designer Monitor with my M4 Mac mini for the last few weeks, and several things about it have been more impressive than the Studio Display.

Practical and expansive

For a lot of Mac users, third-party monitors are often a bag of compromise. Apple makes expensive monitors with impressive resolution and design with an emphasis on compatibility and simplicity.

The BenQ 27-inch Designer Monitor, on the other hand, makes a lot of different choices that some Mac users will appreciate more.

For example, Studio Display has no power button. Designer Monitor has a power button, an input button, and a button for changing display settings. It also comes with the wireless Hotkey Puck G3, which is a physical external controller with a dial and multiple programmable action buttons.

As an object, Studio Display carries the exact design language as all-aluminum Mac computers. Apple monitors excel at design. Designer Monitor instead relies mostly on plastic, but the build quality is completely acceptable. It also uses whites, blacks, and silvers to still fit the Apple aesthetic.

Functionally, Studio Display has its own compromises outside of displaying Mac content. It’s a Thunderbolt 3 monitor with three downstream USB-C ports. Designer Monitor is a Thunderbolt 4 monitor with a very different set of I/O. In addition to Thunderbolt 4 upstream with 90W power delivery, PD2730S includes HDMI 2.1, DP1.4, a downstream Thunderbolt 4 port, two downstream USB-C ports, three USB-A 3.2 ports, and a headphone jack.

Studio Display does pull ahead in other I/O. It has “studio-quality” mics and a decent 12MP Ultra Wide camera that can pan and zoom on the subject or show a full room. Studio Display excels sonically with its six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio playback. I’ve been relying on external speakers and my iPhone as my webcam with Designer Monitor, although it does include a stereo pair of 3W speakers inside.

The stand/mounting situation is also favorable for BenQ.

Apple’s Studio Display comes with a very nice tilt-adjustable stand, but the tilt- and height-adjustable stand will cost you $400 extra. Want to mount Studio Display? The VESA mount adapter is a separate configuration upfront, and not including a stand won’t save you any money.

BenQ’s Designer Monitor is VESA mount-ready and comes with a versatile stand with great build quality. It has a tilt range of -5º~ 20º and 150mm of super smooth height adjustment ranging from 16.8-inches to 22.8-inches. No upfront configuration decisions to make, and no spending more for better ergonomics.

A respectable Mac monitor

But how does the display itself compare?

A lot of Mac users will prefer the standard glass display on Studio Display. The anti-glare option for nano-texture glass from Apple adds $300 to the monitor. BenQ Designer Monitor uses what it calls a Nano Matte Panel.

Both monitors are 27-inch displays with LED-backlit IPS panels, 60 Hz refresh rate, and 5120×2880 max resolution. Apple Studio Display maxes out at 600 nits brightness while BenQ Designer Monitor goes to 400 nits.

Apple ships with Apple Display (P3) reference mode, while BenQ supports Display P3 and its MacBook-matching M-Book pre-calibration. BenQ also supports VESA HDR400 for displaying high dynamic range content and features a 2000:1 high contrast ratio.

Given this is the Designer Monitor and not just an off-the-shelf 5K panel, BenQ puts a focus on “Always Accurate and Consistent Colors” with the PD2730S. In addition to great pre-calibration, BenQ makes it super easy to color match other monitors or calibrate the display for your needs without special equipment. Both Display Color Talk and Palette Master Ultimate from BenQ are available to download for free to fine tune the Designer Monitor for your environment.

So has Apple been bested in the 5K 27-inch display game? Personally, I’m still a sucker for the design of the Studio Display, but I also prefer an anti-reflective screen and a height adjustable stand. The Apple Studio Display is already priced not to compete at $1600 standard. It’s definitely not worth $2300 for most people — myself included.

BenQ 27-inch 5K Thunderbolt 4 Designer Monitor is available directly from the company starting today for $1199. Pre-orders are now open with units shipping as soon as March 1. BenQ has also opened pre-orders for its PD3226G monitor, a 32-inch 4K UHD 144Hz Refresh Rate 95% P3 Thunderbolt 4 Designer Monitor for $1099. Expect availability on Amazon after the initial launch period.