5 Best Ultrawide Monitors of 2019

1. Best Pick: LG 34UM88-P

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Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5

The LG 34UM88-P is the best flat ultrawide monitor you can get right now. It’s a fantastic monitor for watching movies, programming, internet browsing, and reading documents. And unless you’re into competitive online multiplayer, it makes for a solid gaming monitor as well, under the right circumstances. Originally selling for over $700, the 34UM88-P is now much more affordable, going for less than $500.

A 34-inch IPS monitor, the 34UM88-P has a sleek and functional design, featuring a thin bezel and a sturdy and well-secured stand with a curved base. The height is adjustable and the screen can be tilted by a few degrees, allowing for a more customized and comfortable setup. The 34UM88-P can be mounted on the wall, but considering it weighs almost 20 pounds, a wall-mounted setup may not be the best idea.

At the back, this 34-inch LG monitor features multiple connection ports – including two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, two Thunderbolt ports, and a USB hub with a couple of USB 3.0 ports, one of which is for quick-charging small electronics like smartphones and tablets. Of the connection options, the Thunderbolt ports, which allow for lightning-fast data transfers, are especially notable, considering not many monitors include them. (Note that LG also offers a non-Thunderbolt version of this monitor.)

Unlike with some monitors, the connection ports are located in an easily accessible area, allowing you to quickly switch cables. Another thing that separates the 34UM88-P from most monitors is the built-in audio system. It has a pair of 7-watt speakers, which are actually good for built-in speakers and might surprise some people.

The 34UM88-P is a 34-inch monitor with a 3440 x 1440 resolution, an uncommon combination for a flat ultrawide monitor; most products on the market offer a 2560 x 1080 resolution. With a 3440 x 1440 resolution, this monitor offers a stunning picture quality, with extremely accurate colors and excellent contrast. Watching action-packed movies – like Ready Player One, Avengers: Infinity War, and Transformers: The Last Knight – in this thing is a real treat.

In addition, the 34UM88-P is also an excellent ultrawide monitor for productivity, featuring multiple options for the split-screen mode. It’s an ideal monitor for photographers, architects, graphic designers, and programmers. It has on-screen controls, which allow you to quickly change the settings according to your preferences.

On the other side of the fence, deploying the 34UM88-P – which has FreeSync support – for gaming is a mixed bag. If you want great picture quality and can hardly tell the difference between 1-millisecond and 8-millisecond response times, this monitor is for you, but make sure to pair it with the right graphics card for consistent performance. However, if you want high refresh rates and fast response times, the 34UM88-P is definitely not for you.

Overall, the 34UM88-P is an outstanding ultrawide monitor with excellent features. It has multiple connection options, built-in speakers, and a sturdy stand and boasts a 3440 x 1440 resolution for crisper images and clearer texts. And the best part is that it sells for less than $500. If you’re shopping for the best ultrawide monitors, consider the 34UM88-P before anything else.

2. Best Budget: LG 25UM58-P

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Editor’s Rating: 4/5

When it comes to shopping for monitors, everyone has different preferences, especially with regard to the price. Some people go for the best monitor available, even if it costs $1,000. Others are more economical, only considering the most affordable options on the market. If you want an ultrawide monitor but can’t afford to spend over $200 on one, check out the LG 25UM58-P, a 25-inch IPS monitor that sells for just around $150. That’s right – one hundred and fifty dollars.

The 25UM58-P is a bare-bones ultrawide monitor, featuring a straightforward design with not much hardware features, at least compared to our top pick. It has a simple, all-black frame with a thin bezel, a small overall footprint, and minimal branding. The stand feels cheaply made and unstable due to its plastic construction. That said, this monitor is better off in a wall-mounted setup, with its lightweight frame making it easy to switch to such a setup.

Although the ports are easily accessible at the back, there’s not much to get excited about regarding connection options. The 25UM58-P is very limited on that front, only featuring a couple of HDMI ports and a standard audio out for external speakers. That’s it. No Display Port, no USB hub, and certainly no Thunderbolt ports. Because of the limited connection options, this unit is not the most versatile monitor around. To be fair, most cheap monitors are in the same boat, so don’t assume the 25UM58-P is worthless just because it has so few connection options.

Like our top pick, this budget LG monitor has on-screen controls for convenience, featuring a simple menu with essential monitor settings, such as brightness adjustment. It has multiple options for the split-screen mode and includes gaming-centered features, including a couple of modes designed for first-person shooters and a Black Stabilizer option. There’s no FreeSync support, though, which might disappoint some people.

Concerning overall performance, the 25UM58-P exceeds expectations for a cheap ultrawide monitor, featuring great picture quality and viewing angles. It has a 2560 x 1080 resolution, with a 75 Hertz refresh rate and a 5-millisecond gray-to-gray response time. It’s much better for gaming than our 34-inch top pick, with no need for an extremely powerful graphics card for a consistent output. One thing that might bother you is that the 25UM58-P is really short; as pointed out by some customers, the option to adjust the stand height would have been nice.

While not the most aesthetically impressive ultrawide monitor, the 25UM58-P is a solid product all around. It has a simple, lightweight frame with easy-to-access ports and a thin bezel, boasts great viewing angles, and includes multiple settings for gaming and split-screen mode. For those looking for a cheap ultrawide monitor under $200, the 25UM58-P is the best option on the market.

3. Best Value: LG 29UM68-P

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5

The LG 29UM68-P is an ultrawide monitor that works great for both office use and casual gaming, although LG markets it more for gaming use. It sells for right around $350, a fairly accessible price point. That figure puts it in the same neighborhood as budget 4K monitors, so if you value resolution more than an ultrawide screen, check out our guide to the best cheap 4K monitors.

Another LG IPS monitor, the 29UM68-P is a 29-inch monitor with a 2560 x 1080 native resolution and a 75 Hertz refresh rate. One of the things that makes it a great product is that its 29-inch screen works really well with a 2560 x 1080 resolution. Actually, many consider 29 inches to be the ideal size for that particular resolution, at least for gaming purposes.

The 29UM68-P has a functional design, with a very thin bezel and a stand with the familiar curved base seen in other LG monitors. The main connection ports include a couple of HDMI ports and a DisplayPort, all of which are located at the back. And instead of upside down as seen on other monitors, the ports are outward-positioned, making them easy to access. But be mindful of the cables when placing the unit too close to the wall.

Like most monitors these days, the 29UM68-P is compatible with a monitor arm setup. We actually recommend such a setup since the stand has no height adjustment option. In fact, this LG monitor has extremely limited adjustment options. You can tilt the screen by a few degrees for a more comfortable angle, but outside of that, you get nothing. With a monitor arm, you not only get more freedom to adjust the monitor positioning but also additional desk space.

Compared to our budget pick, the 29UM68-P has more features, but not on the same level as our top pick. It has an audio system, which might surprise some people, considering LG isn’t exactly trying to highlight that detail. Moreover, the built-in 5-watt speakers are actually decent enough and don’t sound like trash like other monitor speakers.

When optimized and paired with the right graphics card, the 29UM68-P is capable of producing a stunning picture quality, with vivid and accurate colors and good contrast. It has good brightness distribution and great viewing angles. And unlike our budget pick, this LG monitor has FreeSync support for a much smoother performance. Furthermore, it has a low input lag and good response times for a monitor using IPS technology.

Although LG clearly advertises it for gaming, the 29UM68-P also works really well for photo editing, coding, watching movies, and reading documents, among other non-gaming applications. It can output in split-screen mode, a useful feature for multitasking that allows you to seamlessly work on multiple spreadsheets or documents.

Wrapping up, the 29UM68-P is an excellent monitor with a more than reasonable price. It offers great long-term value, featuring convenient on-screen controls, a well-built frame, and outstanding picture quality. It has some flaws – such as the unstable stand and the limited connectivity – but none of them are deal-breakers. If your wallet says you can only spend $400 on a flat ultrawide monitor, the 29UM68-P is a perfect choice.

4. Asus MX299Q

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Editor’s Rating: 3.9/5

Of the best ultrawide monitors mentioned in this guide, the Asus MX299Q easily stands out as the most stylish, and by a wide margin. It sells for about $360, basically putting it in the same price range as the LG 29UM68-P. But when pitted against LG’s similarly priced monitor, the MX299Q falls a bit short.

A 29-inch monitor using IPS technology, the MX299Q has a sleek frame with a curved back and a thin bezel. It’s got a strip of silver at the bottom, which looks nice next to the sturdy metallic stand with a circular base. At the bottom-right corner, you’ll find the main controls, including the power. One of our biggest gripes with the MX299Q is that the controls are too sensitive, which makes adjusting the settings frustrating.

The MX299Q has two 3-watt stereo speakers and two 5-watt amplifiers and features SonicMaster technology, which was co-developed by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, a Danish company specializing in audio amplification. While that entire sentence sounds impressive, the MX299Q’s built-in audio system isn’t exactly spectacular. It’s great for a monitor audio system, but don’t expect it to be on the same level as dedicated external speakers.

Compared to our budget pick here, the MX299Q offers more input and output options, featuring an HDMI/MHL, a DisplayPort, a Dual-Link DVI, and an audio in and out. Sadly, there are zero USB ports, which might disappoint some people. All ports are neatly arranged in an outward position at the back, right above the stand mount. Speaking of mounts, the MX299Q, unlike most modern monitors, doesn’t come with VESA compatibility, which means you can’t go for a wall-mounted setup out of the box.

On another related note, the MX299Q has very limited position adjustment options, which is disappointing since you can’t just hook it up to a monitor arm. You can’t adjust the height and swivel the screen. You can, however, tilt the screen, which is probably better than nothing. On the plus side, the stand itself is quite sturdy, unlike with other large monitors.

Like the LG 29UM68-P, the MX299Q has a 29-inch screen and a 2560 x 1080 resolution, considered by many to be a good combination for a flat ultrawide monitor. It has a 60 Hertz refresh rate and, for an IPS monitor, offers good response times, with 5 milliseconds being the officially listed gray-to-gray response time. A suitable monitor for casual gaming, internet browsing, reading documents, and photo editing, the MX299Q has excellent picture quality.

Once the settings are on-point, it can produce gorgeous visuals, making it a great monitor for watching animated movies. If you cried in the theater during the opening scenes of Pixar’s Up, now you can do so privately while watching it in this 29-inch ultrawide monitor. Additionally, with split-screen, multitasking is seamless, allowing you to watch movies while editing spreadsheets.

All in all, the MX299Q is a great product sold at a reasonable price point. It has a few drawbacks in some areas, but the pros ultimately outweigh the cons. If you want a 29-inch ultrawide monitor with good speakers, a stylish design, great viewing angles, and a screen that reduces eyestrain, go for the MX299Q.

5. Dell U2917W

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5

Dell needs no introduction. The American company has a reputation for producing excellent monitors, from curved ultrawide monitors to 4K monitors. For those in the market for a flat ultrawide monitor, there’s the stylish Dell U2917W.

A part of Dell’s UltraSharp Monitors series, the U2917W is a 29-inch IPS monitor with a well-built frame, featuring multiple connection ports and a sturdy stand with a hole for convenient cable management. It has an attractive design, with a narrow bezel and mounting slots for a Dell SoundBar. Unlike with the Asus MX299Q, there are no built-in speakers, which isn’t a big deal considering monitor speakers are not exactly known for their audio quality.

Out of all the products included in this guide, the U2917W is the most generous regarding connectivity options. It has two DisplayPorts (in and out), two HDMI ports, a Mini DisplayPort, a standard audio out, and a USB hub with four USB ports. Of the four USB ports, two of which can be used for charging compatible electronics.

Almost all of the connection ports are located at the rear and are positioned upside down, which can make plugging cables a bit inconvenient since you can’t easily see them. But conveniently, the USB ports reserved for charging are separate from all the other ports and are instead placed at the bottom-left corner, positioned sideways for quick access.

The U2917W offers multiple adjustment options, with the option to adjust the height and swivel and tilt the screen for a more comfortable setup. Unlike the Asus ultrawide monitor above, this monitor is compatible with a VESA mount or a monitor arm out of the box. Since an ultrawide monitor takes up a lot of desk space, a wall-mounted setup is recommended. But make sure the mount can comfortably carry the U2917W, which is on the heavy side.

What makes the U2917W worth the money is its gorgeous picture quality. It can produce crisp and vibrant visuals with accurate colors and excellent contrast. If you love to watch movies with a lot of CGI or visual effects – such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy, and pretty much all movies directed by Michael Bay – you’re going to love this Dell ultrawide monitor.

The U2917W is also great for productivity, performing well when used for programming, video and photo editing, CAD software, and editing spreadsheets. It can output in split-screen for multitasking, boosting your productivity. On the flip side, the U2917W is not ideal for serious gamers. In other words, for those who value high refresh rates and fast response times, this Dell monitor is not recommended. But for casual gaming, it can get the job done when paired with the right graphics card.

If picture quality, construction grade, and having more connection options are the most important to you, the U2917W is one of the best ultrawide monitors you can get today. It includes a bunch of connectivity options, works well for different applications, and has an easily adjustable stand.