Customer Reviews & Ratings for LG UltraFine 5K Display

Bought July 30th, and didn't use it for the first two weeks. Now that I have been using it for the last two weeks, it has blanked out on me 5 times. It's getting more and more frequent. There is no power button on this so you can't power it on and off, the only choice is to pull out the plug and hope that causes it to flicker back on. I thought it was only when the computer went to sleep, but now it just happens while working. Apple top tech suggest shutting down the computer to get it to work every night, LG tech suggests change the power outlet it was plugged into. Forget it. Don't buy this monitor. This or the B version. Junk. LG tech support is a joke. Run away Run away. Mine is going back today.

4 of 5 people found this useful

I am remiss to write this review as I love Apple and have purchased a lot over the years - First gen MacBook Air, top of the line second gen MacBook Air, Thunderbolt Display, multiple iPads and iPhones. I have had nothing but great experiences and promote Apple heavily to my community.

This monitor is my only exception to perhaps a decade of otherwise great experiences.

When my most recent MacBook Air finally started to slow down (after 6 years of heavy use!) I decided to upgrade to the latest MacBook Pro (late 2016, fully loaded) and 2 LG 5k Ultrafine monitors (for work and home) shortly after they were released.

The monitors, when they work, are great - Resolution and colour are simply amazing, and the USB-C connection is so easy you have a hard time realizing what it was like before USB-C simplicity.

All that being said - A faulty part failed on my home monitor recently (it is also the least used of the two monitors). The monitor no longer worked and the cost of repair was ~$600. After hours on the phone I learned that LG was unwilling to cover this manufacturers defect as it was outside the 1 year period (they also gave me conflicting servicing advice, of which one solution involved me shipping the product at my expense to Ontario, a multi-hour flight from my home). While I respect the policy, given this was clearly a defect I was disappointed.

Ultimately I would expect more than a 1.5 year useful lifespan before requiring a fix to a high-end monitor like like this one (my Thunderbolt Display never had an issue and still works after 6+ years!).

I wanted to share this feedback so someone at Apple was aware. Given your commitment to quality, I assumed you would like to know (I had difficulty finding a less public venue to provide detailed feedback of this nature).

I am not sure why all the negative reviews, I can only attribute it to user error or other hardware issues not related to the monitor. I have it hooked up to my Mac Pro. It's amazing compared to the Apple branded monitor. The picture is so unreal. I hooked it up to my MacBook Pro, no issues there neither. I am running the latest version of MacOS. If you want a the best monitor on the market, don't hesitate in buying this monitor. Don't pay no attention to the negative reviews. You have to tweak the monitor, you have to set it as your primary screen, etc..it's not a monitor issues, it's a user issue. So rest assured, this monitor is the tops of the tops.....but do yourself a favor, buy it open box somewhere and save a few hundred....great monitor. In fact, I am searching for my 2nd one currently....

5 of 7 people found this useful

I replaced a 21:9 LG display that used Thunderbolt 2 with this, and I couldn't be happier. Great interoperability with the MacBook Pro (much better than previous), and the image quality and brightness are really fantastic. No regrets

3 of 3 people found this useful

I invested in two LG monitors, one 5k and one 4k. I used them side by side connected to my MBP 2017. The image quality is much better on the 4k than the 5k. Texts and fine lines look blurry on the 5k comparing to crisp quality of the 4k and it is so disappointing because I planned to use the 5k as my main desktop.
I took my both monitors and laptop to Apple store so they may find a way to fix this but they said it is what it is and can not no anything about it. So unhappy.
Any one with same experience?

1 of 1 people found this useful

This is a fantastic product. I'm not sure what all the bad reviews are about, perhaps there have been revisions. Mine works flawlessly with my 2018 MacBook pro. Really glad I didn't let the bad reviews persuade me to look elsewhere. You get the fully integrated functionality like the Thunderbolt displays. The panel looks as good as my iMac 5k. I love the matte black finish, kind of industrial looking. Nice.

2 of 2 people found this useful

Deterred by the bad reviews for this, (and the price) I have held off buying but now don't regret paying for it one bit. It's a cracking panel video and photos pop out at you, while small text is easy on the eye. It works seamlessly and simply.

I'm using a 15" 2017 MacBook Pro USB-C, Apple Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Trackpad. Two Canon printers and B&W speakers are fed via an Apple USB-C to USB dongle from the monitor and an Anker USB powered Hub, the speakers replacing the internal LG speakers when powered on. The internal speakers are OK but no better or worse than the similar 27" iMac speakers.

The Monitor is close by an Apple TimeCapsule and BT Router neither causing any bother to the screen. Day to day the Mac is being run in sleep mode, awaking by keyboard presses. The keyboard volume and brightness functions work as you would hope.

As stated by another reviewer the volume setting is a bit course and the law unhelpful, all the volume you need happening at the left hand end of the scale. Brightness setting is roughly equal to the settings on the Mac, as in a mid point being about right in an averagely bright room. The gloss finish to the screen is slightly unhelpful with reflections.

The whole appearance is perfectly acceptable and in profile quite elegant, the rise and fall works very well, the thicker bezel at the top not really an issue.

If you've read this far get the credit card out. Incidentally the printed retail box is contained within a brown card outer carton for shipping.

No issues using with a MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016). When purchased there were a few issues when connecting to an already booted MacBook but these were solved with a display firmware update via the LG Screen Manager software. It's a lovely screen... at least initially.

The main issue I have with it is the ghosting when moving between desktop spaces. Mainly when moving from light spaces to dark.

LG support in the UK less than helpful.

I had an Apple Thunderbolt Display before this and I wish Apple would would reintroduce it with an upgraded panel. Without the ghosting this would be a nice display but despite the upgraded resolution it doesn't compare to the Apple Thunderbolt Display in terms of build quality or looks. If I could get a 5K iMac without the iMac I'd buy one tomorrow.

I am purely comparing this Lie-for-like to the Apple T D. This monitor although looking not as nice as the Thunderbolt Display has better picture and better IO. It is heavy and has all the right movements for the display to suit your viewing angle. When you turn your Mac on the display automatically starts up and as it heats up there are a few cracking noises as the plastics move or heat up very faint but at 4am you can notice it. My personal opinion after owning one for 6 months now is they are very good quality and beautiful to look at. The price and quality has been put into where it should be put into it, into the display itself.

If you are thinking of a display for your Mac, Go no other.