LG's UltraFine 5K Display Will Be Returning as Alternative to Apple's Studio Display

LG's 27-inch UltraFine 5K external display has not been discontinued and will be back in stock next month, LG has told The Wall Street Journal.

LG UltraFine Display
Following speculation that the LG UltraFine 5K display may have been discontinued when it went out of stock at most major retailers, LG told The Wall Street Journal that the UltraFine 5K is still in production and has not been discontinued. The display is simply out of stock at the current time due to component shortages and high demand. LG expects the UltraFine 5K to come back in stock on its website as soon as next month, with availability at other retailers presumably set to improve around the same time.

Apple worked with LG to develop the UltraFine 5K display, which contains almost the exact same panel as a 27-inch 5K iMac, featuring Thunderbolt connectivity, close integration with macOS, and the ideal 5120 by 2880 resolution for Retina scaling on a Mac, making it the go-to option for many Mac users in recent years.

Following the announcement of the Studio Display, Apple delisted the 27-inch UltraFine 5K display from the Apple Store. Apple presumably chose to stop selling the UltraFine 5K due to its similarity to the Studio Display. The UltraFine 5K features almost the same 27-inch 5K panel with P3 wide color, built-in speakers, a built-in camera, a single Thunderbolt port that is capable of charging a MacBook, and three USB-C ports, but for a price of $1,299, $300 cheaper than the Studio Display.

The Studio Display adds a slim aluminum design, an extra 100 nits of brightness, and Center Stage functionality, but does not come with a height-adjustable stand as standard. Apple continues to sell the UltraFine 5K's smaller sibling, 23.7-inch UltraFine 4K display, for $699.

Reviews of the Studio Display were released earlier today with a largely negative response, but Apple is rumored to be planning to launch a more high-end 27-inch "Studio Display Pro" with mini-LED technology later this year.

Tag: LG

Top Rated Comments

HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
16 months ago

Anyone interested in a nice slim aluminum display at a much better price, check huawei mateview.
I keep wondering where is that American ingenuity in someone creating a startup in which you send them your "old" 27" iMac, they remove the screen, put it into a "beautiful" Apple-like Aluminum case and deliver that back to you as a stand-alone 5K monitor for a much lower price than any other 5K out there (because costs are only the case, stand, standard monitor jack and labor).

Maybe engineer an off-the-shelf-but-loaded hub inside of it too so it can be a monitor that can attach to about anything, instead of limiting the options to only USB-C. Maybe the hub version is an upgrade option.

Com'on someone with these kinds of skills. I've got a terrific Apple monitor in my rapidly dying iMac that is only a few years old. It probably has 6+ years left in it if it could be used as a stand-alone monitor. If you charged- say- $800 for a beautiful case and this labor, you would be HALF THE PRICE of the Apple monitor and much lower than the LG one too... yet be delivering an "Apple" screen that should most definitely not need to be junked because of tech guts faults or macOS making old iMac 27" obsolete via upgrades/vintaging.

There's TONS of 27" iMacs out there with terrific screens but dead end uses after a certain point in time. Yet, the screen itself is generally going to have upwards of DOUBLE the life left in it. I'm a BUYER for this repackaged in an Apple-like case. Anyone else?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
16 months ago
I'm glad to see LG is continuing this monitor. I really like it. I hope they'll choose to create an updated variant with TB4 and such later.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 months ago

They have absolutely no incentive to do so, but given it’s a six years old monitor, they would sell a ton if they lowered the price around 999-1099
At 18.7 lbs, LG would only need to sell 107 of them. :p
?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
16 months ago
Great! It almost seemed like Apple had bought exclusive rights to the 5K/27 panel supply.

Realistically, this is $1,299 vs. $1,999 because Apple values their height adjustable feature at +$400 while LG includes it in their price.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
16 months ago

I wouldn't want to purchase an expensive discontinued display.
The article is precisely about the screen not being discontinued
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
16 months ago
They have absolutely no incentive to do so, but given it’s a six years old monitor, they would sell a ton if they lowered the price around 999-1099
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)