Mac external displays for designers and developers, part 2
Since writing about Mac external displays in 2016, not much has changed. LG, Dell, Samsung, and other display makers have either never catered for the specs many Mac designers and developers want, or they’ve reluctantly produced products that have been short-lived or compromised.
In 2019, Apple announced their return to the display market, with an incredible product carrying an incredible price tag. The Pro Display XDR surpasses the specs many Mac users need, which unfortunately also puts it out of reach for many financially.
2019 also saw an update to LG’s 4K UltraFine display, increasing its size from 21.5-inch to 23.7-inch, but lowering its resolution pixel density. This effectively left the market with a single option — the LG 5K UltraFine. Not only that, but the LG 5K UltraFine has been going in and out of stock globally. It’s unclear to me if the product still exists as a going concern.
Thankfully, Apple’s new Studio Display now provides a great option.
Spec wise, it’s incredibly similar to LG’s 5K UltraFine, and the display of the now discontinued 27-inch iMac, even though it’s not using the same panel. The Studio Display is precisely what I and many others have been asking Apple for — an iMac without the computer. It’s definitely true the Studio Display could have included local dimming, HDR, 120Hz refresh rate and other niceties, but I think that would have been the wrong choice if it meant a higher price. The Studio Display hits an incredibly important target, and it can now be the default choice for discerning Mac designers and developers.
With that in mind, what are the criteria for a good external Mac display in 2022?
Pixel density #
macOS has been designed to be legible and usable with a pixel density of about 218PPI (pixels per inch) for “Retina” class desktop displays. If a display’s PPI is higher, text and the macOS user interface will be smaller. If a display’s PPI is lower, text and the macOS user interface will be larger. Stray too far from 218PPI and macOS becomes unusable.
Apple’s laptops have slightly higher pixel density, at 227PPI and 254PPI for the MacBook Air and 16-inch MacBook Pro respectively. This trades a little legibility for screen real estate, while also catering for the closer viewing distance (the closer you get to a display, the larger things look). These choices dictate how physically large text and interface elements appear on the respective devices.
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