LG ULTRAGEAR 34GN850
LG’s new 160Hz, 1ms IPS ultrawide wonder
WE KNOW WHAT you’re thinking: $1,000 for a 34-inch ultrawide 1440p monitor? And it doesn’t even have local dimming? At least, that’s what first struck us about the new LG UltraGear 34GN850. It ticks an awful lot of boxes, which you’d expect at this price point. But surely that much money buys you proper HDR support?
Hold that thought for a moment while we consider what the LG UltraGear 34GN850 does give you. First up there’s 160Hz refresh. That’s enough for the vast majority of semi-pro esports aficionados. It ties in neatly with the claimed 1ms response of the LG’s Nano IPS panel. LG is one of the few monitor makers that actually produces LCD panels. In fact, it’s the world’s leader in IPS production, and thus has the pick of the latest and greatest of its own panels.
Long story short, LG reckons its new Nano IPS tech is comparable to TN panels for pixel response, while maintaining all the usual IPS advantages, such as superior color accuracy and viewing angles. That’s critical, because there’s little point in driving a display at tripledigit refresh rates if the panel’s response rate can’t keep up.
To the high refresh rate and low response times you can also add comprehensive adaptive sync support. Both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium are included. Note that the G-Sync support is G-Sync Compatible Verified rather than full-fat G-Sync, so it lacks Nvidia’s processing chipset. However, overall the UltraGear 34GN850 packs a comprehensive, gaming-centric feature set.
Which brings us, at last, to what the 34GN850 doesn’t give you—namely true HDR support. It does have VESA DisplayHDR400 certification. But that’s the very lowest rung of HDR capability. DisplayHDR400 only demands 400cd/ m2 of brightness ( a requirement the 34GN850 meets but doesn’t exceed) and does not stipulate local dimming, with which LG has indeed not bothered. Pair that with an IPS panel rated at 1,000:1 for contrast, and you hardly have the makings of a bona fide HDR experience.
While we’re listing omissions, LG hasn’t seen fit to include USB Type-C connectivity either. Consequently, you can’t hook up a laptop and drive the display, charge, or connect peripherals with a single cable. The remit here is clearly gaming, the assumption arguably being that most buyers will be running desktops. But USB-C is such a flexible, powerful interface, it would still be a welcome inclusion, especially at this price point.
Anyway, if that’s how the LG UltraGear 34GN850 stacks up in theory, what’s it like in practice? Actually, darn nice.
Contrary to the 1,000:1 contrast and mere DisplayHDR400 ratings, this is a very punchy, vibrant display.
It’s not perfect, of course. Notably, there’s a little glow around bright objects set in dark backgrounds. HDR content and games simply don’t have the eye-popping impact that a true HDR panel with local dimming and much higher brightness delivers. Then there’s pixel response. Is it the fastest IPS panel we’ve seen? Almost certainly, yes. Can it match the best TN monitors for response? Just as surely, no.
But let’s be clear. This is a fabulous all-round gaming monitor. It’s quick enough for all but the most demanding esports players. If you have the graphics hardware to drive it properly, buttery smoothness awaits thanks to the 160Hz refresh. Moreover, the 34GN850 looks plain luscious in old-school adventure games like Witcher3. And it’s big enough and detailed enough to do justice to the more cinematic elements of strategy titles, such as the TotalWar series.
All of which means our main reservation involves pricing. This is a very sweet gaming monitor. But is it a $1,000 experience? Certainly, you can have 4K with high refresh for the same money, albeit in a smaller 27-inch form factor. Likewise, at this price point, DisplayHDR600 with local dimming would seem like a reasonable minimum expectation when it comes to HDR support. As it is, this is still a fantastic display. We’re just not sure it’s great value.