LG UltraFine 5K - Owners Thread

[MacGizmo]

I purchased my LG Ultrafine 5K from the Apple Store back in mid/late 2019 with a nicely spec'd 16" MacBook Pro. The MBP is running just fine. But after 2.5 years, the Ultrafine gave up the ghost last night after at least 2 years of acting up.

After the first year, if I unplugged the display from the MBP, it took 10-20 minutes of plugging & unplugging & plugging in again to get it to "handshake" with the MBP. Last night, it simply wouldn't handshake anymore. It still had passthrough power to my MBP, but the ethernet USB-C dongle no longer received a signal, and obviously the screen never came on. Tried multiple Thunderbolt cables, all four ports on the MBP and the same on another thunderbolt Mac in the house. Nothing. It's not the computer, as other monitors are working just fine. It's not the cables because they work with the other screens. The monitor itself works with no combination of cables, ports or computers.

I truly believe that outside of Apple's own displays (which I believe are the same Ultrafine panels), there is no LCD panel that even comes close to the quality of the picture of these LG Ultrafine panels, but everything else about them has sucked.

I'm replacing a monitor that's not even 3 years old that cost nearly half as much as the computer it was connected to. It's not going to be an Ultrafine model, which means I probably won't be happy with the text sharpness and picture quality. But The stories of so many people having the same issue is just too much to justify it at this point.

For the same price, I'm looking at a MUCH larger screen (probably a 5K/2K ultrawide model) that has more ports/connection options. I still like the LG panels, so I'm not ruling LG out, but the only other option I'm considering is one of those new Dell 4k 32" models.

And no, I won't be waiting for Apple, because I highly doubt they'll release a 32"+ screen size for under $1,500 and that's about the most I'm willing to pay for a display.

 

[LiE_]

probably a 5K/2K ultrawide model

The LG? From what I understand the 34WK95U has burn in issues.

I feel your pain about finding a good monitor, it's the main reason I am using the 24" iMac. I wanted a modern Apple computer but with an excellent monitor. However, for bigger screens it's just full of compromises unless you shell out for the Pro Display XDR.

 

[MacGizmo]

The LG? From what I understand the 34WK95U has burn in issues.

I feel your pain about finding a good monitor, it's the main reason I am using the 24" iMac. I wanted a modern Apple computer but with an excellent monitor. However, for bigger screens it's just full of compromises unless you shell out for the Pro Display XDR.

I'm due for a new computer this year, and I'm now torn between buying a loaded-up Mac-mini with the M1pro chip when they announce it (next week?) - which allows me more options in monitors and will likely be MUCH less than a comparably spec'd iMac (assuming they're going to basically be the same internals).

But between the problems we've been talking about and the cable clutter, I'm considering going back to my old setup of the largest iMac available (which presumably won't be until fall of this year) and just avoiding the whole mess all together. When I had the iMac, I didn't care nearly as much about the monitor quality of a second screen.

 

[saulinpa]

Just got my Ultrafine 5K and noticed that the display is not straight. If I put the base parallel to the edge of the desk, the screen turns very slightly to the right (There is a little bit of a play in the height adjustment mechanism, I can wiggle the screen to the left or right a little bit). Plus, the left can be rotate up a lot more than the right, but within the range of rotation, the screen can be adjusted to be level.

It seems the display is not super precisely built, especially comparing to the Thunderbolt Display I used before this. Is this normal? If this is indeed the normal built quality, I would not bother exchanging one since the screen itself has no issues.

The included stand has way too much play and many replace it for a better, more sturdy mount. I didn't so have to twist mine to make it level then make sure not to bump it

 

[LiE_]

I'm due for a new computer this year, and I'm now torn between buying a loaded-up Mac-mini with the M1pro chip when they announce it (next week?) - which allows me more options in monitors and will likely be MUCH less than a comparably spec'd iMac (assuming they're going to basically be the same internals).

But between the problems we've been talking about and the cable clutter, I'm considering going back to my old setup of the largest iMac available (which presumably won't be until fall of this year) and just avoiding the whole mess all together. When I had the iMac, I didn't care nearly as much about the monitor quality of a second screen.

If you can be happy with the 27" iMac that would be the best route when they release the new ones. If you're anything like me then you'll not be happy with anything less than a retina monitor.

 

[jterp7]

Just got my Ultrafine 5K and noticed that the display is not straight. If I put the base parallel to the edge of the desk, the screen turns very slightly to the right (There is a little bit of a play in the height adjustment mechanism, I can wiggle the screen to the left or right a little bit). Plus, the left can be rotate up a lot more than the right, but within the range of rotation, the screen can be adjusted to be level.

It seems the display is not super precisely built, especially comparing to the Thunderbolt Display I used before this. Is this normal? If this is indeed the normal built quality, I would not bother exchanging one since the screen itself has no issues.

could try unmounting and remounting the stand?

but even normally the 5k can be a bit wobbly when fully extended vertically, hence i try to use it as low as comfortable

 

[WP31]

I purchased my LG Ultrafine 5K from the Apple Store back in mid/late 2019 with a nicely spec'd 16" MacBook Pro. The MBP is running just fine. But after 2.5 years, the Ultrafine gave up the ghost last night after at least 2 years of acting up.

After the first year, if I unplugged the display from the MBP, it took 10-20 minutes of plugging & unplugging & plugging in again to get it to "handshake" with the MBP. Last night, it simply wouldn't handshake anymore. It still had passthrough power to my MBP, but the ethernet USB-C dongle no longer received a signal, and obviously the screen never came on. Tried multiple Thunderbolt cables, all four ports on the MBP and the same on another thunderbolt Mac in the house. Nothing. It's not the computer, as other monitors are working just fine. It's not the cables because they work with the other screens. The monitor itself works with no combination of cables, ports or computers.

I truly believe that outside of Apple's own displays (which I believe are the same Ultrafine panels), there is no LCD panel that even comes close to the quality of the picture of these LG Ultrafine panels, but everything else about them has sucked.

I'm replacing a monitor that's not even 3 years old that cost nearly half as much as the computer it was connected to. It's not going to be an Ultrafine model, which means I probably won't be happy with the text sharpness and picture quality. But The stories of so many people having the same issue is just too much to justify it at this point.

For the same price, I'm looking at a MUCH larger screen (probably a 5K/2K ultrawide model) that has more ports/connection options. I still like the LG panels, so I'm not ruling LG out, but the only other option I'm considering is one of those new Dell 4k 32" models.

And no, I won't be waiting for Apple, because I highly doubt they'll release a 32"+ screen size for under $1,500 and that's about the most I'm willing to pay for a display.

I use the 27" LG5KUF and an 32" LG UltraWide. I just bought the Dell 4k 32" because the ultrawide died and I couldn't wait. Using the setup with a 2020 i7 MacMini, it's ok. Using the setup with a 2021 M1 MBA, it's not great. Ok = I have to scale and it's noticeably less sharp than the LG5KUF at 1440 Retina but acceptable. Not great = I have to scale but the same scaling options aren't available so the UI differences on the two screens are jarring and the fuzziness/lack-of-sharpness on the Dell using an M1 chip is barely useable (typing on it now). I'm waiting on A) a new Apple Monitor B) a new MacMini or MBA C) and looking at ~40" 4k monitors to swap out the Dell.

 

[johnnymcc]

Just got my Ultrafine 5K and noticed that the display is not straight. If I put the base parallel to the edge of the desk, the screen turns very slightly to the right (There is a little bit of a play in the height adjustment mechanism, I can wiggle the screen to the left or right a little bit). Plus, the left can be rotate up a lot more than the right, but within the range of rotation, the screen can be adjusted to be level.

It seems the display is not super precisely built, especially comparing to the Thunderbolt Display I used before this. Is this normal? If this is indeed the normal built quality, I would not bother exchanging one since the screen itself has no issues.

There is a slight tilt adjustment so it can be level with your desk. It feels like there's a lot of resistance, but you can pivot it to align it...

 

[coldwaves]

could try unmounting and remounting the stand?

but even normally the 5k can be a bit wobbly when fully extended vertically, hence i try to use it as low as comfortable

Thanks for the suggestion! There’s a little bit of play in the height adjustment mechanism, not where the display attach to the stand. Not sure remounting the display would help. Yeah, I also use it fairly low but it still wobbles.

Other than the alignment issue, the display itself seems to be great. If they are all built like this, I would not bother exchanging one only finding it with other minor alignment or minor built quality issue. Hence I want to see others’ experience.

 

[coldwaves]

Just got my Ultrafine 5K and noticed that the display is not straight. If I put the base parallel to the edge of the desk, the screen turns very slightly to the right (There is a little bit of a play in the height adjustment mechanism, I can wiggle the screen to the left or right a little bit). Plus, the left can be rotate up a lot more than the right, but within the range of rotation, the screen can be adjusted to be level.

It seems the display is not super precisely built, especially comparing to the Thunderbolt Display I used before this. Is this normal? If this is indeed the normal built quality, I would not bother exchanging one since the screen itself has no issues.

Here is a picture of what I am talking about. The photo is taking above the display looking down. You can see that the display is not parallel to the base. The screen can wiggle/rotate to the left or right slightly but this position is where it rests. I guess I can put a small piece of paper in the height adjust "column" to force the display turning clockwise a little bit to stay parallel, but that apparent is not an elegant solution.

Do you think this is worthing returning it? Or do most of Ultrafine 5K will have some sloppiness in its building so a new one without this problem may have other problems?

 

[Chris60549]

Not acceptable for a $1500 display.

 

[mar12]

Just got a used UltraFine 5k yesterday and the auto brightness has been driving me crazy.

It seems super sensitive, like just moving/turning my head a little bit causes the auto brightness to significantly increase/decrease the brightness.

I'm in a room that is pretty bright and gets a lot of sunlight but this is pretty annoying - my Mac screens dont fluctuate so much.

Anybody have similar experience or is something up with my monitor?

 

[Chris60549]

I believe, auto brightness never worked for the Ultrafine 5K.

 

[coldwaves]

Just got a used UltraFine 5k yesterday and the auto brightness has been driving me crazy.

It seems super sensitive, like just moving/turning my head a little bit causes the auto brightness to significantly increase/decrease the brightness.

I'm in a room that is pretty bright and gets a lot of sunlight but this is pretty annoying - my Mac screens dont fluctuate so much.

Anybody have similar experience or is something up with my monitor?

Same for me. The auto brightness adjustment is very sensitive in the Ultrafine 5K and turning my head often causes the brightness to change. Exactly the same experience as you described here. It feels more sensitive than the MacBook Pro although I haven't tested it rigorously.

 

[mar12]

Same for me. The auto brightness adjustment is very sensitive in the Ultrafine 5K and turning my head often causes the brightness to change. Exactly the same experience as you described here. It feels more sensitive than the MacBook Pro although I haven't tested it rigorously.

Thanks. It’s pretty disappointing. The auto brightness on the MacBook is significantly better.

I also have the same loose stand that you were describing before. I can kind of twist my monitor to the right a little bit but not to the left at all.

Overall I’m not too impressed. The screen does look great but my room has a lot of reflections and this just doesn’t handle it well at all. I was hoping the extra brightness would compensate but since I use dark mode it doesn’t help enough and the reflections are just too distracting.

I most likely will go back to my 4K monitor as I don’t think this is worth the extra cost.

Hoping Apple releases their new display soon and it isn’t crazy expensive lol

 

[angui]

Hi Everyone!
I have one LG 5K (Macbook Pro) and want to add a second monitor. Is it smarter to buy a 4K in native resolution vs a 5K scaled down though??
I currently use the one 5K typically at 3200x1800 and sometimes in 3840x2160 (a tad too small). When I would get a 4K and run it in native 3840x2160 would that be sharper than the scaled-down 5K? Especially if I would get a 32" 4K in native 3840x2160 would that not be a smarter choice (sharper picture) than another 27" 5K in scaled-down 3200x1800?

Thanks in advance for your guidance guys & gals

 

[Chris60549]

Having two Ultrafine 5Ks side by side with one receiving a 5K signal and the other receiving a 4K signal, it will simply be unbearable. You cannot imagine how blurry it is.

However, having two 5Ks side by side with both of them receiving 5K signals, it is pretty much unbeatable. I would suggest getting a second Ultrafine 5K and swapping your Macbook Pro for the 14, 15 or 16 inch version. Even a 15 inch 2016 Macbook Pro will do the job.

 

[saulinpa]

Along with two 5K Ultrafines I have LG's 24" 4K that I used previously. Feeding a 4K signal to a 5K Ultrafine looks sharper to me than a 4K signal on the 4K monitors (as long as you can deal with pixel alignment issues). Definitely recommend going with the 5K if you can.

 

[Amethyst1]

I have one LG 5K (Macbook Pro) and want to add a second monitor. Is it smarter to buy a 4K in native resolution vs a 5K scaled down though??

Can your MacBook Pro drive two 5K monitors at their native resolution in the first place?

When I would get a 4K and run it in native 3840x2160 would that be sharper than the scaled-down 5K?

That would imply running the "4K" in a non-HiDPI mode, i.e. 100% scaling. Text rendering is awful on macOS in non-HiDPI modes IMO, so to me, even a scaled-down setting still looks better than running at a non-HiDPI mode. But everyone is different.

Feeding a 4K signal to a 5K Ultrafine looks sharper to me than a 4K signal on the 4K monitors [...]

Possibly due to the 27" 5K's higher PPI (219 vs. 185 on the 24" "4K"). I have 219 PPI "4K" and "5K" monitors, each driven at their native resolution, and they look absolutely equally sharp to me.

 

[angui]

Can your MacBook Pro drive two 5K monitors at their native resolution in the first place?


That would imply running the "4K" in a non-HiDPI mode, i.e. 100% scaling. Text rendering is awful on macOS in non-HiDPI modes IMO, so to me, even a scaled-down setting still looks better than running at a non-HiDPI mode. But everyone is different.


Possibly due to the 27" 5K's higher PPI (219 vs. 185 on the 24" "4K"). I have 219 PPI "4K" and "5K" monitors, each driven at their native resolution, and they look absolutely equally sharp to me.

Hi Amethyst1
- No, I currently have a 13" M1 MBP but do plan to upgrade to a 14" M1Pro; so the question is in that context
- Yes the highest possible HiDPI 2880x1620 on the 5K looks much sharper than anything else, but I lose quite a bit of real estate... Maybe I won't miss that as much with a 2 screen setup?
- I probably don't understand well enough how monitors work, but instinctively one would think that for 3840x2160, the display would look sharper in native on a 4K than scaled-down on a 5K? Can you please educate me why that wouldn't be the case pls, curious about it?

 

[Amethyst1]

- I probably don't understand well enough how monitors work, but instinctively one would think that for 3840x2160, the display would look sharper in native on a 4K than scaled-down on a 5K?

You're right as far as the display is concerned. Native modes are always the sharpest. Scaling incurs blurriness.

Can you please educate me why that wouldn't be the case pls, curious about it?

The issue is that macOS' text rendering has become awful in native (non-scaled/non-HiDPI) modes in my opinion. So even though the scaled modes incur some blurriness due to the downscaling of a larger framebuffer to the display's smaller physical resolution, text still looks visibly better than it does in native modes in my opinion. But everyone is different, so don't take my word for it and see for yourself

 

[fwmireault]

So I have to ask the question, what do you all think about the new Studio Display? Do you consider it's good enough to upgrade from an Ultrafine 5K?

Personally I wised that it had Promotion, but I think there are bandwidth limitations that prevent 5K 120 hz. Other than that, it looks pretty nice

 

[jterp7]

if you were gonna buy the ultrafine 5k new then dont. Could also wait to pick up lightly used 5ks for cheap.

Generally speaking id always buy official apple since support is so much easier.

 

[-Ryan-]

So I have to ask the question, what do you all think about the new Studio Display? Do you consider it's good enough to upgrade from an Ultrafine 5K?

Personally I wised that it had Promotion, but I think there are bandwidth limitations that prevent 5K 120 hz. Other than that, it looks pretty nice

Obviously we haven’t seen one in person, but I would be surprised if the Apple display itself were significantly better than the LG. Aesthetically I think the display looks better. I’m not unhappy with the camera on the LG, and personally don’t use the internal speaker. For me it’s not a worthwhile upgrade based on the announcement, but if I were in the market now not owning the LG it would be a no brainer.

 

[jterp7]

it gets an extra 100nits of brightness and the apple design language, beyond that we'll have to wait for hands on.

But yea if you were already gonna spend 1300 spend a bit more for easier support just in case