macOS 27 Golden Gate Gains Native Ultrawide Display Support

[Riot Nrrrd]

A user named andreeinprogress started a similar thread over on the Apple Support Site.

Today he posted this update, but his post has since mysteriously disappeared from the thread. I don’t know why. I got his post in an e-mail update, so here it is (apologies for the orange if you’re color blind):

I am on the macOS 27 Developer Beta. I can confirm the situation improved, but (as of now) still is not on par with pre-M4 Macs. If you are on the beta, I suggest sending feedback on what/how this is working, so that it can hopefully become fully functional before the fall final release.

What works as of now (June 9th 2026 - 27.0 dev beta 1):

• ✅ Resolution 3840x1620 HiDPI is available
• ⚠️ 165Hz framerate (monitor native) is available at that resolution, though it somehow still does feel different than other devices/pc I use this monitor with (those other feel snappier, but it might be just me)
• ❌ HDR is not available at that resolution
• ❌ Monitor brightness control is not available at that resolution

HDR and monitor brightness control do become available at lower resolutions, though HDR does not look good (might need tweaking or calibration).

I will update here if something changes with the next betas.

⚠️ IMPORTANT ⚠️

As of beta 1, do not try to launch BetterDisplay if you set an override for the monitor ID, it will crash macOS and you'll need to reboot.

 

[starman111]

Interesting. I've been using my Dell U4025QW and LG 39GX950B with my MacBook Pro M4 Max for quite a while, and never had any issues. The Dell is running at 120 Hz, and the LG is running at 165 Hz. I guess there must be issues with some other monitors or Macs that the new OS will fix.

 

[loekf]

Here's my capture from the keynote. Both 5k and 4k. I exported at 95% jpeg quality to make the file sizes smaller.View attachment 2636612
View attachment 2636614

or go to this guy, famous for Apple wallpapers:

Apple's Psychedelic Golden Gate VW Adventure — Basic Apple Guy

Apple’s Crack Marketing Team’s latest psychedelic VW minibus adventure!

basicappleguy.com

 

[jamie0610]

I don’t understand, I have a Samsung Neo G9 57 inch, 32:9, 7680x2160, supports 240Hz but I run it at 120.

I never had problems with Mac mini m4 and a macbook pro M3.
What exactly are they adding?

Do you have M4 pro to achieve 240?

 

[Kissmo1980]

Do you have M4 pro to achieve 240?

No. I use 120.
240 looks horrible on the panel with an rtx5080 on my PC.
The panel sucks when running 240 in general with HDR enabled. Too much DSC makes colors bad and fonts blurry and fuzzy.


I didn’t try 240 with the mac now that you mention. 🤔 probably it doesn’t work. Will check tomorrow morning first thing for sure.

My Mac devices are: M5 MBA, M3 Pro 16 and MacMini M4.

 

[Mister T]

I can't be the only one confused by this news? Currently I'm using the Dell U5226KW which is a 6k ultrawide with even higher resolution due to the more space in height (6144x2560), it runs just fine on 120hz. Daily I take my laptop home and next day just use the 1 cable thunderbolt to charge, connect keyboard and everything and never noticed any issues.

Which Mac do you have? Because as far as I’m concerned, no Mac supports this. My M1 Pro and my colleague her m2 air only do 60hz on the U5226KW.

 

[Wanted797]

Can I chose which screen the dock will sit on yet?

 

[Surrylic]

I don’t understand, I have a Samsung Neo G9 57 inch, 32:9, 7680x2160, supports 240Hz but I run it at 120.

I never had problems with Mac mini m4 and a macbook pro M3.
What exactly are they adding?

I’ve always had issues with ugly blurry/pixelated text when I’m using any monitor lower than 218 ppi. My job is to look at text all day, basically. Is this monitor decent at that?

 

[Surrylic]

Since yesterday I’ve been trying to figure out what the news means about this because I have an m4 pro MacBook Pro and the same monitor as you. The only problem I’ve ever had is it likes to drop down to 60hz a lot, so maybe that is it?

I wish they’d fix their display scaling for resolutions that aren’t a multiple of their own resolutions. This is something Microsoft does well with.

How does text look to you? The text on Mac always bothers me until I have a retina-level display, but… I want the monitor you’re referencing so bad

 

[Kissmo1980]

I’ve always had issues with ugly blurry/pixelated text when I’m using any monitor lower than 218 ppi. My job is to look at text all day, basically. Is this monitor decent at that?

NO, it’s 140 ppi.
It’s not retina sharp, but text was OKish.

In the sense that I didn’t feel it was blurry.
Obviously not even close to a retina display.

 

[gusping]

MBP M4pro. Everything going into CalDigit TS4 (think that's the model i have) dock. Using TB4/TB5 cables

Thanks!

 

[jamie0610]

No. I use 120.
240 looks horrible on the panel with an rtx5080 on my PC.
The panel sucks when running 240 in general with HDR enabled. Too much DSC makes colors bad and fonts blurry and fuzzy.


I didn’t try 240 with the mac now that you mention. 🤔 probably it doesn’t work. Will check tomorrow morning first thing for sure.

My Mac devices are: M5 MBA, M3 Pro 16 and MacMini M4.

Wonderful, I have the same panel. Just about to make sure I get the correct Mini to power it (looks like I don’t need a pro). Biggest leap looks to be the ultrawide support added to Golden Gate.

 

[Kissmo1980]

Wonderful, I have the same panel. Just about to make sure I get the correct Mini to power it (looks like I don’t need a pro). Biggest leap looks to be the ultrawide support added to Golden Gate.

Yeah, when I get back home from work I will anyway put Golden Gate on M4 mac mini (base model) and see if anything changed.
On my MB Air - and this is not placebo, the changes seem to make a difference in terms of clarity (text, separation, etc) on its display.

Let’s hope I will see the same improving difference on an external ultra wide.

 

[brucewayne]

I can't be the only one confused by this news? Currently I'm using the Dell U5226KW which is a 6k ultrawide with even higher resolution due to the more space in height (6144x2560), it runs just fine on 120hz. Daily I take my laptop home and next day just use the 1 cable thunderbolt to charge, connect keyboard and everything and never noticed any issues.

I have the same monitor on a M4 mini and Macbook with no issues connecting either at max res/refresh rate.

But I shouldn’t have to use an app like Better Display to access the additional scaling options that would be there if I were using an Apple 6k monitor. Hopefully this update makes them available natively via the OS

 

[pumpkinwhite]

Support for higher resolution is good but Mac OS has horrible scaling. I use a 4K monitor and all menu and dialog texts are just too small. I’ve gone through all possible options in settings and accessibility. Even when you set stuff to max size it’s still too small for my eyes (yeah, I’m getting old).

This is where windows is definitely better. I’ve started using my windows computer more simply because of this. I don’t know whether it’s because of my Mac. I am still using an Intel Mac mini.

I’m hoping the new OS will have better scaling options.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Maybe it will fix the issue where it doesn't remember the virtual desktop spaces arrangement between the different docks and displays I need to use.

There is a great macOS app that solves this - DockLock Plus. No affiliation, other than I'm a satisfied user (paid normal price for it).

 

[anthonymoody]

Interesting. I've been using my Dell U4025QW and LG 39GX950B with my MacBook Pro M4 Max for quite a while, and never had any issues. The Dell is running at 120 Hz, and the LG is running at 165 Hz. I guess there must be issues with some other monitors or Macs that the new OS will fix.

OH. You're the person I've been looking for. Can you talk about text on each of these monitors? I'm 9x% productivity. I use the older LG 40WP95C which right off the bat isn't as good as your Dell. But I've been tempted by the Dell, and of late the LG. Now I'm also tempted to wait for the Alienware. Can you speak to text quality please at 3840 x 1620 on each please? Even better, if you can get some revealing shots of the screens themselves that capture any issues or distinction between the two, I'd deeply appreciate it.

 

[imac ios x]

Which Mac do you have? Because as far as I’m concerned, no Mac supports this. My M1 Pro and my colleague her m2 air only do 60hz on the U5226KW.

Macbook pro M5 Max, but it also worked on my old M4 Max, using the included thunderbolt cable.

 

[imac ios x]

There’s literally a 30 page thread on here about issues with Ultrawide monitors missing resolutions (like the default/ideal 3840x1620 HiDPI resolution) on M4 and M5 Macs that is supposedly now fixed in macOS 27 Golden Gate because of this news.

Edit: when I composed this I had not seen @anthonymoody ‘s post basically saying the same thing.

You mean exactly this resolution XD? which is just native, in Macos 26...???

 

[RdWing]

Hopefully this finally allows me to have 3840x1600 HiDPi on my AW3821DW Ultrawide.

 

[jclicky]

X-posting user @jsts’s speculation that Apple’s next Pro Display XDR could wind up being a 40” ultrawide vs. a standard-format 32”, seems pertinent to this news in MacOS 27:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/the-complete-list-of-8k-monitors.2459381/post-34487552

A bit of speculation.

I've been following the evolution of Apple's monitor lineup for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that the next professional display could look exactly like this.

Apple is bound by several strict limitations when it comes to its monitors, and these limitations shape the potential appearance of any new product.

One: macOS Scaling. macOS uses integer scaling: @1x = 110 PPI, @2x = 220 PPI. This is the gold standard for Retina density. A display with a density of 330 PPI (@3x) is currently unfeasible, not only due to manufacturing complexity but also because of the lack of graphical processing power required to handle such resolutions comfortably for a wide range of tasks.

Two: The Retina and Diagonal Size Equation. This leads to a simple piece of arithmetic: A density of ~220 PPI at 5K resolution gives you a 27-inch diagonal (Studio Display). The same density at 6K gives you 32 inches (Pro Display XDR). Finally, at 8K, we arrive at a 40-inch diagonal. However, there's a crucial detail: a 40-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio would be massive and unwieldy. This is where the 21:9 (UltraWide) aspect ratio makes perfect sense. Why? The height of a 32-inch 16:9 display is approximately 40cm. The height of a 40-inch ultra-wide 21:9 display is also approximately 40cm.

View attachment 2613501

This means the user gains more than a 30% increase in usable screen area (horizontally) without altering the physical height of the monitor or their eye line.

Three: Thunderbolt Bandwidth. Back in 2019, when the Pro Display XDR (6K, 60Hz, 10-bit) was introduced, it utilised almost the entire bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbit/s), with a data stream of around 38 Gbit/s. Today, we have Thunderbolt 5 with a Bandwidth Boost mode of up to 120 Gbit/s. If we take an 8K resolution, 220 PPI, 10-bit colour, and a 120Hz (ProMotion) refresh rate, the required data stream would be approximately 112 Gbit/s. This fits perfectly within the capabilities of the new interface. It's a logical step for Apple, much like the one they took in 2019.

Four: Display Technology. MicroLED: Apple recently scaled back its project to develop proprietary MicroLED screens for the Apple Watch due to complexity and cost. We are unlikely to see this technology in monitors anytime soon. OLED: Currently, there are no mass-produced OLED panels with the specifications of 40", 218 PPI, and 8K UltraWide. Furthermore, the risk of burn-in for the static interfaces professionals use remains a significant concern. Tandem OLED: The technology used in the iPad Pro is excellent for compact devices, but its brightness and longevity are not yet sufficient for a large professional monitor. This leaves Mini-LED: Apple's evolutionary path is to refine and perfect proven technologies. An IPS panel with a Mini-LED backlight and thousands of local dimming zones is the most realistic candidate.

Based on all of the above, here is a monitor I would buy without hesitation. Here are its specifications:

Diagonal: 40 inches
Panel Type: IPS with Mini-LED technology
Aspect Ratio: 21:9 (UltraWide)
Resolution: 8192 × 3510 (8K horizontally)
Pixel Density: 218 PPI (perfect Retina 2x for macOS)
Backlighting: ~4600 local dimming zones for deep HDR (UltraXDR?)
Brightness: 2000 nits (typical), 3000 nits (peak HDR)
Refresh Rate: 120Hz
Colour Depth: 10-bit (1.07 billion colours), full P3 gamut
Interface: Thunderbolt 5 (single cable for video, data, and laptop charging up to 140W+)
Data Stream: ~112 Gbit/s — fits perfectly within the 120 Gbit/s limit
Form Factor: Flat (curves distort geometry, which is critical for designers and architects)
Chassis: Aluminium for efficient cooling of the dense Mini-LED array
Purpose: To replace multi-monitor setups for video editing (an 8K timeline across the full width), coding, working with massive spreadsheets, and financial dashboards.

Price
In its base configuration (without a stand?), such a monitor would carry a frighteningly realistic price tag of $6999.

Apple Pro Display Ultra 40-inch like this to replace two Studio Displays.

 

[waz0wski]

OH. You're the person I've been looking for. Can you talk about text on each of these monitors? I'm 9x% productivity. I use the older LG 40WP95C which right off the bat isn't as good as your Dell. But I've been tempted by the Dell, and of late the LG. Now I'm also tempted to wait for the Alienware. Can you speak to text quality please at 3840 x 1620 on each please? Even better, if you can get some revealing shots of the screens themselves that capture any issues or distinction between the two, I'd deeply appreciate it.

There's a thread on the U4025 -

Anyone picking up the new Dell U4025QW (40" 5k/2k widescreen)?

Thinking about trying it as a replacement for my LG 40WP95C. Same size and resolution, but the Dell is 120Hz whereas the LG maxes out at 72. I've gotten used to the 72 I suppose, but probably would appreciate the 120 refresh. I may get one from somewhere with a no hassle return policy. Try them...

forums.macrumors.com

I posted my experience in there, still using it today in native 5120x2160@120hz
When using it in scaled HiDPI 3840x1620 the text is very crisp

The rest of the usual Dell U-series conveniences are super nice - great color, plethora of ports, builtin KVM switch for sharing between two computers

 

[anthonymoody]

There's a thread on the U4025 -

Anyone picking up the new Dell U4025QW (40" 5k/2k widescreen)?

Thinking about trying it as a replacement for my LG 40WP95C. Same size and resolution, but the Dell is 120Hz whereas the LG maxes out at 72. I've gotten used to the 72 I suppose, but probably would appreciate the 120 refresh. I may get one from somewhere with a no hassle return policy. Try them...

forums.macrumors.com

I posted my experience in there, still using it today in native 5120x2160@120hz
When using it in scaled HiDPI 3840x1620 the text is very crisp

The rest of the usual Dell U-series conveniences are super nice - great color, plethora of ports, builtin KVM switch for sharing between two computers

Heh. Thanks! I'm the one who started that thread a while back but I'd lost track of it. More interested now in the LG OLED reports but I will catch up thanks!

BTW @jclicky wow. Thanks for posting that. I'd buy that Day 1 for sure.

 

[keksikuningas]

I’ve always had issues with ugly blurry/pixelated text when I’m using any monitor lower than 218 ppi. My job is to look at text all day, basically. Is this monitor decent at that?

I have the 49 inch VA panel version of this monitor and it's great for that use case, I read and write code at work, running the display at 3840x1080 hiDPI through BetterDisplay app and the text is crispy and legible althogh will feel most likely like a downgrade if you are used to 5k or 6k displays

 

[RdWing]

Right so a lot of the problem with ultrawides is that the for some reason HiDPI was not offered at such resolutions, like a native 3840x1600 HiDPI is unavailable.