Best secondary display for design work (pairing with 5k, 27" 2017 iMac)?

[jimmy_uk]

My work has finally agreed to buy me a secondary display to pair with my 5k, 27" 2017 iMac.
Now they aren't going to stump up for a Pro XDR display so I'm on the hunt for the next best options.

I'm a designer by day and would like to find the closest match to the iMac.

Q- Is the only real option on the table still the LG UltraFine 5K Display?

From some light research, I'm assuming the best bet is to get a thunderbolt monitor and at least 4K, 27".
No idea what my budget its but best I keep it around £1000 or less.

Can anyone share any advice or options, please?

 

[fgengineer]

The only display that can possibly match the iMac display is either the LG Ultrafine 5K or the Pro XDR. I have an LG 4K 27 and a Samsung 28 inch monitor and they don't come close at all. The 4k monitors I have are a lot chearper than the 5k LG, but I don't see how the pricier 4k monitors can overcome the resolution disadvantage. I have a 2015 27 inch Imac and that looks great too.

The only other display that I could think of that could match is the Dell 8k display, but at $3000 to $4000, that is not cheap either. I also don't know if it is compatible with Mac.

I too am surprised that nothing better has come a long since the release of the LG 5K. The other 5K monitors that used to exist have all been discontinued. Hopefully, now that we are starting to have graphic cards with HDMI 2.1, we will start seeing monitors with higher resolution again.

Now, I need to figure out how to get another of the LG 5k monitors.

 

[ght56]

The EIZO ColorEdge CS2740 may also be worth consideration as well depending on how it is priced with UK retailers. It is a 4K display, but the ColorEdge family is highly-praised for design use and they are noted for their reliability.