LG Ultrafine 5k BACK IN STOCK!

[Broadus]

I noticed the same the other day. I am actively searching for a 27 inches monitor recently. I am torn about the decisions if I should wait for Apple to release new monitors(not sure if it's gonna happen soon and i am a sucker for Apple products) or just buy a used LG ULTRAFINE 5K...

I'm in the same boat. I need to order a new monitor before the end of September and wanted one, probably a 24" 4K or 27" 5K that works well with my 2018 MBP. The Ultrafine are the ones that are supposed to do that, right? You would think that Apple is replacing them since they are out of stock, not to mention the years-old thicker bezels.

But I may have to resort to ordering a 27" UHD USB-C such as the HP Z27.

 

[Successful Sorcerer]

don't buy a ultrafine, they are all defective in some way

This is just not true. The first generation sure had some issues, they were all addressed in the second version.

 

[tonypg]

I'm in the same boat. I need to order a new monitor before the end of September and wanted one, probably a 24" 4K or 27" 5K that works well with my 2018 MBP. The Ultrafine are the ones that are supposed to do that, right? You would think that Apple is replacing them since they are out of stock, not to mention the years-old thicker bezels.

But I may have to resort to ordering a 27" UHD USB-C such as the HP Z27.

I am sticking with the LG Ultrafine 5K unless Apple released a new replacement soon. The big factor here is that the monitor has a speaker and a camera. Base on reviews, the speaker and camera are good quality as well. I am planning to put my laptop closed lid on the side permanently while working from home and rely on the monitor 100%. This monitor will save me a lot of effort to buy an extra speaker and camera (and placing them in correct places...).

 

[tonypg]

The monitor is restocked on Apple website.

 

[tonypg]

Just purchased one. It's insane that the delivery time is Oct 27 - Nov 10 now. I will hunt for a second hand while waiting for it. I have a feeling they will ship it out earlier though as Apple always put a later date for shipping date.

 

[StraightHit]

Just purchased one. It's insane that the delivery time is Oct 27 - Nov 10 now. I will hunt for a second hand while waiting for it. I have a feeling they will ship it out earlier though as Apple always put a later date for shipping date.

View attachment 948183

I sent back 4. All were May batch. Bought between June and July. All had issues. I will never buy the monitor again. I wish you the best of luck.
P.S. The 8-10 weeks is a garbage estimate. I once got an item within 1 week after ordering, but it told me I would have to wait another 2 months for it. So you will probably get yours sooner.

 

[tonypg]

I sent back 4. All were May batch. Bought between June and July. All had issues. I will never buy the monitor again. I wish you the best of luck.
P.S. The 8-10 weeks is a garbage estimate. I once got an item within 1 week after ordering, but it told me I would have to wait another 2 months for it. So you will probably get yours sooner.

Thanks for the warning. From what I read, it does not seem to be the case for many others. I hope I won't receive a defective one. I just need a monitor that comes with a speaker and camera.

 

[tonypg]

UPDATE:

Arriving this Sunday... It's an odd date because as far as I know, FedEx does not deliver packages on Sunday...

 

[Ron21]

Still don't get how this monitor is $1299 when a brand new 27" iMac 5k is $1799 (or less with corp/education discounts), doesn't make any sense and the margins on this monitor must be huge.

Just comparing what you get in an iMac in terms of components, metal casing, actual glass, better webcam/speakers, cpu, memory, ssd, keyboard, mouse, etc...

Really would be great if Apple brought back target display mode for iMacs, I'd prefer that over this monitor.

 

[Broadus]

Still don't get how this monitor is $1299 when a brand new 27" iMac 5k is $1799 (or less with corp/education discounts), doesn't make any sense and the margins on this monitor must be huge.

Just comparing what you get in an iMac in terms of components, metal casing, actual glass, better webcam/speakers, cpu, memory, ssd, keyboard, mouse, etc...

I was thinking the same. I've been researching to buy a monitor for my 2018 15" MBP and am sorely tempted to order the LG 5K monitor, but for a few hundred dollars more could just set a 27" iMac 5K on my desk.

 

[Successful Sorcerer]

Yes, there were some rumors about 5K monitors from ASUS and more, unfortunately they were never made. The ones that were made, DELL amongst others, didn’t have the same quality and often lots of bad pixels. So the main reason is there is no competition, but I also think there’s Apple standards quality control, I didn’t see one dead pixel on multiple of these.

 

[rainafterthesun]

UPDATE:

View attachment 948293

Arriving this Sunday... It's an odd date because as far as I know, FedEx does not deliver packages on Sunday...

Sometimes fedex or ups will use usps or another service to help them complete so there is still a chance.. but this is precovid.

my last one they actually ended up delivering Saturday despite a Sunday quote.

🤞🏻🤞🏻

 

[tonypg]

Sometimes fedex or ups will use usps or another service to help them complete so there is still a chance.. but this is precovid.

my last one they actually ended up delivering Saturday despite a Sunday quote.

🤞🏻🤞🏻

you are absolutely correct. I received it earlier today. It’s stunning. It’s going to take a bit of time for my eyes to adjust it. I had a 21 inches monitor before this.

 

[AppelGeenyus]

you are absolutely correct. I received it earlier today. It’s stunning. It’s going to take a bit of time for my eyes to adjust it. I had a 21 inches monitor before this.

Disappointing to see backlight uniformity still looks horrendous, but as long as you’re happy 😜

 

[dukee101]

I sent back 4. All were May batch. Bought between June and July. All had issues. I will never buy the monitor again. I wish you the best of luck.

@StraightHit could you clarify what the issues were with your LG 5Ks back in the summer? Also, which monitor did you end up going with afterward?

I ask because I've had an LG 5K at home for a while now, and I love it, and don't really see anything wrong with it. But I just bought another one for my office, and it had dead pixels, which I then returned for a second one, which suffered from some weird vertical banding / tiger stripes issue (discussed by @ralphthemagi on this thread in 2019), which I then returned for a third one, which also suffers from the same banding/stripes issue!!

In fact, when I was at the Apple Store, I asked to set up this third monitor in the store to make sure I wasn't walking out with a defective unit, which they were kind enough to let me do, and I witnessed this issue in the store, and they basically said "Sorry this is all we have right now. You can take it home and see if it gets better over time, and you still have another 14 days to return it."

Nothing comes close to this monitor in terms of resolution, included features, and more. And yet, it's plagued with problems.

 

[Sam5281]

@StraightHit could you clarify what the issues were with your LG 5Ks back in the summer? Also, which monitor did you end up going with afterward?

I ask because I've had an LG 5K at home for a while now, and I love it, and don't really see anything wrong with it. But I just bought another one for my office, and it had dead pixels, which I then returned for a second one, which suffered from some weird vertical banding / tiger stripes issue (discussed by @ralphthemagi on this thread in 2019), which I then returned for a third one, which also suffers from the same banding/stripes issue!!

In fact, when I was at the Apple Store, I asked to set up this third monitor in the store to make sure I wasn't walking out with a defective unit, which they were kind enough to let me do, and I witnessed this issue in the store, and they basically said "Sorry this is all we have right now. You can take it home and see if it gets better over time, and you still have another 14 days to return it."

Nothing comes close to this monitor in terms of resolution, included features, and more. And yet, it's plagued with problems.

Sorry for newbie question; is the LG Ultrafine 4k/5k monitors from apple the best plug and play options available for use with M1 MBP's.

Primarily use would be - daily tasks, and video edits (low budget) - not professional.

 

[dukee101]

Sorry for newbie question; is the LG Ultrafine 4k/5k monitors from apple the best plug and play options available for use with M1 MBP's.

I would say so, yes. For the 5K models, the built-in controls for brightness adjustment, plus webcam, mic, and speakers, plus USB ports on the back and 94W power delivery, make for a very well-integrated solution that no other monitor can touch.

You can find other monitors out there that will support high-wattage power delivery, and the USB ports, but those won't always be the same ones with a built-in webcam and mic, and you certainly won't find *any* other monitor that will allow brightness control using your Mac's keyboard. The only workaround for that is to use apps that hijack the CEC protocol from HDMI or DisplayPort, but then you're getting into the world of a third-party app, questionable CEC reliability from monitors, poor control responsiveness, etc. And personally, I find myself adjusting monitor brightness all the time, to make things easier on my eyes.

 

[Sam5281]

I would say so, yes. For the 5K models, the built-in controls for brightness adjustment, plus webcam, mic, and speakers, plus USB ports on the back and 94W power delivery, make for a very well-integrated solution that no other monitor can touch.

You can find other monitors out there that will support high-wattage power delivery, and the USB ports, but those won't always be the same ones with a built-in webcam and mic, and you certainly won't find *any* other monitor that will allow brightness control using your Mac's keyboard. The only workaround for that is to use apps that hijack the CEC protocol from HDMI or DisplayPort, but then you're getting into the world of a third-party app, questionable CEC reliability from monitors, poor control responsiveness, etc. And personally, I find myself adjusting monitor brightness all the time, to make things easier on my eyes.

Excellent. Thank you, and forgive my ignorance; will I be missing out on crucial functions if going with the ultra fine 4k?

I ask, because the 4/5K jump is almost double. trying to factor that in with the price of a new machine as well. I too adjust frequently depending on time of day, etc. So, the 4k ultra fine does NOT have this option?!

 

[dukee101]

With the 4K, you're still getting the native brightness and volume controls, USB-C hub in the back, power delivery (albeit 85W), a built-in speaker, and the ability to daisy-chain another 4K display. You don't get the webcam+mic. But you're also saving $600 USD off the 5K, which theoretically you could apply toward another 4K (depending on your needs).

I should add that for the M1 Macs currently available, you will not be able to drive a second display, which might make it more wise to get a 5K, assuming you have the budget for that.

The LG UltraFines are very expensive for what you're getting, and they're still subject to quality problems, come in a plastic housing, etc., but they're the best we have right now. I'm patiently waiting for Apple to release their own first-party Apple-branded monitors of this caliber sometime in Q2'21. And I'm not alone! There's a whole community now who are modding iMac bodies with custom 5K panels to recreate the same experience as we all had back in the days of the Cinema Display 27" and Thunderbolt Display 27".

 

[Sam5281]

With the 4K, you're still getting the native brightness and volume controls, USB-C hub in the back, power delivery (albeit 85W), a built-in speaker, and the ability to daisy-chain another 4K display. You don't get the webcam+mic. But you're also saving $600 USD off the 5K, which theoretically you could apply toward another 4K (depending on your needs).

I should add that for the M1 Macs currently available, you will not be able to drive a second display, which might make it more wise to get a 5K, assuming you have the budget for that.

The LG UltraFines are very expensive for what you're getting, and they're still subject to quality problems, come in a plastic housing, etc., but they're the best we have right now. I'm patiently waiting for Apple to release their own first-party Apple-branded monitors of this caliber sometime in Q2'21. And I'm not alone! There's a whole community now who are modding iMac bodies with custom 5K panels to recreate the same experience as we all had back in the days of the Cinema Display 27" and Thunderbolt Display 27".

Thank you Duke! Exactly what I needed to figure out, need for webcam/mic on an external is slim and non for me.

Thats sorta the reason I asked about the UltraFines specifically; because it seems expensive compared to other options on the market. But I'm going to assume the other more cost friendly options; don't have seamless integrations.

Funny I still have my Thunderbolt Display 27"

 

[dukee101]

Thats sorta the reason I asked about the UltraFines specifically; because it seems expensive compared to other options on the market. But I'm going to assume the other more cost friendly options; don't have seamless integrations.

Exactly -- that's really the thing you're paying extra for: the seamless integration, which honestly is really nice. There isn't really an equivalent to that in the Windows world, and you've gotten to experience that with the TB Display.

My wife has LG's other 4K 27" monitor, which is a really nice panel, but it sometimes does weird color shifts (I think because of it's HDR feature?), and you can sort of just feel how it's not "native" for Mac. Still a really crisp panel that looks great in 4K, and for under $400 USD, hard to beat. But yea, the extra $300 is going to get you the full integration.

I'm honestly surprised how more people don't complain about monitors not having easy computer-controlled brightness adjustment. Is everyone OK just constantly blasting their eyes with bright blue light?? I've tried the Lunar app for Mac which is pretty good (uses CEC protocol), but still really not the same as the LG UltraFines.