M2 Mac Mini Monitor recommendations

[BuggyRidesAgain]

I recently purchased a M2 Mac Mini and am currently looking for monitors for it. Ideally I would like to purchase two of the same monitors for it and I have been researching options for the last week. The monitors will mostly be used for programming, reading pdf copies of text books, and likely watching video lectures. I’m not a gamer so it’s very unlikely they will ever be used for it. I would like them to be at least 4k. I live in Australia so my selection vs price options are somewhat limited. That is at least as it relates to my budget. I am considering the LG 27UL850-W ( https://www.lg.com/au/it-monitors/lg-27UL850-W). Would this be a good option?

 

[Mark.g4]

Hi,
I have a Lg32un880 4k, and I like it: a good monitor with an an excellent value for money when it goes on sale on amazon or on the lg site.
I don't know Lg27Ul850-W I still think it's a good monitor if you don't have to do photo editing or graphics.
I have shared my experience and I hope I have been of help to you.

 

[xraydoc]

I recently purchased a M2 Mac Mini and am currently looking for monitors for it. Ideally I would like to purchase two of the same monitors for it and I have been researching options for the last week. The monitors will mostly be used for programming, reading pdf copies of text books, and likely watching video lectures. I’m not a gamer so it’s very unlikely they will ever be used for it. I would like them to be at least 4k. I live in Australia so my selection vs price options are somewhat limited. That is at least as it relates to my budget. I am considering the LG 27UL850-W ( https://www.lg.com/au/it-monitors/lg-27UL850-W). Would this be a good option?

I have two of those 27” LGs. While I just this past week replaced them with 2x LG DualUps, I had no issues at all with them.

 

[MilaM]

Hi,
I have a Lg32un880 4k, and I like it: a good monitor with an an excellent value for money when it goes on sale on amazon or on the lg site.
I don't know Lg27Ul850-W I still think it's a good monitor if you don't have to do photo editing or graphics.
I have shared my experience and I hope I have been of help to you.

Hi Mark,

I'm looking for a monitor for a Mac mini and the LG 32UN880 is on my shortlist.

My desk is a little bit larger than average. The depth is 91 cm (~36 inches). I'm therefore not sure if the swivel arm would allow me to set up the monitor close enough to read comfortably.

Could you maybe measure maximum possible distance between the edge of the desk and the front of the fully extended monitor?

I wasn't able to find this info on LG's homepage or anywhere else.

 

[Mark.g4]

91cm is a perfect depth for this monitor.
the maximum possible distance is 38-39cm.
don’t worry about it.
I think is necessary a desktop not less of 85cm depth.

 

[MilaM]

Thank you for the quick reply!!

38 cm would mean that the monitor would be about 20 cm further away from my eyes than my current 27 inch iMac.

So the question then is, if the 32 inch monitor will compensate for the larger distance. I'll have to think about it.

Have you noticed any compatibility issues with your Mac? Are you also using the Apple Silicon Mac with M1 or M2?

 

[Mark.g4]

You are welcome.

I have a 80cm depth desk and I have the whole monitor positioned at the bottom, I would like to move it further away but I can't, that's fine, so I'm thinking of changing my desk with a depth one or getting an arm stand to move the monitor further back.
with the old imac 27" + arm stand i was a perfect distance away, but this one is bigger and closer so i would like to place it further away.
Then it depends on the resolution you use it with and what you do with it, but in my opinion, in your case there will be no problem.

yes, after the latest Ventura update, the monitor no longer goes to sleep..
I'll explain: after the scrensaver the screen goes black, but the backlight doesn't turn off, which it did perfectly before the last update.
and then the other problem is that you have to turn on the computer first and then the monitor otherwise you won't see anything on the screen...

They are not real problems, because the monitor works perfectly, it's more something annoying...

However, in terms of value for money, I am very satisfied, considering that I also bought the ergonomic stand for less than $500.

I use it with air M1 so 60W power delivery is perfect for my use.

 

[MilaM]

I was afraid that there could be annoying power management problems. It seems to be very common when you read reviews about other monitors. Compatibility problems with third party hardware has always been the biggest pain point of owning an Apple device 😕.

There is also the older LG 5K monitor that explicitly supported Macs. But it's hard to get because LG discontinued it. And it's also much more expensive with a 1000+ EUR price tag.

Anyway, thanks for your input. This was very helpful!

 

[Mark.g4]

On mine there are no power problems, but if you have to use a MBP you can't use the PD, because you need more current and 60W are not enough.
You will need to use it with Mac mini, so no problem, you will need to power the mini with its power cable and then connect the Mac to the monitor via hdmi or usb-c.

I repeat I am very satisfied and I recommend it, there are some small problems that don't affect the good functioning but I digest them without problems, because with less than $500 I brought home a great monitor with its ergonomic stand.
To make a leap in quality I should have gotten a 27" Apple studio display, which however costs three times as much.

 

[MilaM]

However, in terms of value for money, I am very satisfied, considering that I also bought the ergonomic stand for less than $500.

One more question about this. The ergonomic stand is part of the bundle, isn't it? On Amazon I can buy monitor + stand for ~560 EUR.

 

[Mark.g4]

Yes it is part of the bundle (LG32 UN880 ergo).
There's no need to buy another arm stand, unless you don't like the stock one.