Since Apple discontinued the 27-inch 5K iMac, Mac users have had to look elsewhere for a comparable desktop experience. Apple, Samsung, and LG have been the only display makers with 27-inch 5K monitors on the market for a while. Fortunately, a fourth competitor is joining the 5K 27-inch party soon, and it’s one MacBook users will appreciate.
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Mac display aficionados know that pixel count must scale with screen size to maintain Apple’s standard for “Retina” resolution.
That’s why the 24-inch iMac is 4.5K, the 27-inch Studio Display is 5K, and the 32-inch Pro Display XDR is 6K. These resolutions and display sizes each amount to 218 pixels per inch. The result is a balance of sharpness and screen real estate for the price of $1499, $1599, and $4999, respectively.
The pursuit of pixels per inch is also why the Mac community endured the LG UltraFine 5K monitor for so long, and why Samsung’s more featured version of the Studio Display gets our attention.
With that being said, is a larger display with less resolution always a compromise? I’ve been reviewing a BenQ DesignVue Design Monitor for several weeks, and this 4K 32-inch setup has solved a real problem for me.
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Apple’s Studio Display was launched two years ago as a more affordable option for those looking for a good external Retina display for their Mac. A year later, Samsung came out with its own alternative to the Studio Display: the ViewFinity S9. With the same screen size, 5K resolution, and price as Apple Studio Display, is the Samsung ViewFinity S9 any better? Read on as I detail my experience with Samsung’s 5K display.
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I first learned about the newest version of the Dough Spectrum One from an email sent to me by the company’s CEO, Konstantinos Karatsevidis. The email contained the subject line: Is This the Studio Display Killer for Gamers and Mac Users Alike?
I was intrigued and took the company up on the offer. A few weeks later, the newest Dough Spectrum One and its corresponding stand arrived in my mailbox, but not before being ravenously opened and inspected by customs agents. So, while my unboxing experience was less than ideal, thankfully, the Gorilla Glass-covered display arrived without a scratch.
But is this, as Dough conjectures, a Studio Display killer, or is it altogether something else? Watch the hands-on video walkthrough, and subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videos.
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Oh, Apple 27″ Mini-LED ProMotion display, the world has lost you far too soon.
You started life as an oddly timed rumor last year following the long-overdue release of the Apple Studio Display. They said you would launch soon after the $1600 display with features worth the money. After all, you would be the first standalone display with variable refresh rate. Quite understandably, you would cost more than the 60Hz Studio Display. Even with refresh rates up to 120Hz, however, you would manage to be more affordable than the $5000 60Hz Studio Display XDR. You might even include a stand for no extra charge!
In short, you were dreamy. But not all dreams come true.
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Samsung announced its new lineup of monitors at CES this morning. Two of the most exciting models for Mac users include the company’s first 5K monitor, the ViewFinity S9 with a slick design not unlike Apple’s Studio Display but with even more features and a new 27-inch version of the popular Smart Monitor M8.
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LG’s DualUp monitor is … unique. With its almost square, slightly vertical aspect ratio, it definitely stands out. Yet, somehow, I really love this thing. It’s an HDR display with a 2560×2880 resolution that is basically two 1440p displays stacked on top of each other. Trying to watch a movie or play games may be a bit weird on this display, but it’s a king of productivity – especially for a device like the M2 MacBook Air that’s limited to just one external display.
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2018 saw Apple finally update the computer some multi-display desktop fans have long been holding their breath for: Mac mini. As 2019 begins, the professional market is looking towards a massive refresh of the Mac Pro and native display offerings from Apple.
However, with CES these past two years showing off so many OLED and 8K displays, the question begs, how can Apple truly innovate in the pro monitor space this year?
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).
[Update: We’ve heard from two readers who recently ran into an issue where using the USB-C to USB-C cable does not work with this display and the 2016 MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, in one case, different cables and support from HP and Apple also didn’t provide a solution. Please share below in the comments if you have experienced the same or something similar.]
If you’ve decided to pass on LG’s UltraFine Display there are only a few other options when it comes to 4K USB-C displays. Jordan covered the best choices back in November and now all of these displays are available (with varying degrees of stock).
There are a few compromises that come along with the $500 ENVY 4K display compared with options like Lenovo’s ThinkVision X1 or LG’s 27UD88-W, but I decided to try HP’s ENVY 27 with price, design, and specs hitting a good portion of my wish list. Keep reading after the break to hear about my first week with this new display.
The LG UltraFine 5K Display is Apple’s answer to MacBook Pro customers who wish to connect their notebooks to an external display with a single cable. After reportedly getting out of the standalone monitor business, LG’s offerings, which are available in 4K and 5K varieties, might be the next best option.
The fact that you can connect a single Thunderbolt 3 cable from your MacBook to the LG UltraFine 5K Display is quite compelling. Not only will this provide display output, but it will also deliver the necessary power (up to 85W) to keep your MacBook Pro — 13- or 15-inch variety — charged.
We recently got our hands on the LG UltraFine 5K Display. Is it a good choice for MacBook Pro owners? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough inside to learn more.
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What if Apple brought the OLED display function key row that is rumored for upcoming MacBooks to its Apple keyboard too? Completely disregarding what it might require technically to integrate and drive such a display in the keyboard, this concept from Curved imagines bringing that feature to iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini and other Mac users via a new version of Apple’s wireless keyboard.
In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, more on the rumored upcoming MacBook Pros with OLED touch bar, what’s in store for WWDC 2016, and much more.
Apple also launched its Back to School promo for 2016, and designer brand Coach started preparing for a launch of its Apple Watch bands next week. Head below for all of the handy links to these and our other top shared Apple stories this week.
If you’re looking for a 4K display that can be paired with your 12″ MacBook via a single USB-C cable, then your options are fairly limited. It seems that LG is one of the few display makers that has such a monitor available for sale.
LG’s 27UD88-W is a 27″ USB-C-enabled display. Its USB-C port allows MacBook owners to connect a single cable to drive the display, charge the machine, and facilitate data transfer.
As I alluded to in my recent 2016 MacBook post, the 27UD88-W isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the only games in town if you desire a 4K monitor with USB-C connectivity in tow.
If you’re a MacBook owner, should you consider purchasing one? Have a look inside for the details.
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As someone who uses timeline-based apps such as Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X on a regular basis, horizontal display real estate is incredibly important to me. When it comes to editing video and audio, the bigger the monitor the better.
With the recent popularity of extra-wide 21:9 monitors, I’ve come to understand that width can make a major difference in managing timeline-based editing workflows as well. The extra horizontal real estate is also a nice option for watching movies shot with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio.
With this in mind, I’ve been looking forward to going hands-on with a 21:9 display. LG’s 34UC98 UltraWide IPS monitor is not only extremely wide at 3440 x 1440, but it’s curved as well. How does this new display fit into my workflow? Does having a so-called UltraWide display make a difference?
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Update: As we expected, FlexBright has been removed from the App Store this morning. That didn’t take long at all.
Despite earlier actions against similar apps, Apple has recently approved an app called FlexBright that adjusts the brightness and color temperature of your iPhone or iPad’s display depending on the time of day. While Apple introduced a feature like this with iOS 9.3, the company has previously refused to allow the popular Flux app in the App Store, which provides similar functionality.
With the new 12-inch MacBook sporting just a single USB Type-C port, an adapter to get back some USB ports and SD card slots will be necessary for a lot of users. With more and more devices adopting the standard, we’re seeing a lot of USB C accessories announced at CES 2016 this year, many of which are designed specifically with 12-inch MacBook users in mind. So, as we’ve already done for HomeKit and Apple Watch products, below we’re rounding up all of the USB Type-C products for MacBook announced at the show this week.
In addition to hubs, companies are also showing off new portable battery packs, cables, adapters, displays and more, all made possible thanks to USB-C and compatible with the new 12-inch MacBook.
With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus officially going on sale and delivering to pre-order customers over the weekend, it’s just a matter of time before you smash your display to pieces and drain your battery’s capacity. While some screen breaking and defective batteries might be covered under AppleCare and the 1 year hardware warranty included with all iPhones, otherwise you’ll need to refer to one of these handy guides from our friends at iFixit.
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Apple’s new iPad mini 4 was slightly overshadowed by its new plus-size iPad Pro during the unveiling earlier this month, but today DisplayMate gives us its usual in-depth analysis of the device’s new display for those considering making the purchase.
While the standout feature of the new iPad mini 4 was upgraded processing power to match the iPad Air 2, the display, as noted by DisplayMate, in many ways beats out the iPad Air 2 and makes for one of Apple’s best tablet displays yet.
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While the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s on some U.S. carriers is still available for delivery on the September 25th launch date, nearly all of the larger, 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus models are now scheduled to deliver in 3-4 weeks for new orders. According to KGI Securities, this is not entirely due to high demand for the largest iPhone model. According to a new note from the firm, the constraints are actually due to supply problems with the 6s Plus’s backlight hardware:
New images have surfaced today giving us a closer look at the alleged next-generation iPhone display panel first revealed in earlier leaks (via MacRumors). The images don’t reveal any new information, but do give us a closer look at the part that appears to include new components thought to be related to the addition of Apple’s Force Touch display technology.
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While Force Touch on the Apple Watch allowed Apple to add an additional layer of buttons to a small display, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus screens don’t lack for either real estate or buttons. So why would Force Touch be desirable on larger displays? Following up on our May report that Force Touch is coming to Apple’s next iPhones, sources who have used the iPhone 6S have provided new details on how Force Touch works and feels under iOS.
Following last week’s leak of a substantially complete iPhone 6S display assembly, another screen has slipped out into the wild, where it has been placed alongside and compared against the same part from the iPhone 6 (shown above at left). European part and accessory vendor MacManiack shared this image, the photos in the gallery below, and a YouTube video contrasting the components.
While very few differences between the components are worth noting, the iPhone 6S part again appears to have a place for the much-rumored Force Touch/haptic feedback component introduced in the Apple Watch. MacManiack claims that at least part of the “Touch ID home button is integrated in the LCD and digitizer connector,” and points out that the connectors are different on the parts. Two galleries showing the parts in much greater detail follow…
Yep, that’s a cracked Apple Watch display. Nope, it’s not actually an Edition, just plated, but the $549 and up steel model uses the same sapphire display as Apple’s $10,000 and up watch. And yes, the Apple Watch’s sapphire display reacts to accidental drops against hard surfaces just like iPhones.
In describing the craftsmanship of the Apple Watch, Apple calls sapphire “the second-hardest transparent substance after diamond,” adding that “that’s why we chose it to cover the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition faces,” but it still sells a $79 AppleCare+ warranty to cover accidental damage because sapphire is clearly not invincible.
Here’s what to expect if you accidentally break your Apple Watch display and what I learned about how easily it can happen…
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