I have recently switched to the new MacBook Pro 16" from using windows for the last 10 years or so.
All of my existing external monitors look pretty bad when connected to the new machine (compared to a surface book 2). I tried a brand new Dell at work (not sure of the model) and the text was really distorted. I have one monitor that is not bad when connected. Its an HP Z27n 27".
What I am looking for is:
- 27" or bigger
- clarity of text is number one priority
- do not care about speakers etc
- ideally costs less than 800 USD
I am also curious what is the best connection to use to maximize clarity of the monitor (HDMI, USB-C etc etc)
Thanks in advance for any recommendations you have.
If you're a Mac purist, then I'd consider the 5K 27" Apple Studio Display. Expensive, but pixel-perfect text is assured. This will basically give you the same DPI and (nearly) the same color profile as the your MacBook Pro's built-in display.
But if you find it too expensive (and it isn't cheap, so I don't blame you!), then I'd consider any well-reviewed 4K display. I advise you to read up on how macOS's text scaling works on high-DPI displays (4K and above) if you're unfamiliar, as this will help answer many questions that will invariably pop up regarding scaled resolutions versus direct 4:1 pixel scaling (which you can experiment with on your 16" MacBook Pro, by the way). Many, many threads here related to it, too.
Presuming you just want something that looks good and you're not going to nitpick about
exact 4:1 text pixel-per pixel rendering, then any good (Dell, LG, etc) 27" 4K display will look great at "looks like" 2560x1440 scaled resolution, and a 32" 4K display will look great at 3008x1692 or even higher (if your eyes are good enough to see text that small). Unless you've got eyes like a hawk, the ever-so-slight fringing when using a scaled resolution at 4K instead of a 4:1 resolution on a 5K display will likely be of no real concern.
Some people will mention a slight performance impact when using a scaled resolution, and while true for Intel-based Macs, on my Apple Silicon machines (an M1 MacBook Air and an M1Pro MBP), I've not been able to appreciate any impact whatsoever.
I personally almost always use a scaled resolution anyway, so the perfect match-up of, say, 2560x1440 retina text on to a 5K display (exactly 2x pixels in each axis) is irrelevant for me anyway.
My advice is to connect it via DisplayPort or better yet directly via USB-C if the display supports it. HDMI can sometimes be a hassle with getting the right cables, active vs. passive adapters, monitors forcing YPrPb vs. RGB colorspace, etc.. If the monitor supports USB-C, many will provide enough power to keep the laptop charged (check the monitor's specs; look for >85w since you're using a 16" MBP) and may also include other handy things like USB-A ports.
My current display is a 32" 4K Dell at 3008x1692 scaled resolution and it looks awesome to me. I've got almost 53 year old eyes, but looks great nonetheless.
