Suggestions for Ultrawide USB-C Monitor for My Windows Work Laptop and Personal M1 MacBook Pro?

TwentyTwoCarats on 25/07/2022 - 11:51

Hi All

I'm looking for an ultrawide USB-C monitor to use with my (1) work laptop Dell Latitude 5300 2-in-1 and (2) personal M1 MacBook Pro 2020.

Currently I use a single 27" 4K monitor (Dell S2721QS) connected to a Dell WD19TB dock and this works fine with both laptops. However I need more screen real estate, and the M1 MBP does not allow multiple monitors unless you use a DisplayLink dock, so I am thinking of going the ultrawide monitor route. Either something like 3440x1440 or 5120x1440 - and yes I know this is a step down from my current 4K monitor in terms of pixel density, but I'll live. I've used QHD resolution before and it's pretty good. I don't have a budget, but I want to try to be smart where possible, don't want to fork out $2k+ if I don't have to.

I know I mentioned that I have a Dell WD19TB dock but this is work provided, so I won't have it forever. Hence I'd prefer a USB-C monitor because that has the dock included and is great for cable management, so I can power the laptop, show the display, use my USB peripherals all with one cable.

Also I'm not sure if I have the Latitude 5300 with the thunderbolt port or not, but my usage above indicates that I do…? Not sure.

Here are some points/questions that I can think of:

  1. Do I get a 21:9 or 32:9 ultrawide? The 49" 32:9 monitor is like having 2x 27" monitors next to each other, where as the 34" 21:9 is kinda like having 1.5 27" monitors… So ideally yes I should get the 32:9 - however screen sharing on Teams is going to be a nightmare. I think this would be the case for the 21:9 too, but not as bad. I hear there is something called Fancy Zones that can help with this issue, but I don't know how easy it will be to install on my work laptop where I'm not admin. And I can't just select the window I want to share as I frequently share 2 windows simultaneously, at least. Any ideas?

  2. I've always had IPS displays as I mainly do office work and personal stuff, but I don't game. Should I stick to this or are VA panels pretty good for office work as well? I'm not a content creator or editor btw. Also I don't really need anything more than 60Hz.

  3. There are some monitors with a webcam integrated - are they good? I currently use a cheap Amazon conference webcam that has a mic + speaker integrated - I hate wearing headphones. Do these monitors' webcams have mic + noise cancelling speaker so that I can work in this way? Surely…

Anyway here's some monitors I found from my initial search:

  • Dell U3821DW - $1699 from Scorptec. Really expensive
  • Dell U3421WE - $1299 from Scorptec. Expensive but looks good
  • LG 35WN75C-B - $689 from Scorptec. Good price but this is a VA gaming panel, not really my thing. People say the USB-C hub in this monitor is not good and MacBooks have trouble with sleep/wake.
  • LG 49WL95C-WE - $1999 from Scorptec. F'in expensive but this looks pretty awesome for a 32:9 USB-C monitor
  • Dell P3421W - $869 from mwave. Looks pretty good
  • Dell C3422WE - $1099 from mwave. This has a webcam built in and looks like my dream solution, I think. So I can ditch my Amazon conference webcam.
  • HP E34M G4 - $1099 from mwave. This is similar to the above one but is VA.
  • Philips 499P9H1 - $1899 from mwave. This is the big daddy - 49" 32:9 monitor with a built in webcam. However it is a VA panel. Super expensive too.
Computing 34inch 35inch 37.5inch 49inch Computer Peripheral Dell Dell U3421WE LCD Monitor LG

Comments

  • david clarke on 25/07/2022 - 12:27
    +1

    I'm using a Dell U4919DW Display here. I actually went 2nd hand and saved a fair bit, as long as they have been well looked after you can save some $$$.

    Just ask to run a dead pixel test on pickup and make sure it's OK.

    With the $$ I saved, I put my MacBook in clam-shell mode and picked up a Logitech Webcam.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 25/07/2022 - 12:39

      nice, that's a great monitor. when you video call with your logitech webcam, do you always have to wear headphones? or does it have a mic + speaker combo so you don't need to wear anything and the speaker doesn't conflict with the mic?

      edit: also where can i look for used monitors? FB marketplace is the go to for me, gumtree is a cesspool these days

      • david clarke on 28/07/2022 - 08:19

        Apologies on the delayed reply, I wear AirPods, but the webcam does have an inbuilt Mic which works quite well. No speaker.

        FB Marketplace, Gumtree and eBay are your best bets at the moment.

  • Kelvin H. on 25/07/2022 - 13:25
    +1

    I'm using a Samsung 49" CRG9 with a 14-inch MBP connected to a Lenovo Thunderbolt 4 Dock, a Logitech Streamcam and Razer Seiren Mini. I genuinely feel more productive on this monitor with the amount of real estate available to have chats, documents, emails, etc side-by side and would recommend it to anyone with the space. On Mac, I'm using Rectangle on Mac OS and PowerToys on Windows to segment the screen into three zones. Screen sharing may be an annoyance if you regularly share more than one window.

    In terms of IPS/VA, the CRG9 is VA and I've had no issues with it for both gaming and work. I came from a single U2718Q which is a 27", 4K and IPS. I don't have any issues with angles or colors. I did initially notice a drop in sharpness but I got used to it.

    Can't comment on the quality of the in-built cameras and microphones, but the noise cancelling feature in Teams might be able to help if you decide to go down this route.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 25/07/2022 - 14:29

      that is a beautiful setup, nice. do you need admin permission for PowerToys?

      • Kelvin H. on 25/07/2022 - 15:00

        I wouldn't be able to say unfortunately, I have PowerToys is installed on a personal device.

  • crentist on 25/07/2022 - 14:53

    There's some windows store app called RegionToShare which might be useful, however I haven't ever used it. Tried once and it didn't work and I forgot to look into it afterwards. Would be great though, you basically just resize a window and it shares whatever is behind it.

    Also do people not use their laptop with the ultrawides? It's free screen space wasted if you dock it.
    I have a Xiaomi 34", and place my work laptop on the desk in front of it. The vertical dual screen setup is great, much nicer on the neck than trying to extend further to the side. And doesn't need any setup or mounting or feel like some overwhelming r/battlestation wall of screens.
    This also allows use of the laptop webcam and keyboard, which I prefer over my regular cheapo usb keyboard.

    That said, I also have an old 24" IPS in portrait, off to the side. I rarely use it, but after juggling a bunch of segmented widescreen windows all day, it can feel very nice to have some vertical space. So much nicer for reading.

  • fredblogs on 25/07/2022 - 18:29
    +1

    I had a Dell 38" U3818DW on loan for a few months. It was so good that I now want to buy the current model U3821DW, even though it's so expensive. Just waiting for a deal.

    3840 x 1600 (21:9) is really good for vertical resolution (49" doesn't have 1600), and splitting into 2 screens giving 1920 horizontal pixels on each, which is well supported. It has reasonable speakers too.

    I don't like VA panels at all but maybe they've improved since I last used them.

    I considered 34" but most people who have tried both far prefer 38.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 25/07/2022 - 21:38

      Oh yes I see your point. So you think that 38" 3840x1600 is a big improvement over 34" 3440x1440? That's interesting, I can see this too.

      Also I have used a couple of Dell monitors and they were always pretty great.

      Hmm…

  • nubix on 26/07/2022 - 09:29

    I've been through 2x 27" 4k (docked) -> U4919DW -> AW3821DW (docked). I found the 49" is a bit too wide for my liking.

    I think the most ideal productivity monitor on the market right now is the U4021QW or the 38WN95C if you have a preference for high refresh rates.

    |M1 MBP does not allow multiple monitors unless you use a DisplayLink dock

    I don't think this is true, I can run the 14" with the U4919DW running along with one of the 27" 4k no dock.

    • fredblogs on 26/07/2022 - 21:17

      How did you find 2x27"? I have that at work but far prefer a single 38", not using that extra width at all…

      • nubix on 26/07/2022 - 23:24
        +1

        the bezels in the middle really annoys me, can't do anything with the most comfortable/useful space which is directly in front of you. had also considered running a 34" next to a 27" to solve that but got the 49" for a good price before I had a chance. the far sides of the 27s were more useful than the U4919DW as the curve on that is pretty subtle.

        pretty happy with the 38", probably won't upgrade for a while. KVM and charging on the U3818DW would have been nice - it's forced me to have a displayport as well as a usb switch on my desk.

        • fredblogs on 26/07/2022 - 23:43

          Yeah :( Hmm my choice for WFH is to spend $1700 on a 38" or get 2x27" for free. Did you ever try rotating one of the 27" ?

  • iykyk on 27/07/2022 - 00:43

    On Sunday I bought a Samsung S9 49" 5120x1440 ultrawide (LS49A950UIEXXY) and unfortunately 1440p or 108PPI just absolutely sucks on Mac. I returned it today because I found the text too blurry. There are multiple threads online with issues people have running Mac on 1440p monitors.

    I also have the Dell S2721QS which runs at 163 PPI, 1440p is a massive step down for me and I couldn't get used to it.

    I bought a Dell U4021QW 40" ultrawide which is 5120 x 2160 (140PPI) through the eBay Scorptec deal for $1,884. Hoping that works well with my Mac, should be delivered in next couple days. Unfortunately you can't yet buy a 49" with higher PPI.

    • fredblogs on 27/07/2022 - 09:58

      Was it hard to get them to accept a return? Where did you buy it from?

      • iykyk on 27/07/2022 - 17:39

        Centrecom, refunded less 15% as a 'restocking fee'. Won't be buying from them again.

    • TwentyTwoCarats on 27/07/2022 - 10:14

      I had a Dell U2721DE which is 1440p and it was pretty good on my Mac but not perfect. Definitely usable for me. But damn that 49” S9 not working is a bummer.

      I have a Dell S2721QS - it’s a native 4K monitor (2160p) what are you talking about 1440p? I run HDMI to my M1 MBP and get proper 4K and it’s a breeze.

      That Dell U4021QW is very tempting and would definitely work with the Mac - my issue is that my work Dell Latitude 5300 with the Intel U620 graphics chip won’t want to do 5120x2160. Aaahhh it’s so hard to find a monitor that plays nicely with both my laptops :(

      • iykyk on 27/07/2022 - 17:21

        Dell S2721QS worked perfectly with my MBA, I meant to say going from 163 PPI to 108 PPI was impossible for me. I got used to it and can't go back.

        Just set up my Dell U4021QW and it's epic, so much better than the 40". Sorry to hear it won't work for you.

        • iykyk on 27/07/2022 - 20:27

          *so much better than the 49"

    • crentist on 27/07/2022 - 19:21

      I wrote a post about this exact thing and forgot to hit send.
      I have a 34 inch Xiaomi ultrawide (1440p), and vscode just looks off. Every windows laptop looks sharp and clear with the monitor, but the M1 air just looks crummy, and doesn't do scaling. So everything is tiny, and if I blow up vscode and browser windows for legibility, they blow up on the laptop screen too which is annoying.

      It's a shame, because everything looks great on the M1 display, and it'd be great if it could be my main productivity machine, making it seamless to work from my desk or wherever. But it's already a kinda difficult with only 1 external display (I sometimes turn on a spare mon in portrait mode next to the UW, and recommend), and painful if it can't even do that properly.

      It's specifically a Mac thing. Don't know why they get such a great reputation. They are nice machines and can be part of a great setup, but you can run into the dumbest constraints with them.
      Like, half the things I've installed on this machine are just to use a mouse and monitor normally. And while I've managed to fix the mouse buttons and scroll direction, I've basically given up on monitor clarity and volume control. And with that, the hope of getting any real productivity out of this machine.

      It's a bit ridiculous that you've had to return a perfectly good (even great) monitor because of this. I've got a DisplayPort cable coming in the mail, and if that doesn't fix it I'll assume it's because they expect us to buy their own preapproved overpriced crap to wring us dry.

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