The Mac Mini gets a powerful little brother with the Apple Mac Studio. At the same time, the manufacturer is also launching a new 27-inch 5K monitor to complete the set.
The powerful Apple M1 Ultra chip is already getting a home in the new Mac Studio, a more powerful and taller version of the Mac Mini. The extra height is needed to cool the new powerful chip. At the bottom, cool air is sucked in by two fans and then pushed out the back.
Besides the powerful chip, the numerous front and rear ports steal the show. At the front, you’ll find an SD card slot and two USB-C connectors. At the back: 4x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI, 1x jack connector and an Ethernet port (10 Gigabit). Notable: the configuration with an M1 Ultra gets Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C ports at the front of the Mac Studio. Those configuring an M1 Max will have to make do with USB-C ports that are USB 3.2 compatible.
According to Apple, you can connect four monitors and a TV to one Mac Studio thanks to all the ports provided.
Another reason the Apple Mac Studio is bigger: a built-in power supply. You are no longer stuck with a power adapter halfway down your cable that is sometimes larger than the device itself. Furthermore, you will find on board wifi 6 and bluetooth 5.
Apple Mac Studio
The top-of-the-line model with an Apple M1 Max chip on board is 60 percent faster than a 28-core Intel Xeon Mac Pro, according to the manufacturer. Now only the Mac Pro remains as the last device within Apple’s lineup without an ARM chip from the manufacturer. We can clearly expect some more goodies this fall since Apple gave itself two years to completely ban Intel.
You can configure the small desktop with up to 8 TB of SSD storage. You do have to be clear up front what configuration you want. Adding additional storage or RAM later is not an option, as is the case with MacBook Pro models and the Mac Mini today.
Apple Studio Display
The new desktop is joined by an affordable version of the Pro Display XDR. The 32-inch screen diagonal is reduced to 27-inches for the new Studio Display, and the 6K resolution gives way to 5K with 600 nits of screen brightness. You can configure the monitor as with the top model with an optional nano texture option.
Interestingly, Apple is putting an A13 Bionic chip in the Studio Display and a 12 megapixel camera, the same as in the iPhone. Apparently not everyone is suffering from the global chip shortage? There is also room for six speakers (four woofers, two tweeters) and four USB-C connectors in the back. One is Thunderbolt 4-compatible and can deliver 96 watts of charging power to charge a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
You can choose between a standard base, which only allows you to tilt the screen, or a VESA bracket. A monitor base that is also height adjustable (up to 10.5 cm) costs more.
Price and availability
The Apple Mac Studio is available starting at $2,329 with an M1 Max chip on board. Those who want more can put an M1 Ultra chip in it starting at $4,629. The base versions get 64 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD on board. The absolute top model with 8 TB of storage, 128 GB of RAM and the fastest Apple M1 Ultra chip with 64 GPU cores costs a hallucinatory $9,229. The compact desktop will be available starting March 18.
The Apple Studio Display starts from 1,779 euros, the nano-coated version from 2,029 euros. For that price, you can choose between a standard stand or a VESA adapter. Those who want a base that is also height-adjustable must lay down 460 euros.
All the above prices include VAT.
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