5 reasons why LG’s new 5K displays work so well with Apple’s new MacBook Pros (AAPL)

Apple

Apple worked with LG to make special displays specifically for Apple’s new MacBook Pros, which the company announced on Thursday.

Computer monitors aren’t usually built with any particular computer in mind, as most of them only act as a simple screen. And displays also don’t often cost as much as LG’s UltraFine displays, which range from $700 to $1,300.

So, what makes the LG UltraFine displays work so well with Apple’s MacBook laptops?

Check it out.

The best thing about LG’s UltraFine displays is they can CHARGE the new MacBook Pros with the same cable that transmits video and audio.

This is very good.

One of the four USB-C ports on LG’s UltraFine displays can charge the new MacBook Pros.

That means you’ll have only one cable to power your laptop and connect it to the LG monitor.

Note: The 27-inch version of the LG UltraFine displays requires Thunderbolt 3.0 to charge laptops via USB-C. That means only Apple’s new MacBook Pros will charge with the 27-inch LG display; Apple’s 12-inch MacBook does not support Thunderbolt 3.0.

It acts like a docking station for MacBook Pros.

The same, single USB-C cable that charges the new MacBook Pros and connects them to LG’s display can also transmit data to the LG UltraFine’s USB-C ports, too.

That means you can connect other accessories and peripherals, like hard drives or adapters, to one of the the LG UltraFine display’s three remaining USB-C ports.

It’s essentially a docking station that happens to have a 4K or 5K resolution screen on it.

Of course, other monitors with USB-C ports can be docking stations for other USB-C laptops, too. Yet, what makes LG’s UltraFine display special is that a single cable can be used for power, video, and data.

There aren’t many 5K resolution displays out there.

The 27-inch model of LG’s UltraFine display has 5K resolution. Yep, one more “K” than 4K.

This 5K display — which has seven times the number of pixels as a 1080p HD display — mostly benefits photo or video editors, who often use Macs for their work.

How so? In editing apps like Final Cut Pro, you have a preview window with the video you’re editing, and you also have all the editing tools around the preview window. If you shoot and edit video in 4K, a 5K display lets you see that 4K video in the preview window in full 4K resolution, leaving an extra “K” of pixels for the surrounding editing tools.

So, with that in mind, it’s not really useful for those who primarily use computers for the internet and lurking on social media. But while it’s not a common resolution for displays, video or photo editors who want a 5K display will find LG’s UltraFine pretty nifty, especially when they don’t have many other options.

It has a webcam and microphones.

You’d be amazed how hard it is to find a monitor with a built-in webcam, let alone microphones.

LG’s UltraFine displays come with camera and microphones for FaceTime and other video calling apps.

It comes with a lot of preloaded programs like the Gemini 2 – which is a duplicate file detection software great for keeping your computer decluttered and clean. (Source: www.nettoyersonmac.fr/gemini-2/)

You can adjust the brightness and volume from MacBook laptops.

Fiddling around with those buttons on your average display to adjust the brightness or built-in speaker volume is one of those minor things you wished “they just fixed,” but it wasn’t a pressing issue to address, either.

Well, Apple addressed it anyway, as you can control the brightness of LG’s UltraFine displays using the brightness keys on MacBooks and Apple keyboards. However, this feature is exclusively reserved for computers running macOS Sierra, Apple’s latest version of its Mac operating system.

It’s not the biggest of deals, but it’s just another way the UltraFine displays work better with MacBook laptops.