You might think you’d give your right arm for one of those stunning, 49-inch curved ultra-wide monitors to use with your Mac. But then again, you might end up begging for your appendage back, as well as your old display. Or at least something a little less colossal.
Minus the stray arm — as far as we know — that’s more-or-less what happened with today’s featured MacBook Pro-based setup.
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When screen real estate sprawls too far, it’s time to walk it back with a sensible ‘downgrade’
Redditor writtensine6 (“Sine”) showcased the modified setup in a post entitled, “Downgraded from my 49″ LG ultrawide to a LG 32 UltraFine 4K.”
Some commenters could hardly believe someone would “downgrade” that way.
“Once I went ultra-wide I can never go back,” one said. “Seamless screen real estate.”
“What’s been your experience so far with the 32″?” asked another. “I’ve got a 49″ right now and can’t see myself going to a 32″ anymore.”
Sine admitted downgrading took some getting used to — especially going from curved back to flat — but now they love it. In part that’s due to a greater ability to focus.
“Some adjustment in the for the first week, going back to a flat screen makes it feel fish eyed. But it’s looking normal to me now and loving it,” they said. “Having the 32 allows me to be more focused on one task instead of being distracted by other windows that are opened.”
Aside from the distraction factor — a huge screen begs a multitude of open windows — another commenter brought up pixel density as a possible deterrent from ultra-wide screens.
“Don’t you miss Retina pixel density? That’s what’s stopping me from getting an ultrawide,” they said. “Going back to standard PPI makes it feel like I’m looking through a dirty window, especially with the MBP screen sitting right next to it.”
Sine’s new screen may be a so-called downgrade, but it’s no slouch. The 32-inch LG UltraFine UHD IPS display features 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution, a DCI-P3 95% color gamut with HDR 10 and USB-C connectivity with 60W of power delivery for a laptop or other device. It has a Mac-friendly refresh rate of 60Hz.
And why 2 iPads?
Like some of the commenters, you may notice this setup features two iPads. Naturally, somebody asked about the “use case” for that.
“I initially got the 2020 iPad Pro 11” and the Magic Keyboard for light internet usage and media consumption, but recently gave it a try to use it as a secondary display for media while I use the monitor for work. Got the mini 6 [in the] last 2-3 months for reading in bed and on the go,” Sine explained.
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Computers:
Display:
Input devices:
- Logitech MX Master 3 wireless mouse
- Deltahub Carpio 2.0 wrist rest
- Magic Trackpad 2
- Keychron Q2 mechanical keyboard with Gateron G Pro brown switches
Audio and accessories:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
