External monitor recommendations for MBA M1

wonder_lander

wonder_lander

wonder_lander

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My WFH setup is on the lounge and I'd like to add a second monitor to go alongside the MBA's screen.

What USB-C monitors are people running that they'd recommend?
 
If you want retina-level sharpness the only choice in the UK is the Pro Display XDR which is £4500. Anything else will look noticeably less tharp than your mac's own screen. We might see a few screens with 200+ ppi this year though, fingers crossed.

Going a level below, Dell U2720Q and Huawei Mateview are both decent at around £600. They give you ~165ppi which is halfway between the typical 110ppi screens and the retina 220ppi like your mac's screen. They'll charge the mac with USB-C, give you some extra ports and play well with macOS.
 
HACO said:
If you want retina-level sharpness the only choice in the UK is the Pro Display XDR which is £4500. Anything else will look noticeably less tharp than your mac's own screen. We might see a few screens with 200+ ppi this year though, fingers crossed.

Going a level below, Dell U2720Q and Huawei Mateview are both decent at around £600. They give you ~165ppi which is halfway between the typical 110ppi screens and the retina 220ppi like your mac's screen. They'll charge the mac with USB-C, give you some extra ports and play well with macOS.
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Really useful, what about the Dell S2722QC ? Seems to have the same 165ppi and USB-C connection with 65 watt of power delivery?
 
wonder_lander said:
Really useful, what about the Dell S2722QC ? Seems to have the same 165ppi and USB-C connection with 65 watt of power delivery?
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S-series are lower-end, compared to the U-series they don't have factory calibration, don't have similar build quality and panels are often worse grade. They also have a higher tolerance of dead/stuck pixels in their QA so more likely to get an imperfect screen. But they are usually faster.

If you don't care about those, then get the cheaper one!
 
The LG 27UL850-w is another one to consider, I have it with my Mac Mini and it is fab, it has gone up about 100 quid recently though, like everything I guess!
 
James Peach said:
The Huawei Mateview is fantastic. I just have to sort of go around the room talking about how great china is every so often.
Affordably too.
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It plays well with macOS, but it's not a fantastic monitor. For the actual quality of display it's overpriced at MSRP. But it has decent feature sets which make it convenient, especially if you get it when the price regularly drops to ~£450.
 
HACO said:
It plays well with macOS, but it's not a fantastic monitor. For the actual quality of display it's overpriced at MSRP. But it has decent feature sets which make it convenient, especially if you get it when the price regularly drops to ~£450.
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For me it’s a great stopgap waiting for apple to drop its consumer display. I really do like it. Not just the PPI but the aspect ratio and the design and build quality.
 
I honestly don't see apple dropping a consumer display, they may partner again with LG or whomever to do a retina type display I guess but even when they release a 32inch iMac, I doubt they will make a monitor of the same quality for laptop users to use.
 
blairw said:
I honestly don't see apple dropping a consumer display, they may partner again with LG or whomever to do a retina type display I guess but even when they release a 32inch iMac, I doubt they will make a monitor of the same quality for laptop users to use.
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oh it’s coming. This year I expect. Solid rumours that it’s in development.
 
Lots of high-end suggestions in here. If it is just productivity rather than video editing, then you'll be more than satisfied with the Dell S series or Lenovo Q27h (this has the USB-C with pass-through).
 
dannyjo22 said:
and rumoured to be around 2k.
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Oh 100% that's the lowest it'll be. But, then again, I expect it to last as long as the old cinema display did.

The thing about the one I have - the mateview - is that it's probably the best looking one I've found with the highest ppi. And i think you get good bang for your buck.
 
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