Is the LG UltraFine Display lineup due an update?

[MattDell]

I'm a UI Software Engineer whose company has more or less said we'll be working from home for the rest of the year. I usually rely heavily on my second monitor in the office and have been struggling in the last few weeks to be as productive as I could be.

I don't really like the PC-look of most monitors so I have been looking for alternatives but it seems there's no getting away from having a big black rectangle on my desk. I have a typical small British house so I was hoping to not have office equipment on display when I'm not working. For the same reason I have The Frame TV by Samsung so I thought The Space Monitor could have worked for me but I also want a USB-C connection.

So I think I've narrowed it down to the LG UltraFine 4K because of the good integration with MacOS and USB-C for display / charging. It also passes the PPI test for Retina Displays: https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays/

The one problem is that the delivery date is saying between 4th of June and 2nd of July in the UK. Is this indicative of an upcoming update or is the supply of these really that short?

Also happy for this thread to diverge into monitor recommendations. 😄

 

[-narcan-]

I think the supply of decent monitors is just really tight right now. With everyone working from home etc. I bought a new LG 27" UL850 4K as a third display, and had a real hard time tracking down supply (in Australia), as all the retailers seem to be waiting on stock for a lot of monitors.

I've got the LG 5k Ultrafine also and it's awesome, the integration with the Mac is perfect, so I'm sure you can't go wrong with getting the 4k, even if a refresh is down the line at some point.

 

[cambookpro]

The 4K one was only updated quite recently, and the 5K saw an update in 2019 - both the first changes to the Ultrafine models in 3-4 years. I’d say an update again this soon is quite unlikely, but not impossible. The long delivery dates are probably indicative of these being a fairly low-volume product, plus some possible supply chain and logisitics issues due to the pandemic.

Also be aware that the current Ultrafine 4K display is not technically retina PPI as it is 23.7”. The article you link above is referring to the old, 21” 4K Ultrafine. If that is important to you, either look at the 5K model, or a second-hand/refurbished 21” 4K.

For what it’s worth, I use an Ultrafine 5K with my Mac and am very happy. I also live in a typical British house, so it lives on a desk in my bedroom and don’t think it is too offensive looking!

 

[sublunar]

Interesting that you point that out. UK 27" iMac BTO orders have drifted into June too (US orders are 3-4 weeks away). I was looking at monitors recently at the Apple Store and the 23.7" 4k Ultrafine was available recently. You can't really go wrong with some Dell monitors - if Bezels annoy you then they have a decent selection with small bezels.

If you are looking for a monitor that will USB charge then the Dell 25" U2520d is 1440p and will charge a 90w laptop using USB-C - and this is higher than cheaper USB-C capable monitors - even from Dell - which quote either 45w or 60w charging). Yes it's not Retina, and yes it's obviously a Dell, but I've no complaints about mine (Dell currently sell direct for £354 including a 25% discount, Amazon currently don't sell that model and they have a low choice of monitors in stock most of the time these days). It's 117ppi which is obviously not retina but you do with more 'screen space' than you would on a 4k Retina panel.

There has been talk of Apple adopting a 23" panel for a future iMac which could happen any time this year between now and October I'd have thought (Q3 to Q4)

The 23.7" 4k Ultrafine has been suggested as a possible donor panel - especially since Apple stock it alongside the 5k Ultrafine which obviously is used in the 27" iMac and iMac Pro.

The counter argument is that the 23.7" display is actually below the 219ppi resolution defined by Apple as "Retina" so it would take some marketing gymnastics for Phil Schiller to explain why they would use this panel and break their own retina marketing - for comparison the 32" Pro Display XDR is 6k and also 219ppi.

A 23-24" iMac declaring itself as retina would have to be probably 4.6K resolution (4608x2592). This would be 11943936 pixels as opposed to 14745600 (5120x2880) pixels.

Obviously if Apple were launching such a panel in an iMac you'd expect LG to offer a standalone Ultrafine version too and the reasoning behind this could be to allow Apple to hit the 5k iMac price points while adding substantial amounts of SSD instead of HDD/Fusion, and a T2 CPU.

The 27" iMac Pro has been rumoured to be coming with miniLED backlighting later this year and given the savings that could be passed on from cheaper Intel Xeon, RAM, and NAND it's feasible that Apple could produce a lower priced entry SKU of the iMac Pro.

 

[MattDell]

I ended up going for the Ultrafine 4K 24". Very pleased with it.

I was hesitant because of the drop from 219ppi with the 21" but honestly it's very crisp at 186ppi so I wouldn't let that deter anyone else who is on the fence.

 

[sublunar]

I ended up going for the Ultrafine 4K 24". Very pleased with it.

I was hesitant because of the drop from 219ppi with the 21" but honestly it's very crisp at 186ppi so I wouldn't let that deter anyone else who is on the fence.

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Looks a mighty fine display. Did you get it from the Apple Store?

 

[MattDell]

I didn't, actually, given the quoted lead times on apple.com. I bought it from a retailer called ebuyer.com who I had not heard of before. I ordered it Sunday afternoon and it arrived first thing Monday morning. Very pleased!

 

[-narcan-]

Congrats, looks great !

 

[cambookpro]

I ended up going for the Ultrafine 4K 24". Very pleased with it.

I was hesitant because of the drop from 219ppi with the 21" but honestly it's very crisp at 186ppi so I wouldn't let that deter anyone else who is on the fence.

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Nice setup! I'd recommend a stand for your MacBook whilst plugged in to the external display - makes it a lot easier to use both screens if they are at a similar height, and I think it's probably better for posture when sitting at the desk. Also good for the MacBook's cooling. I use one similar to this as I like being able to adjust the height, but if you type laptop stand into Amazon, there are thousands of options: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nillkin-An...&keywords=laptop+stand&qid=1588860130&sr=8-80

 

[MattDell]

Nice setup! I'd recommend a stand for your MacBook whilst plugged in to the external display - makes it a lot easier to use both screens if they are at a similar height, and I think it's probably better for posture when sitting at the desk. Also good for the MacBook's cooling. I use one similar to this as I like being able to adjust the height, but if you type laptop stand into Amazon, there are thousands of options: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nillkin-An...&keywords=laptop+stand&qid=1588860130&sr=8-80

Thanks! I have this stand and love it: https://www.therooststand.com

Sadly I left it in the office before the COVID-19 pandemic and I haven't been back to get it.

Also I have a sloped roof where my desk is so I may have to put my laptop very close to me for it to fit under the eave. 🤔

 

[BeatCrazy]

I think the supply of decent monitors is just really tight right now. With everyone working from home etc. I bought a new LG 27" UL850 4K as a third display, and had a real hard time tracking down supply (in Australia), as all the retailers seem to be waiting on stock for a lot of monitors.

I've got the LG 5k Ultrafine also and it's awesome, the integration with the Mac is perfect, so I'm sure you can't go wrong with getting the 4k, even if a refresh is down the line at some point.

How would you compare the LG 5K Ultrafine to the UL850? I have the UL850 now, but I am tempted by moving up to the LG 5K or the Pro Display XDR.

 

[KPOM]

How would you compare the LG 5K Ultrafine to the UL850? I have the UL850 now, but I am tempted by moving up to the LG 5K or the Pro Display XDR.

I had the 27BL65U-W, which is similar to the 27UL650. The Ultrafine 5K has a glossy screen, vs. the matte of the BL65 but the additional brightness helps. I like the ability to run 2560x1440 at 200%. Note that it can take some work to get 5K working properly with Windows (if you use that), and it requires a third party app (there are several free ones) to change the brightness. On the Mac, it works very well. The UltraFine is definitely a step up. However, you don’t get the FreeSync support, and the response time is slow, so if you are a gamer (which I am not), I’d keep the UL850 around for that.

If you get the UltraFine 5K, Apple has the best price right now, and has it in stock. It is $1299.95, but if you have an Employee Purchase Program through your employer, you can get it for $1170 (10% discount). Other retailers are either out of stock, or are selling it at a premium.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I had the 27BL65U-W, which is similar to the 27UL650. The Ultrafine 5K has a glossy screen, vs. the matte of the BL65 but the additional brightness helps. I like the ability to run 2560x1440 at 200%. Note that it can take some work to get 5K working properly with Windows (if you use that), and it requires a third party app (there are several free ones) to change the brightness. On the Mac, it works very well. The UltraFine is definitely a step up. However, you don’t get the FreeSync support, and the response time is slow, so if you are a gamer (which I am not), I’d keep the UL850 around for that.

If you get the UltraFine 5K, Apple has the best price right now, and has it in stock. It is $1299.95, but if you have an Employee Purchase Program through your employer, you can get it for $1170 (10% discount). Other retailers are either out of stock, or are selling it at a premium.

Funny, you addressed almost all the concerns I had

I normally run my 27UL850 at 2560x1440, which would better scaling on a 5K display vs. my 4K display.

Yes, I do run Windows, and I do have TB3 that I send to a Razer Core X Chroma eGPU with a 5700 XT Anniversary Edition. I would like to use this Windows machine with either the LG 5K or XDR for non-serious gaming. Meaning, I want native 6K resolution, but I’m not a hardcore gamer. So I’ll be fine if the gaming resolution is ~1440p. I don’t have the space to for more than one display, so either the LG 5K or XDR would take the place of my 27UL850.

Yes, I do get EPP and Edu discount from Apple so the $1170 price is more appealing than the $5K+ from the XDR.

 

[KPOM]

Funny, you addressed almost all the concerns I had

I normally run my 27UL850 at 2560x1440, which would better scaling on a 5K display vs. my 4K display.

Yes, I do run Windows, and I do have TB3 that I send to a Razer Core X Chroma eGPU with a 5700 XT Anniversary Edition. I would like to use this Windows machine with either the LG 5K or XDR for non-serious gaming. Meaning, I want native 6K resolution, but I’m not a hardcore gamer. So I’ll be fine if the gaming resolution is ~1440p. I don’t have the space to for more than one display, so either the LG 5K or XDR would take the place of my 27UL850.

Yes, I do get EPP and Edu discount from Apple so the $1170 price is more appealing than the $5K+ from the XDR.

Glad I could help.

As long as you are non-serious about gaming, the UltraFine should be OK. It has a 14ms GtG vs 5 on the UL850. But the screen quality is excellent. I will have a very hard time going back to my office and 1080p screen. Even a 4K looks like a downgrade.

That said, I wish I had your GPU for my MS Teams calls. The UHD 630 in my work Windows notebook gets a workout and slows my 8th gen i7 to a crawl if more than a few people are on.

You can get the XDR for $4700 plus $180 for the VESA mount ($899 for the stand).

 

[BeatCrazy]

Glad I could help.

As long as you are non-serious about gaming, the UltraFine should be OK. It has a 14ms GtG vs 5 on the UL850. But the screen quality is excellent. I will have a very hard time going back to my office and 1080p screen. Even a 4K looks like a downgrade.

That said, I wish I had your GPU for my MS Teams calls. The UHD 630 in my work Windows notebook gets a workout and slows my 8th gen i7 to a crawl if more than a few people are on.

You can get the XDR for $4700 plus $180 for the VESA mount ($899 for the stand).

My Windows box has an 8th gen Xeon with the P630, which is why I use the eGPU.

I am also spoiled with a 5K display, on my iMac Pro (in a different room, which my wife if now using for WFH). I thought the 27UL850 would be comparable, but the Apple displays are really in another league. Any thoughts on the LG 5K Ultrafine vs. a 5K iMac?

 

[KPOM]

My Windows box has an 8th gen Xeon with the P630, which is why I use the eGPU.

I am also spoiled with a 5K display, on my iMac Pro (in a different room, which my wife if now using for WFH). I thought the 27UL850 would be comparable, but the Apple displays are really in another league. Any thoughts on the LG 5K Ultrafine vs. a 5K iMac?

I haven’t seen the iMac in person but am told that LG makes the iMac screen, so I’d guess it is the same.
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I haven’t seen the iMac in person but am told that LG makes the iMac screen, so I’d guess it is the same.

Let’s put it this way. The UltraFine 5K blows away the BL65, notwithstanding the resolution. The color gamut is so much wider.

 

[addoh]

I ended up going for the Ultrafine 4K 24". Very pleased with it.

I was hesitant because of the drop from 219ppi with the 21" but honestly it's very crisp at 186ppi so I wouldn't let that deter anyone else who is on the fence.

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Hi! I'm currently looking to buy an external screen for use with MBP 13. How do you find the screen real estate when using 200% scaling (is 1920x1080)? Or do you use 1440p? Does it look as good as 1080p?

Thanks in advance!