Ultrawide 3440*1440 (LG 34WN750 ) vs LG 32UN880 4K monitor/ Why different clarity on same visual ppi

[royas]

I am just confused how for some people 110 PPI monitors are not an issue on Mac OS.
Maybe these people that are fine with it don't know anything better i.e. haven't really experienced high ppi monitors.
I really wish I could get one of these 34/38 inch Ultrawide monitors, but I just cannot accept the font rendering.


Once you have used a high ppi for some time you don't want anything worse. Its probably the same effect that high refresh rate monitors have on people. I don't see any issue with 60 HZ but once I try out a higher refresh monitor I probably can't use anything less anymore.

 

[Amethyst1]

I am just confused how for some people 110 PPI monitors are not an issue on Mac OS.

Everyone is different.

Maybe these people that are fine with it don't know anything better i.e. haven't really experienced high ppi monitors.

Maybe. Maybe they just don’t care.

 

[WP31]

Hey @royas - Im going to try to convey a thought or two but it's all subjective so please ignore this if it doesn't make sense to you.

I've run a 27" LG Ultrafine 5k at 2560x1440 HiDPI beside a 34" LG Ultrawide at 3440x1440 for several years now, originally using a 2016 13" MBP and now a 2020 MacMini (side note, I also have a 2021 13" M1 MBA that I've hooked up for the fun of it). What I effectively have is roughly 50 inches of horizontal workspace at the same resolution with 1/3 of it at HiDPI. So 1/3 of the monitor space in front of me is 218ppi (the ultrafine) and 2/3 is 109ppi (the ultrawide).

I use it for 'normal'/general productivity purposes, no gaming or video/audio/photo work. I basically look at mail, documents, calendars, spreadsheets, websites, video calls, etc. all day with a small amount of content consumption every now and then.

I have a great live experiment in front of me all day long. All I have to do is drag a window from one monitor to another to see the difference in PPI. The bottom line for me is I don't see enough difference between the two to really notice unless I focus on it specifically. Every now and then I step back and see if I can see the difference. Yes I can see it If I focus on it, but I'd say 99% of the time I don't notice the difference and it's sitting in front of my eyes all day long.

I do, however, like the HiDPI monitor and am keeping my hopes up for a mid-level HiDPI Apple monitor (I just can't justify the cost of the XDR for what I do). I will not buy another 109PPI monitor but I don't actively dislike it.

 

[Colstan]

Maybe. Maybe they just don’t care.

Us tech nerds and the general public have significantly different standards. I was stuck on Mojave while I was using an ancient Dell 2005FPW (1680x1050) monitor that I probably kept for way too long. I simply couldn't tolerate the way fonts were reproduced on Catalina (and later) on a low PPI display. I didn't upgrade to a newer version of macOS until I managed to somehow acquire an unopened LG 22MD4KA off of Ebay. I guess somebody was keeping it hidden under their mattress and forgot about it.

Sometimes I let non-tech people use my Mac. Thus far, nobody has noticed that I switched monitors, since the Dell and LG both have similar casing and black bezels. For them it's "just a screen" and nothing appears different, including the way macOS renders fonts.

As an example of what some regular users are fine with, take a look at this abomination:

That's the workspace for a friend of mine who runs a heavy equipment business that primarily supplies farmers. He spends most of his workday there taking phone calls and fulfilling orders. The monitors are whatever spares he had handy, the desk is covered with dust and soot from woodwork machinery, and the clutter is obviously substantial. He has no interest in using one keyboard for multiple computers, and doesn't understand what a VM is or how to use virtual desktops. Those concepts are much too foreign for him.

As you can imagine, like many of us here, my desk is the polar opposite, with everything symmetrical and orderly. I practically baby my 21.5-inch LG because ~220 PPI monitors are so rare, particularly affordable ones. Regardless of the way that I perceive it, my friend's workspace and display placement does everything he needs, and works best for him, so I'm not going to criticize him for it. Still, if I had to use his setup on the regular, it would drive me mad.

Sorry for the tangent, but you're absolutely right @Amethyst1, the folks on this forum don't represent the average user, who simply don't notice or care.

 

[Amethyst1]

Sorry for the tangent, but you're absolutely right @Amethyst1, the folks on this forum don't represent the average user, who simply don't notice or care.

Maybe, maybe not.

You've summed it up perfectly... I have my desk set up the way I like it, you have your desk set up the way you like it, others have their desk set up the way they like it. And it's not my business to tell others to "do things differently because I know better".

 

[mehulparmariitr]

I got my lg 5k monitor today with 218 ppi (27MD5KL) and the ppi is really good but the screen is like heavily glossy!! It is acting like a mirror. Whenever I open any IDE I can clearly see myself while typing code which makes me lose attention. In dark and white backgrounds I can particularly see myself. Wish it was a matte display then it would have been perfect with 218 ppi.

Still my current DELL U2720Q is gold standard. And now I think I will just wait to get a good ppi monitor with matte screen to avoid such problems ?

 

[mehulparmariitr]

Can anything be done to reduce glare from Lg 5k monitor?

 

[Dentifrice]

edit : wrong post, can't find delete button?