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macOS 27 brings HDR to the popular 2560x1440 setting on third-party monitors
Apple's macOS 27 lets third-party HDR10 monitors keep HDR on at the 2560x1440 scaled resolution, with no extra software. That removes the main HDR drawback of non-Apple monitors on a Mac, so far only on hardware 9to5Mac has confirmed.
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What happened
- Under macOS 26 Tahoe, picking a scaled resolution such as 2560x1440 removed the High Dynamic Range toggle and switched the display back to standard range.
- On a 4K panel, Tahoe would only keep HDR on at 1920x1080, the pixel-doubled mode of the native 3840x2160 resolution.
- 9to5Mac got HDR and a scaled resolution working together on an M4 MacBook Pro driving Dell's 32-inch UltraSharp U3226Q, a 4K OLED.
- The same reviewer could not enable both settings on an M1 Max MacBook Pro running macOS 27, and concluded the feature apparently has hardware requirements.
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Why it matters
- capability Buyers equipping M4 Macs can now spec a third-party HDR10 OLED for people who work at 2560x1440 and expect HDR to stay on.
- decision Monitor specs alone no longer settle a Mac display purchase; the hardware in each Mac decides whether the advertised HDR survives the scaled setting.
- cost Users on Macs that fail the hardware check still pay for HDR in desktop space, forced to choose between it and the 2560x1440 workspace they prefer.
According to 9to5Mac's reviewer, 1920x1080 on a 32-inch 4K panel makes everything look too large and cuts the usable workspace, so people pick a scaled setting such as 2560x1440 [5]. Teams tell themselves something simpler: that a user with an HDR monitor on a Mac finds the High Dynamic Range switch in Settings, turns it on and moves on [2]. Apple uses 2560x1440 as the default on its 5K Studio Display [6].
The gap between the two modes is wide. A 2560x1440 desktop has 3,686,400 points for windows, against 2,073,600 at 1920x1080, about 78% more room [12]. Under Tahoe, anyone who took that room lost HDR [3].
9to5Mac describes the wider HDR pitch for macOS 27 as super-bright highlights and cursors and a more contrasty look across the system [10]. The change a buyer can act on is smaller and more useful. It is a native setting that lets a scaled resolution and HDR stay on together [1]. The reviewer wrote that "this feature alone makes upgrading from macOS Tahoe to macOS Golden Gate worth it, in my opinion" [9].
On an M4 MacBook Pro, the drawback 9to5Mac identified with third-party HDR monitors is gone [7]. On an M1 Max running the same OS, it is still there [8]. The review covers only those two Macs and does not list which chips qualify, so the generations between them are unconfirmed [7][8].
For a fleet, start with whether the Mac is an M4 or something the review did not confirm. Then ask whether the user works at a scaled resolution or at 1920x1080. An M4 user at 2560x1440 is the case macOS 27 fixes. A user at 1920x1080 gains nothing new on any Mac, since Tahoe already kept HDR on at that setting in 9to5Mac's test [4]. That leaves an unconfirmed Mac running a scaled resolution. For that case, the test is one loaner monitor plugged into the oldest Mac on the list, set to 2560x1440 under macOS 27, with someone checking whether the HDR toggle stays. On 9to5Mac's M1 Max, it did not [8].
What to watch
- Apple publishing which Mac chips support HDR at scaled resolutions on external displays in macOS 27.
- Results from M2 and M3 Macs, the generations between 9to5Mac's working M4 and its failing M1 Max.
- 9to5Mac's full hands-on review of the Dell UltraSharp U3226Q on its YouTube channel.