During today's event, Apple announced that it has teamed up with LG to create 4K and 5K UltraFine Displays specifically designed to work with the new 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models that debuted this morning.
Priced at $1,299.95, the 27-inch 5K LG UltraFine Display features a 5120 x 2880 resolution and P3 wide color gamut. It uses multi-stream transport so it's powered by a single Thunderbolt 3 cable, which can also charge the MacBook Pro at the same time with up to 85W of power delivery.
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Three downstream USB-C ports are built into the back of the display to power additional devices and accessories, and it includes built-in stereo speakers, a camera, and a microphone. The 5K display is only compatible with the new MacBook Pro, as it requires a Thunderbolt 3 connection.
Apple and LG are also offering a 21.5-inch 4K monitor, with a resolution of 4096 x 2304 and P3 wide color gamut for $699.95. It's able to connect to the MacBook Pro or MacBook using a single USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 cable, which can also provide 60W of power for charging.
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It too includes three downstream USB-C ports to power additional devices and accessories, plus it includes built-in stereo speakers. Because it doesn't require Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, the 4K LG display works with any Mac that has a USB-C port.
The LG UltraFine 4K Display is currently available for purchase from Apple's website and will ship out in 5 to 6 weeks. The LG UltraFine 5K Display is currently listed as "Unavailable" on Apple's website and cannot yet be purchased. Apple says it will launch in December.
According to the technical specifications listed for the new MacBook Pros, which are equipped with Thunderbolt 3, the 15-inch MacBook Pro can power two 5K displays at one time or four 4K displays. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro can power one 5K display or two 4K displays. All external displays are able to run at 60Hz.
It is not clear what the LG partnership means for the future of Apple-branded displays. Apple discontinued its Thunderbolt Display earlier this year, but there were rumors suggesting a 5K display with an integrated GPU is in the works. It is not clear if the LG monitors have replaced that rumored product, or if Apple is making them available until it can produce a new Apple-branded display.
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EDIT: Nope. Thunderbolt displays were USB 2.0 (Whoops!), and only the 4K display has USB 2.0 via C, the 5K display has full USB C.
Seems pretty ludicrous. If you're going to provide neither of the peformance advantages of USB-C, at least make them USB A ports. At USB 2.0 speed it's essentially going to be for things like input devices and older devices. All of those are going to use USB A. USB-C at USB 2.0 transfer speeds just makes absolutely no sense.