My code has never looked so beautiful!
Monitor reviews are a very visual affair. Watch the video 👆
Got my LG UltraFine 5K 27" from Amazon. Mine was a refurb, so I saved about $500 from full price. Your luck may vary.
Here's a quick rundown for the impatient 👇
New office setup with the 5K monitor 👌
— Swizec Teller (@Swizec) December 11, 2017
On cable to rule them all pic.twitter.com/uJcVTfUpry
Pros
- gorgeous picture
- so many pixels 5120x2880
- seriously, my code looks like it's printed on paper 😍
- one cable to rule them all (same cable charges your laptop and connects everything)
- 3 USB-C ports, works as a hub
- USB-C connection should have enough bandwidth for a lot of peripherals
- amazing built-in speakers, no more muffled bassy sound
- okay webcam
- adjustable height and 2-directional tilt
- light yet sturdy
- design looks 👌
Cons
- USB-C only, you need to buy a hub (I got one with USB + ethernet + SDcards, duct-taped it to the back)
- doesn't seem to adjust brightness to ambient light
- 13" macbook pro from 2017 struggles a bit
- 15" macbook pro with top spec GPU can't run games in full 5K
- too many pixels, gotta be careful when taking screenshots (must resize, big files)
- super expensive
- completely unnecessary for most daily tasks
- MacOS sometimes does wonky things with USB-C connections like crash your computer if you plug and unplug impatiently
- doesn't give you more screen real estate room than a normal 27" monitor (not at "native" resolution at least)
The reason I went for 5K instead of just 4K are the Amazon reviews that say "Don't get a 27" 4K, MacOS does funny things". Something about not being able to run at native resolution so you either get suuuuuper tiny visuals, or everything's blurry.
Your only options are a 24" 4K or a 27" 5K. I hear 32" 4K works great too, but my desk isn't big enough.
Verdict
2017 is still too early for 5K. There are only 2 monitors on the market, the LG and the Dell, and they're both expensive as hell. Laptops have trouble driving the full resolution for anything interesting, and you don't get more real estate than normal.
It's a fancy toy, looks great, your eyes will love you. But if you have a working monitor, I'd wait a few more years for 5K to become the norm.
Continue reading about My new 5K monitor – LG UltraFine 5K 😱
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