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MacBook Pro is the best laptop for graphic design offering you a really powerful tool to boost your creative working, and having a good monitor to match these specs it’s really important to improve your viewing experience and workflow.
As most MacBook Pro only uses USB-C Thunderbolt ports It seems hard to choose the best monitor for a MacBook Pro, but nowadays there are plenty of monitors with USB-C connections making it really easy to connect it with your MacBook Pro, and to save you some time looking different monitors, we made this list with the Top 9 Best Monitors for MacBook Pro and help you choose the best one for you.
LG Ultrafine 27” 5K Display (Best 5K Monitor For MacBook Pro)
Dell Ultrasharp U2720Q (Best 4K Monitor For MacBook)
BenQ SW321C PhotoVue (Best MacBook Monitor For Creative Professionals)
Asus ProArt PA278CV (Best Color Accuracy And Budget-Friendly Monitor For MacBook Pro)
Apple Pro Display XDR (Best Apple Monitor For MacBook Pro)
BenQ PD3200U (Best Large Monitor For MacBook Pro)
UPerfect 15.6-inch Portable 4K Monitor (Best Portable Monitor For MacBook Pro)
BenQ EX3501R (Best Value Monitor)
ViewSonic VP2458 (Best Affordable MacBook Pro Monitor)
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Best 5K Monitor For MacBook Pro
Screen Size: 27-inch Resolution: 5K (5120×2880) UHD Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 1.07 Billion Color Support Aspect Ratio: 16:09 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: USB-C, Thunderbolt 3
Best 4K Monitor For MacBook
Screen Size: 27-inch Resolution: 3840×2160 UHD 4K Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 95% DCI-P3 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, USB-C and Audio Line Out.
Best MacBook Monitor For Creative Professionals
Screen Size: 32-inch Resolution: 4K (3840×2160) Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 99% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB and 10-bit color depth Brightness: 250 cd/m2 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: USB-C, SD card reader, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, USB Type-B and USB 3.1
Screen Size: 27-inch Resolution: 5K (5120×2880) UHD Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 1.07 Billion Color Support Aspect Ratio: 16:09 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: USB-C, Thunderbolt 3
If you are a MacBook Pro user and you are looking for the best Monitor Overall, the LG 27MD5KB-B Ultrafine 5K Display 27” is the best 5K monitor in the market right now offering you a 27” screen size with 5120×2880 resolution perfect for graphic designers, creatives and artists who want a great resolution to take care of every small detail of their projects.
This LG monitor is great for designers who are looking for hyper-real images and great color accuracy offering you 1.07 billion colors perfect for designers to create design projects with accurate details and life-like colors. Definitely, if you are an Apple user or you are looking for the best monitor for graphic design, you should buy the LG 27MD5KB-B Ultrafine.
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Screen Size: 27-inch Resolution: 3840×2160 UHD 4K Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 95% DCI-P3 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, USB-C and Audio Line Out.
If you are a graphic designer or digital artist working with MacBook Pro and you are looking for the best 4K monitor, the Dell UltraSharp U2720Q is made for you offering you a great 4K Ultra HD resolution display and all the elements you need in a modern workstation to elevate your productivity thanks to all the connections this monitor has DisplayPort, HDMI, USB, and USB-C.
This Dell monitor also offers you incredible ergonomics, allowing you to adjust the stand to the most comfortable position for you, also you can adjust the rotation of the screen to portrait mode in either direction. Definitely, if you are looking for a monitor for graphic design the Dell UltraSharp U2720Q offers you a large screen size with high pixel density and great color accuracy.
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Screen Size: 32-inch Resolution: 4K (3840×2160) Resolution Panel Tech: IPS Color Accuracy: 99% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB and 10-bit color depth Brightness: 250 cd/m2 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Inputs: USB-C, SD card reader, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, USB Type-B and USB 3.1
If you are a creative professional looking for the best monitor for your MacBook Pro, BenQ SW321C PhotoVue is a great option as it’s designed having creatives in mind, and it offers you a great experience with a 32-inch screen size and 4K IPS 3840×2160 resolution to give you a large monitor with great resolution perfect to take care of every small detail of your design ideas.
If we talk about color accuracy the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue monitor has a great performance offering you 99% Adobe RGB and 100% sRGB color coverage to give you vivid and bright colors and thanks to 10-bit color depth this monitor can display more than a billion colors, and if you like to work with a multi-monitor setup, this monitor is great as it has multi-monitor consistency giving you identical levels of color in both monitors, so if you want to invest on a good monitor, BenQ SW321C PhotoVue is a great option.
If you are a professional graphic designer or photographer, this monitor is great for you and will be a good investment.
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Screen Size: 27-inch Resolution: WQHD 2560×1400 IPS Display Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB and 100% Rec. 709 Refresh Rate: 75Hz Inputs: USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB Hub and Earphone Jack
If you are looking for a monitor with great color accuracy for your MacBook Pro at a budget-friendly price tag the Asus ProArt PA278CV is the best option for you as it offers industry-standard 100% sRGB and 100% Rec. 709 Color gamut and Delta E < 2 to give you accurate colors with a rich, vivid, and clear look to your designs at the same time that ProArt monitors display you a high color fidelity giving you the same result in screen and printed.
Apart from the great color accuracy the Asus ProArt PA278CV has, it also gives you an incredible 27-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) LED backlight display with an IPS panel to take care of every small detail of your design. This monitor also gives you versatile comfort and great ergonomics allowing you to adjust the height, tilt, pivot and swivel to the most comfortable position for you.
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Screen Size: 32-inch Resolution: 6K (6016×3384) LCD Retina Color Accuracy: Over a billion colors (P3 Wide Color Gamut and 10-bit Color Depth) Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1 Refresh Rate: 60Hz Brightness: 1000 nits sutained, 1600 nits peak Inputs: USB Type C and Thunderbolt
If we are talking about the best MacBook Pro monitors, we also need to include Apple’s monitor, Apple Pro Display XDR, which is the best monitor for graphic designers and creatives in the market offering you supreme performance thanks to its incredible screen with a super-wide viewing angle and stunning 6k resolution (6016×3384), with Extreme Dynamic Range (XDR) Technology to give you another level of brightness, contrast, and color.
The Apple Pro Display XDR is the best monitor for designers as it offers great color accuracy able to display over a billion colors, has the best brightness with 1600 nits of brightness (average monitors have 350 nits of brightness), and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Despite this monitor being the best for graphic designers, its price tag limits only to professional creatives with a big budget to invest on it, and the other disadvantage is that you need to buy the stand and the VESA adapter separately as they are not included with the Apple Pro Display XDR.
Definitely, this monitor is the best for designers and creatives, and if you can afford it, it’s a great investment as you will receive a top-tier monitor for your MacBook Pro.
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Screen Size: 32-inch Resolution: 3840×2160 4K UHD Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB and 100% Rec.709 Panel Type: IPS Refresh Rate: 60Hz Brightness: 350 cd/m2 Response Time: 4ms Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Inputs: Thunderbolt 3, HDMI, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, USB Type B and USB 3.0
If you are looking for a great large monitor for your MacBook Pro at the same time that a great value-for-money monitor, the BenQ PD3200U is your best option offering you a 4K UHD 2160p with a LED display technology that allows extraordinary clarity for your designs. In that case, this BenQ monitor also has AQColor technology and 100% sRGB and Rec. 709 color spaces at the same time that this monitor is Calman Verified and Pantone Validated offering you a high color accuracy perfect for professional graphic designers.
Another great feature of the BenQ PD3200U is the wide range of modes integrated as Professional modes, darkroom mode, animation mode perfect for 3D design, and CAD/CAM Mode for technical illustrations. So if you are looking for a great value 4K Monitor for your MacBook Pro, the BenQ PD3200U is a great investment offering you premium features for a really good price.
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Screen Size: 15.6-inch Resolution: 3840×2160 4K UHD Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB Panel Type: IPS Refresh Rate: 60Hz Brightness: 400 cd/m2 Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Inputs: USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 and Mini HDMI 2.0
If you are a graphic designer using a MacBook Pro and you are looking for a great 4K portable monitor, the UPerfect 15.6-inch Portable 4K Monitor is the best portable monitor for MacBook users, offering you a sharp 4K UHD Display and 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen to give you vivid images and the control of every detail of your design ideas.
This monitor also offers great color accuracy, offering you a 100% sRGB color gamut perfect for designers looking for real-life colors, but the best part of this monitor is the portability, giving you the chance to work from anywhere and it offers you 3 different modes to boost your productivity, duplicate mode, extended mode, and second screen mode.
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Screen Size: 35-inch Resolution: WQHD 3440×1400 Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB Refresh Rate: 100Hz Aspect Ratio: 21:9 Inputs: USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort and USB 3.1
If you are looking for a great value monitor with a large screen to work with your MacBook Pro the BenQ EX3501R is the best option for you, offering you a large 35-inch screen size with a resolution of WQHD 3440×1400 pixels to give you a wide space to work on your design ideas.
This monitor is also great for video editors and animators as it has a 100Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth performance, HDR support, and an AMD FreeSync option. This monitor is great for multi-tasking thanks to its 21:9 aspect ratio, is a great investment for designers who work with Photoshop and Illustrator at the same time, and this monitor also covers a 100% sRGB color gamut.
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Screen Size: 23.8-inches Resolution: Full HD 1920X1080 Color Accuracy: 100% sRGB Refresh Rate: 60Hz Panel Type: IPS Inputs: DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, USB-A and USB-B
If you are a graphic designer who wants to invest in a monitor to work with your MacBook but you have a limited budget, don’t worry, we have a great option for you, the ViewSonic VP2458 is a great 24-inch monitor with a 1920×1080 resolution that will give you a great performance for a budget-friendly price.
This monitor is great for graphic designers with a low budget as it covers 100% sRGB color gamut to give you incredible color accuracy. This monitor is designed for graphic designers and photographers who want to boost their creativity taking care of every small detail of their projects.
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It might seem difficult or confusing to choose the best monitor for your MacBook Pro, but don’t worry, you only should consider some key details before buying a monitor, here are the 4 things you need to pay attention to when buying a monitor for MacBook Pro.
Resolution is a crucial element when choosing a monitor for graphic design, and this also applies when choosing a monitor for MacBook Pro, thanks to the technological upgrades, nowadays you can find affordable 4K monitors.
The industry standard for graphic design is 1920×1080, but the best option is to invest in a good 4K Ultra HD monitor with good color accuracy to give you a better experience.
Investing in a monitor with a large screen size it’s the best option as it offers us the most visual real estate and helps us to take care of every detail of our design projects, the minimum recommended size is 27-inch and if you have more budget to invest, you can go for a bigger screen.
When we talk about design when choosing a monitor for a MacBook Pro, we not only talk about the visual aesthetic of it, we talk about ergonomics, comfort, build quality, and how much space it will take on your desk. When choosing a monitor for your MacBook Pro you should choose one that is easily adjustable to your personal preferences and take care of how much space it will take on your desk.
Price is also an important thing to consider when buying a monitor, as the budget you have to invest will directly depend on the monitor you can buy, usually professional monitors for graphic designers tend to cost more than general-purpose monitors.
If you have a large budget to spend you can go for high-end options from this list, as they will be a great investment offering you incredible performance, but if you have a more limited budget you can go for a smaller monitor with good color accuracy, this will save you some money without losing quality.
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Yes, all monitors are compatible with MacBook Pro and Apple laptops, but it can get a bit tricky with some monitors as Apple laptops tend to have a limited port selection only having USB-C ports, and not all monitor has USB-C connections, this means that you will need to invest on an adapter to be able to connect your MacBook Pro with these types of monitors.
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Can a MacBook Pro support a 4K monitor?
Yes, MacBook Pro is the best laptop for graphic design, being a really powerful laptop, so they are more than capable to support 4K resolution, and also 6K displays.
Can I use a non-Apple Monitor with my MacBook?
Yes, if the monitor has a USB-C connection you can directly connect it with your MacBook and work fine with it, and if don’t have you can buy an adapter and connect it to the monitor.
Is the Apple Pro display worth it?
Yes, only if you are a professional graphic designer or photographer who can afford the price tag of it.
Do Macs need special monitors?
You can use all type of monitors with your MacBook, you only need to pay attention to the ports the monitor use, and if doesn’t have USB-C you will need to buy an adapter.
Are Dell monitors good for Mac?
Yes, the Dell Ultrasharp U2720Q is the Best 4K Monitor For MacBook Pro.
Can MacBook Pro run two 4K Monitors?
Yes, the MacBook Pro is a powerful laptop able to run 2 monitors with 4K resolution smoothly.
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As we saw in this post there are plenty of options to choose the best monitor for MacBook Pro, and with this list, I help you choose the best one for you depending on your needs as a creative and your budget to boost your workflow and viewing experience with a great monitor to match your needs and skills.
Hope you find this post useful and that you find the best monitor for your MacBook Pro to elevate your workflow to the next level.
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If you found this post useful you might like to read these posts about Graphic Design Inspiration.
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