Today at its “Your New Normal” event at IFA 2017, Samsung highlighted the world’s largest QLED gaming monitor (which it showed off back in June). While the new monitor is geared to gaming, this new monster could be an awesome addition to a variety of setups.
Many of us were deeply disappointed when Apple appeared to be exiting the display business last summer.
Not just because we want matching aesthetics and the reassurance you get with an all-Apple setup, but also because there was no obvious third-party replacement. All Apple said at the time was that ‘there are a number of great third-party options available for Mac users,’ but without pointing to anything in particular.
When the company finally did make an official recommendation in the form of the LG UltraFine 4K and 5K monitors, it wasn’t exactly a great one. Not only are the monitors extremely un-Apple-like in their grey plastic cases, but a serious technical fault first identified by us led to the temporary withdrawal of the product until LG fixed the Wi-Fi interference problem. All in all, it was a mess.
The good news is that this mess has likely played a role in Apple doing a U-turn and making plans to get back into the display business …
Whilst Apple is touting the LG 5K UltraFine as the best choice for pro Mac owners today, Dell is launching a ‘5K’ display of its own … $5K that is. Leapfrogging the market, the UltraSharp UP3218K is the ‘world’s first’ 8K consumer monitor with an insane 7680×4320 resolution.
With a screen size of 31.5 inches, the IPS panel touts a 279 PPI pixel density easily exceeding the Retina bar for desktop computer displays (the 5K iMac has 217 PPI). Available to order now from Dell.com, it’s an amazing monitor (if you can ignore the hefty price tag).
LG has confirmed that the 5K UltraFine monitor Apple recommends for use with the new MacBook Pro models has been delayed. A company representative told us that LG does not yet have a confirmed date for availability.
LG originally said ‘early December,’ while Apple was more cautious on its website, simply stating ‘December.’ As we noted last week, Apple is already leaving things rather late to allow people to take advantage of its introductory pricing …
If you own a MacBook Pro with Retina Display and desire extra screen real estate, then a 4K monitor can be a good investment, especially as the price of such monitors continue to dwindle.
Why should you consider a 4K display instead of a cheaper monitor with lesser resolution? It all boils down to clarity.
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If you have a 12-inch MacBook and are looking for an external monitor for it, Lenovo and Acer have each announced the neatest solutions yet, with a choice of 24-, 25- and 27-inch USB-C monitors.
Lenovo’s ThinkVision X24 Pro is the most basic, with a 1920×1080 resolution starting at $399, with availability in May. Acer’s H7 series monitors offer 2560×1440 resolution in 25- and 27-inch variants, and you’ll be able to get your hands on one of those next month, starting at $499.99.
Finally, Lenovo’s ThinkVision X1 is a 27-inch model offering 3840×2160 resolution, again from May, priced at $799 …