The Dell P2715Q is the best 4K monitor you can buy for Mac today. It's gorgeous and performs better than the rest, helping you get more done and have more fun.
Best overall
Dell P2715Q
The Dell P2715Q is a feature-laden monitor that can tilt and swivel to any orientation you desire, making it excellent for an workstation configuration – if it's a second monitor, it can pivot from landscape to a portrait orientation! The IPS panel makes for excellent viewing at just about any angle and if you're into connecting peripherals, it has just about every port you could need (minus USB-C).
Bottom line: If you want a great-performing monitor with rich color, great viewing angles, and ports aplenty, the Dell P2715Q is the cream of the crop.
One more thing: You can daisy chain monitors together via the DisplayPort, so got multi and enjoy double desktops!
Why the Dell P2715Q is the best
Versatility and performance in a 27-inch package.
Out of the gate, the best part of the P2715Q is its IPS (in-plane switching) panel. These work by orienting the liquid crystal molecules horizontally, creating richer color and allowing for great side-viewing. So if you need to swivel your monitor because of the space on your desk, it'll still look as great as if you were looking at it head-on.
This monitor features a 9ms response time. Can you count 9 milliseconds? I can't, and your eyes won't be able to either. That means that from the time you click on an icon or move your mouse all the way across the screen, the response time will be less than a hundredth of a second. To put that into perspective, it takes 300 to 400 milliseconds to blink your eyes.
The P2715Q was made to be connected to stuff – it has 4 USB 3.0 Type A ports, a USB 3.0 Type B port, a DisplayPort, a mini DisplayPort, a DisplayPort output port, and an audio line out. The only thing it's really missing is USB-C, but that's nowhere near a necessity for right now. That being said, for under $500, this one's incredibly hard to beat.
Best for the future
LG 27UD88
LG is one of the best names in TVs and their monitors are no different. The 27UD88 is definitely your best choice if you're looking to future-proof your setup, since it features USB-C, which is steadily picking up steam on its way to become the gold standard. This monitor features a gorgeous IPS panel with such rich color that it covers over 99% of the sRGB color space – if you're editing photos or video all day, this one's for you. You may have to spend a little more now (around $800), but you'll save yourself some cash in the long run.
Bottom-line: If you want a monitor that'll stave off obsoletion for quite some time, with excellent color and top-notch technology, this one's for you.
One more thing: If you have the new MacBook, the 27UD88 can run at 60Hz, but it'll only hit 30Hz on older models.
Best on a budget
ASUS PB287Q
The ASUS PB287Q has a TN panel instead of an IPS panel, meaning that its color reproduction isn't amazing, but its response time is only 1ms meaning that you'll notice no lag in performance whatsoever – if you perform an action on your keyboard or move your mouse, you see it on the monitor in real time. The PB287Q also features picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, which allows you to view content from two sources at the same time. If you're got a lot to do all at once, the PB287Q will be more than able to keep up with you. Plus, you can find it for under $400!
Bottom-line: If you want a monitor that lets you work on multiple projects at once at a lightning-quick pace, get productive with the ASUS PB287Q
One more thing: This monitor features a Flicker Free mode, which greatly diminishes eye fatigue, so you're not fading before your work is finished.
Conclusion
If you really need to be as productive as possible, go with the ASUS PB287Q. If you don't feel like having to buy another monitor in a couple years, go with the LG 27UD88. If you want the best monitor for your Mac that you can buy today, feature a beautiful IPS panel, versatility in its orientation, and solid, top-notch performance, the Dell P2715Q is still the best there is.
Best overall
Dell P2715Q
The Dell P2715Q is a feature-laden monitor that can tilt and swivel to any orientation you desire, making it excellent for an workstation configuration – if it's a second monitor, it can pivot from landscape to a portrait orientation! The IPS panel makes for excellent viewing at just about any angle and if you're into connecting peripherals, it has just about every port you could need (minus USB-C).
Bottom line: If you want a great-performing monitor with rich color, great viewing angles, and ports aplenty, the Dell P2715Q is the cream of the crop.
One more thing: You can daisy chain monitors together via the DisplayPort, so got multi and enjoy double desktops!
Updated July 2017: The Dell P2715Q is still the best 4K monitor you can get right now.
Reader comments
Best 4K Monitors for Mac
Hey, what's the screenshot in the header image of?
I'm wondering the same. Looks cool.
Me too? Is that a real game?
I have the ASUS PB287Q, and I am very happy with it. I got it right when it was released and the initial run of them were buggy, and I had my first one die within an hour of when I plugged it in. I got a replacement within a week and everything has been OK since then.
The one warning I must give is that the cable matters. I did some homework after the first one died and read about problems that people had with cheap cables causing flickering (which was happened to me) and intermittent black screens. I bought a certified DP 1.2 cable and everything was OK. Most of the inexpensive cables are DP 1.2 now, but don't bother trying to save $2-3 when a decent compatible cable can be had for $10.
Hi David,
We've got this monitor but can't seem to get the HiDPI mode working on Display port - are you using HiDPI scaled resolution or running the full 4K resolution? We can get a lot more resolution options (all HiDPI) when using an HDMI cable but we get a black screen issue very couple go days.
Simon
I sincerely wish people would stop referring to 3840 x 2160 as 4K. But then, people still refer to 1080P as HD as opposed to Full HD, so you'd think I'd know better. Yes, I get it, the salespeople at Best Buy have their marching orders and deserve to feed their families too. But there are people and publications you should count on to do better.
I am very disappointed by this article. "Best" should not include TN monitors. At the very least, the article should mention that Samsung U28E590D and Asus ASUS PB287Q have TN panels.
And no mention of LG 27UD88-W?
Hey what about the LG 27UD88 or for 200 dollars less, the ud68? They are both IPS displays (as opposed to the lousy TN on the samsung) and have 10 bit colors (the best type), which means 1.07 billion colors! they just look better too!
The Dell 2415Q is under $500. The 2715Q (shown above) is over $600 at Dell.
I've always used two 1080p monitors for work. Usually one dedicated to Outlook and the other for real work. Or one for Visual Studio and another for a web browser looking things up. But I'm considering swapping out my two 1080p's for a single 4K. My main work laptop has DisplayPort that can output 4K, I double checked. Would I be happy swapping out two screens for a single 4K? I would definitely go for the ASUS in this article at that price.
Imo you'd be better with a 34 inch ultrawide instead of a 4k screen if you usually have two windows beside each other.
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So Many Pixels! ^_^
Does anyone have the Monoprice (Product 13809) one? It seems to have good reviews, and Tom's Hardware liked it. It's a bit cheaper ($370) if the quality compares.
This article suggests you can daisy chain two Dell P2715Q on a Mac. From my research (via Google), this only works with Windows. Can you guys provide instructions on how this is done on a Mac?
under 500$ usd, it is 914$ cad!! thanks but no thanks Dell
what about the lg ultrafine 4k?