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User profile for user: Digiphile
Digiphile Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Blurry Text on Apple Studio Display, using as an external monitor on a Late 2015 iMac

I am using my new Studio Display as an external monitor, connected to my older 2015 iMac temporarily because I'm waiting for the apple studio computer to arrive (my configuration is back-ordered until June).

I've connected the monitor using an apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter.

However, I'm noticing that the text on the Studio Display is MUCH blurrier than my iMac display!

I suspect this is a resolution issue perhaps?

But I'm looking at display preferences, and I see that the Apple Studio Display maxes out at 3840 x 2160 (see attached screenshot), and my iMac resolution is 5120 x 2880. Is this because my iMac can't support a full 5120 x 2880 externally connected monitor?

I'm curious, because as it stands, this Studio Display looks terrible compared to my 2015 iMac monitor.

Any help on this would be really appreciated!


Studio Display

Posted on May 5, 2022 7:34 PM

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User profile for user: Digiphile
Digiphile Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

May 15, 2022 12:29 PM in response to Marcelimos73

Hi Marcelimos,

Are you also using your Studio Display as a secondary monitor like I was? i.e. is it a secondary display to your iMac 2016? If so, that is the issue.

I just got the Mac Studio, and after plugging the Studio Display directly into the Mac Studio via Thunderbolt 3, the issue is resolved. The text is crisp. I will say, however. I now have my Studio Display directly next to my iMac, and my studio display does seem just a tiny bit more soft, I think it's because I have the nano-texture Studio Display, and I wonder if that's affecting it?? My iMac is just straight glass, not notched like the nano texture.


The issue is, with a 2016 iMac, you are most likely using a Thunderbolt 2 cable to connect to your iMac, correct? Thunderbolt 2 can only transmit up to a 4K signal, so you can't fully utilize the full resolution of the Studio Display. That's why the text looks blurry. If you have a full resolution on the Studio Display (2880 x 1620), by plugging it into a machine via Thunderbolt 3 which can transmit a 6K signal, the text will appear crisp.


Hope that answers your question! Thanks!

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Blurry Text on Apple Studio Display, using as an external monitor on a Late 2015 iMac

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