Please help me pick a monitor

[No5tromo]

I recently bought a MacBook Air M1 and upon connecting it to my full HD monitor I realized that unlike Microsoft and despite paying premium Apple has done a pretty terrible job at rendering fonts in lower ppi displays and it hurts my eyes.

Never-ending-expenses-once-you've-gone-Apple aside I'd like your help in choosing the right monitor. I chose this forum section since I figured that a lot of you have done your research on the matter.

I will be using the monitor primarily for programming, office suite apps and some occasional photoshopping.

Here are my requirements:

Ideal size: 22"-24" (absolutely no larger than 27")
Whatever qualifies as retina in order to get a decent image from MacOS (I guess any 4K monitor will do?)
Preferably anti-glare and adjustable height
Huge plus: Thunderbolt capabilities (charging, USB ports etc).

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance to whomever takes the time to reply.

 

[organicCPU]

Did you connect through HDMI? Connecting through Display Port usually delivers a higher quality on any display.

Depending on the price tag, I recommend to you having a look at the displays from Eizo and NEC that do provide a Display Port (DP) or Mini Display Port (mDP). If you insist on a Thunderbolt (TB) connected display then you should go for the Apple Pro Display.

 

[Aggedor]

Did you connect through HDMI? Connecting through Display Port usually delivers a higher quality on any display.

Usually, but not always. I connect my M1 MBA to an LG 27UN500 4K display via HDMI (via Apple's Multi AV Adaptor), and there is no difference whatsoever between that and DisplayPort. My desktop PC is connected to the same display via DisplayPort.

I absolutely love my monitor - scaling is perfect and everything looks pin-sharp.

 

[organicCPU]

Did you try to set the resolution for the display in Apple system preferences manually to 3840 x 2160 px?
Is your Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter the newer model A2119 that can serve 60 Hz over HDMI or is it the older model A1621 that just delivers 30 Hz? Also did you follow Apple's advice and first connect the display to the adapter and after that the adapter to the MBA?

Some other users reported issues with font rendering and recommended to enter that command in Terminal:

defaults -currentHost write -g AppleFontSmoothing -int 0

It seems to be an issue on Big Sur. I hope that gives you a clear font rendering on your Mac and existing display.

 

[turbineseaplane]

upon connecting it to my full HD monitor I realized that unlike Microsoft and despite paying premium Apple has done a pretty terrible job at rendering fonts in lower ppi displays and it hurts my eyes.

This is absolutely true and really disappointing actually.

Somehow, MS seems to make Windows look amazing at basically all resolutions and pixel densities, yet the "design company" can't do it..

 

[Kenny99]

Have you looked at the MAC Mini forum under Desktops here? There is a thread of Mac mini M1 compatible monitor list.

 

[Aggedor]

Did you try to set the resolution for the display in Apple system preferences manually to 3840 x 2160 px?
Is your Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter the newer model A2119 that can serve 60 Hz over HDMI or is it the older model A1621 that just delivers 30 Hz? Also did you follow Apple's advice and first connect the display to the adapter and after that the adapter to the MBA?

Some other users reported issues with font rendering and recommended to enter that command in Terminal:

defaults -currentHost write -g AppleFontSmoothing -int 0

It seems to be an issue on Big Sur. I hope that gives you a clear font rendering on your Mac and existing display.

Not sure who you are talking to but my Apple Multi AV Adaptor is the new one, and I get 4K 60Hz over HDMI, which is indistinguishable from over DisplayPort. Also the font smoothing terminal command no longer works.

 

[organicCPU]

Not sure who you are talking to…

Sorry, my bad! I shouldn't post, if tired.

I'm sure that you also read Nikita's blog post on displays. It explains why DisplayPort can even today have some advantages over HDMI. Personally, I have experienced years ago with Full HD, that displays could often serve more information over DP than over HDMI, i.e. 8-bit LUT for HDMI vs. 10-bit LUT for DP. That made some displays connected over DP showing much smoother gradients than others connected through HDMI. The 10-bit lookup table was a real benefit to all apps like Photoshop. Nevertheless, the HDMI standard evolved over the past and todays HDMI connections might be equal or even better than recent DP connections, especially for your specific setup. Still, I recommend the OP to get a 4k display, that is also able to serve the DP 1.4 standard besides a HDMI connection.

 

[No5tromo]

I bought a Dell U2720Q, it's got a USB-C Display Port connection, charges the macbook over a single cable, serves as a USB hub and has adjustable height/angles. If you are looking for a mid-range monitor for a macbook or a mac mini this is the one so unless you need a larger than 27" monitor you can skip the digging. I just wish I didn't have to upgrade my previous monitor for such a stupid reason (Apple doesn't acknowledge non-4K monitors).

 

[senttoschool]

This is absolutely true and really disappointing actually.

Somehow, MS seems to make Windows look amazing at basically all resolutions and pixel densities, yet the "design company" can't do it..

That's because 99% of people who use Windows use poor quality, low pixel density displays.