The saga of the LG UltraFine display mystery continues. After the disappearance of the LG 4K UltraFine display from the Apple Store, and the continued lack of availability for the 5K UltraFine, the plot thickens with the discovery from TidBITS that you can now buy a new 23.7-inch LG display from Apple that is otherwise unlisted.
The seemingly-unannounced display is priced at $699. This is the same price as the ‘old’ 21-inch 4K LG UltraFine, and a few hundred dollars below the sale price of the 5K sibling.
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The report says that the 23.7-inch monitor features a mere 3360×1890 resolution and therefore has a pitiful 162 PPI by modern standards. This low pixel density means it does not qualify as a Retina display, even though it bears the UltraFine branding.
That being said, 9to5Mac found documentation matching the model number which stated the product had a 3840×2160 display, which would represent a more reasonable 4K resolution. It would still be less dense — as it is a 23.7-inch diagonal rather than 21-inch — but still on the borderline of Retina (It’s therefore, possible the reported 3360×1890 spec is one of macOS’ standard scaled resolutions, but the native panel is actually 4K).
The 23.7-inch display looks similar to the LG UltraFine 4K display in physical appearance but features an additional Thunderbolt 3 port on the back, making for a total of 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports and 3 standard USB-C ports to connect peripherals. Like the current 4K, this display appears to be compatible with both Mac computers and the 2018 iPad Pro.
Here’s the full product specification that we could find for the mysterious item:
The LG 23.7-inch UltraFine display is on sale now at some retail Apple Stores. The product is not listed in the Apple Online Store so you’ll have to go in person and ask the retail store staff if they have any stock.
Between this mysterious model and the disappearance of the current SKUs, the situation with the UltraFine displays is very strange. Mixed into all this, Apple is expected to announce a new high-end pro display at some point this year, maybe as soon as WWDC on June 3 alongside the unveiling of a new Mac Pro.
This doesn’t feel like the end of the tale. We’ll have to wait and see for further developments.
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