Apple has released macOS Monterey 12.4 which brings a separate firmware update with fixes for the Studio Display's problematic webcam. The Studio Display was launched in March alongside the powerful Mac Studio desktop. While the Studio Display resembles Apple's iMac desktop PCs, it's actually a standalone 27-inch 5K monitor that can be paired with any Mac computer. It also works with Windows PCs, although this limits some of its functionality.
The $1,600 Studio Display is powered by the Apple A13 Bionic chipset seen on the iPhone 11. It has three USB-C ports with 10GB/s transfer speeds, and a Thunderbolt port that can connect it to a Mac and even fast-charge a MacBook Pro. The Studio Display also features a three-microphone array and a six-speaker setup that provides spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. Its 12MP ultra-wide webcam supports Center Stage, an otherwise iPad-exclusive feature that keeps users centered on the screen. Unfortunately, early buyers reported that the webcam's quality was far from acceptable, leading Apple to announce that it would release a software update to solve the problem.
With macOS Monterey 12.4, Apple has finally included a few improvements for the Studio Display's camera. The news was first confirmed when the beta build of the software was released, but a stable version of the update is now available to download for Mac users. macOS Monterey 12.4 includes support for the Studio Display Firmware Update 15.5. As per Apple, the update improves camera tuning, noise reduction, contrast, and framing. To install the update, users need to open System Preferences on their Mac and click on Software Update. The Studio Display firmware update will be displayed alongside the macOS Monterey 12.4 update. Clicking on Install Now will download the update.
Studio Display's Webcam Has A Hardware Problem
The Studio Display's 12MP webcam is similar to the one found in iPhones and iPads, which made the poor camera quality all the more surprising. Soon after launch, many reviewers and buyers complained about the quality of the Studio Display's camera, which had noisy visuals and difficulty focusing. Another reported issue was with Center Stage, which was laggy and ended up framing users on the side instead of the middle with even minor movements.
Unfortunately, while the update improves the camera quality to an extent, early reviews haven't been very positive. As per Nilay Patel of The Verge, after installing the update, "noise reduction is improved, contrast is better, and the framing is slightly wider." However, before and after images don't show a stark visible change. The main issue seems to be the use of a wide-angle sensor with Center Stage. Since the sensor lacks optical zoom, it digitally crops the image to center people in the frame, resulting in a loss of image quality. Unlike an iPhone which captures a full-resolution 12MP selfie, images and video captured with the Studio Display's camera will always be of a lower quality, and that's something no software update can fix.