Customers highly value the UltraFine 27" IPS LED 5K UHD Monitor's screen brightness, citing its sharpness and vibrant colors. However, some customers have noted concerns regarding image retention and build quality relative to the monitor's price point. The display's brightness is a significant positive aspect for many users. Negative feedback focuses on the persistence of images on the screen and perceived shortcomings in the build quality.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
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Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Simply Stunning
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Some bona fides: I do design and video for a living for several large ad agencies. Display performance and accuracy are not just important to me, they're everything.
With that said, if people say they don't see a difference with this monitor as I've seen in some of these reviews their machine other doesn't support it or they didn't hook it up right.
Mine is hooked up to my 2018 MBP, I use the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 dock so that is providing the power to my laptop, the monitor is hooked up to the dock Thunderbolt 3 pass-thru (more on why I have this in a minute).
This display is, hands-down, flat out gorgeous and the most stunning display I've seen since the 30" Cinema Displays back in the day. Similar to that display, Apple is pulling a lot of technical stunts to get this to work properly so that's why it is essential you have a Mac that supports this display. If you don't, save your money and get a cheap display until you get a new Mac. Or get this display and wait for it to bloom with your new Mac.
I have not done color adjustment with my X-rite yet because I want to see its normal, uncalibrated performance for a while. All testing of this monitor indicates it meets or exceeds most guidelines so I anticipate it likely will not need to be calibrated. I use this as my primary monitor with my MBP display as a secondary monitor.
What you will see: stunning color and resolution, the resolution is crisp and remarkable, It's awesome having a photo or video at 4K resolution and still have your editing interface.
This monitor throws some serious light, I turned it down a ton. The stand is heavy duty and has one of the highest extensions I've ever seen on a monitor (it won't be on there long as I have a dual VESA mount on the way).
Is the frame plastic? Why yes, yes it is, just like every non-Apple monitor on the planet for the past 20 years. I do not consider this a build issue, I consider it keeping this monitor to $1,300. If this frame and stand were using aluminum there's no way it would be less than $1,500 I'm sure. This is an acceptable trade-off to me.
It uses a glossy screen but glare is very well controlled, I like to let the sun in my office and I haven't had any issues. A (rather long) TB3 cable is included so that saves you $40, one wire to your Mac (or a dock like I use) and you are in business with power, audio, and video.
The camera performance is awesome, I haven't used the built-in microphone yet. I was able to use a sliding camera cover, you just need to mount it vertically instead of horizontally as you would on a laptop so you aren't blocking the microphone holes.
Sound performance isn't bad and there's actually a fair amount of bass. Obviously not up for any professional work but will play your tunes while you work just fine.
CONNECTIONS - here is where the big caveats are if you are looking for this to be a true replacement for a Thunderbolt Display, the LG falls a bit short.
While there are three additional Thunderbolt 3 ports on the back (one is your powered port to your laptop) and they are USB 3 speed, they're only good for 5 GB/s. I suspect the speed reduction is because of all the data one cable needs to carry to this monitor for video. For typical users, this is just fine. But, if you are a photo and video person like me that needs to push a lot of data to drives it's not so good.
Also, those three TB3/USB-C ports are your only ports, that's it. If you are using a lot of standard USB devices this isn't' going to cut it, even with adapters. For this reason, I went with a dock where all my devices are hooked up to so the monitor is at end of the line with nothing hooked up to it. If you only have a few devices and aren't pushing a ton of data to drives this will probably be fine but still, this comes up short compared to the Thunderbolt Display and its plethora of ports to hook up all your things.
So, in short, if you have a newer Mac and you're looking for a stunning display and don't mind also picking up a dock, you won't be disappointed, I highly recommend it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Excellent addition to any Mac
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I had purchased one of these for my iMac pro and liked it so much that I purchased a second one.
The screen clarity is remarkable. One thing that I did notice is that the color temperature on the monitor is warmer than the iMac but can be calibrated if needed.
I would have given this product a 5 Star review except, I ordered an open box because it was all that was left in stock. Everything came working besides the USB-C cable. When I called bestbuy customer service they were less then helpful. It was only until I was in customer service in my store for almost an hour that i finally got another cable. Not the same thunderbolt that it should have come with from the beginning, but it works.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great for Mac Mini
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I purchased the LG Ultrafine 27" to go with a new Thunderbolt 3 Mac Mini. Connecting the LG to the Mac Mini added a high quality Facetime camera and speakers in addition to the beautiful 5k display. It also goes to sleep and wakes up with my Mac. If you have a 2018 Mac Mini, the 27" Ultrafine is the best monitor currently available.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Build quality, Image retention
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Price way too high, build quality lacking
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is the Apple-recommended monitor for the MacBook Pro. Great idea, one thunderbolt connection does everything. But for $1,400, the build quality is sub-Apple, connections are flimsy, frame seems cheap. The 5K display is too intense and yet did nothing to improve the images from the Mac.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Brand response from LGAnswers
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Thanks for sharing your feedback. We take our consumer feedback into consideration for research, design, and growth opportunities. I will be happy to pass along this information to our Design Team. Please feel free to reconnect with us directly should you have any other questions or concerns via Twitter @LGUSSupport or Facebook www.Facebook.com/LGSupportUSA ^CP
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
The monitor is amazing -keep wireless routers away
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The monitor is amazing. Very good with color and clarity of image. We had power off issues with a wireless router too close to the monitor. Removing the wireless device fixed the power off issues.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
It could not get better . . .
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The LG monitor is as good as it gets. It has to be equally as good as the screen on the latest 27" iMac that I use it with. And it is so easy to set up. Plug and play, so to speak. For someone who writes most of the time, the crystal clear displays are good on the eyes. However, it is not easy on the pocket book. I purchased an open box produce and it was as good as new, with $150.00 off the msrp.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great monitor for macOS systems
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Posted . Owned for 11 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I absolutely love this monitor. Super high quality screen and great brightness. The only issue I have with it is the glossy screen. You have to be careful where you place in a room so as to avoid sunlight coming through a window and reflecting off the screen. Other than that one nit, I would buy this monitor again in a heartbeat.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
5K monitor
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This 5K monitor from LG is a great addition to for any MacBook Pro. Let's you really see a nice sharp and clean image.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Build quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great image but big price
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This monitor gives a stunning image detail, but at a cost, big price and without great build quality.
Overall it's a great monitor if you want to work at the maximum resolution capable on a MacPro.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Pricey but worth it.
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
It’s pricey but the monitor is awesome. The brightness is noticeable and the sharpness is awesome, especially when zooming in for photoshop. The pixel colors are great right out of the box for photos and video editing.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good with compromises
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I should preface this review by mentioning that I had a 24" Cinema Display and I had tried to go to the Dell Ultra HD 5K Monitor UP2715K 27-Inch Screen, but it had a lot of flaws working with Mac. Fast forward to today and I am now a semi-proud owner of an LG Ultra Fine 5K.
The LG Ultra-Fines are great in a lot of ways:
(1) A single cable provides power to all MacBook Pros (note the 4k model does NOT have output enough power to charge a 15" MacBook Pro).
(2) A single cable also outputs video, audio and on the back of the display there are three additional USB-C ports. You'll likely still have to buy a few USB-C to USB-A adapters, but I was able to get these for $10 each when Best Buy had them on sale so this paled in comparison to the $99 HyperDrive or other multi-port adapters that people were buying.
(3) HEIGHT-ADJUSTABILITY. Small but HUGE. I've never had a monitor with this and I have to say it's pretty nice because it gets you to sit ergonomically at your desk when using your computer.
(4) Of course the 5K is immaculate. Add to the fact that it's a P3 which means it sports a 25% higher color gamut and you'll see colors in your photos you've never seen before. With the higher resolution, it also gives you well over 2x the amount of on-screen real estate than you would get by just using the built-in notebook's display (compared to the 15" model).
(5) The audio system is above-average. It's not as good as, say, the sound system on a 5k iMac, but it suffices and saves me desk space and cabling on not having to purchase an external third-party sound system.
(6) Because Apple is working with LG on this, the integration with macOS is as good as it gets for a third-party solution.
However, it's surely not without its flaws:
(1) Quirky with software. The latest software quirk is every time the display goes to sleep and you wake it up the brightness turns all the way up and this monitor is 500 nits so it's quite bright. I usually like to have it around 300-350.
(2) Build quality. I really wish LG would have kept with the all-aluminum design-mentality of the Thunderbolt Display. With a monitor of this size and the base being plastic, the monitor is going to rock if your keyboard shares the same surface as the monitor. Luckily, I have a keyboard tray, so I was able to resolve this by moving the keyboard to the under-the-desk keyboard tray.
(3) WiFi Quirk. To be fair, my display is not near my router, but this was a silly goof on LG's part and they should have done a full recall on them versus only replacing the displays if you experience an issue. The reason being, who's to say in the future my display won't end up near a router and if the manufacturer's warranty is up by then, you're stuck with a somewhat fatal flaw.
Other thoughts:
If you're going to be using this with a new Touch Bar model, I've found that I don't like working between a 15" and 27" so I use this exclusively with my notebook closed, the downside being I never get to use the Touch Bar or Touch ID, but it's a minor trade-off if you're a seasoned Mac user.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Works Great with my new MacBook Pro
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
After reading some bad reviews, I have had this for months with no issues at all. Colors are beautiful.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
TOP quality. Too expensive but top quality
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Only works with a mac, tho it appears to be the best choice for that.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Forget 4k
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was hesitant because of the negative reviews around quality but it’s fine. No this isn’t an
Apple quality display on the outside but the graphics are amazing. If you want to glue some aluminum on the outside and tell your friends it’s an Apple display be my guest. It’s fine the way it is for me. I do wish it had an HDMI port so I didn’t have to buy an adapter for my old MacBook Pro but oh well.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Ideal for MacBook Pro users
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Haven't tried other monitors to compare, but this works well with my MacBook Pro. Very sharp and bright.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Excellent second monitor for my iMac pro. Recommend!!!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Display
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I purchased the LG UltraFine 5K monitor to use with my 2017 MacBook Pro. So far, I have enjoyed the detailed display and the screen size is perfect for doing research or browsing. I haven’t had any software issues as of yet. Overall I think this monitor is a great thunderbolt 3 option for a MacBook! However, it only has USB-C inputs so you may need adapters depending on what devices you use.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Screen brightness
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good for trading
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Posted . Owned for 6 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great screens I use them for trading the markets and other
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Yes, it’s beautiful
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Everything you could want from a 5k display. It’s gorgeous.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
If you have a Mac Book Pro this is the Monitor
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This monitor works flawlessly with my Mac Book Pro. The videos and pictures jump off this 27inch screen. It also makes working on complex spreadsheets much easier on the eyes.