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We also have now a Samsung 32-inch 4K running really well. Possibly the best monitor I've been on, more so than other 4K monitors. Incredible quality and the size is nice after a 27-inch. Only thing to note is HDMI 1 runs at 30 Hz. Whereas HMDI 2 on it runs at 60 hz.

Samsung LU32J590UQUXEN 32-Inch 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 LED Monitor - 2xHDMI, Displayport, Black​

 
I was hoping against hope that I could use a Late 2013 iMac in Target Display Mode for the 2020 mini. Apple Thunderbolt 2 cable to Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter. As expected, it didn't work. I thought I read somewhere that TDM has been history for a while.

Does anyone have experience using the Luna USB-C dongle with a 2020 mini?

I just had a chat with Apple support. I was told that the late 2013 iMac (27 in) I have could be used with 2020 mini M1 using the Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter. Were you able to use "target disk mode" with that cable from your iMac 2013 to your 2020 mini M1 ?
 
I have been looking for monitor for the Mac for a long time. I went through many options by LG, Samsung, Dell and BenQ. All suffered from bleeding, dead pixels, horrible colours....etc.

I don't understand how Apple is OK with their loyal customers using junk monitors with their Macs!

Why don't they come with a good monitor but for the extreme professionals (the XDR monitor). I am willing tp spend 2000 dollars on the monitor, and I assume that Apple can easily come up with a perfect monitor for 2000 dollars. I am seriously thinking to get the XDR, although I am not a professional videographer/photographer. My justification points are as follows:
1- I want a retina resolution. I can not look at text which is not razor sharp! I produce thousands of text pages every year as a part of my job.
2- I want monitor that enable me to control its brightness using the Mac keyboard, this is crucial for me.
3- I want a high quality monitor that has no bleeding and colours issues.
4- I want a monitor that has no compatibility issue with the Mac such as, wake up from sleep and using in clamshell mode.

Although I did try different brands before but I ant to give it one last try before I buy the XDR.

My options are:
  • BenQ PD3220U
  • LG 32UL950-W
Recently I came across threads on this forum complaining about compatibility issues between the Mac Mini m1 and the previously mentioned monitors.

My questions are:

  1. Are there still issues with the M1 driving the previously mentioned monitors?
  2. Do you recommend any other monitor?
  3. Or should I just get the ridiculously expensive and avoid the hassle! o_O
 
  1. Are there still issues with the M1 driving the previously mentioned monitors?
There’s issues with every monitor right now because the M1 sees them as TVs instead of monitors. The output color scheme is YPbPr and there’s no way to override it on M1 yet.


Do you recommend any other monitor?
Dell U3219Q, Dell U2720Q (higher PPI since it’s the same resolution but on smaller screen area), LG 27UN850. These are high ends one. I never seen any dead pixel or any other issues you are saying. They are not perfect, but correct for their price point, and probably the bests in their category.

Or should I just get the ridiculously expensive and avoid the hassle! o_O
No. 6000$ monitor for writing word documents is a non-sense.

If you want a single display and do not wish to add a second in the future, the LG Ultrafine 5K sold on the Apple store might be your best bet. It’s pricey, but will give you the full experience you want.
 
My questions are:

  1. Are there still issues with the M1 driving the previously mentioned monitors?
  2. Do you recommend any other monitor?
  3. Or should I just get the ridiculously expensive and avoid the hassle! o_O
Having great luck with the Samsung LU32J590UQUXEN 32-Inch 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 LED Monitor.

It's been excellent for text, work, and for all round use, including watching stuff in 4K.

Although not technically as good as the 5K iMac screen, I prefer it, given we also have 5K iMac to compare it with. We ordered and compared some other 4K displays from other companies, and liked this one the best.

The 32-inch, non-widescreen 16:9 size is also about perfect (for me), being higher than widescreens. I believe it's the same dimensions as the Apple 32-inch display.

Also got an eye saver mode on it, which keeps the sharpness, but makes it more matt, which is useful for when working with text for long hours.

And the price is good too.

Hassle free. No issues. Works good at all scalable resolutions on the M1. Just make sure you connect via HDMI port 2 for 60 hz over 30 hz on HDMI port 1 using the supplied high speed cable. Wakes up in about 4 seconds or so.
 
I just had a chat with Apple support. I was told that the late 2013 iMac (27 in) I have could be used with 2020 mini M1 using the Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter. Were you able to use "target disk mode" with that cable from your iMac 2013 to your 2020 mini M1 ?
Mistakenly selected this. Don't know how to delete it.
 
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I was hoping against hope that I could use a Late 2013 iMac in Target Display Mode for the 2020 mini. Apple Thunderbolt 2 cable to Apple Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3 adapter. As expected, it didn't work. I thought I read somewhere that TDM has been history for a while.

Does anyone have experience using the Luna USB-C dongle with a 2020 mini?

I have the 2020 Mac Mini M1. I also have a 2010 iMac and a 2020 iMac and a 2018 iPad Pro 12.9. I have the Luna Display connected to a USB-C connector on my Mac Mini M1. Works great for all these devices. For instance, on my 2020 iMac, if I want to speed things up a bit, I turn on my Mac Mini M1 .. then, on the desktop of my 2020 iMac, I click on the Luna Secondary icon, next thing I know I'm working with my Mini OS rather than my iMac OS. Just to assure myself that I am on the M1, I'll click on Apple > About .. Voilà, it describes my Mini M1. As for the rest, I just continue to use my iMac mouse and keyboard. It's pretty seamless.

I was going to use my 2010 iMac for my Mac mini M1 monitor, but - something I hadn't thought of - it doesn't have the Retina display. The difference is significant.
 
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There’s issues with every monitor right now because the M1 sees them as TVs instead of monitors. The output color scheme is YPbPr and there’s no way to override it on M1 yet.



Dell U3219Q, Dell U2720Q (higher PPI since it’s the same resolution but on smaller screen area), LG 27UN850. These are high ends one. I never seen any dead pixel or any other issues you are saying. They are not perfect, but correct for their price point, and probably the bests in their category.


No. 6000$ monitor for writing word documents is a non-sense.

If you want a single display and do not wish to add a second in the future, the LG Ultrafine 5K sold on the Apple store might be your best bet. It’s pricey, but will give you the full experience you want.

Thanks for your help.

When you say "there's issues with every monitor", is this an issue with the LG ultra fine as well?
The LG is 27 inches which is small and if I get 2 monitors it will cost me $3200 for 2 ugly monitors! The bezel is too thick.
 
There’s issues with every monitor right now because the M1 sees them as TVs instead of monitors. The output color scheme is YPbPr and there’s no way to override it on M1 yet.



Dell U3219Q, Dell U2720Q (higher PPI since it’s the same resolution but on smaller screen area), LG 27UN850. These are high ends one. I never seen any dead pixel or any other issues you are saying. They are not perfect, but correct for their price point, and probably the bests in their category.


No. 6000$ monitor for writing word documents is a non-sense.

If you want a single display and do not wish to add a second in the future, the LG Ultrafine 5K sold on the Apple store might be your best bet. It’s pricey, but will give you the full experience you want.
The Dell U3219Q and Dell U2720Q that you recommended are not HDR.
The LG 27UN850 is only 27
May I ask you to recommend something bigger? I am looking for 32 inches.


The M1 issue that you mentioned, is thins something will be addressed by Apple anytime soon?
 
Thanks for your help.

When you say "there's issues with every monitor", is this an issue with the LG ultra fine as well?
The LG is 27 inches which is small and if I get 2 monitors it will cost me $3200 for 2 ugly monitors! The bezel is too thick.
You can’t power two 5K displays with any M1 mac.

I don’t know if the 5K LG has the YPbPr problem. There’s no way to verify it on these monitors. We know for Dell because the OSD mentions it. EIZO also confirmed the issue and published a release note and contacted Apple About the problem.

If sharpness is your primary focus, 4K 27 inch > 4K 32 inch.
If real estate is your primary focus : 4K 32 inch > 4K 27 inch.

Why ? Pixel density is obviously higher on 27 inch, but you‘ll need to scale the text for confortable reading.

I think both U3219Q or LG 32UL950 are your best choice if you want 32 inch. The LG seems to have a superior HDR performance. One in USB-C, the other in HDMI. Have certified HDMI 2.0 cables please (like https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables/hdmi-4k-8k/pearl). this will avoid you a lot of problems.
 
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Also, I wouldn’t really consider HDR as a main characteristic for buying a monitor... HDR implementation is crappy in about every <1500 $ monitor being sold.
I can't thank you enough for your help.

I am sure that Apple will release an update to address the monitors issue, this is why I am thinking to get the monitor now and wait for the update. I am in between the LG 32UL950 and the BenQ PD3220U. The good thing about the BenQ that it has a small controller dial (hot puck G2), which provides a fast access to brightness control and many other settings.
  1. Do you recommend one over the other? (LG 32UL950 vs BenQ PD3220U)
  2. Am I being logical enough in believing that Apple will release a fix for the issue?
 
Do you recommend one over the other? (LG 32UL950 vs BenQ PD3220U)
I’ve never seen in person both of these. It’s really up to the reviews you can find.

Am I being logical enough in believing that Apple will release a fix for the issue?
We have been waiting for the update for 2-3 years (Problem first seen in Intel Mac using HDMI output). But now it seems even more widespread, so I think the chances are a bit more favorable.
 
You can’t power two 5K displays with any M1 mac.

I don’t know if the 5K LG has the YPbPr problem. There’s no way to verify it on these monitors. We know for Dell because the OSD mentions it. EIZO also confirmed the issue and published a release note and contacted Apple About the problem.

If sharpness is your primary focus, 4K 27 inch > 4K 32 inch.
If real estate is your primary focus : 4K 32 inch > 4K 27 inch.

Why ? Pixel density is obviously higher on 27 inch, but you‘ll need to scale the text for confortable reading.

I think both U3219Q or LG 32UL950 are your best choice if you want 32 inch. The LG seems to have a superior HDR performance. One in USB-C, the other in HDMI. Have certified HDMI 2.0 cables please (like https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables/hdmi-4k-8k/pearl). this will avoid you a lot of problems.
Using an M1 Mac Mini, if I go two Dell U3219Q, one on USB-C and the other on HDMI - will there be a visible difference in quality between the two? Same question with the LGs instead of the Dells. Assume I am using the cable you linked above for HDMI.

If I will be doing graphics work (Affinity, Adobe LR, Final Cut X) sounds like you would recommend the 27" versions because of the higher pixel density?
 
Using an M1 Mac Mini, if I go two Dell U3219Q, one on USB-C and the other on HDMI - will there be a visible difference in quality between the two? Same question with the LGs instead of the Dells. Assume I am using the cable you linked above for HDMI.
No visible difference in quality if you don’t use HDR. If you use HDR, you’ll end up getting chroma subsampling on the HDMI because of the HDMI limitations itself.


If I will be doing graphics work (Affinity, Adobe LR, Final Cut X) sounds like you would recommend the 27" versions because of the higher pixel density
163 ppi vs 140. Not a huge difference but might be perceptible. Still far from retina quality display 27’’ 5K at 218 ppi.
 
No visible difference in quality if you don’t use HDR. If you use HDR, you’ll end up getting chroma subsampling on the HDMI because of the HDMI limitations itself.



163 ppi vs 140. Not a huge difference but might be perceptible. Still far from retina quality display 27’’ 5K at 218 ppi.
Thank you. I will go with the LG UltraFine 5K then for the 218ppi.
 
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