2018 MBP 13" External Monitor

[snagnyou]

What is a good 27" monitor for the 13"?

The LG Ultrafine looks nice, but is too $$$. I think 1440 would be a nice resolution on a 27". Any recommendations or is the Ultrafine the only good option?

 

[buran-energia]

I would get the 4k for macOS, because fonts should look much better.

 

[Fishrrman]

I would avoid the LG monitors.
Instead, I'd start looking here:
IPS Monitor List: Best AHVA, PLS & IPS LCD Displays

 

[biopig]

I got the LG 27UK850-W the other day. It's gorgeous because it has very good color and multiple ports: USB-C, USB-A(as hub), 2 HDMI, DisplayPort, and 3.5mm audio port. I also like the ultra slim bezels. But I don't like the joystick control button.

 

[deeddawg]

I would get the 4k for macOS, because fonts should look much better.

4K is great if you're doing a 2:1 scaling, such as a 1080p effective resolution. Thats fine for 24", but too big for 27" monitors IMHO, they are much better suited to 1440p (QHD). Doing 1440p equivalent on a 4K display is a 1.5x scaling and can be not as good due to interpolations and the non-integer scaling.
[doublepost=1539134861][/doublepost]

What is a good 27" monitor for the 13"?

The LG Ultrafine looks nice, but is too $$$. I think 1440 would be a nice resolution on a 27". Any recommendations or is the Ultrafine the only good option?

IMHO 1440p (QHD) is the best for 27" -- which is why the 5K 27" is so good, you get the true 2:1 scaling.

It's also way more $$$ than I wish to spend.

Dell's Ultrasharp monitors have generally been very good over the years. I've asked about the U2719DC USBC monitor with power-delivery which looks nice, but so far no feedback. Seems to be really new. See https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/anyone-try-the-dell-u2719dc-monitor.2146485/
They also have a less expensive conventional monitor. Careful with the non-Ultrasharp monitors, they switch to TN displays on some of the consumer level rather than IPS (which is what you want, or similar tech)
[doublepost=1539134950][/doublepost]

I got the LG 27UK850-W the other day. It's gorgeous because it has very good color and multiple ports

How is it at QHD /1440p scaling? IMHO 1080p equivalent is too big at 27" diagonal.

 

[Fishrrman]

deeddawg wrote:
"4K is great if you're doing a 2:1 scaling, such as a 1080p effective resolution. Thats fine for 24", but too big for 27" monitors IMHO, they are much better suited to 1440p (QHD)"

It depends upon how old you are, and how your eyesight is.
How old are you?

1440p on a 27" display would be 'way "too small" for me (text displayed at normal font sizes).

I find 1080p on a 27" to be "just right". But then I'm almost 70 and my vision isn't what it used to be.

For 1440p, I'd get a 32" display with a native resolution of 2560 x 1440.
Even then, I'd have to increase standard font sizes a little to see it clearly.

 

[deeddawg]

It depends upon how old you are, and how your eyesight is.

Of course. Also viewing distance and other factors as well. I stated my opinion, which doesn't apply to everyone.

Arguably though, if one's eyesight is too poor to handle 1440p on a 27" screen then there's little point in going to 4K as I don't believe one would really it from pure 1080p. My opinion of course.

How old are you?

Old enough to have been coding BASIC & assembler on Apple ][ (not +)computers before the IBMPC existed.

Irrelevant though -- I know people much younger than I whose eyesight sucks, and I know people much older whose eyesight is great.