Any typical seek for a shopper Mac monitor inevitably results in the Apple Studio Show – a seamless however prohibitively costly choice for many customers at $1,599. That is the place BenQ’s MA270U steps in, providing Mac-native options at a way more palatable $459.99.
In contrast to typical PC displays that usually really feel retrofitted for Mac compatibility, this can be a 27-inch 4K show that arrives prepared for MacBook use out of the field, full with built-in shade matching, keyboard integration, and even Focus mode assist. However can a third-party monitor actually ship Apple-like integration with out the Apple price ticket?
Key Show Specs
- 27-inch IPS panel with Nano Matte coating
- 3840 x 2160 (4K) decision
- 400 nits peak brightness
- 1200:1 native distinction ratio
- 99% sRGB, 95% P3 shade gamut
- 60Hz refresh price
- 5ms response time
- HDR10 with VESA Show HDR 400 certification
- 178° viewing angles
Design and Construct High quality
Peeling the protecting materials off the “Nano Matte” IPS panel reveals a skinny black bezel across the high and sides, and a barely thicker chin with the BenQ brand centered in an inoffensive, virtually hidden black end. The rear of the show is plastic with a metallic end that curves outwards barely, whereas the stand is a brushed steel pipe about 2.5 inches in diameter.
Meeting is very simple and requires no instruments. You simply click on the neck of the stand to the again after which use the key-screw to lock on the oblong base, which features a rubber strip alongside the entrance for putting equipment.
As soon as the monitor was arrange alongside my Apple Studio Show, BenQ’s design maybe inevitably appeared a little bit dated. The monitor sports activities clear traces and skinny bezels, however its predominantly plastic building lacks Apple’s signature sophistication. The aluminum-effect again cowl tries to bridge this hole, although it will probably’t match Apple’s minimalist refinement and eager eye for curves and contours.
That mentioned, construct high quality impresses the place it issues. The metal neck offers rock-solid stability, whereas the soft-touch space on the bottom is a pleasant afterthought. Whereas it will not win any design awards in my e-book, the development feels reassuringly sturdy.
Connectivity and Setup
Connectivity-wise, the monitor is pretty well-accommodated around the again. The 90W USB-C port connects and offers energy to your Mac, whereas a further 15W USB-C port and one 7.5W USB-A port supply choices for connecting different units (in my case, a Bluetooth receiver for my mouse, and an exterior USB exhausting drive).
Crucially, the hub can present energy even when the show is off, so you possibly can preserve your MacBook and no matter else plugged in and charging regardless. There are additionally two HDMI 2.0 ports (sadly not 2.1), plus a headphone jack and an additional 7.5W USB-A port situated underneath the panel, subsequent to a glowing energy button and a bodily toggle to manually set brightness, quantity, and show output.
Getting began could not have been simpler. I plugged within the provided USB-C cable and my MacBook Air immediately acknowledged the show and commenced drawing 90W of energy from it. I additionally tried connecting to an M4 Mac mini, each straight and through a Ugreen Thunderbolt 4 dock, and had zero points.
As I acquired comfy with the setup, I used to be impressed by the flexibleness of the MA270U’s stand, providing a variety of changes that make it straightforward to seek out your best viewing place. The peak adjustment offers a beneficiant 115mm of vertical journey, whereas the lean mechanism permits the display screen to maneuver from -5° backward to twenty° ahead. Paired with 15° of swivel in every course, you possibly can fine-tune the show’s place to attenuate glare and maximize consolation. The sturdy stand retains the show steady at any place, and the graceful pivot operate rotates 90 levels in both course for portrait orientation viewing.
The built-in 3W audio system are satisfactory for system sounds however will not change devoted audio options – you will not be stunned to be taught that they are noticeably inferior to MacBook audio system, and the much less mentioned about them the higher.
Show Efficiency and Shade Accuracy
Here is the place the MA270U excels. The 60Hz panel’s 3,840 x 2,160 decision delivers crisp, vibrant visuals, whereas the 5ms response time is completely satisfactory (until you are a hardcore FPS gamer). Colours pop with out showing oversaturated, and BenQ’s color-matching expertise is spectacular – the distinction between my MacBook Air’s show and the MA270U was barely perceptible when utilizing the really helpful shade profile. I even swapped out my Air for a MacBook Professional with a Liquid Retina XDR show, and solely the brightness distinction was seen. The monitor maintained constant shade replica throughout its 400 nits brightness vary. Certainly, I used to be impressed with how good it appeared alongside my Studio Show.
The Nano Matte panel handles glare admirably underneath regular circumstances. Nonetheless, direct daylight stays difficult. It is not fairly as efficient as Apple’s nano-texture glass choice on this respect, however bear in mind – that is a $300 improve on the Studio Show, which additionally boasts a better 600 nits of brightness. One different factor value mentioning is how briskly the MA collection monitor wakes from sleep – it impressively matched the velocity of my Mac and the Studio Show.
Show Pilot 2 Software program
The Show Pilot 2 software program deserves particular point out, because it’s clear BenQ has put severe effort into making this really feel like a pure extension of the Mac expertise. I by no means had to make use of the bodily toggle on the underside of the show to alter settings through the OSD – the menu bar app successfully changed it, providing native management of the MA270U. You possibly can regulate these settings independently for every related show, with choices to sync them if desired, and you may customise which settings seem within the interface. For shade administration, Show Pilot 2 offers fast entry to completely different shade modes together with M-E-book (designed to match MacBook shows), Show P3, and sRGB. You possibly can change between them with a single click on when coping with color-critical work, and you may assign particular shade modes to launch routinely with completely different purposes – a pleasant contact that you simply’d normally solely count on when utilizing a reference monitor.
Alternatively, the Show Pilot software program feels prefer it’s half-baked in some respects, and among the capabilities work higher than others. I discovered the HDR choice so-so – it blew out the colours when viewing my desktop, and solely vaguely improved the movie-watching expertise. The app additionally permits options like computerized show rotation and desktop partitioning, although macOS Sequoia’s built-in window administration makes the latter a little bit redundant. In the meantime, the Low Blue Mild mode appeared to have virtually no impact. Nonetheless, credit score the place credit score is due: The Mac keyboard integration works seamlessly – adjusting the brightness and quantity of the exterior panel out of your MacBook feels pure, and the syncing is seamless. The ICCSync function ensures the monitor’s colours keep completely matched along with your MacBook’s show, and I significantly appreciated the Brightness Sync function, which routinely matches the brightness ranges between your MacBook and the MA270U.
FocuSync connects with macOS Focus modes to regulate show settings routinely primarily based in your chosen Focus state, whereas the B.I.+ Gen2 function makes use of the monitor’s ambient mild sensor (situated on the high of the panel) to regulate brightness and shade temperature primarily based in your setting. FocuSync is not one thing I’d ever use, however it labored as marketed as soon as I granted the mandatory permissions. The identical cannot be mentioned for BenQ’s Brightness Intelligence function, which frequently made every part overly dim and washed out in regular lighting circumstances.
You possibly can regulate the decision within the app with a slider, however I discovered this wanting. In my expertise, the native 3,840 x 2,160 decision made textual content too small to learn comfortably for any size of time, although the 32-inch mannequin might fare higher on this regard. My largest bugbear is that the scaled choices had been too few and much between for me to seek out an optimum setting, so I ended up utilizing the Higher Show app as a substitute, deciding on 2,560 x 1,440 decision, which paired nicely alongside the Studio Show (a 5K panel scaled to 2,560 x 1,440). Sat again usually and taking a look at each displays, I acquired a decently uniform image from them, with solely the superior brightness of the Studio Show making the distinction. In fact, in most contexts, evaluating a 4K panel to a 5K panel is like evaluating apples to oranges, however macOS scaling is so good nowadays that I genuinely cannot inform the distinction until my nostril is sort of touching the display screen.
Summing Up
The BenQ MA270U delivers the place it counts – 4K show high quality and Mac integration. Whereas its design might not match Apple’s aesthetic, its performance-to-price ratio is compelling. The 32-inch MA320U presents greater brightness (550 nits vs 400 nits) and a barely higher shade gamut, however the core options stay equivalent.
This monitor ought to go well with Mac customers looking for a high quality exterior show with out Studio Show pricing (as long as you convey your individual webcam and exterior audio system). It is particularly interesting for productiveness work, content material consumption, and even mild artistic duties, because of its glorious shade replica. Skilled creators may favor BenQ’s Thunderbolt PD collection or the brighter picture of a Apple’s 5K Studio Show, however for everybody else, the MA270U represents glorious worth.
The place to Purchase
The BenQ MA270U is offered from BenQ’s web site and approved retailers for $459.99/£449.99. The 32-inch MA320U retails for $599.99/£549.99.
Notice: BenQ supplied MacRumors with a 27-inch MA270U 4K monitor for the aim of the evaluate. No different compensation was obtained.
