LG UltraFine 6K (32U990A) TB5 Display: Pre-Orders Open September 30

[Alameda]

LOL that's not how Nits work.

Lights don't dim because you get closer to it.

You're the one who said that monitors need to be 8,000 nits. I explained that it's not so because monitors are designed for a much closer viewing distance and different viewing applications. We look at very large expanses of white on computer monitors, which is typically the peak brightness, and 8,000 nits would be blinding, much less 800 nits, or even 500. Such extreme HDR would only be needed if you were editing HDR video content, and typically you just attach an HDR TV set via HDMI and use it as your preview display. Much less expensive and more effective.

 

[mozumder]

You're the one who said that monitors need to be 8,000 nits. I explained that it's not so because monitors are designed for a much closer viewing distance and different viewing applications. We look at very large expanses of white on computer monitors, which is typically the peak brightness, and 8,000 nits would be blinding, much less 800 nits, or even 500. Such extreme HDR would only be needed if you were editing HDR video content, and typically you just attach an HDR TV set via HDMI and use it as your preview display. Much less expensive and more effective.

lol, again, no that's not how nits work.

You can have 8000 nits on the headset display an inch from your eye, and it won't look any brighter than the 8000 nits 20 feet away.

 

[Alex.ne]

But... this monitor was "announced" back in January, and here we are in September and might finally get an actual price on it, which honestly has not given me a good impression of this device or LG as a company. I don't want to be told about your new great product then nine months later still be waiting to even find out what it costs let alone see something other than an (inconsistent) render.

It's caused me to be a lot more skeptical about what LG is promising than I would have been if it had been ready to ship within a few weeks of being announced, or even if they'd given a price on the dang thing.

More and more companies are doing it now unfortunately, including Apple. They urge to show nonexisting product and then take 6-12 months to deliver it (or not deliver it at all, we are looking at you, Apple AI).

 

[EugW]

But... this monitor was "announced" back in January, and here we are in September and might finally get an actual price on it, which honestly has not given me a good impression of this device or LG as a company. I don't want to be told about your new great product then nine months later still be waiting to even find out what it costs let alone see something other than an (inconsistent) render.

? This happens every single year with these types of products, mainly because some of the industry conferences are at that time. I think the difference this year is that Mac users actually want this product so they paid attention this time.

 

[Hammerd]

Can you please point me to the 6K 120HZ displays?

8K TVs

Also while the pixel density is impressive, the 60Hz (I know there are no better alternatives but this being a new product it could have raised the bar) and low brightness = deal breaker for me

 

[thecombatwombat]

Opps. I accidentally wiped out my own comment.

Just adding to the people saying that an 8000 nit display that you sit in front of indoors is an insane idea on every level. That would truly destroy your vision.

It would be like putting an outdoor billboard meant to be visible in sunlight, two feet away from you. A totally insane, probably literally dangerous idea. Literally, imagine if your computer monitor were more than twenty times brighter than it is. It would blow your eyes out.

 

[Alameda]

lol, again, no that's not how nits work.

You can have 8000 nits on the headset display an inch from your eye, and it won't look any brighter than the 8000 nits 20 feet away.

Inverse Square Law would disagree with you there.

 

[ducknalddon]

I wonder if they built a stronger I/O board this time. Had to get my LG 5k Super Fine repaired several times. Thunderbolt jacks have very weak solder points. I have my extra ports covered with tape im so afraid of disturbing the primary video out thunderbolt jack.

I think it gets hot when charging a MacBook, over time that weakens the connection to the main board. I only use mine with a Mac mini and it seems fine in that configuration.

 

[svish]

Sounds like a good display. Waiting to see the reviews for this monitor. Probably not going to buy one. With LG producing these panels, maybe one day a bigger iMac will be released.

 

[Apple Fanboy333]

Their renders are crazy inconsistent, all those are from the same page, all have different bezels :

This is a recurring problem for many display companies when trying to showcase their products. It seems that many of the marketing images are basically manual Photoshop work, in contrast to actual renders with precise measurements, to the point where some of the pictures don’t even show a true-to-life size relative to the person in front.

 

[Diablo1945]

Actually, in 2025 with the new non-Apple 6K displays coming out, the LG will be one of the most expensive ones. It's literally 50% more than the Asus 6K, which comes Calman colour calibrated. The advantage of the LG is that its chassis looks prettier (albeit still plastic) and it comes with Thunderbolt 5.

I believe the LG uses a Nano IPS Black panel whereas the Asus 6K does not.

 

[Dolmio]

The TVs are 4K.

Yep currently but they do do 8k Oled tvs just not with tandem Oled yet . I’m sure it’s coming

 

[EugW]

Press release:

LG Unveils World's First 6K Monitor With Thunderbolt™ 5 for Professional Creators | LG NEWSROOM

A Future-Proof Display for Professional Video Editors and Designers, Delivering 6K Resolution, Precise Colors and High-Speed Connectivity SEOUL, Sep. 30, 2025 — LG Electronics (LG) is introducing the

www.lgnewsroom.com

€250 pre-order discount in Germany October 12

LG UltraFine 32U990A: Release details and launch discount revealed for new Thunderbolt 5 and 6K professional monitor

Pre-orders for the UltraFine 32U990A are finally set to open in some markets. While US pre-orders will commence on September 30, the Eurozone will not receive LG's new 6K and Thunderbolt 5-equipped monitor until mid-October, albeit with a healthy launch discount thrown in for good measure.

www.notebookcheck.net

—-

I believe the LG uses a Nano IPS Black panel whereas the Asus 6K does not.

I’m a little confused by this as LG advertises IPS Black 1400:1 / 2000:1 contrast but the Asus advertises 1500:1 / 3000:1 contrast, and both support VESA DisplayHDR 600.

The Tom’s Hardware review of the Asus 6K states:

Asus ProArt PA32QCV 6K professional monitor review: Plenty of pixels, color, and brightness

Asus ups the pixel density ante with its 6K ProArt PA32QCV.

www.tomshardware.com

Maximum White Luminance Native Mode – 648.9998 nits
Maximum Black Luminance Native Mode – 0.4111 nit
Maximum Contrast Ratio Native Mode – 1,578.7:1

The PA32QCV is very bright whether dynamic dimming is engaged or not. I measured the same peaks from full field and 25% window patterns. Dimming only affects the black level, and if you use it, the contrast ratio rises to around 3,000:1. The brightness slider is very precise with 400 clicks of resolution. You can turn it down all the way to 10 nits if you like. I noted that the peak changed depending on picture mode. The above result was from Native.

Calibrated Contrast Ratio (200 nits) – 1,602.6:1
16-point ANSI Contrast Ratio – 1,553.7:1

The PA32QCV demonstrated consistent performance in all modes. Though the peak values changed, the contrast ratio was always around 1,600:1. This is as it should be for a professional display. ANSI contrast also remained solid. The PA32QCV has greater native dynamic range than typical IPS monitors with excellent black levels thanks to the dynamic dimming option.

 

[L92]

It’s not a gaming monitor, it’s a color accurate reference monitor. People using these aren’t using them to game on them, so 60Hz is fine.

This is not a reference monitor, let's not get carried away.

 

[Riot Nrrrd]

Anyone know what the slightly larger, target bullseye port is at the bottom? It’s not mentioned on the LG Canada product page.

The small graphic underneath it seems to imply it might be related to daisy-chaining, but I thought that was done via one of the Thunderbolt ports.

 

[EugW]

Anyone know what the slightly larger, target bullseye port is at the bottom? It’s not mentioned on the LG Canada product page.

The small graphic underneath it seems to imply it might be related to daisy-chaining, but I thought that was done via one of the Thunderbolt ports.

View attachment 2561337

Power

 

[Riot Nrrrd]

Power

So it’s just a regular DC-in power port in the center and they made it weird by putting it inside a square border?

 

[Makosuke]

More and more companies are doing it now unfortunately, including Apple. They urge to show nonexisting product and then take 6-12 months to deliver it (or not deliver it at all, we are looking at you, Apple AI).

I would put software and software platforms (especially ones that are essentially "free" features built into another platform) into a very different category than something straightforward like a monitor or new phone model.

Software, particularly software that requires developer support, needs to be announced well in advance of widespread availability, and with features like what Apple announces for upcoming OSes they often don't cost anything additional spend months, sometimes even years, in beta.

Yes, Apple absolutely botched the Apple AI announcement and abortive rollout--it never even should have been announced, and they burned a LOT of "we announce stuff when it's ready, not when we dream it up" goodwill--but even as a headline feature that still hasn't shipped, the OS it was to be part of did, and on time. Nor was it scheduled to actually cost anything.

The only recent hardware product I can think of that Apple pulled something similar was the AirPower, which was absolutely a botch that never should have happened--announced before the company was sure they could build it with no specific price and it was such a pipe dream they never did figure out how to build it. But a phone charger and a flagship monitor aren't quite in the same category; Apple has spent a decade announcing, then shipping hundreds of millions of iPhones right on schedule, as well as the vast majority of their other hardware products.

 

[Belifant]

1999 called, they have lots of monitors you'd love.

I get that everyone has different tastes and needs for screens, which is why there's a variety of them on the market, but I'm reasonably confident that the vast majority of people prefer wider formats, otherwise someone would be making 3:2 screens to satisfy that part of the market. Personally I use an 32" ultrawide at work, with a vertical 24" 16:9 screen off to the side for when I want to read something l long or see a long list, and I really can't see the advantage to going back to a squarer screen.

I am, thus, curious: What is your workflow that a 3:2 screen is something you'd consider the best ratio?

Any workflow profits from a 3:2 ratio. How often do you need to scroll vertically vs horizontally? Webpages scroll vertically. Word pages are in portrait orientation. Excel sheets scroll mostly vertically. Final Cut, Logic, etc., stack tracks vertically, and so on. With 16:9, we have way too much unnecessary space left and right but are very limited in height.

We only use 16:9 on office monitors because that was the trend swapping over from TV, there's no other reason for it.

 

[EugW]

Any workflow profits from a 3:2 ratio. How often do you need to scroll vertically vs horizontally? Webpages scroll vertically. Word pages are in portrait orientation. Excel sheets scroll mostly vertically. Final Cut, Logic, etc., stack tracks vertically, and so on. With 16:9, we have way too much unnecessary space left and right but are very limited in height.

We only use 16:9 on office monitors because that was the trend swapping over from TV, there's no other reason for it.

I already have a 4K+ 28.2” 3:2 monitor and am going to a 6K 32” 16:9 monitor because I am cramped width-wise. My monitor is the same width as a 27” monitor but is taller. I use the same 2560 width on my 4K+ monitor as I did on my 5K iMac. However, at that setting my height on the 5K was 1440 but on my 3:2 monitor it’s 1706.

I don’t need nor want any more vertical height. I just need more width.

27.0” 2560x1440 - 23.5x13.2” ❌
28.2” 2560x1706 - 23.5x15.7” ❌
32.0” 3008x1692 - 27.9x15.7” ✅

BTW, I find it very odd you actually mentioned Excel in your rant, because one of the biggest complaints people have when using spreadsheets is that there is not enough room width-wise to display all the columns, especially while displaying other apps at the same time. In fact, some Excel users find 16:9 monitors too cramped width-wise and move to ultrawides for this reason.

 

[bzgnyc2]

Is Apple's XDR the natural competitor for this or is the ASUS ProArt a more likely alternative? Nominally both 6K displays but seems like the XDR targets a different market segment.

On the other hand, is TB5 the only thing this display has over the ASUS? $600 seems like a significant premium for that when the refresh rates are the same (which I don't need but presume somebody does).

 

[bzgnyc2]

Any workflow profits from a 3:2 ratio. How often do you need to scroll vertically vs horizontally? Webpages scroll vertically. Word pages are in portrait orientation. Excel sheets scroll mostly vertically. Final Cut, Logic, etc., stack tracks vertically, and so on. With 16:9, we have way too much unnecessary space left and right but are very limited in height.

We only use 16:9 on office monitors because that was the trend swapping over from TV, there's no other reason for it.

Which is why I always put my Dock/Taskbar on the side. And why it is pretty annoying that Windows 11 makes it difficult to put the taskbar on the sides (seems to require a registry edit which may not be enabled in all environments...). People find it surprising and I'm like I have extra room there.

However, for Excel and similar workflows I find two monitors better than a taller or slightly wider one. These days that seems the fastest way to have two applications visible at the same time without spending 90% of one's time rearranging windows and toolbars to make the useful parts (i.e. the content) all visible at the same time. While my time in Excel and the like is minimal these days, just trying to work in the steampunk that is Outlook and a web browser or similar at the same time on one monitor is annoying these days. It seems that UIs expand to fill all available space...

 

[mozumder]

Inverse Square Law would disagree with you there.

Nits are a measure of perception, so inverse square law doesn't apply. Also, TV displays aren't uniform radiative light sources, so inverse square law isn't the correct model anyways.

 

[Brandhaus]

It's funny how people think that this price point is expensive and how it doesn't have this, or that. I bought two 32" XDR's when they first were released. Go to their website, the word "professional" is repeated over and over for those who complain it's 60hz. This isn't for gaming. I'm actually surprised that the price point is this low, although I haven't felt it or seen it in person obviously.

Alot of people complained about the quality issues of their previous LG monitors. I'm not saying they make bad or good products/monitors, but my experience with LG is this: I needed a new dishwasher. I went with the Apple Electrolux because of how sleek, high end, and quality it was supposed to be. It was the biggest POS ever. I went with an LG just based on aesthetic. It was the best dishwasher I ever had. Now, my parents have an LG microwave, and it's a total POS. And the refrigerator is making noises of death. So you never know. Win some lose some.

But Apple, along with other large, smart corporations, do this thing called (well many different things) such as Demographic testing, Target Marketing, (okay it's too early for me, just, they spend alot of money and time doing research). Which is why it's priced at what it is and does what it does. To me this is the first monitor I've ever seen that aesthetically pleases me that hasn't been an Apple. I've been using their products since the 56k came out. That was a long time ago! Other than that, I've only owned a Dell (no complaints, not even that ugly really), an LG, an Asus, and I'll throw in the 23" Cinema just because.

The packaging alone is sold on eBay. No detail is left out. But don't worry, it's going to happen, the day Cook is gone, Apple is done. The board will feast and a man named Jonathan might be back in the spotlight like it was 1984 again...

Oh and I put a preorder in. The only other monitor I'm curious about is that touch screen one. Could be cool for making BEATS

 

[Brandhaus]

Oh man, this monitor looked so much better when we knew so little about its specs... That's one dim monitor...

I know, they all are. Even my XDR to me is. I downloaded an app called Vivid that bumps up the brightness, but sadly learned it only works for the XDR and pro laptops. I think I'm running 1600 right now.