BenQ’s More Affordable 5K Display Offers Mac Users Greater Flexibility with Some Trade-Offs

Source: BenQ

Until last fall, I was the happy owner of a first-generation Studio Display. In most respects, it was great. The screen was crisp, the colors vibrant, and it included many quality-of-life features other displays lack. Features like the Studio Display’s built-in USB-C hub, iSight camera, and array of six speakers and three microphones make it more like a Mac accessory than simply a display.

Those were all tangible upsides, but they came with their own set of tradeoffs, which Apple carried over from my original Studio Display to the updated model released earlier this year. That new model adopts Thunderbolt 5 for two of its ports – one upstream and another downstream – and improves the camera and speakers. However, both Studio Display models lack HDMI, DisplayPort, KVM capabilities for easy switching between multiple connected devices, and screen size choices.

That ultimately drove me to purchase an ASUS gaming monitor that I love. It’s OLED and bigger than the Studio Display, with a higher refresh rate, more input options, and built-in KVM. However, it lacks a webcam, microphones, and speakers, which I miss at times. It’s also 4K, whereas the Studio Display is 5K.

On balance, I’m glad I went the route I did, but it’s led me to think a lot about displays and the trade-offs among them. The good news is that there are many more choices for Mac users than ever before, even if you don’t want to sacrifice the Studio Display’s 5K resolution for more flexibility. That’s why when BenQ offered to send me their 27” 5K MA270S display to try, I jumped at the opportunity: unlike my 32” gamer-oriented ASUS display, BenQ’s display is specifically targeted at Mac users.

Let’s take a look at how it stacks up to the Studio Display and other options.

I don’t really have the space for a second display on my desk, but it’s tempting. The BenQ MA270S is on the left.

The BenQ MA270S holds its own where it counts the most: the display. If you’ve used the original Studio Display or the more recent model, the differences are minor. Both are 5K and have the same pixel density. However, BenQ’s display is a little dimmer and handles 99% of the P3 color spectrum to the Studio Display’s 100%. In contrast, the BenQ MA270S offers higher contrast and HDR, which you can’t get on the standard Studio Display. The MA270S also has the Studio Display’s refresh rate beat 70Hz to 60Hz, which some users may notice when scrolling but is unlikely to make a difference in most productivity use cases.

The MA270S can be VESA mounted like the Studio Display, but it comes with a height-adjustable stand that can rotate. The Studio Display can only rotate if it’s on a VESA mount, and a height-adjustable stand costs an extra $400. Also, the body behind the MA270S’s screen is bulkier than the Studio Display’s, and despite being encased in plastic, the BenQ display’s substantial base makes it nearly five pounds heavier than the all-aluminum Studio Display, which surprised me.

The BenQ MA270S is glossy, as my kitchen windows demonstrate here.

The BenQ MA270S has speakers that pale in comparison to the Studio Display’s and no webcam. However, the MA270S’s connectivity story is much better than the Studio Display’s with two HDMI 2.1 ports, Thunderbolt 4, and built-in KVM, making it easy to connect and run multiple devices, which is exactly the sort of flexibility I was looking for when I abandoned the Studio Display. The MA270S also has a second Thunderbolt 4 port for peripherals, a USB-C port with DisplayPort support, another 10Gbps USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and a headphone jack.

For many people, though, the BenQ MA270S’s biggest selling point – aside from its comparable screen specs and greater flexibility – will be its price. At $999, you get what is roughly the equivalent of the Studio Display with an adjustable stand, which would cost $1,999, for half the price.

A downstream Thunderbolt 4 port means you can daisy chain two BenQ MA270S displays. Source: BenQ

It’s worth noting that BenQ has also done a lot with software to smooth out the rough edges of switching away from the Studio Display. Its Display Pilot 2 app lets you control the MA270S’s brightness and, in supported setups, speaker volume from an Apple keyboard. It also provides Mac-style software controls for brightness syncing, Apple-device-oriented color matching, and Smart KVM, putting many of the monitor’s settings in a menu bar app instead of an on-screen display menu system.

Having spent the past few weeks with the MA270S, I’m impressed. The difference between its 27” 5K display and my 32” 4K display is noticeable. The BenQ MA270S’s text is crisper, and the colors are more vibrant. It’s perfect for productivity tasks, going head to head with the Studio Display, and a reasonable option for gaming, too. I wouldn’t trade my 32” OLED display for something smaller, no matter its quality or features; however, if the screen were larger, the BenQ MA270S would fit me perfectly with its unique balance between productivity and flexibility, even before considering its price.

The bottom line is that Mac users have many more good display options than they had even a few years ago. The Studio Display remains uniquely positioned thanks to its tight integration with macOS. However, BenQ has meaningfully closed that gap with a combination of hardware and software that gives Mac users an experience comparable to a Studio Display at a more affordable price. That’s exciting for those of us who experiment with a wide variety of hardware and prefer to run it all with one display. Now you can while still enjoying the benefits of a 5K display.

The BenQ MA270S is available directly from BenQ for $999.