External monitor for MacBook Pro 16 feedback

[marcol77]

Hi,

I have a MBP16 and I'm looking for an external monitor to go along with it, the list is pretty long and has lots of 27"-32" 4K panels, some good options are from LG, Benq and Lenovo

Anyway, I had the opportunity to test my Mac with an LG 32UL500, which is 32" 4K VA panel. The two were both calibrated and the LG set to the Rec709 color space. Comparing them, the difference in appearance looked immediately relevant, I'm not an expert, nor I have the possibility to turn into numbers the feeling, however on one side the Mac with vivid color, great contrast and high dynamic range, while on the other side the LG appeared sort of washed out. On internet I read that Nvidia cards had strange default settings that in some cases opted for limited RGB (16-255) instead of full RGB (0-225), but this is unlikely on the MBP16 with AMD.

So is this all about the difference between the MBP16 glossy screen vs matte screen in the LG?

How do you go about this when dealing with an external monitor?

Thanks
Marco

 

[bearmaster1]

I have the same LG monitor sitting next to a 2017 27" iMac. I think the difference you are seeing is IPS vs VA. My LG monitor running at 3,008x1,692 is noticeably less sharp, slightly washed out, and has more viewing angle constraints than the amazing iMac 5k Monitor. I don't think any amount of calibration or setting tweaking will change it. The only option would be to buy a 32" IPS monitor (which I noticed have price dropped recently). For me, I just do basic office work and it is all about the extra real estate which is a huge productivity booster.

 

[marcol77]

Thanks bear for your comment

The viewing angle limitation is also noticeable, black image is black looking in front, while it appears gray if keeping my head at the center I move my eyes to the edges

I really wonder what MBP16 users choose as a monitor and how close they feel they are to the Mac, I feel I’m far away

Thanks
Marco

 

[kappaknight]

I'm currently running the 16" MBP w/ the LG 32UL950-W - even w/ HDR turned on, I feel like the colors are pretty good. Yes, matte is slightly different than glossy, but I'm really happy with the selection out of the box. May tweak settings at some point if I get some time.