Do QHD external monitors look bad on M1 Max?

[manualCarry]

Hi there, I currently use a u4021qw (WUHD 5120 x 2160) and the font and images look great. I recently started playing around with a LG 38wn95c-w (QHD 3840x1600) and noticed that the fonts look much worse.

I was looking at the forums and there is mention that M1 processors do not handle external monitors properly, but does this also apply to the M1 Max? Is this still a thing? Can someone explain what the current situation is?

Thanks!

Edited: spelling

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

It is due to macOS UI scaling and is not specific to any M# processor.

 

[manualCarry]

It is due to macOS UI scaling and is not specific to any M# processor.

Thanks for this, is there any workaround to this? Can I solve this with SwitchResX or something?

 

[w5jck]

I’m running a 27 inch Samsung 4K monitor with my MacBook Air M1. The monitor looks sharp in all scale settings. However, I have it set up to use the 2560 x 1440 scaling in order to get the text and user interface readable, otherwise it would be too tiny to read. But even at 3840 x 2160 it is great looking, just too small for my eyes to read! I believe most of the complaints I see on the stupid-net are due to a total lack of understanding about how monitors work as far as scaling goes. Apple uses a different scaling method than Windows, and that causes some confusion, but even long time Mac users often are clueless about how Macs scale to built in screens and monitors.

My MacBook Air M1 has a retina display with 2560 x 1600 pixels. The image is actually 1440 x 900, which Apples up-converts to 2880 x 1800, then downsizes to 2560 x 1600. It sounds weird, but the process actually delivers a sharper image than a non-retina (unscaled) image would.

Most of the true issues are likely realated to the monitor itself and its design.

 

[Colstan]

Hi there, I currently use a u4021qw (WUHD 5120 x 2160) and the font and images look great. I recently started playing around with a LG 38wn95c-w (QHD 3840x1600) and noticed that the fonts look much worse.

Take a look at this article from Bjango. They explain why a "Retina" monitor with a ~220ppi density is preferable for macOS. Much of it comes down to individual tolerance and what you find acceptable. I've got a 21.5-inch 4K LG UltraFine, which meets Apple's guidelines, but I'm very selective about my displays.

 

[manualCarry]

I’m running a 27 inch Samsung 4K monitor with my MacBook Air M1. The monitor looks sharp in all scale settings. However, I have it set up to use the 2560 x 1440 scaling in order to get the text and user interface readable, otherwise it would be too tiny to read. But even at 3840 x 2160 it is great looking, just too small for my eyes to read! I believe most of the complaints I see on the stupid-net are due to a total lack of understanding about how monitors work as far as scaling goes. Apple uses a different scaling method than Windows, and that causes some confusion, but even long time Mac users often are clueless about how Macs scale to built in screens and monitors.

My MacBook Air M1 has a retina display with 2560 x 1600 pixels. The image is actually 1440 x 900, which Apples up-converts to 2880 x 1800, then downsizes to 2560 x 1600. It sounds weird, but the process actually delivers a sharper image than a non-retina (unscaled) image would.

Most of the true issues are likely realated to the monitor itself and its design.

So I can understand if its a HiDPI scaling and look great. I guess what I am trying to figure out is if Mac OS became worse for 1:1 scaling or if I have been ruined by my HiDPI monitor...

 

[manualCarry]

Take a look at this article from Bjango. They explain why a "Retina" monitor with a ~220ppi density is preferable for macOS. Much of it comes down to individual tolerance and what you find acceptable. I've got a 21.5-inch 4K LG UltraFine, which meets Apple's guidelines, but I'm very selective about my displays.

I agree with this, but I never had issues with QHD 1:1 scaling before. I guess I wonder if its just me suddenly noticing the difference..

 

[xraydoc]

I agree with this, but I never had issues with QHD 1:1 scaling before. I guess I wonder if its just me suddenly noticing the difference..

Apple changed the way macOS does non-retina subpixel font smoothing sometime back in the late 10.x or maybe 11.0 timeframe. Anyway, yes, it does look worse than it used to. There's multiple threads here about it and a few mitigation suggestions. You'll have to experiment and see which one works better for you.

 

[manualCarry]

Apple changed the way macOS does non-retina subpixel font smoothing sometime back in the late 10.x or maybe 11.0 timeframe. Anyway, yes, it does look worse than it used to. There's multiple threads here about it and a few mitigation suggestions. You'll have to experiment and see which one works better for you.

Okay, thanks, so I am not crazy

 

[bergert]

It may be that at 3840x1600 you are using native resolution (72dpi). I notice on my M1 my old 4K display looks much better comparing to the MacPro (2013); at the same scaling (144dpi). I am running 3008x1692 scaled: 144dpi = native 6016x3384.