Quick take video review: LG's UltraFine 5K Display

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2021
Announced in tandem with the 2016 MacBook Pros, LG's 27" UltraFine 5K Display was developed in partnership with Apple. Despite a modest design, the monitor's color accuracy, brightness, contrast and sharpness make it a worthy successor to Apple's defunct Thunderbolt Display.









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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 2 of 22
    kmakma Posts: 1member
    Could you please test the 27" UltraFine with a Mac Pro 2013?   Sorry this is probably a stupid question, but do the FaceTime camera and speakers work through the tb3 to tb2 converter?  
  • Reply 3 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    kma said:
    Sorry this is probably a stupid question, but do the FaceTime camera and speakers work through the tb3 to tb2 converter?  
    A reasonable question, as DisplayPort seems unsupported (yet?) too despite the TB3 spec, and the promise of a 'one connector' world...
  • Reply 4 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    … and even more expensive, which would switch the complaints from 'ugliness' to 'price' though made by the same people. 
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 5 of 22
    GustGust Posts: 1member
    Kma said: Could you please test the 27" UltraFine with a Mac Pro 2013? With the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and a Thunderbolt cable, you can use the LG UltraFine 5K Display at 4K and lower resolutions with these Mac models: 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz Mac Pro (Late 2013)* yes please test the macpro late 2013 with the thunderbolt adapter.
    maciekskontakt
  • Reply 6 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    Rayz2016 said:
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    … and even more expensive, which would switch the complaints from 'ugliness' to 'price' though made by the same people. 
    Indeed pricing for many is key. In numerous cases Apple has maintained pricing levels and upgraded specs, or in others (like the air, base mini and even 30" display) offered lower priced revisions with more modest improvements as well... Should we prepare for the return of a plastic iMac next ?
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 7 of 22
    indiekidukindiekiduk Posts: 381member
    All that hassle of getting a new display for the new MBP and added expense of thunderbolt and it can't even do full speed USB 3, what a joke. So much for the all-in-one cable solution. Futhermore Apple don't even sell a USB 3 dongle so you can't use existing hubs with built in cables, you have to go 3rd party for that. I guess they expect you to buy USB c to a/b cables for your peripherals.
  • Reply 8 of 22
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    Apple does sell a USB-C to USB-A dongle.

    http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1M2AM/A/usb-c-to-usb-adapter?fnode=5822232f56e79fd4af842be6fd9427eb6933413b4b4a91cc227486ca3da85598d28b245d14b3ce4d92a3dce2d2cdee2cb636c06bdd99455321329e73b10664371a845264d85f1b14185880aade34888892dee77a5e92df86f94cc8292e04004b

    Re: full speed USB 3.1 on the display. The only time you're going to run into that is a SSD RAID. Even a conventional hard drive RAID won't be throttled. We'll have more on that in the full written review.
    neo-techRayz2016pscooter63
  • Reply 9 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Rayz2016 said:
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    … and even more expensive, which would switch the complaints from 'ugliness' to 'price' though made by the same people. 
    Indeed pricing for many is key. In numerous cases Apple has maintained pricing levels and upgraded specs, or in others (like the air, base mini and even 30" display) offered lower priced revisions with more modest improvements as well... Should we prepare for the return of a plastic iMac next ?
    I imagine that Apple could maintain pricing levels and improve specs when enough people bought PCs to make it easier for them to get large discounts on large component purchases. It's also worth bearing in mind that the cost of building a new machine is not just the cost of the components that go into it. It has to designed, tested (and we've seen what happens when you just drop components into a shell without testing if they work well together) and assembled. 

    There's also this argument that comes up regularly:

    "Apple is sitting on billions. Surely they can use that money to build us a…"

    They could, but they won't. The Mac division has to be able to stand on its own without being propped up by the divisions such as services and mobile. 

    The return of the plastic iMac? Well, I'm more interested in what it does as opposed to what it looks like, so I wouldn't care that much. 

    What is the overall trend of the PC market? Are sales increasing or decreasing?

    edited January 2017
  • Reply 10 of 22
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,871member
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 

    Steve Jobs on why they got out of the Xserve business: "Hardly anyone was buying them."

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/08/alleged_steve_jobs_e_mail_says_hardly_anyone_was_buying_apples_xserves
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 11 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    "Well, I'm more interested in what it does as opposed to what it looks like, so I wouldn't care that much."

    I don't remember the last time an Apple core (equivalent) product had what I consider a significant industrial design downgrade... I'm even unsure functionally why rotation was omitted, if the 5K is put on a mast, and does have some level rotation ? And once reverting to the realm of plastic, are other options more comparable and has a race to the bottom begun ? I've heard that term applied to the PC industry, which many write Apple has largely escaped.

    LG offers lower and higher priced 4K including both 31" and a 38" 21:9 curved display with USB-C for more than the 5K, and the original Apple 30 sold for $2k, when it was 'game changing' innovation... Also Apple used to offer things like X-grid, which helped sell macs, or even just the potential of macs, with debatable direct return...

    I usually give Apple the benefit of the doubt, so let's hope I'm wrong. And then there's the Surface Studio (if you have seen it), but that would be another string entirely...
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 12 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 

    Steve Jobs on why they got out of the Xserve business: "Hardly anyone was buying them."

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/08/alleged_steve_jobs_e_mail_says_hardly_anyone_was_buying_apples_xserves
    The TB Display was long overdue for some even minor & cost effective upgrades, or a price reduction. Would even adding USB-3 ports have made a big difference? They still seemed compelling as-is to me at refurbished product pricing, which they seem to be selling at least for now (some as much as +40% over new, or more than the 5K) as used items on eBay, so go figure...
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 13 of 22
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,871member
    bobolicious said:
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 

    Steve Jobs on why they got out of the Xserve business: "Hardly anyone was buying them."

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/08/alleged_steve_jobs_e_mail_says_hardly_anyone_was_buying_apples_xserves
    The TB Display was long overdue for some even minor & cost effective upgrades, or a price reduction. Would even adding USB-3 ports have made a big difference? They still seemed compelling as-is to me at refurbished product pricing, which they seem to be selling at least for now (some as much as +40% over new, or more than the 5K) as used items on eBay, so go figure...
    Refurb is not the business line. If the retail SKUs aren't selling, then there's less incentive to continue to invest in them as a product line. Like I said I can only guess, but I'd guess that if Apple is getting out of the business of selling that piece of hardware it's because they weren't selling at retail very well. 
  • Reply 14 of 22
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,871member

    bobolicious said:
    "Well, I'm more interested in what it does as opposed to what it looks like, so I wouldn't care that much."

    I don't remember the last time an Apple core (equivalent) product had what I consider a significant industrial design downgrade... I'm even unsure functionally why rotation was omitted, if the 5K is put on a mast, and does have some level rotation ? And once reverting to the realm of plastic, are other options more comparable and has a race to the bottom begun ? I've heard that term applied to the PC industry, which many write Apple has largely escaped. 
    But it's not Apple's product. This is an LG product. They're not even a subsidiary of Apple. I'm not sure to the extent of their partnership on this, but I'm guessing it was on the technical side, or the locking up of inventory side.
  • Reply 15 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    bobolicious said:
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 

    Steve Jobs on why they got out of the Xserve business: "Hardly anyone was buying them."

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/08/alleged_steve_jobs_e_mail_says_hardly_anyone_was_buying_apples_xserves
    The TB Display was long overdue for some even minor & cost effective upgrades, or a price reduction. Would even adding USB-3 ports have made a big difference? They still seemed compelling as-is to me at refurbished product pricing, which they seem to be selling at least for now (some as much as +40% over new, or more than the 5K) as used items on eBay, so go figure...
    Just because a handful of nostalgics buy then on eBay, doesn't mean they're going to sell well to a wider market. 
  • Reply 16 of 22
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 966member
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 
    I would bet a pair of AirPods that you're wrong, and the real reason is constrained resources. 

    Cook has repeatedly said that acquiring and retaining talent is their biggest challenge. Airports and Cinema Displays get axed and Mac Pros lay stagnant because of iPhones and Project Titan, and finding, acquiring and managing qualified hands takes YEARS
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 17 of 22
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 966member
    ... besides, only Apple could make the Mac, the iPhone, the Watch, etc. as much as we might prefer the aluminum body of the Cinema Display, that is an accomplishment that nearly any manufacturer could do. Apple shouldn't waste resources on things that other companies could do. 

    Remember those years Apple spent making unremarkable laser printers?

    The perfect 5k display will be coming soon, we're still early in this particular game. 
  • Reply 18 of 22
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,163member
    StrangeDays said:
    And yes, it's plastic... ...would an upgrade to the venerable cinema/thunderbolt display with a 2160p (4K) or 2880p (5K) panel, usb-3.1 and tb-3 (usb-c) ports have been at least consistent, if not innovative...?
    Not if it doesn't sell. I can only guess that the Cinema Displays were not big sellers, if Apple is getting out of the business of selling them. 

    Steve Jobs on why they got out of the Xserve business: "Hardly anyone was buying them."

    http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/08/alleged_steve_jobs_e_mail_says_hardly_anyone_was_buying_apples_xserves
    There is a law in economics called Say's Law (out of favour these Keynesian days which fantasises that you can borrow and spend your way to prosperity, but I digress) which in summary is that supply creates its own demand.  In the case of an Apple Monitor, the old one was no longer a value add and thus the failure to supply an up to date one guarantees lack of demand. A self fulfilling prophesy.
    dws-2aussiepaullorin schultz
  • Reply 19 of 22
    maciekskontaktmaciekskontakt Posts: 1,169member
    How close is this display to professional graphics grade liek EIZO and high-end NEC? IS it anti-glare as well?
  • Reply 20 of 22
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,145member
    How close is this display to professional graphics grade liek EIZO and high-end NEC? IS it anti-glare as well?

    https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2017/20170105_2054-LG_5K_display.html
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