LG Ultrafine 6K announced

[ruslan120]

Do you find a brightness imbalance between the left and right sides of your Asus screen? Seeing a lot of reports on this (this video does a good job of talking about it around the 6:33 mark):

)

You posted my video

Also ordered the LG 6K, arrives Monday, expecting my first-born on Thursday but will work on a few reviews / comparisons when I have the time:

LG UltraFine 6K | Review
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Asus ProArt 6K
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Pro Display XDR

 

[Pezimak]

Will be good to see the reviews and comparisons.

 

[EugW]

You posted my video

Also ordered the LG 6K, arrives Monday, expecting my first-born on Thursday but will work on a few reviews / comparisons when I have the time:

LG UltraFine 6K | Review
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Asus ProArt 6K
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Pro Display XDR

Congrats 🎉 on becoming a father!

 

[EugW]

Hmmm… LG charged the full amount of the monitor to my credit card, even though they say it isn’t supposed to ship until November. Not just a pending hold but a full completed transaction.

——

First impression by someone at Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HiDPI_monitors/comments/1o4bvz5/lg_32u990a_quick_review

The lack of native macOS brightness control is no surprise but would remedied by MonitorControl, Better Display, or probably even HDMI 2.1.

Anyhow, that person needs some drapes.

 

[Dark-Signature]

But unfortunately, I think I have to return it. I have two Ultrafine 5k that I used for 6 years now. I was so excited about this Ultrafine 6k since I didn't pull the trigger on the Pro Display XDR. Upon mounting it to my setup. I immediately noticed the matte screen causing glares and basically unusable in my bright room. The whole screen is tinted white, and I can't see much on the right hand side of the screen because I have a window on the right. The text also is not as sharp as the 5k ultra fine because of the matte coating although it supposed to have a higher PPI.

My thoughts exactly! When I saw the screenshot, my immediate reaction was, “What a beautiful monitor image at the bottom and what a pale image at the top.”

 

[EugW]

My thoughts exactly! When I saw the screenshot, my immediate reaction was, “What a beautiful monitor image at the bottom and what a pale image at the top.”

Meh. If you like glossy that’s great, you chose well and was lucky enough to get a good Kuycon panel. In my case however, even as a 5K iMac owner, I’m fine with both matte and glossy. Interestingly my creative professional friend went with the matte ASD.

 

[EugW]

Hmmm... Given the weird angle at which this person has the bottom monitor set up, this may be a more appropriate view of the glare:

The LG 6K UltraFine matte has a hazy look to it off axis, while the 5K UltraFine glossy looks like a mirror. That is in line with my experience of my matte Huawei vs. my two glossy 27" iMacs. However, in my setup, neither is usually an issue, because I keep the blinds drawn to avoid direct sunlight.

Also, this design with the ventilation holes going all around the periphery suggests it needs lots of cooling. Does the LG 6K run hot? I thought I read that the Dell 6K runs pretty warm. Not sure about the Asus or Kuycon, although the upgraded Kuycon chassis has a ton of ventilation holes. In contrast, my 4K+ 28.2" Huawei is very thin with no such ventilation holes, and runs very cool.

 

[EugW]

BH Photo isn't expecting stock until Oct. 20, but LG.com USA has stock. None yet in Canada, to commence shipping Nov. 3.

Q&A posted. LG confirms it works fine over Thunderbolt 4, not surprisingly. (No mention of the macOS DisplayPort 1.4 DSC bug plaguing Dell and Kuycon displays but we shall see.)

Manual (USA/Canada) and software have been posted on the US site. Not on Canada site yet.

LG 32U990A-S.AUS<!-- -->: Support, Manuals, Warranty & More | LG USA Product Support Page

Get product support, user manuals and software drivers for the LG 32U990A-S.AUS. View LG 32U990A-S.AUS warranty information & schedule repair service.

www.lg.com

AC adapter puts out a ton of power, at 20 V up to 18 A = 360 Watts. Holy crap!

There are various picture modes. You can also save two custom calibration modes using LG Calibration Studio. IIRC, it can use calibration tools like the SpyderX Pro (which I happen to own).

There is a black level offset level setting, which works only for HDMI. There are also two HDMI compatibility settings.

Service manual (use Chrome):

Search

partner.lge.com

 

[Apple Fanboy333]

Hmmm… LG charged the full amount of the monitor to my credit card, even though they say it isn’t supposed to ship until November. Not just a pending hold but a full completed transaction.

——

First impression by someone at Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/HiDPI_monitors/comments/1o4bvz5/lg_32u990a_quick_review

The lack of native macOS brightness control is no surprise but would remedied by MonitorControl, Better Display, or probably even HDMI 2.1.

Anyhow, that person needs some drapes.

Was afraid it would look more plasticky than the marketing photos, and I was right. Hmm, let's wait and see what Apple bring of updates to their monitors. Really excited to see.

 

[EugW]

Was afraid it would look more plasticky than the marketing photos, and I was right. Hmm, let's wait and see what Apple bring of updates to their monitors. Really excited to see.

I currently have a similarly plasticky faux aluminum monitor and it actually looks OK in real life from the back. It looks great from the front though and IMO that’s what really matters the most.



However, the aluminum Kuycon may be an option for you, as the chassis looks great. It’s also glossy if that floats your boat. I do prefer the aesthetics of the Kuycon, but I personally wasn’t prepared to order from alibaba or whatever for an item that pricey, that can often have showstopper defects. BTW, I recently learned that the legit looking Kuycon.US is a scam site. Well sort of. People may be able to get the monitor through them but they have nothing to do with Kuycon, yet Kuycon hasn’t been able to do anything about them.

 

[gugy]

I love matte displays because I like working on bright environments but if this LG is as bad with the reflections as some suggested, it's a huge deal breaker for me. Damn you Apple, the XDR would be the first choice of so many if that nano option as priced at $3k. Drop that price! LMAO

 

[Apple Fanboy333]

I currently have a similarly plasticky faux aluminum monitor and it actually looks OK in real life from the back. It looks great from the front though and IMO that’s what really matters the most.

View attachment 2567248

However, the aluminum Kuycon may be an option for you, as the chassis looks great. It’s also glossy if that floats your boat. I do prefer the aesthetics of the Kuycon, but I personally wasn’t prepared to order from alibaba or whatever for an item that pricey, that can often have showstopper defects. BTW, I recently learned that the legit looking Kuycon.US is a scam site. Well sort of. People may be able to get the monitor through them but they have nothing to do with Kuycon, yet Kuycon hasn’t been able to do anything about them.

Yeah, I've owned the MateView 28 myself! I liked it but it had its flaws (the vignetting around the corners was a dealbreaker for me). Still think it looks way better and less "cheap" than that LG. Been going through numerous monitors throughout the years 😄

 

[EugW]

Yeah, I've owned the MateView 28 myself! I liked it but it had its flaws (the vignetting around the corners was a dealbreaker for me). Still think it looks way better and less "cheap" than that LG. Been going through numerous monitors throughout the years 😄

Yeah the Huawei MateView has significant vignetting. However, I toughed it out waiting for something less expensive and better looking than the Dell. I agree the LG could look better but it’s OK enough for me. At least it’s IMO not hideous.

 

[Dark-Signature]

If the LG 6K monitor is mainly made of plastic, then here's an important question: Does the monitor creak or crack when it heats up or cools down, for example?

 

[JoeG4]

I love matte displays because I like working on bright environments but if this LG is as bad with the reflections as some suggested, it's a huge deal breaker for me. Damn you Apple, the XDR would be the first choice of so many if that nano option as priced at $3k. Drop that price! LMAO

LG usually uses what I would call a "semi-gloss" antiglare coating (I think they might even use that term, I can't remember). It is more prone to reflections, but doesn't have the grainy appearance Dell's matte coating has. (You can see this on practically any Dell LCD if you're looking at a lighter solid color).

When it comes to non-glossy coatings there's always a tradeoff. You either get Apple's extremely delicate thing that can wipe off with the wrong towel, Dell's grainy coating, or LG's kinda semi-gloss coating.

 

[ruslan120]

You posted my video

Also ordered the LG 6K, arrives Monday, expecting my first-born on Thursday but will work on a few reviews / comparisons when I have the time:

LG UltraFine 6K | Review
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Asus ProArt 6K
LG UltraFine 6K vs. Pro Display XDR

see update below ------
tl;dr It's terrific. Much better than ASUS ProArt 6K. The fact that it's a matte screen is definitely noticeable (when you use it up close, as 6K is intended, you will notice the matte coating more, but when you lean in it's more noticeable). Still better than ASUS' LuxPixel.

Panel brightness is uniform. Image looks fantastic. Power brick is HUGE.

Solid build quality (so far, tbd on reliability)

Power plug has no support, so make sure not to trip on the power brick..

Stand is decent. Adjustments are unwieldy compared to XDR, and stand is equally "slide-y" on a tabletop.

with HDR on, desktop elements are blown out, and this video still doesn't look as good as on the Pro Display XDR. as an office monitor, and for light (non-HDR) video edits though, this screen is amazing.

short verdict: love it. buy it. wish it came out sooner. it's better than the ASUS.


UPDATE: spoke too soon. knew I should've played around with it more. upon displaying a white image than spans the whole screen, there's a distinct blue spot in the bottom right corner like on the ASUS ProArt 6K that doesn't go away.

funny. my QHD LG monitor from 2020 that was $240 has less problems than two, $1.5k+ 6K monitors..


as of now I can't recommend this. at least with the panel I got.

picture below - inside the yellow areas are the blue tints

 

[baummer]

tl;dr It's terrific. Much better than ASUS ProArt 6K. The fact that it's a matte screen is definitely noticeable (when you use it up close, as 6K is intended, you will notice the matte coating more, but when you lean in it's more noticeable). Still better than ASUS' LuxPixel.

Panel brightness is uniform. Image looks fantastic. Power brick is HUGE.

Solid build quality (so far, tbd on reliability)

Power plug has no support, so make sure not to trip on the power brick..

Stand is decent. Adjustments are unwieldy compared to XDR, and stand is equally "slide-y" on a tabletop.

with HDR on, desktop elements are blown out, and this video still doesn't look as good as on the Pro Display XDR. as an office monitor, and for light (non-HDR) video edits though, this screen is amazing.

short verdict: love it. buy it. wish it came out sooner. it's better than the ASUS.

Better than the ASUS in what ways? Or will we have to wait for your video comparison?

 

[oKUtItyp]

tl;dr It's terrific. Much better than ASUS ProArt 6K. The fact that it's a matte screen is definitely noticeable (when you use it up close, as 6K is intended, you will notice the matte coating more, but when you lean in it's more noticeable). Still better than ASUS' LuxPixel.

Panel brightness is uniform. Image looks fantastic. Power brick is HUGE.

Solid build quality (so far, tbd on reliability)

Power plug has no support, so make sure not to trip on the power brick..

Stand is decent. Adjustments are unwieldy compared to XDR, and stand is equally "slide-y" on a tabletop.

with HDR on, desktop elements are blown out, and this video still doesn't look as good as on the Pro Display XDR. as an office monitor, and for light (non-HDR) video edits though, this screen is amazing.

short verdict: love it. buy it. wish it came out sooner. it's better than the ASUS.

Do you have the LG 27" 5K to compare with? The color on this looks significantly worse than the LG 27, very noticeably so. As for the ASUS 32" 6K, I honestly can’t imagine it being worse than this, because this already looks pretty bad to me.

I also tried the HDR video you mentioned, it's overexposed and basically unwatchable in my opinion.

 

[ruslan120]

Do you have the LG 27" 5K to compare with? The color on this looks significantly worse than the LG 27, very noticeably so. As for the ASUS 32" 6K, I honestly can’t imagine it being worse than this, because this already looks pretty bad to me.

I also tried the HDR video you mentioned, it's overexposed and basically unwatchable in my opinion.

no, I have the Pro Display XDR though (which I think is a good reference)

I actually enjoyed the colors on the LG, but I'm not a color professional. But you are right, I spoke too soon. Upon further inspection the bottom right corner is really blue when displaying white images. Same, but less pronounced, for the top left and bottom left corners. Image attached above.

Better than the ASUS in what ways? Or will we have to wait for your video comparison?

Matte coating is there but less aggressive and much more usable. Brightness uniformity seemed better but it turns out it has issues just like the ASUS ProArt 6K - corners look blue on the LG like the ProArt looked blue on one side..


really disappointed because I've been waiting a while for these ($1.5K+) screens and they all seem to have issues...

 

[EugW]

picture below - inside the yellow areas are the blue tints

View attachment 2567455

Looks like it could be vignetting but with a mild blue tint to the grey. I’m not surprised by the vignetting because I could see some probable vignetting in the LG-sponsored Japanese review on YouTube, although it is hard to judge because it’s not a white background.

It’s the panel lottery phenomenon. I will have to see how good or bad my unit turns out to be. I can tolerate some vignetting at this price point, but only some. What would actually bother me much more though is backlight bleed.

—-

On another note, the service manual says it is 8-bit FRC.

 

[oKUtItyp]

I actually enjoyed the colors on the LG, but I'm not a color professional. But you are right, I spoke too soon. Upon further inspection the bottom right corner is really blue when displaying white images. Same, but less pronounced, for the top left and bottom left corners. Image attached above.

Actually, the color uniformity is perfect for my panel, and no blue tints at all for me. I used standard solid colors testing.

 

[ruslan120]

 

[EugW]

It’s hard to see that much blue tint in your picture and in the video, but you say it’s noticeably worse in person, so I’ll take your word for it. I wondered in my prior post if it could be vignetting with a bit of a blue shift, but you say in your video there isn’t that much vignetting on your panel. And it’s unfortunate your Asus has worse image quality overall too. Anyhow, this is the panel lottery all over again. Or at least I hope it’s panel lottery, and not that all the LG and Asus behave the same way. I will see with my own LG 6K in a few weeks. There is hope though, since some (but definitely not all) of the Dell owners have decent panels, and I believe it’s the exact same LG panel in the Dell and LG.

BTW, a couple of years ago I saw a local guy was able to purchased a used but nearly brand new Pro Display XDR (essentially equivalent to open box) for literally half the price of new, complete with AppleCare. I’ve been periodically looking for used XDRs since then and have never come across a used deal anywhere near as good as that. Not even close.

 

[RichP]

As someone anxious to hear a bit of a comparison between the Asus and the LG, I greatly appreciate you getting this out so quickly. It's too bad the LG didn't quite live up to the hype.

Congrats on your first child!

 

[EugW]

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