Dell U4320Q defaults to 1080p on Mac but Monitor shows a 3840 x 2160 connection.

[tekfranz]

I am a bit confused how my Mac scales a 4 K monitor and if I am truly getting 4K or retina mode on my Dell 4320Q.

When I got my Dell U4320Q the text was huge and bright on the default setting. I discovered later in the Display Preferences that this is running as “like 1080p”. Meanwhile the monitor reports a full 3840x2160 USB-c connection.

So I turned on scaling to the full 3840 x2160 and the dock and menu bar got super tiny.

I like the scaling setting somewhere in the middle between 1080 and 3840.

If I make the text bigger by adjusting the scaling do I lose the 4K benefits?

Is it true that as long as I have a 4K display, the Mac sees it as Retina Capable and adjusts the image for the best crispness? See link below.

Use a 4K Monitor in Retina Mode on Your Mac

macOS allows you to achieve Retina mode with your third-party, 4K monitor. Here's how to do it.

www.macobserver.com

 

[Amethyst1]

If I make the text bigger by adjusting the scaling do I lose the 4K benefits?

No. The monitor is always driven at the full “4K” resolution. See e.g. here about what scaling does on macOS.

 

[tekfranz]

No. The monitor is always driven at the full “4K” resolution. See e.g. here about what scaling does on macOS.

OK very good. Is it true that Videos and Photos are still displayed at full 4K as the article stated, despite the scaling selected?
I tried a 4K YouTube nature video and turned on stats for nerds.
The Viewport/Frames were at 3200 but the current/optimal resolution was 3840. So it seems like video is being played at full 4K even though the webpage is the lower 3200 resolution.