LG 27UN880-B vs. Dell U2520D

[east1999]

I just got an LG 27UN880-B monitor and I'm really satisfied with the picture quality and the build overall. Even the speakers have surprised me as not too bad.

This is also known as the "Ergo" model and I think the 27" is being discontinued in favor of the 32" unit. The model seems to be pretty much the same as the 27UL850, except it has an ergonomic arm instead of a stand.

The 27" size is ok for me, but with two caveats:

• I initially thought I could use a smaller desk with it (50cm/~20" deep) but I quickly realised it was impossible to be so close to it. The arm also didn't remove as much depth from the monitor as I expected. I'm now using a much larger desk.
• The best "unscaled" resolution is 1080p (retina), but the elements are too big on my Mac, so I have it at 1440p. So far it seems ok but deep down I know it's not ideal since it will probably push my Mac a bit more.

Again, the monitor is pretty good, but I'm still considering the Dell U2520D, which most reviewers say is pretty similar in picture quality, if not a tad better. Questions, for owners of the U2520D or similar Dell models:

• Would it fit my smaller desk?
• Since the U2520D is 1440p, I would use the default resolution. How noticeable is the non-retina appearance when I'm just 50cm away?

Some people also say the Dell has problems with blurry image, and Macs in general. I don't intend to fiddle around installing stuff (like SwitchRes) in order to "make it work". I would expect it to work right out of the box.

 

[Amethyst1]

Since the U2520D is 1440p, I would use the default resolution. How noticeable is the non-retina appearance when I'm just 50cm away?

Very noticeable, especially given that font rendering in macOS isn't as good ie sharp on non-HiDPI screens as it used to be. This is what the "blurry image" stuff is actually about - blurry text. My recommendation, if you want a smaller screen, would be a ~24" UHD (eg Asus MG24UQ, Dell P2415Q, LG 24UD58) but these have all been discontinued so aren't easy to come by anymore, at least not new.

 

[east1999]

Do you speak from experience or are you just referring to what people say? Reviews on Youtube don't mention this point at all. People just say it depends on your distance from the monitor.

I get what you're saying re: smaller 4ks but that's impossible since those displays are either too expensive (Ultrafine) or out of stock. On the other hand, getting a 32" display is out of question since it's just too big for my office.

 

[Amethyst1]

Do you speak from experience [...]?

Yep. 27" 2560×1440 vs 21.5" 4096×2304 and 23.8" 3840×2160. Text just isn't as sharp as it used to be (on Mojave and Big Sur) on the 27".