BenQ is taking a direct swing at Apple with the launch of a new 27-inch 5K monitor aimed squarely at Mac users — and it’s doing so with a price that could seriously undercut Cupertino’s premium display strategy.
For those who want to get in early BenQ Australia is offering a pre order price of $1,499 which is cheaper than the US price, or outside of the promotion offer $1,699.
The Taiwanese display specialist, widely regarded as one of the most dependable no-nonsense monitor manufacturers in the world, has spent decades building high-performance screens for professionals, creatives and gamers. Long before Apple made high-resolution displays fashionable, BenQ was refining colour accuracy, durability and panel performance across its extensive range of monitors. The company’s reputation has been built on displays that simply work — delivering consistent image quality year after year in studios, offices and gaming setups around the globe.
Now BenQ is borrowing a page from Apple’s own playbook, launching a high-resolution 27-inch 5K display designed specifically for Mac users — but at what is expected to be a significantly lower price.
The new BenQ MA270S delivers a 5,120 x 2,880 resolution panel that directly matches the pixel count of Apple’s Studio Display and Pro Display XDR range announced yesterday. While BenQ Australia has yet to confirm local pricing, the company has indicated the monitor will come in cheaper than Apple’s premium offerings.
In the United States, the MA270S is already selling for under US$1,500 — potentially making it one of the most aggressive alternatives yet to Apple’s high-end display ecosystem.
According to BenQ, the monitor has been engineered to deliver the clarity, colour performance and seamless experience Mac users expect from a native Apple display.
The MA270S features a 27-inch Nano Gloss panel capable of true 5K resolution with 500 nits of brightness — only slightly below Apple’s Studio Display. The panel also covers 99 per cent of the P3 colour gamut and delivers a 2000:1 contrast ratio, ensuring vibrant colour reproduction and sharp detail for creative and professional work.
Crucially for Mac users, the display matches macOS’s native pixel density of 218 pixels per inch, allowing for sharper text rendering and more lifelike images without scaling compromises.
Connectivity is also strong, with the MA270S offering two HDMI ports, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity with up to 96W power delivery — enough to charge most MacBooks directly through the display.
The monitor also includes a fully adjustable stand with 150mm of height adjustment along with tilt, pivot and swivel functionality.
A built-in KVM switch allows users to control two connected devices with a single keyboard and mouse while sharing the same display — a feature Apple’s own display lineup notably lacks.
Design-wise, the minimalist aesthetic and stand appear clearly inspired by Apple hardware, allowing the monitor to sit comfortably alongside MacBooks and Mac desktops. But BenQ has also added Mac-specific features, including the ability to control brightness and volume directly from an Apple keyboard or MacBook.
Users can also enable brightness synchronisation, allowing the monitor to automatically adjust in line with macOS’s ambient brightness settings — further reinforcing BenQ’s push to make the display feel like a native extension of the Apple ecosystem.
With the MA270S, BenQ isn’t just offering another monitor — it’s positioning itself as a serious alternative for Mac users who want Apple-level clarity and performance without paying Apple-level prices.
