Both are excellent 4K monitors for Mac users, but they target slightly different priorities. The LG wins on value and HDR brightness; the Dell wins on color accuracy and connectivity.
You want the best price-to-performance ratio with solid HDR support and a USB-C hub. The LG delivers a beautiful panel at a lower price point than the Dell.
Color accuracy is non-negotiable — for photo editing, design work, or video production. The Dell's factory calibration and IPS Black panel are genuinely in a class of their own.
Before diving into real-world performance, here's how the two monitors compare on paper. Both are 27-inch 4K IPS panels, but the differences in panel technology and connectivity add up.
| Spec | LG 27UL850 | Dell U2723QE |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 3840×2160 (4K) | 3840×2160 (4K) |
| Panel Type | IPS | IPS Black |
| Peak Brightness | 400 nits (HDR) | 350 nits |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 | 2000:1 (IPS Black) |
| Color Gamut | 95% DCI-P3 | 99% sRGB, 98% DCI-P3 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| USB-C Power Delivery | 60W | 90W |
| USB Hub | USB-A × 2, USB-C × 1 | USB-A × 4, USB-C × 2, RJ45 |
| Factory Calibration | No | Yes (ΔE < 2) |
| MSRP | $399 | $499 |
This is where the Dell earns its premium price. The U2723QE ships with factory calibration and a Delta E score under 2, which means colors are nearly indistinguishable from reference standards right out of the box. For graphic designers, photographers, and video editors, this matters enormously — you can trust what you see on screen.
The Dell's IPS Black panel technology also delivers a contrast ratio roughly double that of a standard IPS panel (2000:1 vs 1000:1). Blacks look genuinely dark, not washed out gray. This makes a big difference when color-grading footage or viewing high-contrast imagery.
The LG 27UL850 covers 95% of DCI-P3, which is excellent for general use and streaming HDR content. It looks great for everyday work. But it lacks factory calibration, and unit-to-unit variation means your LG may or may not be as accurate as a properly calibrated Dell.
If you work in creative fields where color accuracy has financial consequences — client deliverables, print production, color grading — the Dell's factory calibration is worth the $100 premium. For everyone else, the LG looks great.
The Dell U2723QE is a significantly more capable hub. It offers four USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, a built-in Ethernet jack (RJ45), and 90W USB-C Power Delivery — enough to charge a 14-inch MacBook Pro at full speed. This means fewer cables and adapters cluttering your desk.
The LG 27UL850 provides two USB-A ports, one USB-C downstream port, and 60W USB-C Power Delivery. That's enough to charge a MacBook Air or 13-inch Pro, but the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models technically need 96W for maximum charge speed. The LG will charge them, just slightly slower.
For a clean single-cable Mac setup, the Dell is the stronger choice. Plug in one USB-C cable and your MacBook gets power, video, and access to peripherals connected through the monitor's hub.
The LG 27UL850 is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified, reaching 400 nits peak brightness. In practical terms, HDR content — nature documentaries, streaming movies on Apple TV+ — looks noticeably more vibrant and punchy on the LG than on the Dell.
The Dell U2723QE peaks at 350 nits and is not HDR certified. It is not a bad panel for general use, but HDR content doesn't have room to breathe. The highlights don't really pop. If you do a lot of streaming and multimedia consumption at your desk, the LG wins this round.
Neither of these monitors is a true HDR display in the sense that a high-end TV or Apple Pro Display XDR is. VESA DisplayHDR 400 is the entry-level HDR certification. Both monitors look great for everyday content; the LG just has a small edge on peak brightness.
Both monitors work seamlessly with modern Macs via a single USB-C cable that carries video, data, and power simultaneously. There are no drivers to install, no compatibility issues, and HiDPI 'Retina-equivalent' scaling works properly on both at 4K resolution.
The LG 27UL850 also has an HDMI 2.0 input, which is useful if you want to connect a secondary device like an Apple TV or a game console alongside your Mac. The Dell's inputs include DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 as well, giving you flexibility for multi-source setups.
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