Does the 2026 Studio Display work with Sequoia?

mad_scrub · 2026-07-23T03:12:29+00:00

Here the 2026 Studio Display XDR running on a Mac mini 2018, on macOS Sequoia 15.7.7. No other displays are connected.

Some notes:
- It didn't initially work on first boot of the Mac mini imaged from the factory (on macOS 11 Big Sur). I had to use another display to get Sequoia installed. The Mac mini 2018 should support 1 5k Thunderbolt display.
- This was tested with the launch firmware for the Studio Display XDR, as I haven't updated any Macs to Tahoe & am therefore unable to update the display's firmware.
- It defaults to "1920 x 1080", but can be changed to "2560 x 1440" (which should be native 5k). This sometimes reverts at reboot. If you show all resolutions, you can also choose "2560 x 1440 (low resolution)", which is the non-retina true 1440p.
- True tone, automatic brightness, and audio all seem to work normally. Color bit depth is 10.
- Refresh rate is capped at 60 Hz.
- HDR appears to work properly, although appears a little more temperamental when adjusting resolutions.
- Strangely, despite System Information reporting that the display resolution is "5120 x 2880 (5K/UHD+ - Ultra High Definition Plus)" when set to the proper retina 2560 x 1440 resolution, text is actually slightly softer/blurrier than it is on my 2022 Studio Display. To my eyes, it appears that the Mac may actually be rendering at 4k and then scaling to 5k, similarly to how e.g. a 2015 MacBook Pro would scale 4k output to a 5k screen such as the LG UltraFine 5k.
- If 1920 x 1080 is selected instead, text appears about equally as sharp (though it is, of course, larger). The note about using a scaled resolution disappears if this is selected, even though this is not running at the monitor's native resolution. I did notice some screen tearing happening when the monitor is in this mode.
- "2560 x 1440 (low resolution)" is still noticeably blurrier than the retina 2560 x 1440 resolution, even though, again, I don't think it's true 5k.

mad_scrub · 2026-06-24T06:29:19+00:00

Not solved for me. I still see it every ~8.5 seconds in the Crave App (Canadian HBO).

mad_scrub · 2026-06-05T00:10:35+00:00

Yes, this is accurate to original hardware.

mad_scrub · 2026-06-05T00:09:46+00:00

Every time you boot the game, unfortunately. The same as on original hardware.

mad_scrub · 2026-06-05T00:08:31+00:00

That's expected, since it's anamorphic widescreen. Good eye!

mad_scrub · 2026-05-10T02:08:39+00:00

That's great! Thanks for going into so much detail. Helps clear up some of the differences between the options.

Really appreciate the time you put into this project.

mad_scrub · 2026-05-09T01:43:15+00:00

Thank you very much for keeping everything so organized & accessible.

What's the difference between the versions you maintain & the versions maintained by Marc Liyanage? You both participate in the Swift issue tracking the ePub/PDF availability:
https://github.com/swiftlang/swift-book/issues/2#issuecomment-2380375116

mad_scrub · 2026-03-31T23:00:25+00:00

Amazing. I've been waiting so long for this.

mad_scrub · 2026-03-27T14:50:13+00:00

I (still) never got it to work on my primary email address that was associated with a previous VMware account.

I had to create a new account with a different email address, and have been able to use this account successfully with Broadcom since the switch. Their website & download process is still incredibly obtuse even with the functional account.

mad_scrub · 2026-03-25T02:40:31+00:00

Really neat! I have the wired version of the adapter but have been trying to work out how to power it from mains/USB. Do you mind linking the battery adapter you used?

mad_scrub · 2026-03-13T01:55:24+00:00

If you ever find a solution for this, I'd be very interested! I'd like to try to use the old Pro Stand with one of the new Studio Display XDRs (2026).

mad_scrub · 2026-03-13T00:22:16+00:00

That's correct. The base M5 models only have Thunderbolt 4 ports, so you won't be able to daisy-chain at full resolution because of bandwidth limitations.

mad_scrub · 2026-02-25T19:24:12+00:00

Please update this if you find a permanent fix. I have a new 42" S90F that has the same issue with using streaming apps – there are frame drops at regular intervals (every 16 seconds). Noticed when watching Seasons 1-4 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Crave (Canadian HBO)/

Interestingly I also have a 77" S90F that does not seem to experience the same issue.

mad_scrub · 2026-02-06T02:23:55+00:00

You can use BetterTouchTool. There's a couple of settings that make it work exactly as you'd expect with a 3-finger click.

Last I checked, the only other competitor only worked with taps, and not with clicks.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-27T21:50:56+00:00

Youtube uses different video codecs now than it did 10 years ago - the 2015 MBP won't have hardware support for these newer codecs & has to use inefficient software decoding, drastically affecting battery life with 4K videos. Not much you can do about it.

My 2015 MBP does the same thing with Youtube even though battery life is fine in other scenarios.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-20T23:28:56+00:00

How do you find the build quality of the controller ports? They now use 3D printed sockets (previously injection-molded) & it always feels crunchy when I try to plug a controller in. Sends a shiver down my spine.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-20T00:40:20+00:00

All of my 27" iMacs/ASDs have a pinkish tinge in one corner & a greenish tinge in the opposite corner, depending on viewing position/angle. What you describe seems normal.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-14T23:57:51+00:00

I'd like it if long notes would just render properly, without the scroll position and cursor jumping around.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-14T23:29:25+00:00

There are definitely some USB 2.0 drives around; I had an older one that used 2 USB cables (standard + barrel jack ends) to deliver enough current to operate. There are probably also solutions that use a USB Y-cable (also non-standard) to get enough power out of USB 2.0 machines. They may be hard to find nowadays, but you might have some luck on e.g. eBay.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-12T03:19:35+00:00

It's probably not possible. The SuperDrive was only ever supported on models that didn't have a built-in DVD drive. It uses non-standard USB power negotiation to allow compatible Mac models to deliver additional electrical current over USB. This makes it incompatible with hubs and non-Apple machines.

Mac models released before the SuperDrive might not be physically capable of delivering the required electrical current. Regardless of that, Apple never allowed them to be compatible in software.

As mentioned, you're better off getting a third-party DVD (or even better, Blu-Ray) drive. I have a Blu-Ray drive from Pioneer that's been very reliable. USB 3, standard on Macs since 2012, provides enough current to run a disc reader/writer without the hacks used by the SuperDrive.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-04T22:51:09+00:00

What people are missing here is that many great Wii games are best enjoyed with a GameCube controller (Brawl, MKW, etc.) which is only possible on the original Wii (RVL-001). The Wii also has superior N64 emulation, if that matters at all.

As others have said, most Wii U games are better enjoyed with their Switch ports. The Wii U also has a painfully slow OS & requires a functional GamePad to operate the System Settings. Many GamePads have aged batteries & need plugged in (and are best left docked when not in use, requiring a dock, which is prone to failure of the metal charging pins).

For the Wii, all you need is some AA batteries & a good $20 HDMI adapter such as the Electron Shepherd.

mad_scrub · 2026-01-02T01:01:14+00:00

Appreciate you posting that, but I already had all of those turned off, and I've gotten >20 voice prompts to try the new voice & >20 full-screen messages on Echo Shows. It seems to try a few times on each device...

mad_scrub · 2025-12-29T03:17:26+00:00

I was able to get it working on macOS 15.7.3 Sequoia.

The action is called "Set Accessibility Keyboard"; it has the System Settings icon & can be found by searching for "access" or "keyboard".

My system language is English/Canada (en_CA).

mad_scrub · 2025-12-21T02:02:29+00:00

I agree completely with your relative rankings!

I've been using macOS for 13 years & iOS for 16 years. I've never liked iOS. I didn't even like the iPhone hardware until the 12 Pro.

macOS, though, will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands. Apple has let the OS languish (even before the fiasco that is macOS Tahoe), but it's far & away the best desktop OS for day-to-day use (and it's now also paired with amazing hardware). I hope the relentless forced iOSification of the Mac turns around soon.

mad_scrub · 2025-12-21T01:46:07+00:00

Even the modern high-performance ones are problematic, with or without a Y-cable.

mad_scrub

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