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LG UltraFine 5K

Shares rank 4 of 14 monitors by recommenders

Owners praise its sharp 5K display and long life, but several report failing rear USB ports and display problems with some Mac setups.

Owners praise its sharp 5K display and long life, but several report failing rear USB ports and display problems with some Mac setups.

25 people gave an opinion

recommend it
16
criticize it
9
approval share
64%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 6 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: recommended
  2. December 2025: not recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: recommended
  6. April 2026: not recommended
  7. May 2026: not recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: recommended
  10. August 2026: not recommended
  11. September 2026: recommended
  12. October 2026: recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Owned for 9 years

Median of the 6 owners who said how long they have had it.

Each square is one year.

Why it doesn’t carry the badge

  • 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
  • 1.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
  • Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Crisp text and sharp display

    “I get 1:1 pixel mapping so text looks crisp in every app except Microsoft Teams.”

    Comment from 5 Nov 2025 on Hacker News

    “The quality is fantastic.”

    Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Mac external displays for designers and developers, part 2”
  • Owners stay happy long term

    “still consider it one of my favorite tech purchases ever”

    Comment from 28 Jul 2026 in “I'd not buy a LG monitor”

    “I absolutely loved the LG Ultrafine 5K”

    Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

    “I haven't had any issues with mine.”

    Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”
  • Good value for the money

    “I got a deal on a used one last year and I love it.”

    Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

    “Best ROI of any tech equipment I've bought.”

    Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

What people warn about

Each mark is one comment

  • Rear USB ports fail

    “I’ve heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”

    Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

    “I've heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”

    Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

    “my only complaint in 2026 is that some of its rear USB ports are failing”

    Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”
  • Color bleeding and burn-in

    “Somehow, it's held up just fine a decade later; only color bleeding is an issue.”

    Comment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

    “It's physically cracking / falling apart and has atrocious burn in.”

    Comment from 5 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

Other monitors people recommend

The four most recommended other monitors, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

LG UltraFine 5K compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Apple Studio Display655355%10——
Dell UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor273544%22 yrs3 owners—
LG UltraFine Evo 6K monitor171652%42 mo5 owners—
LG UltraFine 5KThis page16964%69 yrs6 owners—
Apple Pro Display XDR16480%7—Approved
See all 14 monitors, ranked

What people said

24 of the 25 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“The 27” is so much nicer.”

MixedComment from 27 Oct 2026 in “New iMac with M6”

“it feels like a toy in comparison”

CriticizesComment from 27 Oct 2026 in “New iMac with M6”

“LG UltraFine was pretty close.”

CriticizesComment from 7 Oct 2026 in “Apple's Smart Home Push Includes Doorbell, Lock, Thermostat Codeveloped with LG”

“I use dual 5k LG monitors with my work MacBook and can get the MacOS Display Manager process to crash”

MixedComment from 15 Sep 2026 in “iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27”

“still consider it one of my favorite tech purchases ever”

RecommendsComment from 28 Jul 2026 in “I'd not buy a LG monitor”

“Garbage when it came to connectivity.”

CriticizesComment from 2 Jun 2026 in “Surface Laptop Ultra: Made for World Makers”

“It's physically cracking / falling apart and has atrocious burn in.”

CriticizesComment from 5 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“The quality is fantastic.”

MixedComment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Mac external displays for designers and developers, part 2”

“Best ROI of any tech equipment I've bought.”

RecommendsComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“The LG UltraFine's were garbage, but got better over time”

MixedComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“my only complaint in 2026 is that some of its rear USB ports are failing”

MixedComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“I got a deal on a used one last year and I love it.”

MixedComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“It didn't have great reviews, and it was like two thirds the cost of an entire 5k iMac.”

CriticizesComment from 3 Mar 2026 in “Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR”

“I'd rather get a used UltraFine 5K than get one of LGs.”

RecommendsComment from 21 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“it's been amazing ever since!”

RecommendsComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“I absolutely loved the LG Ultrafine 5K”

RecommendsComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“I've heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”

CriticizesComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“I haven't had any issues with mine.”

MixedComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“I had to service the UltraFine 5K twice before realizing that using it to power the Macbook was killing it”

CriticizesComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“Somehow, it's held up just fine a decade later; only color bleeding is an issue.”

MixedComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“the latter having, as you say, reliability horror stories”

CriticizesComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“I’ve heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”

CriticizesComment from 20 Jan 2026 in “LG UltraFine Evo 6K 32-inch Monitor Review”

“really miss the 5K@27 I had (other than it was a "smart" monitor which annoyed the hell out of me)”

MixedComment from 6 Nov 2025 on Hacker News

“I get 1:1 pixel mapping so text looks crisp in every app except Microsoft Teams.”

RecommendsComment from 5 Nov 2025 on Hacker News

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.