Apple Studio Display vs. LG Ultrafine 5K vs. Others: The Best Computer Monitor? | WSJ

[@viewer_007]

"That's why I brought someone with better eyes than me". Dude with specs walks in!

[@akyhne]

And...? Are you saying he can't judge the displays, because he wears glasses?

[@kartikeyaable]

Respect her for this hot take. Feel like these days most of the tech review guys would never objectively finish a sentence degrading apple.

[@admin4194]

👆👆 Haha inbox me right away 👍

[@tathan201120]

That is a big exaggeration. There has to be about a million videos in production right now that will do nothing but tell you how horrible every Apple product is, some might even go on about how they and you should hate the colors, commercials, their customers, the event, the specs, anyone that thinks of buying or acquiring a new thing, hate hate hate. What are you watching?

[@Lena-vw6ye]

@@tathan201120 Most of the major content creators are using Apple, that's probably why. I also rarely ever see negative information on Apple products, though they have been giving medium responses lately about Apple's "optimized" experience.

[@User-cb4jm]

@@Lena-vw6ye they make two classes of products, good value consumer ones like the iPad range , M1 MacBooks, most iPhones, but also wildly overpriced accessories like their AirPods Max headphones that are no better than Sony XM4s or displays that are easily beat by a monitor costing a few hundred. Basically any of their products that don’t have an operating system can be substituted for better and cheaper alternatives but their OSes do offer good end user experience for most people unless you have specific needs.

[@Lena-vw6ye]

​@@User-cb4jm It's a preference issue. I don't use any of Apples products anymore and I've phased out of their ecosystem for a long time now. I just found that every little thing I downloaded and used on Apple was subscriptions, or multi-level access. I still have an iPhone but it's not my main phone.

[@User-cb4jm]

Love Joanna’s takes on tech. I agree, for me a standard 4K USB-C monitor is more than enough for docking my MacBook Pro. It boggles me the Studio Display costs so much but still acts like a standard monitor and can’t do XDR like my miniLED laptop display neither does it have the adaptive 120hz refresh rate (ProMotion) I absolutely love, and now you’ve also proven the pretty good 1080p MacBook Pro webcam is still better than the 12MP one that should theoretically be able to do 4K.

[@zecanard]

Apple goes and creates a premium product priced accordingly, yet somehow forgets what its primary purpose is. A monitor isn’t a webcam or a surround-sound system-it’s a display first and foremost. I would gladly ditch the A13, Center Stage, and 6 speakers for HDR and ProMotion. But a 60 Hz SDR display with the same display specs as the old 27” iMac, at that price, is hard to justify. Looks like they didn’t learn from the commercial disaster that was the HomePod.

[@cat-.-]

They are saving HDR for the 5000 dollar model which also no one buys. Lacking for professionals (watch HDTV’s review) and absurd pricing for avg consumers.

[@rewanji]

Completely agree. $1600 (€1799 in Europe…) is too much for a monitor with these kind of specs. If it included Face ID, 120Hz refresh rate, mini LED panel and an adjustable stand then, yes, it would be more than justified. As such, it’s basically an iMac 27” with a few extra bits and slightly improved brightness values. I really hope other brands start to offer similar designed monitors but with better specs at a more reasonable price…

[@zecanard]

@@rewanji Don’t forget that for just $200(?) more, you used to get an entire computer with that same display. I simply cannot imagine a slightly improved webcam and 4 additional speakers making up for that loss. (I’m not including True Tone, because that’s something you would expect to see included as an incremental update to the Mac as well.)

[@rewanji]

@@zecanard That’s what I feel. I’ve wanting to change my 2015 27” iMac for a more recent model, but these prices are not justifiable to me (and many others). Let’s hope Apple didn’t completely forgets the bigger format iMac.

[@akyhne]

There's nothing wrong with the price, if the display is worth it. You could and can buy monitors, that are 2-3 times more expensive from other brands, than are worth their money, even if they on paper may sound inferior to these displays.

[@adobegr]

You should have mentioned stuff like image scaling and clarity of text. I don’t use my computer to watch films.

[@shinong]

It's ridiculous that the guy said he prefers LG 4K display over the 5K studio display.

[@shinong]

@@cookednick I was talking about the man, the color professional, who picked the two lg displays as the best.

[@tonyhuynh6789]

you are right. that’s what i am concerning about

[@ten_tego_teges]

I thought everyone now uses separate headphones or dedicated speakers instead of monitor speakers. The lack of adjustable height and rotation is pretty shocking on the other side.

[@knightkidcy]

Corp greed at full display one more time

[@kornkernel2232]

Yeah, well some just like more integrated system especially if lacking space. But then this price isn't for regular home office use but too lacking for a proper professional monitor. The panel is great but not more impressive than the others in the same market and price. Its got some extra features that Pro users may not need anyways. Built in speakers and Webcam are better for home office use, but again too expensive.

[@ten_tego_teges]

@@kornkernel2232 Fair, it makes sense. Though I'd imagine that adjustable height is even more important in that scenario...

[@robertbaron3242]

Joanna is absolutely perfect for this. Really enjoyed her presentation style.

[@billtang79]

I just love Joanna’s reviews! She is able to do non biased reviews well

[@aliua6]

I subscribe to WSJ for Joanna's content

[@CNMTCFilms]

The problem is, there isn't really another 5k 27" on the market. The Ultrafine isn't available in most stores anymore. And there is nothing comparable with this build quality. But it's just very expensive

[@doomtomb3]

First world problem lol

[@epicnova2010]

mateview 4k+ problem solved you're welcome

[@Benjamin-rh9qn]

@@epicnova2010 read that mateview had bad compability for m1

[@junesuprise]

Is 4K much worse tho? I heard that scaling on 5k is perfect, but what about Xdr and it’s 6k? It’s a non issue there?

[@junesuprise]

I mean ppi on 4k is fine for me

[@tedrodenborn8172]

Dude! Dan Silverman! I haven’t seen you since back in our days at Technicolor. That was like 15 years ago. Nice to see you man! Thanks for this review, very helpful.

[@philippeggmann9809]

Hey, the lg 5k and the studio use the excact same panel!

[@flatD1]

You are completely ignoring the fact that 4K is just half the Resolution of 5K! 4K has just 8,3 Mio Pixels where 5K has 14,7 Mio Pixels. To compare this to types of Displays, even with some of a bigger screensize that make it worse, is redicoulus. It dose't make any sense!

[@Observationistic]

Hi. Reformed Apple fanboy here. Having used the LG monitor, I have to say that even though the quality of Apple’s monitors’ build is superior in every way, the quality of the displays and the software support are comparable, which really surprised me because I used to think that there’re no other companies that can do it as well as Apple.

[@Mainyehc]

Not only does the heigh-adjustable stand cost an extra $400, unlike its more expensive Pro XDR counterpart it doesn’t allow for rotation. If you want that functionality you’ll have to get the VESA mount version and use your own monitor arm/stand.

[@DMProductions]

This was a great test

[@SoftwareManiacLSM]

Do you remember how Apple said you could "order the Studio Display with the tilt stand and bring it to your local Apple store to install the height-adjustable adapter?" Well, forget it. I set up a Genius Bar appointment and then called just to be sure they had the part. I was told that (1) I must come into the store first, (2) the appointment is treated as a repair ??? and they could then order the part, and (3) when the part comes in, you schedule a visit again. What is really bad (in Seattle area) is that distribution doesn't even have the part!?!?! When I ordered the Studio display, the height-adjustable version (+$400) would take another 3-4 weeks and I didn't want to wait. Anyone else running into this?

[@HuntsmanBG]

Joanna is simply the best on the business

[@peeravaskongsansatien9945]

I found this a hilarious monitor review. Thanks!

[@stevewright1539]

This is most likely the same, somewhat dated, panel that is in the LG. The webcam HAS to be improved by software. Some discussion of the speakers and sound quality along with Hey Siri functionality that is not found in the LG should have been mentioned. Hopefully Apple can revise this monitor in the future as the display needs improvement to match current standards.

[@jonorisin73]

I really appreciate this comparison. So few people are comparing the existing (and cheaper) LG Ultrafine 5k to the newer -more expensive- Studio Display.

[@Vipwhips13]

it's an old monitor with MANY reviews already, no need to compare it.

[@jeanbutinfrench]

So it is better? I loved the format, but I wish it went more in depth… in the end it seemed to be the better product, but the phrasing did not communicate that enough…

[@Squadwin]

Quite an excellent video. Would definitely like to see you compare the matter vs glossy vs semi/glossy filters.

[@deyh5664]

Glossy best by far. Color pops much more. Matte is knowlingly limiting your screen quality, maybe only good if you have no choice and if you sit in the full sun/light for some reason.

[@Ian-gf8id]

Superb review - no punches pulled, and a touch of humour to stop it getting too dry. Integration with OS X controls (brightness; volume; etc) is nice to have, but the average specifications and performance (compared to competitors), plus very poor webcam performance and limited adjustability on the stand, really doesn't justify Apple's price tag.

[@TheViettan28]

Most people just need a $200 4k monitor. Your $400 is kinda good already

[@rithondhar8171]

Where can you get 200 usd 4k monitor?

[@Chrnx4333]

@@rithondhar8171 in vietnam i guess...

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

What about motion blur? What about text sharpness and reading experience? What about reflections? What about contrast and brightness? What about supported standards of video reproduction? ... Seriously, while a comparison video review is a nice idea, the methods and lack of basic knowledge (or maybe targeting a dumb audience?), makes it really useless.

[@Vipwhips13]

It's for sure targeting a dumb audience. Terrible comparison video.

[@msaintmac]

Good video. But not everyone does color grading. For productivity and development 5k makes a massive difference compared to 4K when you spend your day staring at text. 5k may not seem much more than 4K but it’s actually about twice as many pixels.

[@bedtimestories1065]

I'm a full time developer and can't make my mind up. Would you really recommend 5k over 4k? I'm upgrading from 1080p so really anything will be a leap for me lol

[@msaintmac]

@@bedtimestories1065 Do you have a retina macbook pro (well any macbook pro since 2013+) ? If so do you find it annoying to stare at your non retina 1080p screen ? If you're looking at a 27" display, if you want the UI to have the "correct" size, you either have to go for a 1440p non retina or a 5k retina. With a 4k you'll either have a way too small UI, a way too big retina UI or a blurry "right size" UI. I've been using the LG 5k for 2 years and have been very happy with it.

[@istudy9]

What a pleasure to see her using same monitor I got. The LG monitor is totally worth bang for buck

[@otakhati3325]

I Only Watch this Because of Her! the Content actually just Replay mostlly. Love Her!

[@DirekLambert]

Super Great Video! Thanks a lot for this comparison

[@jerrychen6131]

Basically apple released 5K iMac in 2014 and in 2016 they put the same panels in LG ultra fine and now they use it in studio display. So technically speaking studio displays and ultra fine is the same just higher brightness by 100 nit

[@krunge]

It's not the same panel. If you Google it they have different model numbers and the newer panel in the Studio Display is better with real 10 bit and not "fake" 10 bit (8+2) like the LG ultrafine and iMacs.

[@chuckdawit]

I just bought 2 Dell U2723QE for $624 and they are pretty nice displays. Just released w/ 2000:1 contrast, HDR400, 4K with a new black level tech. Couldn't be happier.

[@arminmesic7273]

Are you using it with a MacBook? If you are is there any problems? Was considering buy it myself or the 32 inch version.

[@alexisbendelamousseauchocolat]

Thank you, Joanna! This was fun!

[@Lena-vw6ye]

Thank you for making this video Wall Street Journal. I was looking for a new monitor, and I'm trying to incorporate a 4k+ monitor into my work station. I am upgrading from dual 32 inch, 165hz, 1440p curved monitors, and a 27 inch IPS 1080p (portrait mode). I find it so weird that all these monitors were quite expensive and varied across the board. Buying a 4k+ monitor with IPS, 10 bit color, HDR, and P3 coverage can get pretty pricy, as high as $600 - $1000. I hope they're able to bring down the costs in the future. I'm going to just stick with my 1440p curved displays maybe for another couple years.

[@RoadmapMBA]

Love this presenter 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 keep up the great work!

[@admin4194]

👆👆 Haha inbox me right away 👍

[@wwesagar]

I have the exact same monitor as joanna, thanks for making me feel good about a purchase i made years ago!!

[@khongcolong]

Thanks for the review! Excellent content and to the point!

[@tmiskiew]

What a camera blunder right off the bat! Everyone is comparing monitors. I wish you had compared the whole bunch to the 5K 2020 iMac which is still at least if not better than the studio monitor and you can get it refurbished for a steal!

[@lawrencejob]

Would have been good to compare to cheaper monitors with local dimming, HDR, more brightness, quantum dots etc

[@samuelsoteloavila]

No Eizo ColorEdge?!?

[@internetisinteresting7720]

nice video, amazing test

[@needleontherecord]

I love Joanna’s review!

[@caelintredoux2249]

Well edited and concise video!

[@WanderlustWonderscape]

The production value of this video is good, and there was a lot of time and effort put into making it, which I appreciate. However, the audio levels are wildly inconsistent.

[@jonnybondphoto]

Another good informative video. I have heard the LG Ultra Fine 5k monitors are having serious issues maintaining a consistent connection with the new M1 chip on the MBP. Have you heard or experienced this?

[@neonoply2205]

no not at all. perfect with my mac studio

[@thePoorUberGuy]

I fall in love 😍 with this woman since 2017 ...I need hug from her.

[@cohoonatube]

Great review, thanks. Picking up the LG 4k 20% off on Prime Day. Just switched back to Mac and seems like a good pair for the M1 Mac Mini (and future Macbook Air). I already have an older LG 4k 34" Ultrawide and this 27" is exactly the same height. Just found out about LG's controlling software as well, never knew about it! Thanks again.

[@RichardNievesNY]

This makes me feel so good about my LG 5K

[@DocRock]

No $450 for a monitor is not a lot of money. The one thing people skimp on with their computers that they should not is the monitor. Long before flat panel monitors many of my heavy office work customers would but Sony Trinitron 15” and 19” CRTs because they were much clearer and didn’t hurt the eyes 👀. This monitors were $2499/$3699 and extremely popular. Macular degeneration fixes and other eye issues cost a lot more. Food for thought 💭

[@pennyh.e.packer611]

I just happen to have that same cheap LG 4k display lol. Thanks for the comparison!

[@roman2011]

great intro and fun comparison

[@ericg9092]

It would be nice if you linked the monitors tested rather than asking us to take a screen shot. Good video. Thank you.

[@namepersonal2446]

Amazing video 🤩🤩

[@huiyu7126]

Oh no, the LG 5k is out of stock. Jeremy Clarkson: oh no.

[@Dunkeyhote]

Awesome video.

[@Bbbggg4432]

Let’s get some 1440p or 2160p next Joanna video !

[@save400]

First fair review of this monitor. Bravo.

[@bollywoodbeauties8130]

i used lg 15 inch monitor for almost 20 years lg makes great monitor

[@leo_nidas]

Thank you, Joanna! Love your fun and factual reporting 😍

[@HiFiInsider]

i got the 6K XDR so i’m set for the Mac Studio.

[@admin4194]

👆👆 Haha inbox me right away 👍

[@Perunalum]

I currently use a 5K 27" 2020 iMac and a 4K 27" LG 4k. It isn't even close. the 5K Apple is in a different class when it comes to both detail and brightness. Worth $1,100 more? Well......, maybe so.

[@erickcoser]

Glad to see Gilfoyle is keeping up fine after Pied Piper

[@vladimirtalijan]

Apple monitors are the only ones with the laminated glass while all others have $1 plastic over the panel, and that makes a big difference in detail and contrast. 5k retina iMac is much better than even LG Ultrafine which uses the same panel, exactly because of that. No seeing that difference is just LOL :)

[@letu1136]

yeah. The same to u

[@dankelly]

What scaling do you use for 4k on a Mac?

[@WilliamBurkard]

they came a long way from that garage in california, Apple is not for the average computer user, thanks for keeping it real, i cant believe STEVE JOBS would want to go in this direction.

[@allansh828]

they all look very soft compared to Dell UP3218K

[@oliviertorres8001]

Perhaps the test should have included the graphics card's resource consumption. If the implicit use case is the choice of a monitor for an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, it's important to know when the GPU is called upon for display. And here, apart from the 5K pixel ratio, there's no saving grace… This reinforces the final ranking result.

[@jgil1966]

She literally is our new Dieter now that he abandoned us

[@MustafaSheikh]

i love my LG 4k display .. except that it doesn't have web cam and not the best speakers. for the price I paid its pretty good

[@wingsley]

In a practical sense, there is one issue that your comparison glosses over: The Apple Studio Display, to my knowledge, is the only high-quality 5K display that has the ability to pivot 90º for viewing in "portrait mode", which can be very useful for desktop publishing and coding and perhaps other tasks requiring a vertically oriented display. The LG UltraFine 5K apparently lacks this feature. Lesser 4K monitors like the LG Ergo UltraFine 4K do have this ability, but lack full 5K resolution.

[@John-e4p1x]

Nice to se eone of howard sterns three daughters doing something! Good job!! Btw, apple has resale value the longest.

[@KPointOfView]

I think there are some awesome 4k monitors for half the money. But what about the scaling issues from macbook pro to 4k? Slowing down GPU performance and make pixels blurry? I would appreciate comments by 4k monitor owners very much!

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome & Thanks :)

[@tombic6373]

A number of reviewers have criticized the Apple Studio monitor for being unable to represent true blacks on its screen. If you are doing photography work, that's important. Did you see true blacks on your Studio monitor or just various shades of grey? What did your color expert have to say about this?

[@forast3r0]

A monitor for Mac os review without PPI is not a review. 4K on a Mac is useless for retina.

[@apetersonjr]

Specifically, what LG model number do you currently have? Thanks!

[@kwanpakshing]

It's interesting that Apple doesn't see the absurdity in the pricing of their studio monitor , versus what's available in the market. $450 for a monitor ? It's still a decent amount of money for a monitor - not cheap .

[@marmorhaus]

thank you for this review! What ist the exact name and number of your Ultrafine 4k displays - I find different models in the range of 400 up to 600. (UN or UL etc)

[@muhammadrifky18]

Watching this after Linus' rant about the hardwired power cable on the WAN show 😂😂😂😂

[@ccx22]

a15 Bionic in a calculator would be best use of an SOC

[@anb1142]

I really like Joanna

[@unclefart5527]

Take the 4Ks out of the mix. Add in the outrageous priced hight adjustable stand option for the Apple gouge.

[@pedrocunha4322]

People got understand one thing about apple monitors, they have the best yield on lg displays so they get the top tier lg displays from their production, thats why its premium even the construction its premium (aluminum not plastic) and many other factors. So its more than obvious you going to pay that and the brand

[@notnotjake]

I'm so spoiled by the MacBook 16" screen. I'd really like a monitor that supports an HDR workflow

[@skinykeny]

If/when we meet, drinks are on me. I love your videos.

[@soundedit]

High resolution monitors are good for photos and videos. Photos out of focus can look as in focus on high resolution monitors. But text sizes are too small, though you can select larger fonts for text. The distance between the eye and the monitor is important. If the distance is the same, 32-inch monitors (like four suns in the solar system) are brighter or greater in light intensity than 16-inch monitors (only one sun!) by 4, not 2. Your eyes can be easily fatigued when you select a 32-inch monitor or larger at a near distance. And you may prefer a dark theme to a default theme. I'm using a 32-inch monitor (maximal resolution of 2560*1440 QHD) with reduced resolution of 1920*1080 HD and with distance of 60-70 cm (about 24-27 inch) between the eye and the monitor. And I reduced the brightness of my monitor to a large extent without a significant change of the contrast. The monitor should be placed or arranged so that some annoying light, reflected from the monitor or directly from a room light, cannot enter your eyes too much.

[@andycapsphotos]

How are the bezels? Are they too thick, or is it managable?

[@amycollier5796]

This is the review I’ve been looking for I just needed someone to sit down and compare the display quality. Going to pick up the LG for £949. Not worth the extra £500 odd

[@ptkdev]

If I connect an xbox/ps5 or apple tv to the display how can I change the source? I don’t see any buttons to do that

[@finalruner]

A better video title would be "Best Professional Computer Monitor." Especially since there are ultrawides on the market that normal users and professionals are turning to now. I'm running a 49 inch Samsung Super Ultrawide. I can guarantee you the Apple Studio Display would not work well for me. Running a AMD 5800X, RTX 3080Ti FE, through a 49" Samsung CHG90

[@PWingert1966]

Two items that you should have mentioned. The Apple Studio display is using the same display panel as the LG 5K display. This will account for most of their performance. The other technical item that is worth noting is that Thunderbolt 4 supports Display port 1.4 encodings allowing it to carry the high-quality 5K data stream between the monitor and the Mac Studio. One feature I would like to see is enhanced multi-monitor support. If you have four displays, the cinema stage would array the monitors into a single continuous display. The same thing should happen with the microphone and speakers. It could also tie into exciting homeports to create a 5.1 or 5. 2 audio sound stage. This would justify the inclusion of the A13 chip.

[@quinson418]

Even though I bought the Studio Display, I still think this review is spot on.

[@arieleliasov]

Also you cant remove the power cable

[@pitipan]

why didn't apple just add and a HDMI input port to the iMac, would have bought that one!!

[@Uday777]

So Candid...

[@mreddieau]

What's the model number of the LG Ultrafine 5K?

[@klayf_]

omg can you guys review more monitors

[@save400]

Such a good idea! But you should have compared to EVE Spectrum which have better specs and it’s half of the price! Missed opportunity.

[@codspod]

Why they testing audio for monitors tho

[@eltanu]

Which is the LG 4k model number?