Best Ultrawide Monitors Of 2020

Want the ultimate monitor for creativity, productivity, or gaming? Look no further than an ultrawide! We slipped on our testing gloves and pit the best ultrawide monitors against each other in a battle for the best. Our experience? More than a hundred published reviews covering monitors of all sizes — including ultrawides. We simply get what makes a monitor great.

Which model emerged victorious? At a glance, the Samsung CJ791 is the best option for most with its fantastic design and impressive image quality. If you need a widescreen display for a specific task — like gaming or video editing — continue on to see our favorites. We even have a special pick just for Mac owners.

The best ultrawide monitor: Samsung CJ791

Why we picked the Samsung CJ791:

This 34-inch monitor is a striking piece of hardware. The design is understated, effortless and professional. The frame and stand all seem to melt away when you’re seated before its all-encompassing curved view. It’s a bit of a chameleon too, as it could easily sit next to a flashy gaming PC decked out in LEDs as it could beside a dusty old workstation in the office.

Samsung’s CJ791 offers stunning picture quality, with rich inky blacks, vivid and lifelike colors saturating your vision from all angles. Video content is rich and fluid thanks to the monitor’s 100Hz refresh rate and AMD’s FreeSync. It supports a variety of uses, providing one DisplayPort, an HDMI port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and two USB-A ports.

Overall, this level of quality on a standard 16:9 display would be outstanding. The fact that it’s on a massive 21:9 display with a deep curve makes it truly a sight to behold. It simply doesn’t need a flashy exterior design. Its size, clarity, and resolution make it a showstopper all on its own.

The best ultrawide for gaming: Alienware AW3420DW

Why we picked the Alienware AW3420DW:

Dell’s 34-inch Alienware ultrawide monitor is an excellent choice for gamers. It packs a 3,440 x 1,440 resolution complemented by a curved IPS panel (1900R) producing rich colors and wide viewing angles. Complementing this panel is 350-nit brightness maximum and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.

The AW3420DW includes six physical menu buttons for toggling preset modes, automatic overclocking, dark stabilization, and controlling brightness and contrast. Tucked away below the display’s bottom edge you’ll find a line-out jack, a headphone jack, five USB ports, DisplayPort 1.2 input, and HDMI 1.4 input.

In keeping with Alienware tradition, adjustable LED strips line along the angular spines on the backside and on the stand. Gamers will also see the popular alien head logo shining on the back. The screen’s black bezels are minimal at best while the back sports a gunmetal titanium finish.

Finally, Dell’s latest Alienware display features Nvidia’s G-Sync technology for smooth, tear-free framerates. It also has a native 120Hz refresh rate and a two-millisecond response time. It’s a slight step up from the previous model, the Alienware AW3418DW, that packs a lower native 100Hz refresh rate and a slower 4ms response time for $100 less.

For a look at the difference between FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync, check out our guide.

The best ultrawide monitor for Mac: LG 34WK95U-W

Why we picked the LG 34WK95U-W:

If you need an ultrawide panel without sacrificing a high resolution, this LG model offers both — that is, if you can afford it. A Nano IPS panel backs this display’s hefty 5,120 x 2,160 resolution with HDR. It’s also entirely flat, making it a wide choice when considering your work area’s physical space (or a lack thereof).

You won’t need to worry about connections, however. There are plenty on LG’s display including a Thunderbolt 3 port, a USB-C port, two HDMI, a DisplayPort, a USB-A upstream, and two USB-A downstream connections.

The drawback is that wall-mounting isn’t advisable, as this could leave the ports inaccessible. Wall-mounting may also make the hidden joystick difficult to use, which you’ll need to modify the settings. With this joystick, you can toggle picture modes, manually adjust color temperature, and change the hue and saturation.

Our tests show that, in addition to the high resolution, this LG monitor supports 90% of the AdobeRGB color gamut. It also has a color error of only 1.1, and a gamma curve of 2.2 — all better than many of the top monitors that we have reviewed. However, it’s important to note that the standard refresh rate is 60Hz, which isn’t the greatest option for some types of gaming. This display does not offer FreeSync or G-Sync technology.

Ultimately, if you really need that top shelf resolution for work or play, there’s no better ultrawide around to deliver it.

The best ultrawide monitors of 2020 [Digital Trends]