Difference between old and new LG UltraFine 5K(4K) Displays

Solution 1:

Yes, LG and Apple have made new versions available of the LG UltraFine Displays - under the same name. The model numbers are different though.

The old 5K version had model number 27MD5KA, whereas the new version has model number 27MD5KL.

The new 5K version adds support for USB-C - the old version supported only Thunderbolt 3. This is probably not a big deal for Mac users, but if you have an iPad Pro it means that you can connect the iPad Pro directly to the display over USB-C.

In addition the new 5K version ups power delivery over Thunderbolt 3 to 94 watt from 85 watts. It's probably not important for most, as 85 watts is enough to charge a MacBook Pro.

All in all relatively minor changes, but only for the better.

The 4K version is a different deal though. The new revision is basically a completely different display. The size has increased from 21.5" to 23.7" while the resolution was lowered from 4096x2304 to 3840x2160. In addition, the 4 USB-C ports on the old display has been changed to 3 USB-C ports and 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports with the latter supporting 85W of power delivery in total.

The old 4K version had model number 22MD4KA-B, whereas the new version has model number 24MD4KL.