It has been several months since Apple first began showing off its flagship 5K display, built by LG and while people have been able to pre-order for months, finished units only started shipping out this week. Unfortunately, it looks like an unforeseen but major issue has come to light for owners of the $1300 monitor. Users have discovered that this display can become unusable if placed within a two meter distance of a wireless router.
If LG's new 5K monitor is placed within two meters, or six and a half feet of a wireless router, then the display begins flickering. If it is placed closer than that, then the screen will turn black and become completely unusable. These issues don't stop with the monitor though, 9to5Mac discovered that the 5K monitor can also freeze the new MacBook Pro if placed too close to a router.
It seems that LG is aware of this issue too, with a spokesperson for the company confirming that the 5K UltraFine monitor can be affected when near a wireless router but this issue doesn't affect any other LG product.
Taking a quick look at customer reviews for this monitor on Apple's website reveals that quite a few people with this monitor bought it with the intention of using it in close proximity to a wireless router. Some customers also complained about issues with USB devices not being reliably recognised and random flickering even when there is no wireless interference.
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KitGuru Says: From the sounds of it, some of the components within the monitor itself have not been properly shielded, allowing signal interference to cause havok. This certainly seems like a major issue and plenty of customers are complaining, so it is only a matter of time before Apple acknowledges the problems and takes action.