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LG's UltraFine 5K Display Is a Worthy Companion to the New MacBook Pro, Even Without Apple's Looks

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At Apple's MacBook Pro media event back in October, the company unveiled a pair of LG-branded high-resolution displays it co-developed with the display manufacturer. The UltraFine 5K and 4K displays are optimized for the Mac with tight software integration, and the 5K model in particular with single-cable connection over Thunderbolt 3 has been highly anticipated.

ultrafine_5k_box.jpg

Apple has just begun shipping the UltraFine 5K display, and while a handful of lucky customers received their deliveries late last week, availability is significantly increasing this week and we've had about 24 hours with ours to develop some initial impressions.


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Article Link: LG's UltraFine 5K Display Is a Worthy Companion to the New MacBook Pro, Even Without Apple's Looks
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/30/lgs-ultrafine-5k-display-impressions/
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I'd love to know how it works with an iMac 5K. Once you have the writer cable, can it match the look of the iMac 5K in resolution, screen height, etc?
 
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Since1987 said:
As with all things Apple... "Not as good as it used to be" The new Apple mantra.
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Yep, not as good as antennagate on the iPhone 4. Or as good as the first iPhones which had displays that stopped functioning. Or as good as the iPhone 3G or 3GS that took a step backwards - removing the fused glass/LCD and which allowed outrageous amounts of dust and debris in between the glass and the LCD panel. Or as good as the old MacBook Pros that had bunk CD/DVD drives. Or as good as the so-obviously-rushed iPad 3 that ran hot and was underpowered.

I could go on.

Apple isn't perfect now. And it wasn't then, either.
 
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WilliamG said:
Yep, not as good as antennagate on the iPhone 4. Or as good as the first iPhones which had displays that stopped functioning. Or as good as the iPhone 3G or 3GS that took a step backwards - removing the fused glass/LCD and which allowed outrageous amounts of dust and debris in between the glass and the LCD panel. Or as good as the old MacBook Pros that had bunk CD/DVD drives. Or as good as the so-obviously-rushed iPad 3 that ran hot and was underpowered.

I could go on.

Apple isn't perfect now. And it wasn't then, either.
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?????? Dood.... you just proved my point !!! When i say "as it used to be" you aren't going back far enough. They've made more mistakes THIS YEAR than on your 10 year long list.

Most of what you list are problems or manufacturing issues. Not MISTAKES. Not mis-steps. Not being completely clueless and user hostile. YOU said "perfect" not me. Not it wasn't perfect. But it was 1000X better than is now.
 
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BryanJ said:
This reads like a paid advertisement more so than an actual review.
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To be clear, LG did not pay for the post or provide the display.

I tried to be fair in my assessment, although I'll admit it's a bit superficial given the limited time I've had with it, so it's more of an impressions post than a full review. The screen is excellent, while the aesthetics of the design are up for debate. They don't really bother me, but I know some people hate the design. It's subjective.
 
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I'm sure it's a nice display, I use a couple LG displays myself and I do think they tend to look better in real life than in photos, but that top bezel just looks so bad to me, like some kind of rejected upside-down iMac prototype.

If only they'd made the bottom bezel the same thickness it might have looked more balanced. I'm sure it'll make no real difference when using it of course, but it's just odd-looking IMHO. Maybe someone should make an aluminium chin attachment :D

I do find it sad Apple isn't making displays anymore though, whilst the input options were usually very poor, and the cost was often (not always) very high for the specifications for most of their time on sale, they tended to be beautifully designed objects.

Anyway, I hope anyone getting one enjoys it, I'm sure the actual screen will look stunning.
 
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alfonsog said:
What is the camera resolution and how do the speakers sound?
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I don't know the exact resolution...it's not mentioned in the specs, LG hasn't gotten back to me about it, and I haven't gone poking around to try to figure it out. But it seems on par with Apple's recent cameras. I don't expect a ton from my webcams though.

Speakers are plenty loud, although they sound a bit hollow to me.
 
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I used Apple products because they are beautiful, sturdy, and cooperate together. I love the harmony of the ecosystem and aesthetics. If I wanted function over form, I would buy PCs - oh wait - I did this year because Apple hasn't updated some products in years. This 3rd party device is part of a problem at Apple and their brand.

I've replaced my Airport, monitors, PC, and AppleTV since the ridiculous Apple announcement of the MacBook in October - I am eyeing Google Pixel for phone and tablet in the coming months too. I even abandoned iCloud for Google services. And Siri is a joke next to Google Assistant, so Google Home will happen soon.

Apple will need a big bang release of a lot of stuff at one time to really knock my socks off - but I just don't think they can pull it off.
 
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Apart from the bezel (and unknown compatibility on non-Macs), this looks like a great display.

What I would love to know is:
  • Will future iMacs be able to use this at full resolution with one cable
  • Will future iMacs be able to be used as second displays (target display mode)
 
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WildCowboy said:
I don't know the exact resolution...it's not mentioned in the specs, LG hasn't gotten back to me about it, and I haven't gone poking around to try to figure it out. But it seems on par with Apple's recent cameras. I don't expect a ton from my webcams though.

Speakers are plenty loud, although they sound a bit hollow to me.
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I did a Quicktime video using the camera and it recorded in 720p, so I'm assuming that is the resolution of the camera.

I agree the speakers are plenty loud, but kinda tinny. I'd say a notch or two below the sound quality of the Thunderbolt Display.
 
canny said:
Apart from the bezel (and unknown compatibility on non-Macs), this looks like a great display.

What I would love to know is:
  • Will future iMacs be able to use this at full resolution with one cable
  • Will future iMacs be able to be used as second displays (target display mode)
Click to expand...
1. I can't imagine the next iMacs won't have Thunderbolt 3, so they'll be able to drive these.
2. It seems like it technically should be supported with Thunderbolt 3, but whether Apple will allow it or not remains to be seen.
 
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