LG's UltraFine 5K Display Will Be Returning as Alternative to Apple's Studio Display

[MacRumors]

LG's 27-inch UltraFine 5K external display has not been discontinued and will be back in stock next month, LG has told The Wall Street Journal.

Following speculation that the LG UltraFine 5K display may have been discontinued when it went out of stock at most major retailers, LG told The Wall Street Journal that the UltraFine 5K is still in production and has not been discontinued. The display is simply out of stock at the current time due to component shortages and high demand. LG expects the UltraFine 5K to come back in stock on its website as soon as next month, with availability at other retailers presumably set to improve around the same time.

Apple worked with LG to develop the UltraFine 5K display, which contains almost the exact same panel as a 27-inch 5K iMac, featuring Thunderbolt connectivity, close integration with macOS, and the ideal 5120 by 2880 resolution for Retina scaling on a Mac, making it the go-to option for many Mac users in recent years.

Following the announcement of the Studio Display, Apple delisted the 27-inch UltraFine 5K display from the Apple Store. Apple presumably chose to stop selling the UltraFine 5K due to its similarity to the Studio Display. The UltraFine 5K features almost the same 27-inch 5K panel with P3 wide color, built-in speakers, a built-in camera, a single Thunderbolt port that is capable of charging a MacBook, and three USB-C ports, but for a price of $1,299, $300 cheaper than the Studio Display.

The Studio Display adds a slim aluminum design, an extra 100 nits of brightness, and Center Stage functionality, but does not come with a height-adjustable stand as standard. Apple continues to sell the UltraFine 5K's smaller sibling, 23.7-inch UltraFine 4K display, for $699.

Reviews of the Studio Display were released earlier today with a largely negative response, but Apple is rumored to be planning to launch a more high-end 27-inch "Studio Display Pro" with mini-LED technology later this year.

Article Link: LG's UltraFine 5K Display Will Be Returning as Alternative to Apple's Studio Display

 

[nwcs]

I'm glad to see LG is continuing this monitor. I really like it. I hope they'll choose to create an updated variant with TB4 and such later.

 

[Realityck]

Reviews of the Studio Display were released earlier today with a largely negative response,

Apple found out you can’t price something too high for once. The $1299 LG UltraFine 5K is $300 cheaper or more discounted. Glad to see it will continue to be available.

 

[Isengardtom]

Still quite pricey though

 

[KPOM]

Apple sold the LG for $1299 at retail, but also offered enterprise discounts of $1170. It will be interesting to see how aggressive LG and other resellers are with pricing now that the Studio Display is available.

 

[fwmireault]

They have absolutely no incentive to do so, but given it’s a six years old monitor, they would sell a ton if they lowered the price around 999-1099

 

[timmodugdale]

Good news, but I'll still think there is a strong market for a cheaper Apple monitor that would go well with a Mac Mini or as a secondary monitor to a MacBook for under $1000.

 

[ghanwani]

Why did Apple do this?

 

[Neverless]

Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Super sad to see that Apple released something well before it was ready. Glad there will still be other alternatives!

 

[VictorTango777]

LG likes to use external power bricks for their monitors.

 

[obamtl]

It’s been discontinued in the UK for eons! I wish it’d return. They’re rare to find second-hand.

 

[JPack]

Great! It almost seemed like Apple had bought exclusive rights to the 5K/27 panel supply.

Realistically, this is $1,299 vs. $1,999 because Apple values their height adjustable feature at +$400 while LG includes it in their price.

 

[jz0309]

good, no LG, can you lower the price too??

And for the Studio display, now we have a CPU with an OS in a monitor, so be prepared for bugs to show up ... I have to wonder if we are going in the right direction ...

 

[BornAgainMac]

I wouldn't want to purchase an expensive discontinued display.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

No doubt, this is a good alternative to purchase compared to spending money on Mac Studio Display. As others have suggested, the price just needs to be lowered respectively.

 

[systemr]

Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.

that's not comparable at all, I have both a 27" 4K and this LG 27" 5K and the 5K is so much better with perfect pixel mapping

 

[Macative]

How about updating the damn display, LG? The sad part is that as old as it is, it is still the best all around display for a Mac user's desk.

I use two of the 4K model, and was chomping at the bit for Apple's entrant. Unfortunately it is a huge miss.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Why did Apple do this?

All the profit they were getting from the LG one until about a week ago + the profit LG was getting + at least $300 more + upwards of $400 for stands.

Why are they selling a handkerchief for $20?
Why are they selling the Pro Monitor stand for $999? And how much are those wheels again?

It's always (most) about the money... as it is for any business.

 

[now i see it]

More like Apple Marketing made a mistake pulling it in the first place.

 

[fwmireault]

I wouldn't want to purchase an expensive discontinued display.

The article is precisely about the screen not being discontinued

 

[erikkfi]

Buy this, not that.

 

[DesertNomad]

I would love to replace my 27" Thunderbolt and Apple 30" Cinema Display, but the lack of Ethernet on the Studio display is a mystery. I may just have to move my OWC TB8 RAID to a ThunderBay Flex with Ethernet card. Ethernet is just so much more reliable than WiFi.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.

I keep wondering where is that American ingenuity in someone creating a startup in which you send them your "old" 27" iMac, they remove the screen, put it into a "beautiful" Apple-like Aluminum case and deliver that back to you as a stand-alone 5K monitor for a much lower price than any other 5K out there (because costs are only the case, stand, standard monitor jack and labor).

Maybe engineer an off-the-shelf-but-loaded hub inside of it too so it can be a monitor that can attach to about anything, instead of limiting the options to only USB-C. Maybe the hub version is an upgrade option.

Com'on someone with these kinds of skills. I've got a terrific Apple monitor in my rapidly dying iMac that is only a few years old. It probably has 6+ years left in it if it could be used as a stand-alone monitor. If you charged- say- $800 for a beautiful case and this labor, you would be HALF THE PRICE of the Apple monitor and much lower than the LG one too... yet be delivering an "Apple" screen that should most definitely not need to be junked because of tech guts faults or macOS making old iMac 27" obsolete via upgrades/vintaging.

There's TONS of 27" iMacs out there with terrific screens but dead end uses after a certain point in time. Yet, the screen itself is generally going to have upwards of DOUBLE the life left in it. I'm a BUYER for this repackaged in an Apple-like case. Anyone else?

 

[sw1tcher]

They have absolutely no incentive to do so, but given it’s a six years old monitor, they would sell a ton if they lowered the price around 999-1099

At 18.7 lbs, LG would only need to sell 107 of them.
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