Best Monitors for Macbook Pro in 2020 – Top Picks Only
We have mentioned the best monitors for MacBook pro and all are better for viewing media or working with multiple windows next to each other. An external monitor with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 docking station makes it easy for you to connect your Mac. Any ultra-wide monitor will give you extra screen-space as higher resolution (up to about 4k) is always better for development but it will also look slightly blurry because of the way macOS renders fonts. We recommend you to get an IPS panel of at least 27 inches with 4k that will give you close-to-retina sharpness/experience.
6 Best Monitors for MacBook Pro – 2020
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | Price | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editors Choice | Editors Choice  |
#1. Dell U3818DW | Check Today’s Price |
|
| Runner-up | Runner-up  |
#2. LG 27UD88-W | Check Today’s Price |
|
| Budget Pick | Budget Pick  |
#3. LG 27UK850-W | Check Today’s Price |
|
| Best 5K Option | Best 5K Option  |
#4. LG 27MD5KA | Check Today’s Price |
|
| 32-inch Option | 32-inch Option  |
#5. BenQ PD3200U | Check Today’s Price |
|
| Affordable 4k Pick | Affordable 4k Pick  |
#6. ASUS MG28UQ 4K/UHD | Check Today’s Price |
|
| GSync and Best Design | GSync and Best Design  |
#7. Acer Predator XB271HK | Check Today’s Price |
|
1. Dell U3818DW – Best Monitor For MacBook Pro
A Great high-end USB-C monitor for professional who needs only best
This is truly a mighty beast to use with your mac. You will get to see an absolutely amazing picture quality and text readability. If you know that Mac Pro of 15-inch needs 85W to charge but most other ultrawide monitors with USB-C connectivity (besides the LG UltraFine) have a maximum of 60W of upstream power. For us, Dell U3818DW is the best monitor for MacBook Pro as it provides upstream power which means you don’t need to rely on your Mac battery to do more work, this monitor will quickly charge it while working.
This is the best display to use with your Pro, Air, or Mini due to its amazing features. The Type-C port with most power up to 100W can charge in no time as compared to other monitors. With its 3840 x 1600 resolution (~111 PPI) you won’t get any headache while multitasking with excel files or editing work.
If you want to play some games, you can use it for a small amount of gaming only due to its low response time of 5 ms and only 60Hz refresh rate. It feels very sturdy and you can VESA mount it save some more space on the working table. In Connectivity Options you will get, 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 (HDCP 2.2), 2 x HDMI 2.0 (HDCP 2.2), 2 x 3.0 Upstream port, 2 x 3.0 Downstream port (side), 1 x Type-C (Alternate mode with DP1.2, Power Delivery).
2. LG 27UD88-W – Best 4K Monitor For MacBook Pro
A great 4K USB-C Monitor with a perfect balance of price and performance
When it comes to monitors and TVs, LG never misses the shot. LG 27UD88-W is an extremely high-value 4K display, can be used for many different purposes. It also has the brand new Type C technology and quick charge support.
One thing we didn’t like about this LG monitor is it didn’t charge your 15 inch MacBook fully while working. If you put your Macbook in sleep mode it will charge it completely but slowly. On the other hand, the 13-inch model will work perfectly with it. Although this may be a downside for many but there are few advantages of owning this screen. Like, you just need a single Type-C cable to modify the monitor layout. With this 4k monitor, you can use it for gaming, photo editing & video editing as well. Being a UHD monitor which means you can use it as a native 4k monitor it will provide lovely crisp text (just a little bigger) easy to read.
With having Type-C, you will also have two HDMI inputs, a single DisplayPort, a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, and a pair of USB 3.0 with Quick Charging for compatible devices. Honestly, this is the new external display to go with your new Apple 13 or 15-inch laptop.
3. LG 27UK850-W – Best Budget MacBook Pro Monitor
Excellent Mac monitor for people who need a decent second screen
If you are looking for an external monitor for MacBook pro as a replacement to your old display and still in your budget, then LG’s 27UK850-W is the best choice fits everyone’s pocket. It is a great choice for Mac Pro users with high value and versatility. It has an HDR10 compatible IPS 4K screen, delivering supremely accurate colors with RGB 99% Color Gamut, even when viewed off-angle thanks to its IPS display. Image quality is amazing and the backlight bleeding is very low. We think that this is the best display to use with Xbox one x console as well we have not problem setting this up.
It offers the versatility of Type-C connectivity, plus the benefit of HDCP 2.2 compatibility, so it will seamlessly display 4K content from a variety of sources. Using one single cable from the screen to your laptop, you can charge the laptop, drives the display, connects the keyboard. Its resolution of 3840 x 2160 is more than a 13-inch laptop with Retina display.
It also has FreeSync, for tear-free gaming with Mac devices that come with AMD GPUs. There is only one issue we felt if you connect this monitor to any device via USB-C, the 2 USB-A ports in the back of the monitor limits the speed to 2.0.
4. LG 27MD5KA – Best 5K USB-C Monitor
LG’s Ultrafine 5K is LG’s new Thunderbolt 3-equipped display aiming to replace Apple’s out-of-the-game Retina monitors. A single Type-C cable (included) provides up to 60W of charging power with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port. And three downstream ports (480 Mbps) offer additional connectivity and power to compatible devices and accessories.
It is one of the best 5K monitors to act as an external display for your Mac Pro or iMac 5K but you will need a Thunderbolt 3 compatible input on your device and a compatible TB3 cable like the ones we listed above since the monitor functions exclusively on this connection standard, which is its biggest weakness:
It really doesn’t function properly on Windows, but if you plan on using it with a Macintosh Laptop exclusively, this shouldn’t be a problem. Also, its simple design doesn’t work that well with its thick bezels, but you won’t notice it while staring at its beautiful 5K screen.
5. BenQ PD3200U 32-inch USB-C Monitor
It has a 32-inch 4K screen with 2560×1080 suits best for multitasking people. Due to the dual view feature of this mac monitor, you can work in two separate modes at the same time such as sRGB, CAD/CAM, animation display mode or Darkroom mode.
For connectivity, you will get 2 HDMI 2.0, one Display 1.2 input, and one mini DisplayPort connection.
The display has perfect color accuracy with 10-bit, 100% sRGB and Rec.709. It displays all these merits on a 32 inch 4K display. It has a 4ms response time, so it can even be used for casual gaming but not anything further since it is aimed at professional designers.
This is a reasonably priced monitor & will work very well with a pro in terms of speed and picture quality. If you have 2017 version just get a USB-C to display port cable and you are good to go.
6. ASUS MG28UQ 4K/UHD
Even though 4K has been around for the last couple of years, the word “affordable” did not even come to our minds when we talked about it for a long time.
But since 2016, 4K started to become more and more common and we finally started to see some decent 4K screens for reasonable prices. ASUS MG28UQ is one of them.
I am sure seeing a $350 4K monitor that you can use with your Mac relieved you after the whopping $1000 price tag of Apple’s Thunderbolt display.
With a price of $350, you get a fast 4K monitor with FreeSync. Also, you do get a number of different options when it comes to connectivity, so you can use this monitor on different devices at the same time.
7. Acer Predator XB271HK
Acer’s Predator series made a name for themselves for being absolute monsters for gamers. Their distinct design makes it obvious. When you take a look at XB271HK, you immediately understand that it is a Predator. With its iconic pointy red feet and thick neck that allows you to adjust your monitor in a number of ways, XB271HK proudly carries its title.
Apart from its stunning design, Acer Predator XB271HK doesn’t hold back. It features a DisplayPort 1.2 for Thunderbolt 2 compatibility. Except that, with a beautiful IPS panel, and Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, XB271HK comes to close to being a perfect choice for people looking to enjoy games on their Mac.
Accessories for 4K and 5K Displays
Connectivity is a little bit different on Apple laptops than normal PCs, especially when it comes to connecting it to your PC monitor. Finding the right Type-C cables fast enough to transmit 4K and 5K data can be difficult, so here are our recommendations.
1. Cable Matters USB-C to DisplayPort Cable
It is a Thunderbolt 3 compatible USB 3.1 Type C Male to DisplayPort Male 4K & 60Hz compatible cable. It works with Thunderbolt 3 compatible computers with DP alt mode such as 2017, 2016, 2015/2016, Google Chromebook, HP EliteBook Folio G1, Asus ZenBook UX390UAK, Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus etc.
2. Belkin USB-C Laptop to Monitor Video Cable
The Belkin Type-C Laptop to Monitor Video Cable supports USB 3.0 transfer speeds (5Gpbs) and 4K Audio/video at up to 60Hz and drives 100 Watts of power to your laptop. Its robust polycarbonate over-mold is really durable so even though the price is a little bit higher than our first choice, it will last longer.
3. Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 USB-C Cable
Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Type-C Cable which can transmit data at around 20 Gbps while providing 100 Watts of power to your laptop. It is one of the fastest and best cables for Thunderbolt 3 compatible monitors.
Conclusion:
With Apple’s Thunderbolt display being phased out, we have to choose other compatible monitors. Whether you want to play games or do photo editing or see movies, these are the best external monitors for a MacBook Pro that you can connect to your Apple laptop and enjoy whatever you aim to do in maximum image clarity. If our guide helped you make your decision or we missed a great UHD monitor for Mac, let us know below.