Good 27" display for early 2020 Macbook Air? Priorities are crisp clear text and bright screen

[DreeZ]

I have the non-M1 Retina Macbook Air from early 2020 and am looking for a good external display. I've been using a 2013 imac as a second computer but it's showing its age. I have an Viewsonic set-up from my BIL but no matter the resolution, the text is still coming out fuzzy and the display seems dull. Most of my work is editing and writing so I am looking for a big, bright display that renders text very crisply, though I don't need it for gaming or photo/video editing or anything like that. I'd like to spend no more than $400, and would also be happy with a used model if the resolution is up to snuff.

Are there displays that exist that will render text as well as my retina macbook? My eyes start to glaze over when I get into the weeds of display specifications and I have a hard time sorting out what a lot of it means. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[pigoo3]

This is a difficult question to answer. If you ask 10 different people...you'll probably get 10 different recommendations for a good/great display. Lol

I've worked with a number of 27" displays...and they've all looked great to me. Sure...if you put 2 or 3 of them side by side...you may see some small differences.

What I usually recommend is:

1. Find something that fits your budget.
2. Look for specific features that are important to you:

* tilt/swivel/height adjustable stand.
* Has ports important to you.
* Charging port for your MacBook Air.
* etc.

One VERY important item to be aware of...not all 27" monitors are the same when it comes to "screen real estate". Some 27" monitors will be 1920 x 1080 resolution...some will be 2560x1440 resolution.

1920x1080 resolution can be found on 22", 23", and 24" monitors. If I'm going to upgrade to a larger 27" monitor...I want to see MORE (more screen real estate) than on smaller monitors. Thus a display resolution of 2560x1440 allows you to see more (more screen real estate).

HTH,

Nick

p.s. Welcome to Mac-Forums!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I'll second what Nick said, this is a very personal choice.

At 27" and onward, you want to be at at-least 2K in resolution. 1080P is not good.

I've got two Viewsonic 27" that work for me. They were around $350 each. Dell makes good monitors as does LG, Samsung. Some people like the cheaper AOC, others prefer the color reproduction of BenQ.

You likely want to only look at IPS screens.

Do some research and come up with a list of monitors and we can hopefully help narrow it down.

 

[DreeZ]

Thank you! Another dumb question -- what is the significance of a 4K vs non-4K display? Is there a notable difference if I'm not doing graphics-heavy work? Is there any downside to a 4K other than the higher price? Similarly, will I notice a performance decrease if I try to run my macbook on a 27 inch screen vs a 24 inch screen?

 

[pigoo3]

...what is the significance of a 4K vs non-4K display? Is there a notable difference if I'm not doing graphics-heavy work? Is there any downside to a 4K other than the higher price?

This can get technical...something you seemed to want to avoid.

Basically...if you compare a 4K display versus a non-4K display...the 4K display should be sharper/clearer than a non-4k display (when comparing both at the same resolution).

Similarly, will I notice a performance decrease if I try to run my macbook on a 27 inch screen vs a 24 inch screen?

No problem here with an M1 based MacBook Air.

Nick

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Well, 4K is a resolution. Less about crispness and clarity. 4K basically equates to 3840 × 2160 on a screen. If you have 24" monitor at 4K, everything is going to be tiny. 2K, in contrast, is 2560x1440 and is better suited for 24-27" inches.

When you get up to 32"+ and onward, 4K, 6K, 8K, BillionK make more sense since you have the physical real-estate to encompass the virtual real-estate.

I tried a 4K monitor at 27" and was squinting at everything, not very comfortable. On the other hand, my 77" TV is 4K and that's perfect. Imagine run 1080P on a 77" TV and how crappy that'll look, you have the physical real-estate but the virtual can't fill it up and you have too many gaps.

The higher the resolution, the more it costs.

On your budget, you should stick with 2K.

 

[pigoo3]

When I was talking "crispness & clarity"...similar to Apple Retina computer displays...it's about pixel density. If a 4k display is operated at 2560x1440 resolution...the pixel density at 2560x1440 (on a 4K display)...will be greater...and this is where the greater crispness & clarity comes in.

If a 4K 27" display was actually operated at 4K resolution (3840 × 2160)...most definitely everything will be teeny.

Definitely agree. For most users...2K resolution on a 27" display is perfectly ok.

Nick

 

[DreeZ]

Got it! All makes sense, re: resolution (by eyes glazing over, I mostly meant I had a hard time understanding it, though you've explained it well). But in that case, why do Apple/LG produce the ultrafine 4k model at 24"?

The models that seem like they might be good that I've found so far are:

Dell U2722D and the Dell S2722DC, though I don't quite understand the difference between these two

And the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV

Any good picks I might be missing, or ideas about distinctions between these?

 

[pigoo3]

But in that case, why do Apple/LG produce the ultrafine 4k model at 24"?

I referred to this in post #7. It's about "pixel density". If you operated one of these 24" displays at 1920 x 1080 resolution...text would be crisper & sharper (compared to a 2K display operated at 1920 x 1080).

* On a "regular" 2K display...you have 1920 pixels horizontally & 1080 pixels vertically.
* On a 4K display you have 3840 pixels horizontally & 2160 pixels vertically.

If both of these displays (2K & 4K) were operated at the same resolution of 1920 x 1080...the 4K display would have greater pixel density...thus sharper & crisper text & images.

But is this a "night & day" difference...in my opinion no. But it is noticeable if you look closely.

Then we talk budget.

If the 4K displays you're looking at are a lot more $$$ than same size 2K displays (27" vs. 27") @ 2560 x 1440 resolution...and if you really don't need 4K...then get a 2K display. If budget is not a problem...get a 4K display!

Nick

 

[Raz0rEdge]

The big difference between the two Dell's is that one is the UltraSharp line which carries a higher price for that moniker. The other one is cheaper for losing that moniker, but has a faster response time which matters if you are gaming and expecting fast response to changes.

the Asus is fine, but the Dell's have better connectivity, especially the USB-C which means you can use a single cable between your MBP and the monitor to get everything over (audio, video, data). This is similar to how the LG UltraFine series works, a series that Apple and LG co-developed.

 

[pm-r]

Dell U2722D and the Dell S2722DC, though I don't quite understand the difference between these two

If you need more help understanding the details maybe try here:

Dell U2722D VS. the Dell S2722DC - Google Search

- Patrick
=======

 

[rickisan]

Dell U2722D... Based on this thread... I picked this one up recently. Thank you. It was unable to recognize my MacBook Air using an older USB-C cable I had on hand but when I switched to the included (newer) USB-C cable it immediately recognized the external monitor. Since it is amazingly easy to return unwanted items to Amazon I have been purchasing "used" and saving substantially. This one is used but it looks perfect and $80 less than new. Oh yeah... and this monitor hits the "Sweet Spot" for me in terms of resolution and picture quality.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FB6GVK1/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1