Retina-ready 3rd party monitors for Mini

[asiga]

I think I’m going to buy a new M4 Pro Mini 64GB+2TB rather than waiting for the M4 Mac Studio, but getting a Studio Display would increase the cost too much.

I have read horror stories related to MacOS scaling slow performance or undesired UI size when using 3rd party monitors whose density is not 220ppi. But it seems that most (if not all) 24inch 4K monitors have been discontinued, and all current 4K monitors start at 27inch, which is far from 220ppi.

I have seen there’s a new trend of “portable monitors”, some of them in the 18’’ or even 20’’+ size range, with higher pixel densities. Did any of you try these and found one that is recognized as Retina by MacOS and in the 220ppi range?

Or should I assume that all options for a Retina-ready display start at $1000+ and I’d better discard Retina and look for non-HiDPI 110ppi monitors instead?

Thanks!

 

[asiga]

Note: I’m even tempted to buy an iMac instead of the Mini just for its great display, but, come on! Only 4 performance cores? That’s far from what I desire. I’m not discarding it completely though after seeing how difficult seems to be to find a reasonably priced fine display for the Mini.

 

[Bigwaff]

Or should I assume that all options for a Retina-ready display start at $1000+ and I’d better discard Retina and look for non-HiDPI 110ppi monitors instead?

Safe assumption. Don’t know your budget but 5K can be had for under $1K

The *COMPLETE* list of 27" 5K Displays?

[Update 26 May 2026] This list follows the information format used for the 32" 6K and 8K *complete* list WikiPost threads. Specifications are based on the manufacturer's claims. YMMV. The list is divided into six ► sections: Announced (not yet shipping); Available (pre-orders and shipping)...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[asiga]

Safe assumption. Don’t know your budget but 5K can be had for under $1K

The *COMPLETE* list of 27" 5K Displays?

[Update 26 May 2026] This list follows the information format used for the 32" 6K and 8K *complete* list WikiPost threads. Specifications are based on the manufacturer's claims. YMMV. The list is divided into six ► sections: Announced (not yet shipping); Available (pre-orders and shipping)...

forums.macrumors.com

Thank you very much. Didn’t know that list. I have already ordered the Mini, because I really need the M4 Pro and large RAM for the applications I use. For the moment I’ll survive with the non-HiDPI displays I already have at home, and as soon as I find a good candidate, I’ll get it.