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%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- 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” - 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.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Studio Display | 65 | 53 | 55% | 10 | — | — |
| Dell UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor | 27 | 35 | 44% | 2 | 2 yrs3 owners | — |
| LG UltraFine Evo 6K monitor | 17 | 16 | 52% | 4 | 2 mo5 owners | — |
| LG UltraFine 5KThis page | 16 | 9 | 64% | 6 | 9 yrs6 owners | — |
| Apple Pro Display XDR | 16 | 4 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
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.”
“it feels like a toy in comparison”
“LG UltraFine was pretty close.”
“I use dual 5k LG monitors with my work MacBook and can get the MacOS Display Manager process to crash”
“still consider it one of my favorite tech purchases ever”
“Garbage when it came to connectivity.”
“It's physically cracking / falling apart and has atrocious burn in.”
“The quality is fantastic.”
“Best ROI of any tech equipment I've bought.”
“The LG UltraFine's were garbage, but got better over time”
“my only complaint in 2026 is that some of its rear USB ports are failing”
“I got a deal on a used one last year and I love it.”
“It didn't have great reviews, and it was like two thirds the cost of an entire 5k iMac.”
“I'd rather get a used UltraFine 5K than get one of LGs.”
“it's been amazing ever since!”
“I absolutely loved the LG Ultrafine 5K”
“I've heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”
“I haven't had any issues with mine.”
“I had to service the UltraFine 5K twice before realizing that using it to power the Macbook was killing it”
“Somehow, it's held up just fine a decade later; only color bleeding is an issue.”
“the latter having, as you say, reliability horror stories”
“I’ve heard so many horror stories about the LG UltraFine 5k and the ports breaking”
“really miss the 5K@27 I had (other than it was a "smart" monitor which annoyed the hell out of me)”
“I get 1:1 pixel mapping so text looks crisp in every app except Microsoft Teams.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.