I haven’t been near an Apple Store for months before the pandemic began, and I wasn’t aware of this option. I did some searching and found that these could be problems:
And especially for anyone who proofs for print or any large format media:
Yeah, I personally prefer glossy screens. Many people don’t, but I just don’t find the color on matte screens to be anywhere as good.
One thing you should be aware of in order to make an informed purchase decision is that my personal experience with LG Tech Support and Customer Service has been abysmal. On my 2019 65" $3K OLED TV the motherboard had issues and I had to wait weeks for the service provider replaced it with a refurbished “bastard” board for a TV only a few months old whose serial number did not reflect the model number of the TV. My attempts to get a proper board with escalation ultimately failed as I was basically told to live with it since it is working. Earlier on LG indicated it was going to upgrade the software on all C8 model TV’s to be compatible and then after several months of promises they decided not to with no explanation as to why. In my opinion they LG is not a customer focused or customer centered company. Unfortunately, I did have purchase the LG 5K 27" monitor as it was the only completely compatible monitor for the W5700 GPU in my MacPro 2019 Desktop computer, other than Apple’s $5K RDX monitor (plus $1K for the stand), both which support the GPU’s Thunderbolt connection. It has absolutely no controls, not even a power button. At times it acts a bit flakey. Not sure if it is the monitor or the GPU. Thank goodness I chose to get an extended warranty on it. In any case after attempting to get traction from Apple on a watchdog error at shutdown for the last 8 months, Apple is finally going to replace the GPU in attempt to finally fix the issue. If the monitor intermittently still acts flakey, then I will likely have another nightmare on my hands in having to deal with LG tech support again.
If you have two monitors, as I prefer, Big Sur presents a problem because it will support only one monitor from USB ports. The fix is a second one fed from from the HDMI port
@jcenters, according to a comment on @mjtsai’s blog, you might be able to control the LG monitor’s speaker volume from your Mac by installing:
That’s cool, thanks for pointing that out. I’ll have to try it.
Which makes perfect sense. LCD panel manufacturers are making 4K panels in massive quantities for the TV market, so 4K computer displays aren’t very expensive. But 5K displays are only sold for computer use - they are manufactured in smaller quantities and therefore cost more.
End 2016/start 2017 was a big upgrade (and product investment!) time for me.
Firstly, I bought the first 2016 TB3 15MBP, maxed-out with ACare (£4.5K). A lot at the time, and still now IMO.
Secondly, I bought two of the LG UltraFine 5K’s in Mar 2017 – just after the insulation issue on the late 2016 ones was updated (£1748: £874@).
As some may not remember, when Apple released the first TB3 MBPs, they had some flak about users having to upgrade accessories to TB3, so they announced a temporary 1-yr 25% price reduction on all the TB3 accessories they sold. This included the LG 5K display luckily, hence the price for two fell from £1179 to £884 (a nice ~£600 saving on two).
At that price it was a no brainier if wanting extra displays, given Apple’s own TB Display was £900 a few years earlier (same in US$, AFAIR). So for the same money you got 5K text-crisp Retina res P3 gamut displays with built-in speakers, 1080p webcam, 3x USB-C 5Gb ports, 15MBP charging, and (ultra importantly, so no fiddling about with screen joysticks or similar!) seamless Apple integration (inc. sleep).
Sure they were not the prettiest and still aren’t compared to Apple’s own, but they look utilitarian and business-like –which I prefer– rather than cheap and “made for gamers” looks, which I don’t like. The 218ppi was the most important thing to me, as I absolutely wanted them to match Apple’s own Retina quality displays.
The trouble for buyers now in (nearly) 2021 and 4-yrs later, is it being hard to swing ones head around spending the nearly £1.2K full price on EXACTLY THE SAME display (well the current minor rev. B has vanilla USB-C output functionality along with TB3, but still).
If I was looking around, I’d likely get a used/refurbed, and wait it out until the marketplace moves on to new tech. As the seamless Apple integration and 218ppi are absolutely key over anything else for me.
I’d justify it by suspecting there simply won’t be any new offerings for another 2-3 years until UHD 8K (or even 10K, to match the same 20% greater as the 4K vs 5K difference we have now) will arrive.
While understandable due to 5K’s niche over 4K panels, it’s still a real pity that the marketplace (especially Apple!) hasn’t pushed more (prettier, to match Apple aesthetics!) product options out. Apple are clearly completely uninterested in their non-‘super pro’ market to bother.
One has to wonder –given the LG is the only Apple-seamless option that exists– if the next (8K/10K) generation of displays will ever release a fully-seamless Apple-orientated product. Or will the LG 5K be the last one?
Real shame if so for the Apple eco-system of users. 
Yep, that’s it; 4K panels are mass produced due to being the current TV standard, but 5K ones seemingly aren’t unfortunately.
And the difference in pixel count is big too:
…We just need 16K now, so we can have 132.7 megapixel displays, lol!
(apparently aimed at VR stuff, rather than video.)
This entire situation is quite frustrating. In the end, there is just no suitable substitute for the Apple-endorsed LG 5K display. No other display offers all the USB C ports, the pass-through charging that has enough juice to charge a 16" MBP, the resolution, color accuracy, the built-in webcam that actually works with FaceTime without a hitch… and the fact that it integrates with the OS keyboard shortcuts for sound, brightness, etc.
I can live without the FaceTime webcam, but all the other features are just too darn important to me. Especially the USB-C ports. I have no interest in USB A, HDMI, DisplayPort, or any other type of port.
As a graphic designer, color and clarity/sharpness are the most important, and a minimum of full 4k resolution is a must. These 1440 displays are a joke—I can see more of my documents on the 16" MBP display than most of these 27" displays and that’s just unacceptable.
In my opinion, the “overpriced” LG 5K display is “value-priced” when I consider all the shortcomings I would be forced to deal with and extra purchases I would need to make to come close to the LG 5K. In the end, I would only save a few hundred dollars and still have a lesser quality display.
Thank you @jcenters. I will go for one of these (or the UL version) if I can find one here in the UK, where they currently seem to be in short supply. I’m not fussy about colour, but the resolution, tiltable stand and built-in speakers all sound good.
Can anyone suggest a good cable to connect my 2015 MacBook Pro using the DisplayPort option? I get confused about Thunderbolt ports.
This one will work just fine.
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-USB-C-Supporting/dp/B01J6DT070
Although my work doesn’t depend on color (I’m color-blind too 
) I’m usually in the same boat. If you need something for work, a couple hundred bucks is peanuts. How many hours lost till it’s cost you $1k?
Thanks Simon, but my MacBook is too old for USB-C. I guess it’s Thunderbolt 2, so I think the physical connector is Mini DisplayPort. In which case Amazon seems to have plenty of choice.
Apologies, I missed that. This one will do the trick for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Mini-DisplayPort-Black/dp/B07RHVRVBY
Thank you! I think this is the Amazon UK equivalent. Weirdly, it’s cheaper here. Not often that happens 
The current LG model is on sale
If you need something for work, a couple hundred bucks is peanuts. How many hours lost till it’s cost you $1k?
That’s my exact feeling as well. It would be different if the cost of the display and any required dongles and doodads came to half the cost of the LG, but that’s not the case. And even then, if I had to sacrifice anything important to me, it STILL wouldn’t be worth the savings.
It would be different if this were a “personal use” setup, but when I use equipment to make a living, “more” really is more.
I have nothing useful to add in terms of technology, but I’m typing this in front of my brand-new LG 27UL850-W and just wanted to thank @jcenters again for the recommendation. I appreciate that 5k would be better, and I’ve no reason to suppose the other 4k monitors that other people have suggested here aren’t just as good, but the LG is perfect for my modest needs and budget (just under GBP 400 here in the UK). It’s a big step up from my previous 24-inch 1080p monitor.
That’s great! I’m always a little nervous recommending products, even after all these years, so it’s nice to hear positive experiences based on those recommendations.