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

I have a feeling that the price will go up $100 on this monitor, bringing it to a $200 delta between this and the Studio Display.

LG knows people are going to be looking for a cheaper 5K alternative and they can make a bit more profit while still providing a $200 discount.

That said, if this monitor is coming back I'm probably going to order it if I buy a Mac Studio. Less money and height adjustable. Win win.
 
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deeddawg said:
Name a display made in the past ten years that doesn't have a microcontroller and firmware?
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I can't as that has been the norm for a long time, but I do not know of any that has actually received FW updates or can you name one?
Now, wee have a monitor that for all practical purposes runs iOS ...
 
ilikewhey said:
question, does the lg do screen dimming based on ambient lighting like the macbooks? in fact, does the apple one does? or any monitor that does that?
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It does have an ambient light sensor just like Macs do. It doesn’t have True Tone, but that shouldn’t be used in a professional environment anyways.
 
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jz0309 said:
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 ...
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It’s primarily so that Intel Macs can support Center Stage and Spatial Audio, which were written for Apple Silicon. It’s basically running a mini version of iOS. That said, it appears the webcam issues are the result of software.
 
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cmChimera said:
This seems inaccurate? There seem to be quite a few positive reviews, and a couple negative ones. Even “mixed reviews” seems more accurate.y
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Almost everyone panned the webcam. Hopefully that is just a software issue.
 
systemr said:
can't you hack it to be used as a stand alone monitor? i considered doing something like this before my work gave me the 5K LG. the 5k imac has a huge "chin" but aesthetically the rest is much more pleasing than the plasticky LG 5K

9to5mac.com

Developer shows off a custom DIY Apple 5K Display with an iMac design - 9to5Mac

If you want an Apple-branded external display, your sole option nowadays is the $5999 Pro Display XDR. To make matters...
9to5mac.com 9to5mac.com
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Yes, I've seen several such posts of people hacking their way into using iMac as a monitor. However, that's Hackintosh-type territory. My idea was the masses concept... a "just works" solution that ends up plug & play.

I also saw a post or two about hollowing out iMac guts and bulding in M1 Mac Mini guts to create your own M1 iMac 27". But again, I was really thinking a simple & relatively inexpensive solution for all interested.. who have ALREADY purchased a perfectly-fine 5K monitor that is probably not the part that is dying and/or is not made obsolete by macOS upgrades.
 
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KPOM said:
It’s primarily so that Intel Macs can support Center Stage and Spatial Audio, which were written for Apple Silicon. It’s basically running a mini version of iOS. That said, it appears the webcam issues are the result of software.
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agreed, with my point being that now we have to apply SW updates on a somewhat regular (or not) to a monitor ...
 
It makes sense for LG. Perhaps it did not make sense to sell a $1299 5K monitor when Apple still offered a $1799 5K monitor with a whole computer inside. Now that the alternative is an Apple $1599 5K monitor, with nothing special about it, then the LG UltraFine 5K suddenly sounds like a sweet deal.

I have read the reviews of the Studio Display. The Verge was particularly ruthless (https://www.theverge.com/22981744/apple-studio-display-5k-monitor-webcam-speakers-review), but with reason.

The Studio Display is just an opportunity for Apple to cash in. It is repackaging an old panel and selling it for an even higher price than before. Apple can certainly do that, and sure that some people are buying it. But, for a monitor with nothing special, paying $1599 is, as The Verge noted, ridiculous.
 
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jz0309 said:
I can't as that has been the norm for a long time, but I do not know of any that has actually received FW updates or can you name one?
Now, wee have a monitor that for all practical purposes runs iOS ...
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Dell U3419W and Dell UP3216Q to name two. I'm sure there are others.

Point was simply that monitors have had CPU's and software for a very long time, sometimes with bugs, and sometimes those can get fixed with an update.

Seems like ability to update firmware and fix bugs would be a good thing, counter to your "I have to wonder if we are going in the right direction" comment.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
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?
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The Apple 5K implementation is not really easy to pull off.
Might be better to keep it as an iMac and Airplay into it.
 
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LG needs to make a 5K OLED version. And make it look a little nicer, like their TVs with thinner bezels.
 
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So they’re essentially withholding an alternative product for a few months to bolster sales of their new display before reintroducing a potentially cannibalising product? Well, that gives me hope that a 27” Mx iMac will make an appearance at some point.
 
I owned 5K LG monitors - when they are working, great. If there is any trouble, particularly after warranty, LG is horrible to deal with. They will not repair. They send you to third parties that have no clue, and no parts. I would pay the few hundreds extra, for the premium design, better speakers, and Apple support vs LG. My experience with the LG 5K ultrafine made me move completely away form the brand (and not just monitors). I know they make attractive TVs, appliances and other consumer goods, but I just want to avoid having to deal with them. Your experience, of course, may vary.
 
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deeddawg said:
Dell U3419W and Dell UP3216Q to name two. I'm sure there are others.

Point was simply that monitors have had CPU's and software for a very long time, sometimes with bugs, and sometimes those can get fixed with an update.

Seems like ability to update firmware and fix bugs would be a good thing, counter to your "I have to wonder if we are going in the right direction" comment.
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Fair enough, I’ve been using an iMac for almost 5 years now and I probably did get firmware updates through regular macOS updates… never got a FW update for the dozens of monitors I’ve used over 25+ years…

My point is still, firmware is for a specific HW and purpose, now there’s an A13 in a monitor that’s running iOS, or maybe Apple quietly introduced monitorOS??? All of Apples OSs get regular updates, security fixes etc - can we expect the same for a monitor going forward? I also can see now why Apple did not include a hdmi port…
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
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).
Click to expand...

Hasn't happened because Apple would slap you down with legal threats within a day. It would have to be DIY, and it's much harder than you think because of the implementation of this 5K panel. It's technically operating as two halves that are synced with a timing controller. This is the same reason those iMacs cant simply be used in Target Display Mode (which would otherwise require no hardware mods)
 
Would personally love for LG to remove the camera and speakers on this and drop the price a bit. I just need the panel. Don't compete with the Studio Display if you know you're going to have worse audio and camera. Bonus: the bezel is then equal on all sides.
 
Six0Four said:
Can someone please tell me what makes these monitors better than say a $400 4k LG, Dell etc? Are they really worth $1000 more?
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No clue. I've been using a Dell P2721Q for about a year now as a secondary monitor for my 5K iMac; it's 4K, 27 inches and I got it for $430 (on sale). I'm quite happy with it, actually -- although, the difference in the resolution between the two screens did happen to showcase one area where Windows (using Bootcamp) isn't even remotely as good as macOS at handling multiple monitors. Among other things, Windows has no clue of the actual physical dimensions of the screen. But I digress.

I guess I don't have as discerning an eye as some, because while I do see that there are differences between the 5K iMac display and the 4K Dell, those differences aren't nearly severe enough to matter to me. So I really don't get why people spend so much more money for some of these other high-end monitors.

Maybe I'd understand if I were an artist or something.
 
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timerickson said:
Hasn't happened because Apple would slap you down with legal threats within a day. It would have to be DIY, and it's much harder than you think because of the implementation of this 5K panel. It's technically operating as two halves that are synced with a timing controller. This is the same reason those iMacs cant simply be used in Target Display Mode (which would otherwise require no hardware mods)
Click to expand...

Why would Apple have any say here? I own the iMac. If I want to paint the case a different color, Apple has no say. If I want to replace the stand with a different one, Apple has no say. If I want to tear it all open and use it as a Barbie & friends aluminum sleigh, Apple has no say. Etc. It's MINE now, not Apples.

I've seen posts of people who have converted their old iMac into a monitor so it certainly can be done. Doing it as a business would be much like refurbing/repurposing a used car. Owners of those cars don't have to do the work themselves- there are third party shops with that kind of expertise who can readily restore/repurpose any privately-owned car. Car companies can't legally threaten those shops for making an old car do something else with some custom work... nor if those shops restore an old car to "new" so that the owner can keep enjoying it, instead of having to replace it with a new car sold by the same company. The car companies have no say in the product they've sold to someone. Once you own it, you can do whatever you want with it... or have someone else do something with it. Refubing/remodeling/rebuilding projects on all kinds of products happen every day.

There is a great screen in there. It's not even Apple's screen, typically made for Apple by companies like LG. If the screen works fine, the trick is divorcing it from other hardware that doesn't work anymore and/or is made obsolete by OS upgrades. If it's possible to connect the video cable inside to a standardized jack, there's a useful, Apple-quality monitor that could have new life... instead of "throwing baby out with the bathwater" when the tech guts conk or macOS is no longer supporting that generation of hardware.
 
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If you compare prices with LG Ultrafine 27“ we‘re talking about $700 difference, since the LG ships with a tilt and height-adjustable stand. So you‘ll have to compare it to a Studio monitor that is also tilt and height adjustable …

So extra $700 for the Apple Logo and a little bit aluminium. 27“ is quite small today - 32“ is the better choice.
 
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