Amber Neely
Apple's Pro Display XDR is certainly impressive but not everyone is going want to spend over $5,000 on a monitor. If you're looking for a high-quality monitor with a lower price tag, these are our top picks.
Apple's Pro Display XDR is aimed at a very particular audience, and odds are, you're not one of them. None of these monitors listed here are going to be equivalent to Apple's $5,000 display, nor do any of them have a $1,000 stand. But they all are good performers, we like them all, and all will suit most Pro use cases just fine — at a fraction of the cost.
Dell UltraSharp 32 8K Monitor
The Dell UltraSharp 32 8K monitor is every bit impressive in its own right, featuring a 7,680 x 4,320 resolution, covering 98% of the P3 wide color gamut, and boasts a 1300:1 contrast ratio. It has two DisplayPorts and a 3.5mm audio-out jack.
The Ultrasharp 32 8K may be overkill for most people as there is limited 8K content available for most consumers, but professional photographers, digital artists, and video editors may very well find this monitor useful. While Dell charges $3,899.99 for the display, Amazon has the UP3218K on sale for $3,402.59 with free shipping.
The Dell UltraSharp 32 8K requires an eGPU on macOS at present.
LG 49WL95C-W UltraWide Dual QHD Curved Display
If you've got a big desk and need a serious amount of work space, the LG UltraWide Dual WHD Curved Display might be the perfect tool for you. Creative professionals can utilize the 49-inch display, the largest on our list, to view multiple windows when editing video and images.
This display also features an ambient light sensor, designed to decrease eye-strain. Multiple devices can be connected via Dual Controller 2.0, allowing two separate computers to be controlled via one mouse, keyboard, and monitor. There are two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB Type-C port.
This monitor also includes two 10W built in stereo speakers that support Rich Bass. Beach Camera on Amazon currently has this display for $1,364.99 with free shipping, while B&H Photo is expecting inventory within 7 to 14 days.
LG UltraWide 5K Thunderbolt 3 Display
The LG Ultrawide 5K2K is an excellent choice for designers, developers, and video editors. The extra-wide 34-inch display allows for easier workflow for those who may need to keep many windows open at once, as suggested in our review.
It has a max brightness of 450 nits, covers 90 percent of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut. Gamers may want to look elsewhere, as the Ultrawide 5K2K features a 60Hz refresh rate, instead of a preferred 120Hz or 240Hz.
LG's 34-inch 5K monitor (34WK95U-W) is available at Amazon.com for $1,099.99.
LG 23.7-inch 4K UltraFine Display
The LG 23.7-inch 4K UltraFine Display is a brilliant monitor that works over Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C, and can be daisy-chained with other devices via the Thunderbolt 3 port. It features a 3840 x 2160 60Hz UHD display, boasts 500 nits of brightness — the same as the MacBook Pro — and covers the P3 wide color gamut. It also features a footprint that makes it ideal for most desk setups. This one is an Apple exclusive that can be picked up for $699.95.
BenQ PD3200U 32-inch 4K IPS Monitor
This 32-inch screen of the BenQ 4K IPS offers some serious space to work in programs like Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut Pro and has 100% sRGB color space, perfect for creative professionals. This monitor doesn't have USB-C, but features two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2, and one mini DisplayPort.
Amazon has it in stock, with free shipping through Prime for $699.
LG 43UD79-B 43-inch 16:9 4K IPS Monitor
Looking for lots of screen real estate but don't want to spend much? The LG 43-inch 4K IPS Monitor has 43 inches of screen space with wide 178-degree viewing angles. It supports Picture-in-Picture, Picture-by-Picture, and Dual Controller if you wish to connect more than one computer to the monitor at once. It features two HDMI 1.4 ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, one Display Port, as well as a USB Type-C port. You can get one from Beach Camera on Amazon for $569, with free expedited shipping for Prime members.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
52 Comments
The first alternative monitor has a price in the same ballpark as Apple’s. It makes apple’s offer seem decent. Thanks for this article.
What are the scaled resolutions for the LG UltraWide 34”?
The obvious ones:
5120 x 2160
2560 x 1080
3412x1440 available? (109 points per inch, about the same as the 5K 27” and a touch lower than MBP).
And the Internet trolls and iHaters will continue to compare the XDR monitor to these and cry the XDR is too expensive.
I have had the LG 43UD79-B 43-inch 16:9 4K IPS Monitor for a few months and it is a good monitor. Besides my MacPro at 4K60 I have a 4K Apple TV attached as well as another old computer at 1080p. It works fine with all and is a bargain at $600. Not equivalent to the Apple monitor.