Do you want a huge amount of usable display space, but also want to stick with a single monitor? If so, an ultrawide monitor is the ticket. These monitors have a wider display panel that’s far more impressive, and immersive, than your average widescreen. We’ve tested a bunch of ultrawide monitors in order to name the best picks in various categories. You can learn more about our evaluation process and what to look for in an ultrawide monitor below our recommendations.
You can find even more monitor recommendations in our roundup of the best monitors.
1. Alienware AW3423DWF – Best ultrawide monitor
Pros
- Excellent contrast ratio
- Top-notch color gamut and accuracy
- Great motion clarity
- Respectable HDR performance
- Extremely competitive price
Cons
- Stand is a bit too large
- No USB-C
- Maximum HDR brightness is lackluster
The Alienware AW3423DWF is a legendary monitor. It packs the incredible contrast and realism of OLED in a 34-inch widescreen panel, yet it’s priced at just $1,099. That’s not inexpensive, but it’s better value than other OLED monitors available right now.
Image quality is where it stands out. It delivers a vivid, immersive, rich experience with deep black levels and bright highlights, which are enhanced by the display’s glossy finish. Movies and games seem nearly three-dimensional—as if you’re looking through a window, not staring at a monitor.
What’s the catch? The monitor is not bright, especially in SDR, so it’s a bad choice for a brightly lit room. We also noticed the OLED panel has trouble rendering small fonts smoothly. These are minor issues, though, and shouldn’t trouble most owners.
This monitor targets gamers, so it offers an enhanced refresh rate of up to 165Hz and supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for smooth frame pacing in games. However, its excellent image quality will be impressive in everyday use, as well.
It has good connectivity, with two DisplayPort inputs and one HDMI, as well as a USB-A hub with four ports. There’s even a healthy range of calibration options that help demanding owners dial in the image to their personal specifications.
2. Asus ProArt PA348CGV – Best ultrawide monitor for professionals
Pros
- Excellent SDR image quality
- Sturdy, hefty design
- Wide range of customization
- 120Hz refresh rate
Cons
- USB-C hub lacks video-out or ethernet
- HDR is merely passable
The Asus ProArt PA348CV surpassed our expectations. Priced at just $729.99, it’s towards the low end of pricing for a professional ultrawide display—yet its performance is near the top of the pack.
This monitor has a wide color gamut, excellent color accuracy, and a virtual buffet of image-quality calibration features that let users precisely tune the image. It’s also a bright and vivid monitor, making it easy to use in nearly any office. Admittedly, it doesn’t set any records in image quality tests—but it ties or comes close to alternatives that are hundreds of dollars more expensive.
Asus throws in a useful USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode and delivers 90 watts of USB Power Delivery. It also drives a USB-A hub with four downstream ports. Additional video connectivity includes two HDMI and one DisplayPort for a total of four input options.
Surprisingly, Asus throws in an enhanced refresh rate up to 120Hz. It’s not sold as a gaming monitor, but it can handle gaming well enough. That’s good news if you need one home office monitor for both work and play.
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3. LG Ultragear 34GN850 – Best budget ultrawide for gamers </h3>
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21:9 panel with a 34-inch screen </li>
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Curved monitor </li>
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Impressive gaming performance </li>
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Ergonomic adjustment options </li>
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Only average power consumption </li>
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Expensive </li>
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Best Prices Today:
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<a class="product-chart-item__pricing-details--link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=111346X1569483&url=https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34gn850-b-gaming-monitor&xcust=2-1-1470449-6-804143-10875&sref=https://www.pcworld.com/feed" target="_blank" data-vars-product-name="LG Ultragear 34GN850" data-vars-product-id="804143" data-vars-category="Monitors,Technology Industry" data-vars-manufacturer-id="10875" data-vars-manufacturer="LG" data-vars-vendor="LG" data-vars-po="" data-product="804143" data-vars-link-position-id="003" data-vars-link-position="Product Chart" data-vars-outbound-link="https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34gn850-b-gaming-monitor" rel="nofollow">699.99 at LG</a><a class="product-chart-item__pricing-details--link" href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=111346X1569483&url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HNJ26NL?tag=pcworld02-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1&xcust=2-1-1470449-6-804143-10875&sref=https://www.pcworld.com/feed" target="_blank" data-vars-product-name="LG Ultragear 34GN850" data-vars-product-id="804143" data-vars-category="Monitors,Technology Industry" data-vars-manufacturer-id="10875" data-vars-manufacturer="LG" data-vars-vendor="LG" data-vars-po="" data-product="804143" data-vars-link-position-id="003" data-vars-link-position="Product Chart" data-vars-outbound-link="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HNJ26NL?tag=pcworld02-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" rel="nofollow">$729.99 at Amazon</a> </span>
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<div class="product-content">The LG Ultragear 34GN850-B, released in 2020, was once the king of ultrawide gaming. It was dethroned by Alienware’s AW3423DWF—and as a result LG has slashed the price. Originally $999.99, this monitor is now available for $699.99 (and sometimes less).
That’s great news. Although surpassed by the A
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