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Did you all use 4K displays with your macs?
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macOS has been designed to have the best experience using a display with a pixel density of 218 PPI. It does not matter if your display is 4K or 5K, if the display is not 218 PPI than your Mac will have to use "scaling" and the further from 218 PPI your monitor, the worse the "scaling" will look (i.e. blurry pixels). Now, "worse", can be highly subjective, but once you go "Retina" (218 PPI, 60Hz), you never go back ;-)
I use an Ultrafine 5K and a Dell Ultrasharp 1440p as a secondary. macOS is for sure more aimed at "Retina" displays these days. When my displays die they will be replaced with at least 4K displays. It also depends on what you use your Mac for.
5K+ only. Just as @Bigwaff said, once you go Retina, everything else will not match the expectations anymore. I've tried several 4K displays and even the better ones (160 ppi and more) do not come close to 5K in terms of crisp text.
The pixel density is a very important thing on those devices and the cheaper ones usually have a lower pixel density as better ones. If 4K, I'd go with Dell Ultrasharp or similar.
The pixel density is a very important thing on those devices and the cheaper ones usually have a lower pixel density as better ones. If 4K, I'd go with Dell Ultrasharp or similar.
I do, especially since the release of OS X Lion, the text has become unbearable for me to read on low DPI displays.
218 PPI seems awfully specific. The current 14” and 16” MacBook Pros are 254 PPI for example.
I use a 24” 4K display at about 185 PPI and it looks fine to me.
The thread is in the context of external displays. All 4K and 5K iMacs are/were 218 PPI specifically. The Studio Display and XDR Display are 218 PPI specifically.
Hence “worse” is subjective.
Cheers,
Bigwaff
The last time I used a non-4K monitor with my Macs was in early 2018. In spring of 2018, I had a brief switch to using Windows at home that lasted about 2.5 years or so. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking, either. I guess I though it would be easier with work (had recently changed jobs).
When I switched back to using Macs at home, I pretty quickly swapped out my 3840x1440 ultrawide PC monitor for a 32" 4K. I used that until I purchased two Studio Displays.
When I switched back to using Macs at home, I pretty quickly swapped out my 3840x1440 ultrawide PC monitor for a 32" 4K. I used that until I purchased two Studio Displays.
I see no difference in sharpness between a 24" 4K display at exact 2x scaling (1920 x 1080), and scaled to 2240x1260 i.e. 'more space' option.
I also see no difference in text sharpness between 185 ppi and 218 ppi displays.
So my conclusions are that anything > 180 ppi is enough pixel density, and anything > 180 ppi allows fractional scaling with imperceptible loss in sharpness. At least for my eyes.
As for buying options the LG Ultrafine 24" 4K is great. It even has higher contrast ratio than the Apple Studio Display. You can also find some 2nd hand 24" 4K matte monitors from Dell, HP etc. but there is a slight loss in sharpness and contrast ratio on those compared to the Ultrafine.
I also see no difference in text sharpness between 185 ppi and 218 ppi displays.
So my conclusions are that anything > 180 ppi is enough pixel density, and anything > 180 ppi allows fractional scaling with imperceptible loss in sharpness. At least for my eyes.
As for buying options the LG Ultrafine 24" 4K is great. It even has higher contrast ratio than the Apple Studio Display. You can also find some 2nd hand 24" 4K matte monitors from Dell, HP etc. but there is a slight loss in sharpness and contrast ratio on those compared to the Ultrafine.
Using a 34" 5K2K screen and kinda annoying due to the width, hopefully I have some extra budget and get a smaller 27" 5K display like the studio display.
When it comes to scaling on a Mac, there are several issues to be aware of -- such as blurriness, moiré in patterns, and shimmering when scrolling. The following article details some things to be aware of.
Mac external displays for designers and developers, part 2 (bjango.com)
Mac external displays for designers and developers, part 2 (bjango.com)
Yes this is in theory. In reality I see none of that as a normal user. Probably only applies to some designers and developers with certain patterns on-screen.
I still use my 27" 4K as a secondary display as my main display is the ASD. As long as you're using scaled resolution, it should be sharp enough for most users. I ran it at 1x resolution at 2560x1440 and thought the text quality was atrocious. I've also used a 32" 4K and sharpness was ok, some might get used to it but it wasn't for me.
Like others have said, once you go retina, you can't go back.
Like others have said, once you go retina, you can't go back.