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What are the best 27+ inch monitors for a MacBook?

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Samsung U28E590D vs LG 27UD88-W vs LG 29UM68

 vs AOC C3583FQ vs AOC U2879VF vs Apple Thunderbolt Display

Specs

Size

28

Resolution

3840 × 2160 (4K)

Refresh Rate

60

Adaptive Sync

FreeSync

For gaming

-

For photo editing

-

Size

27

Resolution

3840 × 2160 (4K)

Refresh Rate

60

Adaptive Sync

FreeSync

For gaming

Yes

For photo editing

Yes

Size

29

Resolution

2560 x 1080

Refresh Rate

75

Adaptive Sync

FreeSync

For gaming

Yes

For photo editing

-

Size

35

Resolution

2560 x 1080

Refresh Rate

165

Adaptive Sync

-

For gaming

Yes

For photo editing

-

Size

28

Resolution

3840 × 2160 (4K)

Refresh Rate

60

Adaptive Sync

FreeSync

For gaming

-

For photo editing

-

Size

-

Resolution

-

Refresh Rate

-

Adaptive Sync

-

For gaming

-

For photo editing

-

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Compact, stable and aesthetically pleasing stand

The stand takes little place and has a metallic finish and is quite stable, even if at first this doesn’t seem to be the case
Comment

Pro
 Multiple inputs (and the option to watch them simultaneously)

This screen's connectivity consists of two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.2., which is enough for most users. Samsung offers picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes. Meaning that you can view two inputs side by side or one can be scaled down to a small window that you can place on one of the corners.
Comment

Pro
 Great picture quality

The Samsung uses a 10-bit color display panel, resulting fantastic picture quality. It can reproduce more than a billion colors, compared to the 16 million colors of 8-bit panels. The color saturation and accuracy easily compete with more expensive screens, although they are not precise enough for photo-centric work. Contrast levels are average, but the monitor is brighter than other monitors in its price group.
Comment

Con
 Cheap plastic on the back

The plastic on the back of the screen feels a bit cheap.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent response time for gamers

This screen offers an excellent response time of only 1 ms, compared to the 5 ms (or more) of other monitors in this price range. Input lag measures at 15 ms, which is second only to dedicated gaming monitors with 10 ms response times.
Comment

Pro
 Good colors

The screen’s 10-bit panel covers 97% of the sRGB color spectrum which is a respectable result for a budget monitor. For professional use, you will have to look for something more accurate. Color saturation and accuracy is excellent and can compete with higher priced models.
Comment

Pro
 Good contrast ratio

It delivers a standard contrast ratio of 1:1000, although when properly calibrated, the contrast ratio goes down slightly.
Comment

Pro
 Comfortable on eyes even after prolonged use

This monitor offers a flicker-free backlight, which reduces strain on your eyes. It also includes a setting that reduces the amount of blue light in the screen, making the picture look softer and facilitates nighttime use.
Comment

Pro
 Elegant and minimal look

This monitor is finished in a black plastic with metallic look borders and looks elegant and minimal.
Comment

Pro
 Suitable for watching in bright setting

The brightness measures up to 300 nits after calibration and the matte screen reduces glare, making it easy to view the screen in bright conditions
Comment

Con
 Very limited screen position control

The monitor can only be tilted by 20 degrees, and no swivel or height changing is available, so is very limited regarding screen position control.
Comment

Con
 Accessible navigation joystick

Navigation is done with a joystick in the left bottom side of the screen and is easily accessible.
Comment

Con
 Poor viewing angles

It uses a TN panel which generally has terrible viewing angles. Color shifting occurs at 40 degrees. And even though Samsung’s proprietary “MagicAngle” helps to improve it, there are plenty of other monitors offering better viewing angles.
Comment

Con
 Limited flexibility

The monitor does not offer much flexibility options as it only can be slightly tilted, but you cannot change the height or swivel it at any direction. There is a Vesa mount in the back so you can attach it to a more flexible stand or wall mount.
Comment

Con
 No USB ports

There are no USB ports found on this screen, so there is no possibility to watch media from external storage directly or use the screen as an USB hub.
Comment

Pro
 Varied connectivity options

The LG 27UD88 offers a wide choice of connectivity options. It includes two HDMI 2.0 ports, one Display port 1.2 and USB-C port that can be used as a video input port as well. There are also two USB 3.0 ports for external hardware or media devices.
Comment

Pro
 Fantastic display quality

The monitor has outstanding sharpness, brightness, color accuracy and an almost perfect sRGB color coverage. It comes factory pre-calibrated that will satisfy most users, but there are also plenty of calibration options if needed. The viewing angles are excellent at nearly 180 degrees, meaning pictures will look good even from extreme angles, without any noticeable color distortion.
Comment

Pro
 Sturdy and pleasant design

It is made from plastic, but feels robust and solid. The back is white and the foot has a silver metallic finish. The stand has a large footprint, but should fit on most of the tables and still feel stable. Overall it looks premium more expensive than it actually is.
Comment

Pro
 Great colors

The screen can produce 1.07 billion colours and covers 99% of the sRGB color spectrum. This means great performance in nearly every situation, from gaming to professional photo/video color correcting and post-processing. Color accuracy is one the best among its competitors, and is on par with more expensive monitors. This monitor comes factory calibrated for accurate color accuracy, but can be further adjusted with LG’s True Color Pro calibration software.
Comment

Pro
 The screen seems bigger than its actual size

The bezel is barely visible, except for the bottom part of the screen, resulting in an elegant look and an illusion that the screen is bigger than it actually is.
Comment

Pro
 Great for multi-monitor setups.

This screen suits multi monitor setups particularly well, since it has almost no visible bezels.
Comment

Pro
 Multiple display presets and modes

Users will be able to find the best preset for their specific use of the monitor as it comes with 14 different ones. These include an sRGB preset, a preset for eased reading, for color blindness, multiple broadcasting standards and gaming presets. There are also several picture-by-picture presets, but only for two inputs at once. You can make your own presets as well and switching between them is quick and easy using the joystick at the bottom of the screen.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent input lag and great response

Even the most experienced gamers will like this monitor as27UD88 has one of the lowest input lags currently available for 4K display, measuring only at 9,8ms, making it ideal for virtually lag free gaming. The pixel response time measures at 5ms that is not the best result, but still is really good and should not cause any noticeable problems for majority of the users.
Comment

Pro
 Has a versatile USB type-C port

Laptop users with USB type-C connector can transmit video signals directly to the monitor. When connected, you can also use the monitor as a USB port for data transfer as well as charge your laptop if it supports type-C charging. All of this can be done simultaneously through just one wire.
Comment

Pro
 No issues on bright settings

The screen can be very bright, at 320 nits, above the industry average of 240 nits. This means it can be used with no problems in well lit rooms. The screen is coated with a matte finish, preventing errant glare and reflections.
Comment

Pro
 Easy and intuitive settings navigation

The settings of the monitor are adjusted using a joystick at the bottom of the monitor. It's easy to reach, precise and all the controls are displayed on the screen. The OSD menu is clear and understandable.
Comment

Pro
 Flexible

Height and tilt adjustment can be made on this screen, although the height adjustment interval is rather small. Pivot is also available, so it can be used in portrait mode, when needed.
Comment

Pro
 Good response time and input lag

The response time is 5 ms for this model. While not the fastest overall, it is still excellent especially since the screen uses IPS technology, which generally has slower response times. Input lag measures at an excellent 9.8 ms, which in practical use is entirely negligible and completely imperceptible.
Comment

Con
 Impossible to swivel

The monitor cannot be swiveled, since its stand is static. However, given that the screen has a really wide viewing angle, there should be no necessity to swivel the screen.
Comment

Con
 The stand may be too big to fit some tables

This monitor's stand is quite big, so it may be too big to fit properly on some tables.
Comment

Con
 No picture-in-picture option

Unfortunately, there is no picture-in-picture option, which is quite a common feature on competitors of this price range.
Comment

Con
 USB 3.0 ports are difficult to access

This screen's two USB 3.0 ports are located on the back of the monitor, facing directly away from its body, so it may not be always easy to access them.
Comment

Pro
 Good value for the money

The LG 29UM68 is relatively inexpensive compared to other 21:9 displays and is a great budget choice if you're specifically looking for an ultra-wide display.
Comment

Pro
 Provides great image quality and color reproduction

The IPS-panel used in LG's monitor offers great image quality, especially compared to the more common TN-panels. Contrast is great with a 1000:1 ratio (better blacks), luminosity is excellent, images are vibrant and the color reproduction is great as well. These attributes are all due to the fact that an IPS panel was used.
Comment

Pro
 Aspect ratio is ideal for movies, offers greater field of view in games

The LG 29UM68 is a display with a rather unique 21:9 aspect ratio, which is ultra-wide. The difference with a regular 16:9 display is that there are added pixels on both sides, which increases workspace. It's also ideal to watch movies as most recent movies are filmed in a widescreen aspect ratio. Some games also offer support for 21:9 monitors and will allow you to have a greater field of view.
Comment

Pro
 Looks great from every angle

The LG 29UM68 uses has great viewing angles, both vertically and horizontally. Color shifting (distortion of colors when viewed at a wide angle) doesn't occur.
Comment

Pro
 Picture-in-picture mode easily displays two inputs at once

Because of the wide aspect ratio, LG offers a built-in picture-in-picture mode (referred to as Split Screen) to display two inputs at once.
Comment

Pro
 No noticeable backlight bleeding

The monitor doesn't allow any light of the backlight to get through, which results in no noticeable backlight bleeding: that means dark areas remain dark as intended.
Comment

Con
 Slow response time

The response time for the screen is limited at 5 ms, which is significantly slower than some other monitors. This makes the LG 29UM68 less ideal for gaming situations that require quick input.
Comment

Con
 Refresh rate limited to 75Hz, not great for fast-paced action

The maximum supported refresh rate of this monitor is 75 Hz or 75 frames per second which is a tad faster than non-Freesync monitors, but is not as good as 120 or 144 Hz displays. Especially fast-paced games benefit from a higher refresh rate, as it offers a more fluid gaming experience.
Comment

Pro
 Curved display increases visual workspace

The AOC C3583FQ is curved and is angled similar to the curves of the human eye. Because of the curved screen, points on the screen are spread more evenly across your eyes, which increases your visual workspace and can reduce eyestrain.
Comment

Pro
 Great image quality

The monitor uses a VA-panel, which is comparable to IPS. Image quality is excellent and aspects such as color reproduction, contrast and brightness are all great.
Comment

Con
 Smaller pixel density, not as sharp as other displays

The resolution of the AOC C3583FQ is Full HD, but because there's additional screen space on both sides, 2560 x 1080 pixels are displayed. This is the same pixel density as a regular 1080p non-ultrawide monitor. Because of the large screen size of 35 inch, this monitor isn't as sharp as some other displays. The amount of pixels per inch (ppi) is measured at 70.
Comment

Pro
 Connections integrated in the base

In terms of connectivity, all ports are integrated into the base of the large display. That results in a more tidy environment and no cables dangling on the rear of the display.
Comment

Pro
 Good viewing angles

Another advantage of the VA-panel is the range of the viewing angles. The monitor looks great from every horizontal and vertical viewing angle and color shifting doesn't occur.
Comment

Pro
 Extremely high refresh rate

The maximum refresh rate of this display is 160 Hz, which is extremely fast - even for high-end standards. Most high-end displays only offer up to 144 Hz, but this AOC display is a bit faster. High refresh rates are excellent for fast-paced gaming action and ensures a much greater fluidity.
Comment

Con
 Awkward touch controls

The on-screen display and menu's of this AOC display are controlled via touch-sensitive controls on the base of the monitor. Due to the ultra-wide aspect ratio, the OSD can be a little bit awkard to control.
Comment

Con
 Large stand-by power consumption

With a stand-by power consumption of over 60 watts, the AOC C3583FQ definitely isn't an economic display.
Comment

Con
 Doesn't support VESA mounting

The C3583FQ doesn't feature a VESA mount which makes wall-mounting or using an alternative stand impossible.
Comment

Pro
 Great value for the money

The AOC U2879VF is a cheap Ultra HD display with good image quality, the price/quality ratio of this display is quite high.
Comment

Pro
 Extremely sharp

The AOC U2879VF uses a 4K-display with a resolution of 2160 x 3840 pixels, which is four times the amount of pixels of a Full HD display. This results in an extremely sharp image and overall great image quality. In terms of pixel density (measured in pixels per inch), this display measures at 163 ppi. For comparison - a Full HD display of the same size will only achieve half of that - 81.5 pixels per inch.
Comment

Pro
 Support for MHL allows you to quickly connect a media device

This monitor supports MHL - short for Mobile High-Definition Link - which allows you to connect an Android smartphone or tablet to the U2879VF monitor.
Comment

Pro
 Fast response time, great for gaming

With a response time of just 1ms, the AOC U2879VF is one of the fastest monitors on the market. Ideal for fast-paced gaming situations such as first person shooters.
Comment

Pro
 Thin bezel makes it ideal for multi-screen setups

The bezel of this display measures a thin 17 mm, which doesn't only result in a smaller build, but it makes the U2879VF also more suitable for multi-display setups.
Comment

Pro
 Excellent grayscales in sRGB preset, great for graphical work

When using the sRGB preset - which is particularly useful for graphical editing - the grayscale error readings of the U2879VF are quite low for a relatively inexpensive panel. The error measures was 0.93 Delta E - that's only a tad worse than specific graphical displays which retail for a much larger price. For comparison, a standard 28" TN panel measures at 1.60 Delta E. (Lower is better.)
Comment

Pro
 Excellent screen uniformity

The AOC U2879VF has excellent screen uniformity, both in terms of luminance and color. In fact, this panel scores extremely well with a luminance deviation of 6.32 percent - which is better than most displays with IPS panels. No backlight bleeding or hotspots are present.
Comment

Con
 Disappointing input lag

The absolute input lag measured on this display is quite high at 87 ms. Although this won't disturb casual players, it's definitely not ideal for fast-paced gaming situations - despite a fast response time.
Comment

Con
 4K resolution doesn't scale well with all software

Due to the native 4K resolution and the relatively small 28 inch screen size, text can be hard to read in Windows and other non-gaming environments, such as Adobe's software. Not everything scales well in 4K (yet).
Comment

Con
 Doesn't offer support for VESA mounts

The design of this display is proprietary and there is no support for the universal VESA standard. As a result, wall-mounting this display isn't possible, and alternative stands aren't compatible as well.
Comment

Con
 Red is slightly under-saturated

The display suffers from a slight under-saturation of the red color, which is a caveat for some graphical applications. This also can't be fixed through software, it's a hardware limitation of the panel.
Comment

Con
 Maximum refresh rate limited to 75 Hz, less ideal for fast-paced action

The maximum supported refresh rate of this monitor is 75 Hz or 75 frames per second which is a tad faster than non-Freesync monitors, but is not as good as 120 or 144 Hz displays. Especially fast-paced games benefit from a higher refresh rate, for a more fluid gaming experience.
Comment

Con
 Reflective screen

Having a glossy screen can be annoying when gaming or doing design work because spots behind you may show up on the screen and distract you from what you intend to be doing.
Comment

Pro
 Good selection of ports

Apple Thunderbolt Display has Firewire 800, Thunderbolt, Ethernet, and 3 USB ports.
Comment

Pro
 Good image quality

The image is vibrant and sharp with 1000:1 contrast ratio, 16.7 million colors and a response time of 12ms.
Comment

Pro
 Great built-in web cam

The FaceTime camera captures video at 720p, and works very well.
Comment

Pro
 Good speakers

Compared to other built-in monitor speakers, the Thunderbolt Display's speakers are better.
Comment

Pro
 Beautiful design

Clean aesthetics of high quality aluminum back and stand for heavy duty use and a glossy screen.
Comment

Con
 It is not sold anymore

http://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/23/apple-discontinues-thunderbolt-display/
Comment

Con
 Old technology - Slow refresh and small color gamut

The Thunderbolt display is showing its age as every other monitor in this class has a faster refresh (less ghosting) and wide color gamut (shows more colors & more accurately).
Comment

Con
 Expensive compared to competition

Up to 4 times more expensive compared to other monitors in it's class.
Comment

Con
 No height or swivel adjustment

Can only adjust the tilt.
Comment

Con
 Works only with Thunderbolt

You can't use HDMI or DisplayPort cables.
Comment
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