LG 27 inch 5K Ultrafine vs Dell UltraSharp 32 4K USB-C Monitor - U3219Q

[Roosevelt]

My LG 5K Ultrafine 27 inch display needs a $400 out of warranty repair. I do not use it as its highest resolution because the print is too small.

I have considered selling it for parts on eBay and buying a Dell UltraSharp 32 4K USB-C Monitor - U3219Q ($789).

I am not enough of a tech guru to know if this is a good exchange. I know the Dell display is larger and the images may be larger, but am I losing anything from going from 5K to 4K? It looks like it is Mac compatible with USB-C charging 90 watts.

Any thoughts or perspectives would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Roosevelt.

 

[Madonepro]

I'm not a tech guru either, but I did decide earlier this year to create a desk setup with my MBP. I went with the Dell U3219Q and whilst it's a beautiful display, it seemed more suited to an office environment, than a home environment. The screen is massive, and you need to sit a reasonable distance back. It has an annoying clicking sound when your Mac makes a alert sound. You won't have the accessibility that you get with the Ultrafine, as in volume and brightness controls thru your Mac. I also found the screen lagging a little with reasonable motion, i.e. watching a bit of sport. There is also a 'bleed' issue with the Dell. Bottom corners are virtually pink with light, whilst the rest of the screen is black.
After a month, I bought the same monitor as you, latest version and it's amazing. The screen is so much better, the integration you'll miss. USB - C charges my 13 MBP, not sure about 16 though.

Hope that helps a little. If it were me, I'd get the repair done, as you'll not get a Dell for anywhere near that price. Or sell the LG for parts and get a new version.

 

[ght56]

IMHO, it's kind of ridiculous that LG will not fix your display free of charge...a $1,300 monitor should NOT be breaking at just 3-4-ish years of age or younger. Do you really want to shell out that kind of cash on something that breaks that quickly? It's an absolutely beautiful display but the amount of issues those things have is just a little bit wild!

When you get to 32 inches, you are getting pretty low pixel density even with a 4K display, so you would lose quite a bit over the Ultrafine. I would recommend considering the Dell U2720Q (and operating it scaled to resemble 1440P so you get nice sized text). You lose a little bit in pixel density versus 5K (not as much as with 32 inches though) and it does not have as high of max brightness, but it's less than half the price, color accuracy is exceptional, it has a usable hub, a superior stand, and a way better warranty (and probably way better reliability). Every Ultrasharp I have purchased has had excellent panel consistency and outstanding calibration right out of the box. The price of one of these isn't much more than the cost of the repair on your LG, and if you don't like it you can return it for free.

Dell UltraSharp U2720Q Review

The Dell UltraSharp U2720Q is a good 4k monitor that comes with HDR support and wide connectivity options. Like its predecessor, the Dell U2718Q, it features an ...

www.rtings.com

 

[Hessel89]

I've had it's predecessor, the U3216Q for a while, eventually sold it because I thought the Ultrafine 5K would be better. To this day I still regret selling it. Over the years of using my Ultrafine, I've come to conclusion that you don't really need 5K for desktop usage. At the distance you're sitting from your screen, 4K is more than fine. I'd say go for it.

 

[fgengineer]

I definitely disagree. I had a 4k 27 monitor and just bought the LG 5K and the difference is huge. With a 32 inch 4K, the difference would be even greater.