Tested: LG humongous OLED gaming monitor wants to double as my smart TV

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At a look Skilled's Ranking Execs

Engaging design and good construct high quality

Nice picture high quality in each SDR and HDR

Versatile webOS with sensible TV options

USB-C enter with Energy Supply

Cons

Not as sharp as most present OLED displays

Audio system are included, however weak

Complicated menu system

Our Verdict The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W is a huge 39-inch ultrawide monitor that may double as a sensible tv, for higher and for worse.

Value When Reviewed

This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined

Greatest Pricing Right this moment

Greatest Costs Right this moment: LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W

$1296.99

$1299.99

$1,299.99

$1299.99

Blink and also you’d miss it, nevertheless it’s true. Good gaming displays are right here. Each LG and Samsung now provide displays marketed at players that embody a totally purposeful TV working system that works a lot because it does on every model’s sensible TVs. The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W brings this idea to an enormous, stunning OLED panel. It appears to be like nice, nevertheless it’s not excellent.

Learn on to be taught extra, then see our roundup of the perfect gaming displays for comparability.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W specs and options

Essentially the most notable specification on the LG UltraGear 39GX90SA-W’s spec sheet is its measurement. It’s a 39-inch ultrawide with a 21:9 side ratio, and whereas a 39-inch show could not sound considerably bigger than a 34-inch ultrawide, it ends in a 31 p.c improve in show space. Put merely, the 39-inch LG feels manner greater than a 34-inch different.

Show measurement: 39-inch 21:9 side ratio

Native decision: 3440×1440

Panel sort: WOLED

Refresh charge: As much as 240Hz

Adaptive Sync: Sure, Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync Suitable

HDR: HDR 10, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 CertifiedHDR

Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Energy Supply, 1x Ethernet, 2x USB-A (2.0), 1x 3.5mm audio-out

Extra options: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, distant management, LG webOS

Audio: Audio system included

Guarantee: 2-year elements and labor guarantee

Value: $1,599.99 MSRP, $1,299.99 retail at time of evaluation

The 39GX90SA-W can also be notable as a result of it contains LG’s webOS sensible tv working system. It really works simply because it does on an LG Good TV and offers entry to all kinds of apps, in addition to connectivity to many digital content material libraries, like films you may need bought by way of YouTube. It even helps cloud gaming companies like GeForce Now.

Pricing is excessive, although no more than anticipated. The retail MSRP is $1,599.99, however a look at value monitoring web sites reveals the sale value of $1,199.99 is extra typical. That’s costly however anticipated for an enormous, high-end OLED monitor.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W design

The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W is a 39-inch ultrawide monitor with an aggressive 800R curve. Although clearly not as giant as 45-inch ultrawide options, it has critical presence and takes up a number of house on a desk. The aggressive curve stands out instantly and can show polarizing. In the event you like a curved monitor, it’s nice. If not, you’ll have hassle placing up with it.

Measurement and curved show apart, the 39GX90SA advantages from an alluring ultra-white design. The rear panel and show stand each characteristic a stark, clear, nearly scientific look that can slot in with minimalist desk setups. Many of the monitor’s supplies are plastic, however the backside half of the stand is metallic, and the plastics used have been sturdy after I picked up the monitor.

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The stand is large. It features a broad neck, a big base, and a deep attain that locations the ultrawide show panel comparatively near the person’s face. It may be tough, or inconceivable, to seek out a super place in case your desk is lower than 30 inches deep, or lower than 50 inches large. That’s to be anticipated given the 39GX90SA’s big ultrawide display, nevertheless it’s nonetheless essential to bear in mind. Most individuals will discover a 34-inch ultrawide a greater match for his or her desk.

Even so, LG’s design is a win. It’s at the least as premium as Samsung’s Odyssey G8 and G9 displays, and extra enticing than current options from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI (amongst different manufacturers). It really works particularly properly as a mixed-used monitor in a room that serves as a house workplace through the day and a gaming den at evening.

The aggressive curve stands out instantly and can show polarizing.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W connectivity

Connectivity is usually a spotlight for the LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W, with a number of caveats.

On the plus aspect, the monitor contains a number of video connectivity. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. That’s a complete of 4 video inputs and vary of choices for connecting laptops, desktops, and sport consoles.

The USB-C port additionally helps information and as much as 65 watts of Energy Supply. I’m pleased to see a USB-C port with Energy Supply included, because it reinforces the monitor’s id as a show for each work and play. House owners can use a single cable to attach and cost a thin-and-light laptop computer that has USB-C.

The monitor’s extra connectivity contains two USB-A ports (each USB 2.0) and Ethernet. The Ethernet port is helpful when you plan to benefit from the monitor’s sensible connectivity, which I’ll get to shortly. In the event you don’t have Ethernet useful, nonetheless, that’s high quality: The monitor additionally helps Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

A 3.5mm audio jack rounds out the connectivity.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W menus and options

LG calls the Ultragear 39GX90SA-W a “sensible gaming monitor.” What does that imply? It’s mainly a sensible TV.

Whereas it lacks a TV tuner (which means it could possibly’t settle for cable or antenna TV enter), it in any other case works very like any LG tv that runs LG’s webOS. It offers an enormous number of streaming apps, from Netflix to Crunchyroll, and even helps cloud gaming apps like GeForce Now (which suggests you'll be able to technically sport and not using a PC or console by connecting a Bluetooth sport controller to the monitor). WebOS is fast, enticing, and simple to grasp.

Nonetheless, the 39GX90SA-W suffers a number of issues on the subject of how the monitor interacts with PC inputs. For instance, when a brand new PC enter is related, the monitor will ask when you’d like to change to that enter. The immediate doesn’t keep on-screen for lengthy, although, so I typically discovered it had disappeared by the point I climbed out from below my desk to attach my desktop.

I additionally had small however noticeable points with the responsiveness of the monitor’s on-screen menu, which sometimes hesitated as I moved by way of choices. I even encountered a loading display icon whereas swapping between monitor menus. That’s not one thing you’ll see on a monitor that lacks a sensible TV working system.

That is most evident when utilizing the Sport Optimizer mode. Opening the on-screen menu on this mode opens a Ultragear-branded menu that in any other case doesn’t seem. It doesn’t assist adjusting many options, nonetheless, and the swap from the Ultragear menu to the usual menu takes a number of seconds, throughout which a loading icon seems.

Then again, the 39GX90SA-W ships with a compact distant that gives quick access to watch choices. Whereas the menu system’s typically sluggish efficiency is annoying, it’s much less annoying than adjusting monitor menus utilizing a joystick or buttons on the monitor itself (a joystick remains to be discovered on the monitor, although, in case you lose the distant). The streaming apps I examined, comparable to YouTube and Netflix, labored as anticipated.

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Audio system are bundled within the 39GX90SA-W, however they’re not loud sufficient to be helpful in most conditions. I discovered them tepid at most quantity even in my dwelling workplace, which has no vital noise moreover my dwelling HVAC. The 39GX90SA-W’s audio system may hardly compete with that.

I’m undecided everybody will discover the 39GX90SA-W’s sensible contains a win, nevertheless it’s at all times fascinating to see them on an enormous, ultrawide monitor. That is successfully a 39-inch ultrawide sensible TV—one thing that doesn’t exist within the conventional HDTV market. It’s sadly not giant sufficient to be used in most TV dens, however I do assume this idea will attraction to buyers principally excited by viewing films or enjoying PC video games.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W SDR picture high quality

The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W makes use of an LG WOLED panel. These panels have been examined in quite a few displays and are typically barely much less vibrant in comparison with Samsung’s QD OLED panels, though they nonetheless carry out properly by way of distinction and brightness. The LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W stays on-script.

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I measured a sustained SDR brightness of about 246 nits from the 39GX90SA-W. Because the graph reveals, that may be a typical stage of brightness for a contemporary OLED monitor in SDR. Though it’s not particularly vivid, it’s sufficient to be used in a room with some mild management, like blinds or curtains.

If you're sitting close to sunlit home windows, nonetheless, glare can turn out to be a problem. The monitor has a semi-gloss coat, however its aggressive curve can have the impact of focusing mild sources relying on their angle, which might amplify glare.

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Distinction is a energy of OLED panels. They will attain a minimal brightness of zero nits, which suggests they've an successfully infinite distinction ratio. The result's the deep, immersive picture that propelled OLED to the highest of picture high quality rankings.

The 39GX90SA-W is not any exception, nevertheless it additionally doesn’t stand out. All of the OLED panels discovered on fashionable displays attain a minimal luminance of zero nits, so there’s no significant distinction right here.

Nonetheless, distinction is a key cause to pick the 39GX90SA-W as a substitute of an ultrawide LCD competitor.

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The 39GX90SA-W’s coloration gamut spans 100% of sRGB in addition to 96 p.c of DCI-P3 and 88 p.c of Adobe RGB when examined in the usual monitor preset. That’s a wonderful consequence and sufficient to offer a vibrant, extremely saturated picture that most individuals will discover pleasing.

Because the graph reveals, QD-OLED displays just like the Alienware AW3425DW are likely to have barely higher coloration saturation. The benefit is delicate, however noticeable, although the LG’s coloration gamut remains to be wonderful.

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The 39GX90SA-W has good coloration accuracy in its commonplace picture preset, though because the graph reveals, it’s not the perfect in its class. The picture appears to be like life like, and I had problem noticing any main coloration points except for coloration temperature. It is very important notice that the monitor presents a complete vary of picture high quality presets, together with knowledgeable presets. These presets considerably improve coloration accuracy, decreasing the typical coloration error to a powerful 0.85.

In commonplace mode, the gamma was 2.3, which is above my goal of two.2, and the colour temperature was 7400 Ok—which is cooler and extra sterile than the popular 6500 Ok. The knowledgeable picture high quality preset once more improved issues dramatically, shifting each gamma and coloration temperature to our choice.

Sharpness, nonetheless, is an issue that may’t be mitigated. The 39GX90SA-W has a local decision of 3440×1440, which is typical of most ultrawide displays. However most options have a smaller 34-inch panel, and spreading the identical variety of pixels throughout a 39-inch panel noticeably degrades sharpness. Small fonts have clear pixelation and coloration artifacts round them, whereas small buttons and interface components can look blocky. It’s tolerable, however the 39GX90SA-W isn't for individuals who desire a crystal-clear show.

The 39GX90SA-W’s general picture high quality is sweet, nevertheless it’s a bit below-average for an OLED monitor. It shares widespread OLED strengths, together with an unbelievable distinction ratio and large coloration gamut. Nonetheless, LG’s WOLED nonetheless doesn’t rival Samsung’s QD-OLED in coloration quantity, and the 39GX90SA-W’s sharpness might be a problem for eagle-eyed consumers. It’s a horny show however doesn’t stand out from the OLED crowd.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W HDR Picture High quality

LG’s UltraGear 39GX90SA-W helps HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 licensed. That’s the standard stage of certification for an OLED monitor. Nonetheless, because the graph under reveals, the monitor can attain the next stage of brightness than that certification would recommend, with a most sustained HDR brightness of 783.5 nits.

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Once I evaluate the 39GX90SA-W to its rivals I’m pressured to repeat myself, as as soon as once more it performs about in addition to most different OLED displays in the marketplace. Its HDR brightness figures are much like just lately examined WOLED displays. Samsung QD-OLED are at the moment a more sensible choice for HDR general, however I wouldn’t name it a night-and-day distinction, and it ought to solely sway you if HDR efficiency is amongst your prime priorities.

Nonetheless, I used to be happy with the LG’s HDR image. It’s vivid in most scenes and video games, with solely scenes that try to push brightness throughout your entire show actually difficult the monitor.

LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W movement efficiency

The LG UltraGear 39GX90SA-W has a most refresh charge of 240Hz, which offers a buttery-smooth picture in PC video games that may attain body charges that prime. It additionally advantages from OLED’s low pixel response time, which drops as little as 0.03 milliseconds. In apply, this additional reduces movement blur. As a bonus, it additionally interprets to comparatively minor movement blur at decrease refresh charges (like 60Hz or 120Hz).

There’s extra to it than simply movement readability, as a result of the monitor additionally offers broad adaptive sync assist with official assist for Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, and Nvidia G-Sync requirements. Whereas most displays that assist any of those may also unofficially work with all three, it’s good to see official assist to provide players peace of thoughts.

As with different points of the 39GX90SA-W, the monitor’s solely draw back is that it’s mainly the identical as different OLEDs in the marketplace. There’s a really large number of displays which have a 240Hz refresh charge or increased, so whereas the LG appears to be like nice in fast-paced video games, it doesn’t look higher than the competitors.

Must you purchase the LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W?

The Ultragear 39GX90SA-W is one other competent entry into LG’s ever-growing line-up of OLED displays. It delivers an immersive, colourful, contrast-rich picture with excellent movement readability, although it suffers from sub-par sharpness. The monitor additionally offers LG’s webOS sensible TV working system with entry to acquainted apps together with Netflix and GeForce Now, alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Which means it could possibly function an all-in-one gaming and leisure show even and not using a PC connected.

That makes the 39GX90SA-W alluring if you'd like an ultrawide monitor that’s bigger and extra feature-rich than most rivals. In the event you don’t care about sensible options in your monitor, nonetheless, a smaller and cheaper different just like the Alienware AW3425DW will make extra sense.