Bored of switching between tabs? Or maybe you’re fed up with enemies sneaking up on you in an online shooter? The best ultrawide monitors can help solve that problem, widening your view to make multitasking and sharpshooting significantly easier.
With a boom in popularity there are now plenty of ultrawide monitors to pick from, but it’s difficult to know what the best options are. Looking at the spec sheet only gets you so far, as you ideally need to see the screen in person to make sure the picture quality matches the price.
That’s why it’s so important that our team of experts tests and reviews every single ultrawide monitor that we consider for this buying guide. During the testing process, we use professional equipment to evaluate the screen, as well as using the monitor in a variety of scenarios from general productivity work to high-end gaming.
It’s important to note that ultrawide monitors are noticeably longer horizontally than they are vertically, with unusual aspect ratios such as 21:9 and 32:9. Such screen formats won’t be supported by most videos online, resulting in chunky black bars on either side. But several games are supported, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5, allowing for incredibly immersive experiences that wrap around your peripheral vision.
So if you’ve decided that an ultrawide monitor is right for you, check out our top picks below. And if you’re looking for something more conventional, check out our best monitor and best gaming monitor lists instead.
Best ultrawide monitor at a glance
How we test
We use every monitor we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check its design, features and how easy it is to set up.
We check its colours and image quality with a colorimeter to test its coverage and the display’s quality. We will also play numerous games to determine its performance.
Lenovo Legion R45w-30
Best value ultrawide monitor
Pros
- Excellent value
- Compact for an ultrawide
- Good speakers
- One-button KVM switch
The biggest issue with ultrawide monitors is that they’re ultra-expensive, often surpassing the £1000/$1000 by a large margin. This is why we were so wowed by the Lenovo Legion R45w-30, which is far more affordable than the competition.
Despite its lower price, it’s still packing wonderful specs such as a 5K (5120 x 1440) resolution, 165Hz refresh rate and HDR support. The 44.5-inch screen has a 1500R curvature, wrapping around your peripheral vision to maximise the immersion.
While this is a monitor designed for gamers, that doesn’t mean it can’t be used for productivity too, with the monitor wide enough for you to easily open multiple windows and apps on the display simultaneously.
So what’s the catch with the Lenovo Legion R45w-30? Well, it’s lacking the Mini LED or OLED technology that gives the other monitors on this list a more vibrant picture. But if you’re looking for the most affordable ultrawide monitor that still looks fantastic, then there’s no better option than the Lenovo Legion R45w-30.
Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: Lenovo Legion R45w-30 review
Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
Best Mini LED ultrawide monitor
Pros
- Show-stopping HDR and SDR ability
- Bold, accurate and vibrant colours
- Excellent refresh rate ability
- Immersive curved widescreen design
Cons
- Wallet-busting price
- 32:9 aspect ratio won’t suit everyone
- Requires a powerful graphics card
- Connectivity could be improved
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is quite the looker, with a sleek outer frame that’s matched by slim bezels around the display, and a glossy white plastic rear. As a 49-inch monitor though, this is the largest on our list, and a panel you’ll need an awful lot of desk space to accommodate.
That being said, it’s packed with plenty of features, including a 240Hz refresh rate that, during testing, ensured the Neo G9 delivered wonderfully smooth motion. In addition, the 1ms response time provided a responsive gaming experience. Given such an impressive spec sheet, the G9 does require an awful lot of power to get your money’s worth, and therefore, you will need a top-of-the-line gaming PC to get the best out of it.
We also found its image quality to be incredible, with both real-world use and a colorimeter in hand. The 49-inch screen uses Mini LED technology, which we measured to have a max brightness of over 2300 nits with Dynamic HDR enabled. This led to colours popping especially nicely, alongside good accuracy – 99.5% sRGB and 91.5% DCI-P3 to be exact. With numbers this good, it’s not only a great choice for immersive gaming, but also for any more colour-sensitive work involved with more creative roles.
Reviewer: Mike Jennings
Full review: Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Review
Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023)
Best OLED ultrawide monitor
Pros
- Perfect blacks from OLED tech
- Crisp vivid imagery with high contrast
- High refresh rate and response time
- Easy assembly
Cons
- Low peak SDR brightness
- Awkward port placement
- Space-hogging build
The Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) is both outrageously good and downright outrageous. You’ll have to make plenty of space for this monitor but, those who can, won’t be disappointed.
You get a ginormous curved 49-inch 32:9 1440p panel that offers truly deep immersion in whatever you’re doing, from simply covering this screen in tabs when multitasking to truly taking advantage of what this monitor is made for, with gloriously immersive gaming sessions. The 240Hz refresh rate onboard makes sure that gamers are well accommodated for here.
All the other specifications are backed up by one key technology, and that’s OLED. The OLED tech means you get pristine blacks, remarkably crisp images and impressively high contrast. OLED doesn’t offer the best brightness on the market but it nails so much else.
Reviewer: Chris Smith
Full review: Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) Review
Asus ROG Swift PG49WCD
Brightest OLED ultrawide monitor
Pros
- Bright in SDR and HDR modes
- Full KVM support
- Excellent panel uniformity
- Top-notch motion fidelity
Cons
- Refresh rate on the low side at 144Hz
- No speakers
The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD uses the same core screen technology as the Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) above, so there’s very little separating them. However, Asus has seemingly made some tweaks.
The refresh rate has been reduced to 144Hz, although the peak brightness has been increased to 413 nits for SDR, and up to 903 nits with HDR. Pair this with the excellent OLED technology that can produce perfect blacks, and you’ve got an incredible picture here.
Like the Odyssey G9, it has a huge 49-inch OLED panel, with an impressive 1800R and pixel-packed 5120 x 1440 resolution. The refresh rate is rather low at 144Hz, but unless you’ve got a cutting-edge PC and preference for multiplayer shooters, you’re probably not going to need a faster display.
It’s a shame that there are no integrated speakers here, but this opens up the opportunity to pair it with your own sound system. The Odyssey G9 is arguably the more rounded package, but if you can get the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD with a discount, then this remains an excellent ultrawide monitor option.
Reviewer: Alun Taylor
Full review: Asus ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD review
We also considered…
FAQs
This is dependent majorly on the space you’ve got. If you can fit it in, a 49-inch ultrawide will arguably give you the most immersive experience, given its sheer width and size. But for most, 34 inches is likely to be enough.
You certainly can use an ultrawide monitor for office work, and they’ll be especially handy for when you want to fit multiple apps and windows on your screen. For what it’s worth, we’ve picked the HP S430c as a favourite ultrawide for office productivity tasks, which should put you in good stead.
