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

[PaulD-UK]

@tenthousandthings
"iMac 27"
LG Display LM270QQ1-SDA2 LM270QQ1-SDB1 LM270QQ1-SDC1"

Complete list of 5K panel IDs:

2014 LM270QQ1 SD(A1), (A2) 16.7 Millions of colours.
mid-2015 LM270QQ1 SD (A3) "
late-2015 LM270QQ1 SD (B1) 1.07 Billion Colours. 91"% Display P3.
2017 LM270QQ1 SD (C1) 1.07 Billions Colours. 98% Display P3.
2017 iMac Pro LM270QQ1 SD (D1) "
2019 LM270QQ1 SD (E1) "
2020 LM270QQ1 SD (F1) " + nano. glass option.

 

[tenthousandthings]

Added Geekon:

Geekon DarkVision 黑界 Retina 2700 - Released 2025
Panel: IPS Black - 5120x2880 - 218 ppi - 60Hz - 1000 nits - 2000:1 contrast
Glass: Matte (anti-reflective)
Color: 10-bit depth - 99% DCI-P3 - 100% sRGB - 99% Adobe RGB
I/O: DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (65W), HDMI 2.1; USB 2.0 Hub (2x USB-A, 1x USB-B)
## KVM switch, 3.5mm audio out, 2x 5W stereo speakers
Geekon Creative Studio site ¥3899
Geekon.tech site MSRP $889 (currently $639)
Abnyfex — third-party US reseller via Amazon ($599)

Geekon ArgentCase 银气 Retina 27 - Released 2025
Panel: IPS Black - 5120x2880 - 218 ppi - 60Hz - 1000 nits - 2000:1 contrast
Glass: High Gloss (anti-reflection)
Color: 10-bit depth - 99% DCI-P3 - 100% sRGB - 99% Adobe RGB
I/O: DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (65W), HDMI 2.1; USB 2.0 Hub (2x USB-A, 1x USB-B)
## KVM switch, 3.5mm audio out, 2x 5W stereo speakers
Geekon Creative Studio site ¥5099
Geekon.tech site MSRP $999 (currently $799)

 

[tenthousandthings]

Added Geekon:

Geekon DarkVision 黑界 Retina 2700 - Released 2025
Panel: IPS Black - 5120x2880 - 218 ppi - 60Hz - 1000 nits - 2000:1 contrast
Glass: Matte (anti-reflective)
Color: 10-bit depth - 99% DCI-P3 - 100% sRGB - 99% Adobe RGB
I/O: DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (65W), HDMI 2.1; USB 2.0 Hub (2x USB-A, 1x USB-B)
## KVM switch, 3.5mm audio out, 2x 5W stereo speakers
Geekon Creative Studio site ¥3899
Geekon.tech site MSRP $889 (currently $639)
Abnyfex — third-party US reseller via Amazon ($599)

Geekon ArgentCase 银气 Retina 27 - Released 2025
Panel: IPS Black - 5120x2880 - 218 ppi - 60Hz - 1000 nits - 2000:1 contrast
Glass: High Gloss (anti-reflection)
Color: 10-bit depth - 99% DCI-P3 - 100% sRGB - 99% Adobe RGB
I/O: DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (65W), HDMI 2.1; USB 2.0 Hub (2x USB-A, 1x USB-B)
## KVM switch, 3.5mm audio out, 2x 5W stereo speakers
Geekon Creative Studio site ¥5099
Geekon.tech site MSRP $999 (currently $799)

FYI, I also added (under "Discontinued") some info on earlier versions of their 5K, including a link to a post by @tornado99 from 2021! ...

Geekon X27 Horizon - Released 2023*
Panel: AH-IPS - 5120x2880 - 218 ppi - 60Hz - 500 nits
Glass: Matte (anti-glare)
Color: 10-bit depth - 98% DCI-P3 - 100% sRGB
I/O: DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C (65W), HDMI 2.0; USB Hub (2x USB-A, 1x USB-C)
Geekon Creative Studio site ¥6599
Abnyfex — third-party US reseller via Amazon ($989)

* Other discontinued 5K monitors in the Xero Series: X27 Studio (2023), X27 Fusion (2021), and X27 Pro (2021).

 

[tornado99]

Just a heads up that someone measured the Japannext 5K and got 312 nits / 1500:1 contrast. There does seem to be quite a bit of variation in these panels. The techradar review measured 411 nits / 2090:1 for the same monitor.

Test Japannext IPS275K : un écran 5K de 27 pouces taillé pour la création visuelle

Le Japannext JN-IPS275K-HSPC9 est le moniteur 5K 27" le plus abordable. Voici notre avis après plusieurs semaines de test.

phototrend.fr

 

[PaulD-UK]

I think (guess, until someone does a teardown) that all these budget 5K monitors use the same basic 4K video driver boards, with uprated 5K firmware, that are available for DIY 5K monitor conversions.

These boards are designed using MediTek's reference design for their MT9801V scaler chip.
The Chinese manufacturer, usually Shenzhen JRY Xinxian Technology, will do a bespoke board design alteration of an existing board, to supply the input ports, as required...

And for 5K/60(75)Hz panels (not using Mini-LED) these all come with an inbuilt backlight constant current brightness board, so what you get is what you get.
The boards wholesale for less than $70...

 

[PaulD-UK]

In respect of the confusion of the source of various 5K screen panels in the cheaper Chinese 5K monitors, this YT video throws light on another readily available source of 5K panels.
They just have to use different glass, or no glass at all. 🥺

 

[tenthousandthings]

In respect of the confusion of the source of various 5K screen panels in the cheaper Chinese 5K monitors, this YT video throws light on another readily available source of 5K panels.
They just have to use different glass, or no glass at all. 🥺

One thing I learned while investigating Geekon's curious history is the difference between their two 2021 5K products: the higher-end X27 Fusion (the name is a reference to how the glass is fused to the panel) used the iMac glass and panels, while the budget X27 Pro used the LG UltraFine materials.

On the WayBack machine I found an October 2023 outline of their site (unfortunately not fully archived), where they were also selling a 4.5K product presumably made from recycled 24" iMac panels, and an 8K most likely utilizing recycled Dell panels, amongst an ocean of 4K variants...

https://web.archive.org/web/20231016081659/http://geekon-studio.com/

Today, however, they seem to have moved on from that, at least in part. The X27 Studio was a new product, see the Kickstarter page.

 

[EugW]

 

[PaulD-UK]

@EugW
Interesting videos, especially the demonstration of the superiority of Apple's non-reflective coating - compared to the Kuycon..
Other manufacturers are limited by what the screen manufacturer sells, Apple gets what Apple wants.
Presumably this problem will beset all the new 6K monitors, particularly the Kuycon 6K, and maybe the new LG 6K (unless they have a deal with Apple? ).

 

[EugW]

@EugW
Interesting videos, especially the demonstration of the superiority of Apple's non-reflective coating - compared to the Kuycon..
Other manufacturers are limited by what the screen manufacturer sells, Apple gets what Apple wants.
Presumably this problem will beset all the new 6K monitors, particularly the Kuycon 6K, and maybe the new LG 6K (unless they have a deal with Apple? ).
View attachment 2528389

The video also mentioned backlight bleed with their Samsung and Asus ProArt 5K units. I didn’t try one of those but I did try a 32” 1440p Asus ProArt and a 32” 4K Asus ProArt and both had noticeable backlight bleed. (Of course, their pixel densities were too low too.)

My 4K+ 28.2” Huawei Mateview (163 ppi) has no backlight bleed but has light falloff on the edges and corners. Part of that is due to the backlight and part is due to their matte coating, but it’s not a deal breaker. The colour was also completely off out of the box, but I easily fixed that with a colour calibrator.

 

[Dark-Signature]

@EugW
Interesting videos, especially the demonstration of the superiority of Apple's non-reflective coating - compared to the Kuycon..
Other manufacturers are limited by what the screen manufacturer sells, Apple gets what Apple wants.
Presumably this problem will beset all the new 6K monitors, particularly the Kuycon 6K, and maybe the new LG 6K (unless they have a deal with Apple? ).

View attachment 2528389

I can imagine that the glossy coating of the Apple Display Studio is better than that of the Kuycon, but this comparison in the YouTube video is a null statement for me, because to be fair, the two monitors should have been recorded without angle interference. Even this small angle can make one monitor look significantly worse than the other.

I tested this with my Dell UP2715k (purchased in 2015) and one of my Apple Studio Displays (purchased in 2023) and depending on the angle of the monitor to the camera, one monitor looks superior to the other in terms of glossy properties.

One more word on this: However, when the monitors are switched on, the different glossy reflection is again of secondary importance.

It is important that both displays have a glossy surface, because this is always better than a matt surface!

 

[EugW]

I can imagine that the glossy coating of the Apple Display Studio is better than that of the Kuycon, but this comparison in the YouTube video is a null statement for me, because to be fair, the two monitors should have been recorded without angle interference. Even this small angle can make one monitor look significantly worse than the other.

I tested this with my Dell UP2715k (purchased in 2015) and one of my Apple Studio Displays (purchased in 2023) and depending on the angle of the monitor to the camera, one monitor looks superior to the other in terms of glossy properties.

One more word on this: However, when the monitors are switched on, the different glossy reflection is again of secondary importance.

It is important that both displays have a glossy surface, because this is always better than a matt surface!

I wouldn't be surprised if the Kuycon doesn't even have an anti-reflective coating. That wouldn't be a complete deal killer for me though (for a 6K) considering the much lower price. The bigger issues for me are the inconsistent backlighting and QA in general, along with the dubious warranty support.

 

[tornado99]

Kuycon does have AR coating, it's probably electroplated vs Apple who use plasma deposition.

 

[Dark-Signature]

Kuycon does have AR coating, it's probably electroplated vs Apple who use plasma deposition.

If you are right, what would be the best way to compare Kuycon's AR? For example, would a glossy AR from Dell be more in the direction of Kuycon or more in the direction of Apple?

If it were similar to Dell, then it would be absolutely sufficient!

 

[tornado99]

If you are right, what would be the best way to compare Kuycon's AR? For example, would a glossy AR from Dell be more in the direction of Kuycon or more in the direction of Apple?

If it were similar to Dell, then it would be absolutely sufficient!

I found an old, but relevant article here:

Glass, Glossy, Matte & Plasma Deposition Coatings Part 1 — Steemit

There are multiple kinds of glass, glossy and matte coatings. Plasma Deposition Coating is a treated glass coating… by ncx

steemit.com

also

https://www.reddit.com/r/DrNCX/comments/c16p7r/clarity_and_vibrancy_the_last_of_the_plasma

TL/DR -

"Plasma Deposition coating (Steemit article with glossy photo comparison photos) is an anti-glare treated edge-to-edge glass fused to glossy IPS panels, and is the clearest, most vibrant and least reflective glossy coating. However, PDC is not flaw-less since the glass can easily be cracked, and because PDC coated monitors have a glass covered black bezels which vastly reduces the perceived black depth. The perceived black depth can be increased with bias lighting (light placed behind the display) or by placing non-stick silver tape tape on the black bezel."

Also, I guess the M1-M4 iMac would be an example of a PDC display with white borders. However, having owned one in person, it didn't seem as nice on my eyes as the older black bezel iMacs.

Note: - on second thoughts I'm not sure if the above covers the Kuycon as it seems to refer to "regular glossy" as an AR film (e.g. LG Ultrafine), whereas Kuycon (probably) use multi-layer AR electroplating, more commonly seen in the automotive industry.

 

[PaulD-UK]

Another YT 5K specs roundup, including some of the oddballs:

 

[tenthousandthings]

Another YT 5K specs roundup, including some of the oddballs:

He missed an opportunity to discuss the 75Hz aspect of the ViewSonic — I didn’t know about the Lepow, which claims 1000 nits, like the Geekon(s)... I see they call it a "Quantum-dot IPS" panel, and they say it is an "LG OEM" -- so I guess that translates to Nano IPS? I'll add it to the WikiPost as soon as I can:

Lepow 27″ 5K UHD Portable IPS Monitor – USB-C Mirror Screen, HDR

27-inch 5K (5120×2880 @ 60Hz) quantum-dot IPS mirror screen.1000 nits peak brightness, HDR1000, 1300:1 contrast ratio, 10-bit color, 100% sRGB, 99% DCI-P3.True Thunderbolt & USB-C: single-cable video, data, and power.All-metal CNC-machined unibody, LG original OEM panel.Ultra-glossy mirrored...

ilepow.com

 

[PaulD-UK]

The 'Walmart' one seems identical...

The port layout exactly matched the cheapest (~$80+) of the available DIY 5K boards, but the quoted spec is higher, same as the bottom one (~$150+), which has an addition HDMi port and different PSU connection location.
I would bet its a slight rework of the bottom SA1 board, with MediaTek 5K scaler chip:

 

[tornado99]

I get really bored of these youtube videos where the presenter doesn't have any sort of measuring tools for brightness, contrast, colour gamut etc. The only information you learn which isn't on the spec sheet is how well finished the physical casing is - hardly the most important aspect.

Seems >> 50% of youtube tech reviews now consist of someone rubbing their hands over the product and saying "ooooh this is nice".

 

[tenthousandthings]

The 'Walmart' one seems identical...

The 'Walmart' one (also on Amazon) is Abnyfex selling the old (2023) Geekon X27 Horizon, complete with "GeekDesign" branding (at least in the photos).