LG UltraFine 6K Monitor first to connect with Thunderbolt 5

LG's latest UltraFine 6K Monitor could be a great display for a new M4 Pro Mac mini, but Thunderbolt 5 is not necessarily enough to get people to buy the high-spec screen.

Apple's Mac mini refresh also expanded the video capabilities for the model, with each able to display a 6K-resoution picture. One option in LG's CES 2025 launches seems to fit the bill exactly.

The LG UltraFine 6K Monitor, model 32U990A, surfaced on Monday as part of the 2025 CES Innovation Awards, as an honoree in imaging. The monitor is described as the first in the world to have a 6K resolution display that also uses Thunderbolt 5.

Thunderbolt 5 is a connection type Apple includes in its Mac models running the M4 Pro or M4 Max chips, offering up to 80Gbps of bandwidth. While the video driving the display won't use up all of the bandwidth, the support for Thunderbolt 5 at least means it will offer high levels of bandwidth to downstream connected devices.

LG's newest screen has a Nano IPS Black panel, delivering high color accuracy and contrast. Its color gamut coverage includes 99.5% of Adobe RGB and 98% of DCI-P3.

There's also calibration software support, making it highly useful for creatives in visual fields.

As for the styling, it seems LG borrows from the Pro Display XDR and the Studio Display, with a thin bezel, a rectangular slab-like body, and an Apple-like rear stand.

Pricing and availability for the LG UltraFine 6K monitor has yet to be released by LG. That, and a lot of other specifications, including key elements like the display's size and what connections it provides.

While LG's monitor could be an attractive prospect, users may find that they can get many of the benefits in a presumably cheaper package.

AppleInsider has repeatedly raised the Dell 32-inch 6K monitor as a great option for users. The U3224KB has been around since 2023, and sports a 6K resolution with an IPS Black panel. It offers a higher 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

LG has relatively few specifications available for its display, but they are likely to be comparable in terms of connectivity options to Dell's screen.

Indeed, it could be argued that Dell's monitor's use of Thunderbolt 4 in its spec list isn't that much of a detriment versus LG's display. For a start, you're not going to saturate the connection with video, as there will be ample spare bandwidth on either connection.

As for what you do with that spare bandwidth, it's unlikely that the extra given with Thunderbolt 5 will be that useful to users, unless they connect a lot of drives up to the extra connections on the display.

Add in that Dell's monitor is available now for the relatively reasonable $2,479.99, and it seems like a good buy for the moment.

That may change if LG is particularly aggressive on the pricing of its screen and its availability. Sadly we won't know that until LG releases more details for the display, as well as more specifications in general.