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Best Monitor for M1 Macbook Air?

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katathegreat

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 5, 2021
11
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Got a M1 Air few months back for work, and it's incredible. Only problem?

When I connect it to any 1920x1080 monitor via HDMI the text is pretty fuzzy, which I can't have as I write a lot for work.

I figured a 4k monitor would fix this, but I need to be sure the text won't be fuzzy AT ALL.

Any suggestions?

So far, I'm looking at LG 27UL500, LG 32UN880-B, LG 27UL850-W, or a Dell U2720Q Ultrasharp.

P.S. I've scoured the internet looking for solutions to fix the 1920x1080, seems like M1 is just too powerful, so 4k monitor is best option :)

UPDATE:

I got the LG 24UD58 4k 24" Monitor. The text is very clear. It's great for me!
 
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If you want a monitor that matches the sharpness of the MacBook Air, you’ll need a pixel density of 218 ppi or greater.

As far as I know, there are only three displays that meet this criteria: the LG Ultrafine 5K, the Pro Display XDR, and the Dell Ultrasharp 8K. All three of these are really expensive.

Some people say that because you’re not as close to the big monitor as you are to the Air, the ppi does not need to be that high, which would make 27" 4K displays ok. If you’re sitting quite far, a 32" 4K might work too.

Are you looking to use it in clamshell mode (just the external monitor with the Air closed) or as a secondary display to use side-by-side with the built-in one? If you’re just using the external monitor you may be happy with the options you listed. If you’re looking for a secondary display, don’t need colour accuracy, and could use an iPad, I would recommend trying an iPad Pro with Sidecar. That’s what I ended up doing and I’m very happy with the setup. The iPads have even greater pixel density than the Air so no fuzzy text there.

There’s a (very very small) chance Apple might introduce a new display at the upcoming Mac event. I would wait until after the announcement to buy!
 
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neuralengine said:
If you want a monitor that matches the sharpness of the MacBook Air, you’ll need a pixel density of 218 ppi or greater.

As far as I know, there are only three displays that meet this criteria: the LG Ultrafine 5K, the Pro Display XDR, and the Dell Ultrasharp 8K. All three of these are really expensive.

Some people say that because you’re not as close to the big monitor as you are to the Air, the ppi does not need to be that high, which would make 27" 4K displays ok. If you’re sitting quite far, a 32" 4K might work too.

Are you looking to use it in clamshell mode (just the external monitor with the Air closed) or as a secondary display to use side-by-side with the built-in one? If you’re just using the external monitor you may be happy with the options you listed. If you’re looking for a secondary display, don’t need colour accuracy, and could use an iPad, I would recommend trying an iPad Pro with Sidecar. That’s what I ended up doing and I’m very happy with the setup. The iPads have even greater pixel density than the Air so no fuzzy text there.

There’s a (very very small) chance Apple might introduce a new display at the upcoming Mac event. I would wait until after the announcement to buy!
Click to expand...
Wow, this thing really is a different beast. Most of those monitors would cost more than the Macbook itself!

I do like to use my Macbook when I'm not working at my desk, but at the desk for the most part it'll be in clamshell mode, sometimes open if I need tons of tabs. So I guess both. I don't have specific measurements but it will be sitting just like a regular desk set up (in terms of distance away).

Honestly, I write using things like google docs, so the colours etc won't effect me that much.

Just want to be sure that the text will be smooth to look at for long hours, for reference I've included a pic of what the text looks like on the current 1920x1080 monitor I'm using. Passable, but if I'm gonna buy a 4k monitor, I don't want this!
Screenshot 2021-10-05 at 15.27.43.png
 
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The LG 4k is a super nice monitor, it will also charge your macbook.
Don't worry at the resolution, the text is super crisp and has plenty brightness.
 
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dollystereo said:
The LG 4k is a super nice monitor, it will also charge your macbook.
Don't worry at the resolution, the text is super crisp and has plenty brightness.
Click to expand...

The LG Ultrafine 4K is a great monitor. I have one and it's perfect for my use, 27" would be too large for me, although I do wish it had the built in webcam like the 5K.
 
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Elektrofone said:
The LG Ultrafine 4K is a great monitor. I have one and it's perfect for my use, 27" would be too large for me, although I do wish it had the built in webcam like the 5K.
Click to expand...
I think I'm gonna go for the 27UL850-W, it's a decent price, but idk if it's ultrafine. I'm probably worrying too much but after hearing so much stuff about the M1 OS and display problems, I want to be super sure haha
 
It works fine. To clarify, I have the older 27UL650 model, and it works perfectly using a usb-C -> HDMI cable. The 850 should works directly with usbc-usbc.
Mac Os text is less crisp than Linux/Windows, because of the use of AntiAliasing anyway.
 
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katathegreat said:
Wow, this thing really is a different beast. Most of those monitors would cost more than the Macbook itself!

I do like to use my Macbook when I'm not working at my desk, but at the desk for the most part it'll be in clamshell mode, sometimes open if I need tons of tabs. So I guess both. I don't have specific measurements but it will be sitting just like a regular desk set up (in terms of distance away).

Honestly, I write using things like google docs, so the colours etc won't effect me that much.

Just want to be sure that the text will be smooth to look at for long hours, for reference I've included a pic of what the text looks like on the current 1920x1080 monitor I'm using. Passable, but if I'm gonna buy a 4k monitor, I don't want this!
View attachment 1857284
Click to expand...
A 27" 4K Monitor like the 27UL850-W will certainly be sharper than a 1920 × 1080 display!
 
Maybe look into a used or second-hand 21.5" LG UltraFine 4K. 219 ppi - just perfect for macOS.

Alternatively, the 28.2" Huawei MateView has a 3:2 aspect ratio at higher-than-4K resolution (3840×2560). This aspect ratio is a godsend for working with lots of text - I’m thrilled with mine even though it’s "only" 164 ppi. And I’m a sucker for high-ppi screens.
 
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jdb8167 said:
If you want to get closer to the 218 PPI of the MacBook Air but don’t want to break the bank, in the US you can get the 24” LG 4K for about $300. It has about 186 PPI vs 162 on an 27”.

24” LG 4K Monitor with FreeSync
Click to expand...
This is brilliant I may get this! I can find the 24UD58 in the UK (not the 24UD58-B), Amazon Prime too :)
 
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katathegreat said:
Yep I know it will be sharper, but I just want to make sure it's not fuzzy text at all!
Click to expand...

I think that would be up to you to decide!

Apple has decided that sharp text requires 218 ppi on notebook and desktop computers, but this also depends on your eyesight, the viewing distance, and also what you subjectively perceive as “fuzzy”. Certainly a lot of people use displays with lower pixel density and love them.

The LG Ultrafine 4K recommended above by jdb8167 is actually a great in-between option, I forgot about it. There is also an older version of that display which was 21.5" that was near 218 ppi but I’m not sure about features / compatibility. You may be able to find one used.

Is it possible for you to buy from a place with a good return policy or find one of those 27" 4K LG’s in store somewhere near you and look at them? That will give you a much better sense than looking at the specs.
 
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neuralengine said:
I think that would be up to you to decide!

Apple has decided that sharp text requires 218 ppi on notebook and desktop computers, but this also depends on your eyesight, the viewing distance, and also what you subjectively perceive as “fuzzy”. Certainly a lot of people use displays with lower pixel density and love them.

The LG Ultrafine 4K recommended above by jdb8167 is actually a great in-between option, I forgot about it. There is also an older version of that display which was 21.5" that was near 218 ppi but I’m not sure about features / compatibility. You may be able to find one used.

Is it possible for you to buy from a place with a good return policy or find one of those 27" 4K LG’s in store somewhere near you and look at them? That will give you a much better sense than looking at the specs.
Click to expand...
There are stores near me which I can drive to and test out, going to test 27" and also 24", 21" if I can find but they're hard to come by.

That ppi info from Apple is great to know, I definitely haven't found out about it anywhere else online. I calculated the PPI of this Macbook Air too,

Resolution: 2880 x 1800 = 255ppi, INSANE
 
katathegreat said:
Resolution: 2880 x 1800 = 255ppi, INSANE
Click to expand...
Not quite. :) The MBA has a 2560×1600 13.3" LCD, which works out to about 227 ppi.

You’re just running it scaled at "looks like 1440×900" so everything is drawn on a 2880×1800 framebuffer and then downscaled to the 2560×1600 LCD. That’s how scaling works on macOS.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
Not quite. :) The MBA has a 2560x1600 13.3“ LCD, which works out to about 227 ppi.

You’re just running it scaled at „looks like 1440x900“ so everything is drawn on a 2880x1800 framebuffer and then downscaled to the 2560x1600 LCD. That’s how scaling works on macOS.
Click to expand...
And this is why I'm a writer :) My local stores won't have much on display, so I'm gonna cross my fingers and get a LG UHD 24UD58 24" - it's free returns at amazon, but hopefully I won't need that!
 
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katathegreat said:
I'm gonna cross my fingers and get a LG UHD 24UD58 24" - it's free returns at amazon, but hopefully I won't need that!
Click to expand...
Hope you're going to like it! :) 24" 4K screens have pretty much all been discontinued since, with the manufacturers having shifted to 27" and larger sizes.
 
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What about ultrawide monitors? Would a 1440p ultrawide suffice? 1600p and they start getting expensive, and a 4k ultrawide is absurdly expensive.
 
tpfang56 said:
What about ultrawide monitors? Would a 1440p ultrawide suffice?
Click to expand...
34" 3440×1440 ultrawide means low PPI (110), and that means very bad font rendering on macOS. You'd need at least a 34" 5120×2160 ultrawide (e.g. around 160 ppi) to be able to use HiDPI modes and their vastly better font rendering.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
3440×1440 ultrawide means low PPI, and that means bad font rendering on macOS. You'd need at least a 34" 5120×2160 one (e.g. around 160 ppi) to be able to use HiDPI modes and their vastly better font rendering.
Click to expand...
Oh… RIP. The LG 4k ultrawide is around $1500, which is more costly than my M1 MBA. And I want an ultrawide because there’s only support for one external monitor, and I need the extra screen real estate.
 
tpfang56 said:
And I want an ultrawide because there’s only support for one external monitor, and I need the extra screen real estate.
Click to expand...
There's always the possibility that the "bad" font rendering won't bother you as much as it bothers others, and that a 3440×1440 ultrawide may be fine to your eyes - do you have a chance to check one out in person before buying? If you need lots of screen estate, maybe e.g. a 27" or 32" "4K" monitor running at a large scaled mode such as 3008×1692 might be worth considering instead.
 
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Amethyst1 said:
There's always the possibility that the "bad" font rendering won't bother you as much as it bothers others, and that a 3440×1440 ultrawide may be fine to your eyes - do you have a chance to check one out in person before buying? If you need lots of screen estate, maybe e.g. a 27" or 32" "4K" monitor running at a large scaled mode such as 3008×1692 might be worth considering instead.
Click to expand...
I don’t know. Maybe I can find a store that will allow me to connect my MBA and check that way. Unfortunately, I think it probably will bother me, possibly even more than the avg person. My eyesight is already bad, so I can’t handle fonts that are too fuzzy.

32” monitors are straight up too big, and I want more width specifically, so I can have two full screen windows side by side. One window for code and another to preview it on the browser and do research.
 
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