Review: ViewSonic's VP2788-5K Display Offers a Cheaper Alternative to Apple's Studio Display

After years of determination being fewer alternatives to the Apple-approved LG UltraFine 5K and later the Apple Studio Display successful the 27-inch 5K show market, a fig of caller entrants person precocious appeared to connection much options for consumers.


In conscionable the past fewer months, we've taken a look astatine the ASUS ProArt Display 5K, the BenQ PD2730S, and the Alogic Clarity 5K Touch with its unsocial touchscreen capabilities, and astir precocious I've been investigating retired different caller option, the $950 ViewSonic VP2788-5K, to spot however it stacks up.

As background, I person been driving a brace of LG UltraFine 5K displays successful my table setup since 2016, and speech from immoderate representation retention issues that I've learned to unrecorded with, they enactment fantastically for my needs, truthful overmuch truthful that I haven't seen the request to upgrade to the Apple Studio Display. Content looks large connected the UltraFines, they enactment reliably, and they integrate with macOS to enactment convenient features specified arsenic measurement and brightness keyboard shortcuts.

With those arsenic my benchmark, I've been investigating the ViewSonic VP2788-5K successful regular usage alongside 1 of my LG UltraFines, and I've recovered some positives and negatives with ViewSonic's offering.


The VP2788-5K arrives successful a reasonably compact box, and arsenic with astir displays it requires a small spot of elemental assembly. The hefty metallic ft attaches to the show cervix with a unafraid thumbscrew that is recessed somewhat into the bottommost of the ft to support against scratching surfaces, and determination is simply a click-in screen attachment for the rear of the show that simply slides into the apical of the basal neck. If you similar a VESA mounting solution, conscionable permission that screen disconnected and you tin unafraid the show to immoderate 100x100 VESA mount.


My archetypal impressions of the wide plan of the VP2788-5K were comparatively favorable, though speech from the sturdy metallic basal basal the operation is astir wholly achromatic and acheronian grey plastic. Still, I find the plan unobtrusive overall, which is chiefly what I'm looking for arsenic the contented connected the surface is what I'm astir funny in. Bezels connected the apical and sides are reasonably slim, with a spot thicker bezel connected the bottommost including immoderate subtle ViewSonic branding. There's a spot of further grey ViewSonic branding connected the basal base.


The VP2788-5K excels successful positional flexibility, supporting not conscionable tallness (120 mm range) and tilt (5º guardant to 22º back) adjustments but besides up to 30º of swivel close oregon near and 90º of pivot close oregon near if you similar to usage the show successful representation mode. While the ‌Apple Studio Display‌ supports tilt accommodation connected the basal model, tallness accommodation is simply a $400 basal upgrade, and swivel and pivot are not supported astatine all.


For cablegram management, the VP2788-5K includes a spread successful the basal neck, and it's precocious capable that it's good hidden down the show to support those cables retired of show arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. Only if you propulsion the show toward its highest presumption volition the cables and spread go visible.


Whereas Apple and LG kept connectivity elemental connected their displays with lone a azygous Thunderbolt 3 input, ViewSonic has included respective options to enactment not conscionable Macs but Windows PCs and different devices. There's an upstream Thunderbolt 4 larboard for casual Mac connectivity, positive an HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, and an upstream USB-C port. On the downstream side, there's a 2nd Thunderbolt 4 port, a 15-watt USB-C port, and a brace of 10-watt USB-A ports, with the other Thunderbolt larboard allowing for daisy-chained displays via a azygous transportation connected supported computers. Cables for the assorted connector types are included successful the box.


All of the ports are located connected the rear of the show successful a downward-facing orientation, with immoderate located adjacent the bottommost of the show and others sitting up a spot higher connected the back. While the downward-facing ports tin let the show to beryllium placed flatter against walls oregon different surfaces erstwhile connected a VESA equine and possibly effect successful little accent connected cables with gravity pulling successful enactment with the cablegram alternatively than perpendicularly, they bash marque cables attached to immoderate of the ports disposable from successful beforehand of the display.


For example, the main Thunderbolt larboard utilized for connecting to my MacBook Pro is flush with the bottommost of the display, truthful the cablegram connector sticks consecutive down retired of the display. That results successful immoderate ocular clutter, and the connector tin beryllium easy bumped if you're trying to determination items astir nether the display. Most of the ports are a spot higher connected the backmost of the display, keeping immoderate connectors hidden distant from view, and I'm not wholly definite wherefore each of the ports weren't designed successful this mode for a cleaner look.

That upstream Thunderbolt 4 larboard tin proviso up to 100 watts of charging powerfulness to a connected computer, truthful you won't request an further powerfulness root to support your MacBook charged up. That's a competitory magnitude of powerfulness output, arsenic galore different options connection much similar 90 watts oregon adjacent less. The show does usage an outer powerfulness ceramic of its own, truthful support successful caput you volition request to fell that distant determination connected the level oregon your desk.

Turning to the existent display, the VP2788-5K offers up to 500 nits of brightness, which has proven to beryllium plentifulness agleam successful my enactment situation and easy matched to my UltraFine 5K and my ‌MacBook Pro‌'s interior display. Apple's Studio Display does spell up to 600 nits, however, truthful it offers a spot much successful this department. The IPS sheet supports refresh rates up to 75Hz, but this is achieved via scalar processing that ViewSonic says whitethorn not execute consistently, truthful it's astir apt champion to usage the autochthonal 60Hz refresh rate. That's not going to connection top-of-the-line show for gaming and different demanding environments, but for wide computing I've recovered it to beryllium conscionable fine.

As for color, the VP2788-5K supports 100% of the sRGB spectrum, 99% of DCI-P3 colors, and HDR400, and I recovered colors to look earthy and well-matched to my different displays, with calibration options disposable if you request to tweak things. Content looks crisp connected the 5K screen, delivering coagulated Retina prime moving successful 2560×1440 HiDPI mode.

The VP2788-5K includes an "Anti-Glare Low Reflection (AGLR) coating" that looks large successful my opinion. Display prime and colors don't look to beryllium hampered overmuch astatine each by the coating (though I don't bash aggravated colour enactment similar grading) and I don't announcement immoderate glare from the show successful my regular use, with lone a tiny spot of diffuse airy showing up erstwhile a agleam root is reflected successful the display. That's a definite betterment implicit the glossy decorativeness of my LG UltraFine displays. Apple offers a low-reflectivity modular solid connected the Studio Display, with a nano-texture solid enactment to further minimize glare disposable arsenic a $300 upgrade.

One country wherever the ViewSonic VP2788-5K seems to beryllium lacking compared to the ‌Apple Studio Display‌ and LG UltraFine is integration with macOS, arsenic it does not look to enactment features similar brightness oregon measurement adjustments from the keyboard, requiring accommodation via a somewhat finicky joystick fastener underneath the bottommost borderline of the show that controls each of the on-screen show paper options. It's not a dealbreaker for maine due to the fact that I don't often set show brightness astatine my desk, but it whitethorn beryllium an contented for some. ViewSonic tells maine it is alert of the missing diagnostic and is moving to adhd it to the Display Portal bundle that tin beryllium utilized to update the display's firmware, but they bash not person steadfast timeline for it yet.


The VP2788-5K includes a brace of 5-watt speakers, but arsenic with astir built-in show speakers, they permission thing to beryllium desired and present a precise hollow sound. The speakers successful my LG UltraFine displays are considerably better, and you're amended disconnected utilizing the speakers successful your Mac oregon a abstracted talker solution if you privation to perceive to overmuch much than strategy sounds with this display.

It's important to enactment that the VP2788-5K does not see a webcam oregon microphone, truthful you volition request different solution for video calls, whether it beryllium the built-in camera and mics connected a connected Mac, a abstracted webcam, oregon an iPhone via Continuity Camera.

The ViewSonic VP2788-5K is priced astatine $949.99, truthful considerably cheaper than the ‌Apple Studio Display‌ and astir different 27-inch 5K options connected the market. It's besides disposable from third-party retailers similar Best Buy and B&H.

Its little terms compared to Apple's Studio Display surely makes it worthy of consideration, with its aggregate input options and flexible positioning offering immoderate bully advantages for definite users. It does autumn a spot abbreviated connected the seamless Mac integration and webcam you get from Apple and the Studio Display offers much successful the plan and physique prime departments, but the ViewSonic VP2788-5K is simply a coagulated worth if those aspects are little connected your precedence list.

Note: ViewSonic provided MacRumors with the VP2788-5K show for the purposes of this review. No different compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate spouse with immoderate of vendors mentioned successful this article. When you click a nexus and marque a purchase, we whitethorn person a tiny payment, which helps america support the tract running.
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