LG UltraWide 38WN95C monitor review: a premium ultrawide experience

The LG UltraWide 38WN95C has to be on the shortlist of anyone looking for a premium ultrawide monitor – if you want one of the biggest, best-looking and most expensive models on the market, this is worth considering for both gaming and creative use.

We're seeing more and more of these ultrawide monitors arriving on the market, and LG is making quite a few of them: we've been impressed with what the electronics giant has put out in the past in this field, perhaps not a surprise given its expertise with display panels.

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As we'll explain below in this LG UltraWide 38WN95C monitor review, the screen scores highly in terms of the specs that it offers, and it does very well in testing too – we think this display is going to make its way into a lot of best monitor lists over the next year or so.

With more and more ultrawide monitors – curved and uncurved – hitting the market, it's definitely worth taking your time to weigh up the competition before making a decision, but we'd say this should probably be somewhere near the top of your final shortlist.

The LG UltraWide 38WN95C monitor review: design and setup

Besides the monitor itself, you get a two-piece stand, a power cable and cables for HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C connections. Putting together the whole setup doesn't take long at all, and you can just about do it yourself if you're reasonably careful. Port access is better than many monitors we've seen, with the sockets clearly accessible at the back.

As for the overall aesthetics, LG has done well here, with pleasingly thin bezels on the monitor itself (only the bottom bezel is slightly thicker, with the LG logo), and a stand that's minimal in its design but still rather stylish. The back of the monitor is dominated by bright white plastic rather than the usual black – of course you're not going to see much of this in day-to-day use, but it's worth bearing in mind.

The monitor's settings and functions are controlled by a little nub joystick that sits underneath the monitor in the middle, and this is easy enough to operate (though we would have appreciated a separate power button). The on-screen menu is one of the most straightforward and intuitive we've seen, again perhaps an indication of just how long LG has been in this business.

In terms of ports, we've got 2 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x USB-A and a Thunderbolt over USB-C socket too. As well as two 5W integrated speakers there's a headphone jack for more private listening, so you're well covered as far as connectivity goes. Those speakers are actually pretty decent – they won't replace your Sonos soundbar of course, but they're fine for gaming and movie watching, maintaining clear and quality audio up to a relatively high volume.

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The LG UltraWide 38WN95C monitor review: features and picture

The LG UltraWide 38WN95C measures 38 inches corner to corner, running at a resolution of 3,840 x 1,600 pixels and a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. The slightly curved IPS LCD panel offers 100% sRGB and 98% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, and gamers will be tempted in by the 1 ms response time, plus the support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync (which ensured super-smooth motion and gaming performance, in our testing). The DisplayHDR 600 support isn't the most high-end implementation of HDR, but it's perfectly fine.

Those aren't the very best specs you can find on monitors today, but they're pretty close – they cover a lot of bases and are impressive up close. During our time testing the monitor with games, video, and general computing, we came away liking the smoothness of the screen and the clarity and contrast. There are a good selection of different modes to pick from, as well as custom controls for further tweaking.

Brightness and colour reproduction are top drawer too, and we found it difficult to find anything but the most minor faults with the LG UltraWide 38WN95C in terms of the visuals it puts up on screen. The most serious of creative professionals and gamers will perhaps want something a step above, but for the vast majority of users this monitor is going to meet their needs and then some.

Viewing angles are very good, thanks to that IPS LCD display, with colours and contrast even across the whole of the display. The LG UltraWide 38WN95C certainly isn't going to let you down in any aspect of its performance, and with the various different modes to play around with and customise, you've got a lot of flexibility too.

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The LG UltraWide 38WN95C monitor review: price and verdict

While you can point to monitors that out-spec the LG UltraWide 38WN95C, there aren't many screens around that bring so many plus points together in one package – it scores highly in terms of size, resolution, refresh rate, contrast, brightness, response time, colour gamut, viewing angles and plenty more besides.

It's nicely designed, it has a good array of ports, and the on-screen menus are simple to get around – they offer some useful quick modes that you can switch between, as well as extra manual controls that are available if you need them. There's no doubt this is one of the best ultrawide monitors that we've tested yet, and if it fits your requirements then we wouldn't hesitate in recommending it.

You do miss out on the very top refresh rates, sizes and resolutions here, and the HDR isn't the best in the business either. It's also quite an expensive monitor too – not really over-the-odds for what you get in return, but still a lot of cash to part with. These are some of the reasons why you might not go for the LG UltraWide 38WN95C, but they're relatively minor drawbacks as far as the big picture goes.

If you're shopping for ultrawide monitors at all then we're assuming you're prepared to pay a premium for a quality viewing experience, and we think that the LG UltraWide 38WN95C delivers it. Keep your eyes out for special offers and discounts on the display (the widgets on this page should help), as they might make the monitor even better value for money.

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