Question is when will that be, lol. Guessing at least another year or two, during the next refresh of machines.
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LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread
- Thread starter iBrooker
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Upgraded this afternoon. Noticeable image improvement (clarity and colour). Pretty sure my eyes are not deceiving me. Brightness control seems better, more granular when using F1 and F2. Cam / speakers working as before which I was happy with.
Unfortunately have had an occurrence of the misaligned pixel problem. Doesn't bother me, hot corner workaround works as before. Time will tell if it's less frequent. I estimate I bump into this 1 in every 50(ish) screen unlocks. I haven't rebooted since upgrade though, will try that and see if it eradicates issue.
While of course nothing is certain with Apple's release schedule, they're due to release 16" MBP's and iMacs over the next few months, with the next M-chip variant – as the market is pretty much crying out for updated hardware by now.
I was wondering if there are good competitive price alternatives to replace a pair of LG's Ultrafine's. Of course, a par of Apple XDR monitors would be great but that would be $13K (with stand and tax) vs less than $3K. I want to avoid LG for many reasons, so in terms of image quality and resolution, usable real estate and less important sound and camera - any suggestions either with a larger monitor or another pair? I have considered a single Apple XDR (with the logitech 4K camera and good speakers or a pair of iPod's mini) but it appear to much of a Real estate sacrifice)
No. Nothing else does 218ppi. The LG's were specifically designed to work with Apple devices inc. keyboard controls. Before the LG 5K3K's were released there were a couple of ones from other brands, but they're worse in most ways, and are hard to find now if not discontinued.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5K_resolution#First_monitor_with_5K_resolution
As previously said above, nothing else is likely to appear anytime soon. Unless Apple do a surprise release of their own (highly unlikely, given their previous aversion to doing so thus far), these things are niche enough that other brands aren't interested in making them.
The Dell UP2715K was the first 5k monitor to hit the market. I had one briefly. You might be able to find it secondhand for like 200 bucks, but I can’t really recommend it. Way more prone to image retention and a royal bitch to set up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Almost always needed 15 minutes “to settle in” before working properly. I think Philips and HP also had 5k displays for a short while but apparently they were even worse.
I can no longer recommend the LG UltraFine 5K monitor.
I have two 27MD5KA-B models; one was manufactured January 2017 and the other was February 2017.
The February 2017 monitor has awful pink edges around the entire screen and burn-in (not image retention) that is getting worse. I wasn't using my January 2017 monitor, but after switching to that, I also noticed that the black level and contrast of the other monitor was much more washed out than it used to be. Basically, the panel has sh-t the bed.
I'm thinking the Dell U2720Q will be my next monitor, but I am sad to lose "Retina" status by downgrading to 4K.
EDIT: My January 2017 monitor also has the same issue, but not as pronounced -- yet.
First attached picture is the February 2017 monitor. Second picture is the January 2017 monitor.
I have two 27MD5KA-B models; one was manufactured January 2017 and the other was February 2017.
The February 2017 monitor has awful pink edges around the entire screen and burn-in (not image retention) that is getting worse. I wasn't using my January 2017 monitor, but after switching to that, I also noticed that the black level and contrast of the other monitor was much more washed out than it used to be. Basically, the panel has sh-t the bed.
I'm thinking the Dell U2720Q will be my next monitor, but I am sad to lose "Retina" status by downgrading to 4K.
EDIT: My January 2017 monitor also has the same issue, but not as pronounced -- yet.
First attached picture is the February 2017 monitor. Second picture is the January 2017 monitor.
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That's kind of a dramatic thing to say.
This purple hue around the sides you're talking about is totally normal.
It's not the actual LCD, it's the Polarizer layer that most glossy LCD monitors have. It simply turns purple-ish after prolonged use. It's caused by the LED backlights.
Good news: You can actually have this layer replaced. It will cost you around €120 when done by a professional or like 20 bucks if you do it yourself.
P.S. If it makes you feel any better, I've seen countless Dell monitors with this purple-ish hue on the sides. It just means they've been through a lot of operating hours and no one ever bothered to do any maintenance on them. As with most equipment nowadays, most firms / people just write them off instead.
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I appreciate your response, but I disagree with many of your points. I've worked in IT for 22 years and have never seen this, so I do not consider it to be "totally normal." At the end of the day, the LG authorized repair options in my area, a major metro city, are nonexistent. The one option that is within 30 miles of me is scary, and I'll leave it at that.
-Thoroughly disappointed in this product.
Three days ago, I purchased the 27" 5K Ultrafine monitor directly from Apple for my M1MM and was very apprehensive before I plugged it in. Especially after reading about all the issues with it. Everything worked fine. However, the next morning, the monitor would not display anything. I tried unplugging the power cable and the TB cable and still nothing. I also tried plugging it into my MacBook Pro and still nothing.
In the heat of anger, I was getting ready to box it up and send it back, but thought, 'Hey, let me try a different cable'. I had an Apple TB3 Pro cable ($129!) that I used with my old BenQ monitor. And, voila! It worked again. I had planned on selling the Pro cable to offset the cost of the LG! I contacted LG through Twitter DM and they are mailing me a new cable.
However, later in the day, I noticed the one inch pixel misalignment in the middle of the screen, from top to the bottom. (See photo) I replugged the TB cable and the lines went away. It happened again today after waking from sleep mode. It went away after replugging the TB cable.
Don't know if I should just return it and get another while I'm in my return window or keep it. I had also planned on buying a second one. I just can't find anything else with this screen quality besides the XDR.
In the heat of anger, I was getting ready to box it up and send it back, but thought, 'Hey, let me try a different cable'. I had an Apple TB3 Pro cable ($129!) that I used with my old BenQ monitor. And, voila! It worked again. I had planned on selling the Pro cable to offset the cost of the LG! I contacted LG through Twitter DM and they are mailing me a new cable.
However, later in the day, I noticed the one inch pixel misalignment in the middle of the screen, from top to the bottom. (See photo) I replugged the TB cable and the lines went away. It happened again today after waking from sleep mode. It went away after replugging the TB cable.
Don't know if I should just return it and get another while I'm in my return window or keep it. I had also planned on buying a second one. I just can't find anything else with this screen quality besides the XDR.
In my company we owned several of the LG 5K Ultrafines - all have one issue or another. The LG support and service is horrendous in my experience. While this segment may be a niche, I think it is big enough that a high quality functional equivalent in the $1,500 range would take the market from LG. This is a 90+ page thread and a big number of the postings highlight the many problems this monitor has. I know there are happy campers, but the number of owners with issues appears to be substantial. When asked, I dissuade potential customers for getting this monitor, and basically anything LG.
The Ollin Monitor Arm, its branded as either Herman Miller or Colebrook Bosson Saunders depending on where you live. Its a nice arm but it seems to be a lot more expensive in the states vs Australia for some reason.
Ollin Monitor Arm
The Ollin monitor arm is a new step forward in ergonomic design, offering unmatched dynamic movement and versatility. Supports single screens of 0-9KG.
www.colebrookbossonsaunders.com
The pixel alignment issue is a known problem with m1 apple devices + the 5k, returning it for another won't help you. What you can do however instead of buggering around with the cables is lock the Mac, let the display turn off after a second or two and then unlock it and it fixes the issue. You can even set up a hot corner to do it for you in a few seconds.(Scroll back a few pages on this thread for more detailed instructions.)
My Mac mini and MacBook Air M1 machines are both on seperate LG 5k monitors and it happens to me a few times a week when I wake them from sleep.
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Thanks so much for the tip! I'll try that.
I also reached out to a Senior Director at LG and forwarded this thread to him.
My M1 Mac mini does not have the pixel alignment problem when using with the 5K. I think I'm one of the lucky ones. So exchanging the M1 can definitely be worth it. I'd just exchange it until you have a working unit!
I have tried 4 M1 devices across 3 different 5k displays, honestly not convinced that it is a hardware issue at all.
Given that it appears intermittently on wake from sleep in the same way the previous sleep issues Apple patched did. It’s almost certainly relating to the software control of the two display port streams the 5k uses.
Good choice, I picked up the Flo arm in Black. Was eyeing the Ollin as well.
Apart from the pixel misalignment problem on my M1 MBA, my LG 5K display's camera and speakers have stopped working. I've tried multiple cables and multiple computers, he's dead, Jim. This is ridiculous but since I need the camera and monitor, I've bought a new one from Best Buy along with the Geek Squad guarantee. When I get this one back from LG, I'm putting it on eBay. If the new one dies, I'm bringing it in to Best Buy right away.
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IDK. I've had 2, they were both fine. The problem is there isn't really anywhere else to go... it's LG 5K or Apple XDR.
It's so frustrating that monitor manufacturers are stuck on 4K. 4K sucks because your scaling options are:
LG UltraFine 5K allows you to use 1440p and have 1:1 pixel mapping (200% scaling). It's nearly perfect. 10K would be perfect as it would be true Retina.
- 4K (100%) - everything appears way too small.
- 1080p (200%) 1:1 pixel mapping - everything appears too large (but looks fantastic).
- 1440p (150%) - ideal scaling on a 27" monitor, but pixel mapping is not clean and requires OS/software/GPU to work hard to make it look decent, but even then it doesn't look decent.
LG UltraFine 5K allows you to use 1440p and have 1:1 pixel mapping (200% scaling). It's nearly perfect. 10K would be perfect as it would be true Retina.
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I disagree as I find that 150% or even 175% on a 4K 27" display is more than decent for 99.9% of use. Probably why they are selling millions of them.
What do you mean by "true Retina"? For Apple "Retina" is a marketing term that generally means you can't discern the pixels for their use case.
4K is the only widely-available, affordable option if you want a monitor with better resolution than 1080p/1440p. That's why they are "selling millions of them." Not to mention, most people don't even know that consumer monitors with 5K resolution exist.
As I already stated, 150% and 175% does not scale pixels at a 1:1 mapping. In layman's terms, everything scaled by those percentages will not look as sharp/crisp as 100% or 200% scaling. This isn't my opinion, it is fact. Since this is the LG UltraFine 5K thread, I assume people in this thread care about the picture quality of their monitor or else they would be fine with a lower resolution monitor.
Regarding "Retina":
"Retina is Apple's trademark for a display so sharp that the human eye is unable to distinguish between pixels at a typical viewing distance. As Steve Jobs said: 'It turns out there’s a magic number right around 300 pixels per inch, that when you hold something around to 10 to 12 inches away from your eyes, is the limit of the human retina to differentiate the pixels.' Given a large enough viewing distance, all displays eventually become 'retina.'"
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