If image clarity and text quality are your top priorities and budget is not a concern, the Apple Studio Display may suit you well, especially for productivity tasks that benefit from a higher resolution. On the other hand, the Dell Alienware monitor, being much less expensive, offers a higher refresh rate which is ideal for casual and competitive gaming. While the Alienware's resolution is lower than the Apple's, it still provides good image clarity and might offer better value for a mix of tasks including gaming and day-to-day productivity. Neither are suitable for serious HDR gaming or HDR video editing, but the Apple Studio Display has a slight edge in color accuracy for digital photo editing. If gaming is a frequent activity or you're looking to balance cost and performance, the Dell Alienware could be the smarter choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple Studio Display (IPS)
Best in class for productivity
Good for media consumption
Best in class text clarity
Best in class image clarity
Good brightness
Advantages of the Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS)
Very good for competitive gaming
Very good refresh rate
Good response time
Key differences
Competitive Gaming
5.0/10
8.6/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
280Hz
20.4 ms
TOTAL RESPONSE TIME
7.6 ms
N/A
VARIABLE REFRESH RATE
20 - 280 Hz
No
STROBING / BFI
No
584 nits
SDR PEAK BRIGHTNESS
384 nits
The Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) is very good for competitive gaming, while the Apple Studio Display (IPS) is poor.
Productivity
9.5/10
6.4/10
5120 x 2880
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
218 PPI
PIXELS PER INCH
109 PPI
No
ADJUSTABLE STAND
Yes
Glossy
COATING
Semi-Gloss
The Apple Studio Display (IPS) is best in class for productivity, while the Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) is only fair.
Media Consumption
7.0/10
6.0/10
5120 x 2880
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
1052:1
NATIVE CONTRAST
1020:1
584 nits
SDR PEAK BRIGHTNESS
384 nits
N/A
HDR PEAK BRIGHTNESS
672 nits
Glossy
COATING
Semi-Gloss
The Apple Studio Display (IPS) is good for media consumption, while the Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) is only fair.
Cost
$1,599
$429
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Apple Studio Display (IPS) has a price of $1,599 and the Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) costs $429.
Key similarities
Casual Gaming
6.1/10
6.4/10
5120 x 2880
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
280Hz
1052:1
NATIVE CONTRAST
1020:1
584 nits
SDR PEAK BRIGHTNESS
384 nits
N/A
HDR PEAK BRIGHTNESS
672 nits
N/A
DCI-P3 COLOR GAMUT
99.6 %
Glossy
COATING
Semi-Gloss
The Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) and Apple Studio Display (IPS) are both only fair for casual gaming.
HDR Gaming and Media Consumption
No
No
Both the Apple Studio Display (IPS) and Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) are not suitable for HDR gaming and media consumption.
Digital Photo Editing
Yes
Yes
Both the Apple Studio Display (IPS) and Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) are suitable for digital photo editing.
HDR Video Editing and Color Grading
No
No
Both the Apple Studio Display (IPS) and Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) are not suitable for HDR video editing and color grading.
Print Photo Editing
No
No
Both the Apple Studio Display (IPS) and Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) are not suitable for print photo editing.
Give feedback
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How the Apple Studio Display (IPS) and the Dell Alienware AW2723DF (IPS) compare to other monitors
"Put all the pieces together, the high quality IPS image quality, the punchy backlight, the good response and the buttery smooth 280Hz refresh and you have a pretty outstanding gaming panel that's also decent for general computing duties thanks to the 1440p resolution."
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Joe Golden, Ph.D
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.