Comparison: Apple Studio Display vs. Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro Display

Porsche Design's AOC AGON Pro PD32M is in the same general price range as the Apple Studio Display, but each display offers different benefits for wealthy users who want a premium experience.

When Apple launched the Studio Display, it was seen as a more affordable alternative to the Pro Display XDR. While cheaper, it's still considered a premium monitor option for use with Apple's product line.

The Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M joins the very niche category of high-end screens from Studio Display. The high-end lifestyle brand's foray into monitors offers an automotive-minded German design-wear aesthetic, produced in partnership with established screen maker AOC as part of its established Agon Pro range.

Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro vs. Apple Studio Display - Design and Size

The first big difference that is obvious before designing is the different screen sizes. The Apple Studio Display comes with a 27-inch screen, while Porsche Design uses a 32-inch version.

Apple has a well-established and unmistakable design aesthetic when fully displayed, consisting of a large slab of aluminum. The Studio Display has thin bezels around the edges on the front, a sealed aluminum casing, and a row of perforations at the bottom of the display.

Its normal stand is reminiscent of the design of the 24-inch iMac, and it's easy to mistake it for that. The L-shaped tilt-adjustable stand can be replaced with a VESA mounting adapter or a tilt- and height-adjustable version.

The Porsche Design monitor’s stand is said to be based on the steering wheel.

Porsche Design takes a more traditional approach to the screen, with a frameless design that sneaks in the Porsche Design branding along the bottom edge.

Instead of being rectangular, Porsche Design's display has its sides and edges tapered to achieve a slim appearance. This all tapers into one large, flat section, as its overall display is much thicker.

The screen is mounted on an aluminum bracket and has a unique hollow appearance. Porsche Design calls it a "trapezoidal aluminum bracket designed in the style of a Porsche steering wheel."

If you don't like the mount, you can always remove it and use a VESA mount. Given the target audience of this monitor, that's unlikely.

Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro vs Apple Studio Display - Display Technology

In addition to the dimensions already mentioned, the display technology used by each monitor also differs significantly.

Apple's Studio Display squeezes a 5,120 x 2,880 resolution image into its 27-inch screen, giving it a pixel density of 218 pixels per inch. The 32-inch Porsche Design screen uses a more traditional 3,840 x 2,160 4K resolution, which equates to a lower density of just 138ppi.

While Porsche Design can't beat Apple's screen resolution, it still tries to do so in the Studio Display's uneven areas. For example, while the Studio Display isn't HDR, Porsche's is.

The Apple Studio Display does not offer HDR, nor does it use mini LED backlighting.

Porsche Design has been certified for Display HDR 1,400, saying the monitor covers 97% of the P3 color range and has a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Apple says it has P3 color coverage, although the Studio Display only manages 600 nits.

This is almost certainly because Apple uses LED backlighting for the Studio Display, while Porsche opted for mini LED. By using more small mini-LEDs, the display can deliver a brighter, more evenly illuminated picture than LED versions.

The use of mini LEDs is often accompanied by the inclusion of local dimming zones, and Pro Display XDR uses this approach to provide users with very high contrast ratios. This is especially useful for viewing HDR content.

Apple’s LED-based display does not have local dimming zones. Porsche Design doesn't say how many zones its display uses, but as far as high-contrast images go, their presence is better than none.

The Porsche also surprised Apple with its refresh rate, with its 144Hz screen completely beating out the Studio Display’s 60Hz. AOC also includes support for AdaptiveSync, an automatic refresh rate adjustment similar to ProMotion.

In fact, Porsche Design's display has the exact advantage that the Studio Display sorely lacks, while Apple's screen has the resolution its rivals desperately need.

Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro with Apple Studio Display - Connectivity

Apple's Studio Display offers fairly simple, albeit limited, connectivity options. There are just four ports on the back, including one Thunderbolt 3 for connecting to your Mac and three USB Type-C connections for peripherals.

The Thunderbolt 3 port handles the video connection and operates as the data backbone for the 10Gbps downstream USB connection. Thunderbolt 3 also offers up to 96W of power output, which can be used to charge a connected MacBook Pro.

The Porsche Monitor hides connections in a pair of cutout sections on either side of the stand, with ports accessed vertically in their hidden positions. While this may make the connection less obvious, it may be more awkward for users to actively access it.

On one side are two HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort connection, and on the other side are a USB Type-C and four USB 3.2, as well as a headphone jack.

The Apple Studio Display has few ports, but they are easily accessible. Porsche Design includes many connections but hides them.

It's hard not to side with Porsche Design here, at least when it comes to video input. Switching between three video sources is a big advantage for anyone dealing with multiple computing setups without the need for a separate hardware switcher.

Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro vs. Apple Studio Display - Additional Features

On the audio front, Apple opted for a six-speaker system with forced-cancellation woofers and listened to Dolby Atmos ( Dolby Atmos) content. Porsche Design features a pair of 8-watt speakers that are DTS Sound certified.

When it comes to capturing audio, Apple wins here as it includes a three-microphone array with directional beamforming and studio-quality microphones that support "Hey Siri." There is no microphone on the Porsche display.

It's a similar story with the webcam, where there's no camera on the opposite screen, although Apple uses a 12MP ultrawide camera with center stage.

Porsche Design includes RGB lighting on the back of its monitor so it can illuminate nearby walls.

Porsche Design includes RGB lighting, a common staple in gaming monitors. The tapered side and top edges have light effects that illuminate the back wall.

There’s also an LED logo projection, although it seems more like another place to house the Porsche Design branding.

Porsche Design also includes a wireless quick switch, a remote that can change video sources and manage on-screen menus without having to fiddle with built-in buttons.

Porsche Design Wireless Quick Switch lets you change video sources without fumbling with button presses.

Finally, there’s a headphone holder, which consists of hooks on either side of the Porsche monitor, giving you a place to hang your headphones. Fortunately, they can be removed for those who prefer a cleaner look to their monitor.

Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro vs. Apple Studio Display - Price

Apple is selling its Studio Display for $1,599. If you want a nano-textured glass coating to minimize glare, that'll cost an extra $300.

Apple gives you a choice of three stands, a tilt-adjustable stand and VESA mounting adapter included as part of the monitor price, or a tilt- and height-adjustable stand available for an additional fee. Purchased for $400.

The most expensive variant will add nano-textured glass and a tilt- and height-adjustable stand, bringing it to $2,299.

The Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M sells for $1,799 including the stand.

Same Goal, Different Execution

Apple Studio Display and Porsche Design’s collaboration with AOC is focused on delivering a premium viewing experience for Mac and PC users. One that offers a well-designed display and decent specs at a reassuringly expensive price.

Each screen follows the same route but diverges at key points.

For display technology, Apple went for high resolution at the expense of HDR and brightness, while Porsche Design opted for a larger display with HDR but not matching the resolution of the Studio Display.

It can be said that Apple has a beautiful and stylish design to match its design aesthetic, while Porsche's screen is more traditional. That is, except for the steering wheel-inspired monitor stand.

While Apple offers webcam and microphone capabilities, Porsche offers the ability to connect multiple video sources and switch between them easily.

Porsche Design includes features that Apple Studio Display lacks and vice versa.

It would be nice to have a monitor that offers the best of both worlds, but that's not the case with either of these monitors in their current state. You could argue that the Pro Display XDR fits that description perfectly, but for the price it certainly doesn't.

The buyer's decision will ultimately be Apple's aesthetics and resolution versus Porsche's branding, physical size, brightness and HDR. No matter which product your hypothetical customer buys, they'll have a pretty good monitor by most standards.

It's just not going to be a monitor that can do it all. That's pretty much what you'd expect in this price range.

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