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

I have three of these.

I got the first pretty much as soon as they become available for my 2016 MBP. After using it for like a week, my 1440p Cinema LED display looked... terrible, lol. So I got a second one for my house. I ended up with a third when a friend got rid of his office.

I've really liked them despite some quirks from the start.

My oldest one has ghosting issues now so it just sits around as a spare. That's important too because I have had to send all three units in for repair.

fwmireault said:
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
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Funny story, they were priced at about $975.00 when they were first released. Apple knocked off around 25% or more for all things USB-C and Thunderbolt from late 2016 until I think March of 2017. I had a feeling it would be a long time before another 5K monitor was available for under a grand. Turns out... I was right.

DesertNomad said:
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.
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Why not just put a USB-C ethernet adapter on the monitor? That's exactly what I did until I replace my laptop with an iMac. I used this unit as a complete docking station for my laptop: ethernet, external HD, plus keyboard and mouse. One plug for power and everything. It was sweet.

likegadgets said:
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.
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This is completely the opposite of my own experience. I have had to send all three of my units in for repair past the warranty period. The logic board on all of them failed. The repair cost for each was just under $150 and before the supply chain issues, the turnaround time was about a week. (The last one was repaired late last year and it took about 5 weeks with logic boards on backorder.) However, the process (especially if you still have the original box) is pretty easy.

I was honestly impressed with everything about the process. I expected a lot more pain, lol.

AndiG said:
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 …
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Yeah, the stand is pretty good too, although I've since moved mine to a VESA mount and wonder why it took me so long to make that move. I do not understand why Apple hates ergonomics so much.
 
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Don't try to get service for the 5K LG monitor when it breaks. LG won't even support it on their support channels. The screen ghosts horribly. I would spend the extra $300 and get the Apple offering, at least I think they will stand behind the quality of the display.
 
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Here's what LG needs to do:
* Upgrade the DisplayPort protocol (yes, its TB3) to 1.4 with support for DSC and HBR3
* Reduce the price to $999 or $1099
* Upgrade the camera and speakers, just a bump up
* bump the nits to 600 to match the Studio Monitor

At that price it would grab many of the potential Studio Monitor customers, including myself...with a Mac Studio preparing for shipment as we speak
 
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HPB said:
Don't try to get service for the 5K LG monitor when it breaks. LG won't even support it on their support channels. The screen ghosts horribly. I would spend the extra $300 and get the Apple offering, at least I think they will stand behind the quality of the display.
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I've had the opposite experience, I've literally sent these monitors in about 4x with NO issues and for a reasonable $150 price including both ways shipping. I would actually say their service is the best I've ever experienced.
 
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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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218 ppi at 27" is gorgeous, a huge leap from 4k at 27". The 500 nits is top of line, most monitors come in at 250-350 nits of brightness. Retina resolution and brightness, that's about it, but worth it to me.
You can get near new ones one bay for $900, $700 used, ~$500 banged up (usually cracked plastic housing)
 
so, apple wants us to pay 2000 Euro for the display, almost as much that we pay for the mbp 14” the difference is that the 14” is a laptop with a better display.
 
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Neverless said:
Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.
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Piece of crap from China that tried to copy Apple XDR? No thanks. Who paid for this kind of copycat from a shady Chinese company?
 
reallynotnick said:
While not HiDPI the Dell U3023e could be an interesting option: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/del...23e/apd/210-bdsn/monitors-monitor-accessories
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2560 x 1600 is not great resolution for a 30" display these days. I know when my 30" ACD died (also 2560 x 1600) and I got a 5K iMac, the added clarity was a welcome surprise. Speaking of the 30" ACD, apparently you can still get one with a 30 days warranty: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/App...ingengine&utm_campaign=bingshopping&gclsrc=ds
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
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).
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The LCD also requires a dedicated driver board to do this, which wouldn't make it as cheap as you'd think.

That said though, you could achieve this yourself by buying a driver board (such as from Aliexpress) and hacking up your iMac case a little. Like this dude -
 
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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?
Click to expand...
Neverless said:
Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.
Click to expand...
Same answer to both questions: some people dont want 150% scaling, which is what 163ppi (4K at 27") demands if you're used to a ~108ppi normal size. Apple and LG are the only suppliers of ~216ppi monitors, which is a perfect 2x scaling factor. If you're doing UI design work (like I do), you don't want half pixels.

Not to mention the improvement in peak brightness, coatings, build quality, camera, and speakers that Apple monitors usually provide.
 
HobeSoundDarryl said:
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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To be clear I was noting a scenario wherein a company is specifically selling 'monitor mod' iMac 5Ks. If the Apple logo is still on there, I have a feeling Apple lawyers would force you to stop selling them quickly. I am not a lawyer, so who knows if your car modification example is apt or not.

If someone sold a DIY kit, I doubt it would sell well, it would be niche and likely as expensive all said and done as buying a Studio Display. Most people just wouldn't want to do this 'surgery'. Especially noting that you'd need to figure out the custom timing board to manage the two halves of the display together as one 5K picture.

Someone else linked this:
It looks hacky has hell and very time consuming. No thanks.
 
timerickson said:
To be clear I was noting a scenario wherein a company is specifically selling 'monitor mod' iMac 5Ks. If the Apple logo is still on there, I have a feeling Apple lawyers would force you to stop selling them quickly. I am not a lawyer, so who knows if your car modification example is apt or not.

If someone sold a DIY kit, I doubt it would sell well, it would be niche and likely as expensive all said and done as buying a Studio Display. Most people just wouldn't want to do this 'surgery'. Especially noting that you'd need to figure out the custom timing board to manage the two halves of the display together as one 5K picture.

Someone else linked this:
It looks hacky has hell and very time consuming. No thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, again, the idea is a service not a DIY hack. I fully agree that most people wouldn't want to give it a try... much as many doesn't want to try to get in there and replace a dead drive.

The idea was a service. The service agent contracts for a new case, some kind of display driver, maybe the hub option from others and then does the swap assembly "in house." People send them their old iMac 27" and get back their screen and glass in this new case and have a relatively inexpensive 5K monitor... much like sending off some older Macs could get someone else to put in a bigger drive(s), replace a super drive, replace a power supply, etc.

A simple service: salvage a perfectly good screen and glass and end up with a 5K monitor that can last for the life of the monitor instead of the life of the tech guts married to it... or when OS upgrades make it technically obsolete.

Just an idea- not any kind of rebellion or revolution vs. Apple. Personally, I regret soon tossing a perfectly good 5K monitor in my iMac, knowing that it still works just fine.
 
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njmh said:
The LCD also requires a dedicated driver board to do this, which wouldn't make it as cheap as you'd think.

That said though, you could achieve this yourself by buying a driver board (such as from Aliexpress) and hacking up your iMac case a little. Like this dude -
Click to expand...
Yes, but again, it seems the "parts" exist to pull this off. The question is where's the turnkey service?

I'm decently skilled and my iMac is almost dead (not the monitor but the tech guts- the monitor probably has 5-6 or more years of life left in it). So I would see little risk in giving it a shot. However, not having ever opened it myself, odds seem shaky I would succeed.

Now set up a little shop where someone has 6 of these to do each day. Their skills would be off the charts, very likely have a successful transplant just about every time.

Net result: nice 5K monitors for less than retail, instead of nice 5K monitors (that typically still work fine themselves) laying in landfills or recycling piles.

A number of people seem to be taking some offense to only a crazy idea... presumably because this might take very profitable revenue from Apple. For them, perhaps Apple should offer this service then... as part of the "we care about the environment" thrust. Yes, they might not be able to get $1600-$2000 for this... but they also would not have the cost of sourcing what must be the most expensive part by far.

I see this like many services where you could send them an Intel Mac for a new hard drive, or power supply replacement, etc. I think I recall OWC offering a service where you could buy a new MBpro back in the day with minimal RAM/Drive/etc, send it to them and they would upgrade all upgradable stuff to maximum offered by Apple or even beyond that maximum if that was possible. I wouldn't imagine this being that different. Just a simple service- like replacing a blown motor in a car.
 
SSDGUY said:
2560 x 1600 is not great resolution for a 30" display these days. I know when my 30" ACD died (also 2560 x 1600) and I got a 5K iMac, the added clarity was a welcome surprise. Speaking of the 30" ACD, apparently you can still get one with a 30 days warranty: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/App...ingengine&utm_campaign=bingshopping&gclsrc=ds
Click to expand...

I mean if you want to stick with either 1x or 2x scaling there isn't exactly a ton of choices for 27"+ monitors it's just the LG and the two Apple displays. Otherwise you'd have to go with like a 4K 27" and you sacrifice some clarity due to how Apple does scaling.

It seems like we are still 1-2 years away from having a decent selection of ~200dpi monitors, which is wild considering the 5K iMac came out in 2014.
 
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I bought a refurbished 22-inch 4K LG UltraFine, which is the smallest of their "Retina" displays. Only cost $350 or so on eBay. It's absolutely great and the perfect monitor for using with a laptop.
 
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nevermind, wrong version…
 

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TheYayAreaLiving ? said:
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.
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Lowered to what?
These are not exceptional monitors, but without competition to compare with, you can not say if they are overpriced.
 
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