Studio Display specs at half the price

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The Studio Display is the most affordable monitor in the Apple ecosystem, but it still costs an arm and a leg.

It’ll set you back $1,599, or $1,999 for the one with an adjustable stand.

That’s more reasonable than the $4,999 Pro Display XDR. But no matter how beautiful the Studio Display looks, $1,600 for a monitor is still a lot of money.

Enter Asus’ brand-new ProArt 5K desktop monitor, which boasts specs and features similar to the Studio Display but comes with a $799 list price — half the cost of Apple’s offering.

We went hands-on with the ProArt 5K, and here’s why we think it’s a good alternative to the Studio Display.

Also in today’s newsletter:

• Apple reportedly isn’t actively working on next-gen AirPods Max. The company just doesn’t sell enough of the headphones to justify a major update. It’s a pity, because they’re lovely headphones.

• I’m thinking of picking up a new iPad during the Black Friday sales, but I can’t decide which one to get. I kinda want the new 13-inch iPad Air, but I’m really tempted by the low price of the new iPad 10. And the ninth-generation iPad is even cheaper. Which iPad should I get? Our writer Ed Hardy does an excellent job of guiding me through the options.

• Talking of Black Friday, the disgusting orgy of consumer excess is already upon us, and we have several posts rounding up the best deals on Apple Watches, AirPods Pro, iPads, Macs, displays, accessories and more. Here’s an overview of the best Apple deals we’ve found so far.

• I think Amazon’s offer of the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air (16GB RAM/256GB SSD) for just $750 is a very good deal. The 16GB of RAM is essential, and the midnight color is 🔥 (even if it is a fingerprint magnet). I just bought this exact machine a month ago for about $150 more, and it’s a beautiful computer. I’m in love with it.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

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