Welcome to our guide to the best ultrawide monitor. Ultrawide displays are becoming very common as a better alternative to working across dual or even triple displays.Â
They're also more aesthetically pleasing than having a bunch of screens on your desk and, of course, there are fewer cables which is a big benefit especially if you are in an area where you need to keep things tidy.
It's also more natural to have everything open on one display in front of you rather than having to flip between virtual desktops or different windows. You can keep complementary apps open side by side, and have so many more tools and panes visible in just one app and there's a clear productivity benefit there.Â
If you want to do a little research before buying one of these best ultrawide monitors, jump to our things to consider section. Not sure if ultrawide is for you? See more options by heading to our guides to the best 4K monitors, best curved monitors or the best portable monitors.
The best ultrawide monitors available now
The LG 34WN750 UltraWide QHD IPS Monitor is our pick for the best ultrawide monitor for creatives in 2021. That's because it toes the line between great features, brilliant pricing and fantastic quality.Â
With HDMI and DisplayPort, it's ideal for creatives and it's compatible with HDR10. too. It's also nice and bright, while colours really punch. Tilt adjustment is welcome - the only negatives being that it doesn't include other connectivity options like USB-C and it also doesn't pivot, but that won't really matter if you're in the market for an ultrawide.Â
The Asus Designo Curve MX38VC is an absolutely stunning display. Unlike some of the other monitors on this list,the Asus Designo Curve MX38VC has been created specifically for digital creatives. This means you get excellent color accuracy, and a high resolution that'll be a boon to photo and video editors.Â
However, it is one of the more expensive ultrawide monitors on this list, but if your a digital designer, photographer or artist, and you're looking for the very best ultrawide monitor, then this is a price worth paying. The built-in wireless charging mat is an added bonus.
This fine display has something special up its sleeve - HDR support, though you do pay for the privilege. There's a slight curve to this UWQHD resolution BenQ which won't be to all tastes, but you do feel nicely enveloped by what is a huge display that also boasts a 6cm height adjustment in case it sits too low.Â
The BenQ EX3501R also has a huge 2,500:1 contrast ratio plus supoort for AMD FreeSync - so while it's a terrific monitor for screen real estate, it also has a gaming side, too.Â
A USB-C cable offers excellent single-cable connectivity with data transfer and video delivery, though it isn't a Thunderbolt cable, unfortunately.Â
Dell’s newest ultrawide display – the Dell Ultrasharp U3419W – retains its high position on our list, thanks to a winning combination of superb picture quality, fantastic connectivity, and great build quality. In addition to two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort connector, it now has USB-C, which can simultaneously connect the display to a laptop and deliver up to 90w of power for charging.
It has a KVM feature for connected devices too. Connect a single keyboard and mouse to the USB upstream ports to control two computers at once, both of which are visible at the same time via the Picture-By-Picture function. For graphics work, 10-bit colour and 99 per cent sRGB coverage means excellent image quality too. While the U3419W is slightly pricier than its predecessor (the also-excellent Dell Ultrasharp U3415W), we think the extra features and more modern connectivity offers future proofing that makes the extra expenditure worth it.
If the other monitors here are ultrawide, we're going to need a whole new word for the Philips 499P9H curved monitor, because even ultrawide… er. It's a 32:9 screen, whereas most of the screens here are 21:9. A normal monitor is 16:9, so the screen here is as wide as two 16:9 monitors side by side – it's like a dual-monitor setup, but with less of a footprint on the desk.
The screen size is a whopping 49 inches to fit all this in, so it's absolutely massive as a single monitor – but it's pretty tidy as an alternative to two. This amount of space is great for workflow, because you can keep so many windows and tool panes visible together. Like many of the screens here, you can connect two different computers and have the screen display what's on them side by side, and the monitor actually functions as a KVM switch, too, so you can use one keyboard and mouse.
It's a great connection hub, being equipped with dual HDMI ports, DisplayPort, and USB-C for doing power, video and data over a single connection. There are also three regular USB ports for accessories, and a Gigabit Ethernet port, which is really useful.
And, of course, it's a solid display for creative work. It supports 94 per cent of P3 and 91 per cent Adober RGB. The brightness of 450 nits is good (though not spectacular). It has adjustments for height, tilt and swivel, so you can get it set up pretty ergonomically.
The MSI Prestige PS341WU is easily one of the best ultra-wide monitors for creatives you can buy in 2020. Not only does it have a wide 21:9 aspect ratio, but it also features a huge 5,120 x 2,160 resolution over its 34-inch IPS screen.
This leads to crystal-clear image quality, while also offering you huge amounts of desktop real estate to work on. It's expensive, but it features a stunning IPS panel, along with DCI-P3 colour gamut support, making this an ideal ultrawide for creatives like photographers and video editors who require colour accuracy. A solid entry into our list of the best ultrawide monitors.
Featuring Nvidia G-Sync which may be of interest if you want to play games as well, this AOC Agon display features some superb tech. Again, this display is gently curved and there are also a couple of AOC enhancements to improve gaming colours and shadows.Â
The stand is height-adjustable, too. The rear of the screen features a striking ‘winged’ design so won’t be for everybody. It’s a little bit of an odd combination since the front of the display is rather utilitarian in appearance.Â
Dell has knocked it out of the park with its monstrous 49-inch U4919DW, due to the excellent image quality from its enormous IPS panel, superior to the majority of alternative ultrawides that use VA panel technology.
Offering 99 per cent sRGB coverage, 350-nit brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio, it has a 32:9 aspect ratio and a 5,120 x 1,440 resolution - an absolutely huge desktop area that can accommodate two full screen applications side by side.
Delving in a bit deeper, its relatively low 5ms (fast mode) response time means it’s fine for gaming too, making it well worth the additional expenditure, although it doesn’t support adaptive-sync like some alternative displays out there.
The best ultrawide monitor: Things to consider
While the most common, comfortable size of an ultrawide is around 34 inches, the largest screens on offer are even wider, a whopping 49 inches wide. If you like the idea of such a massive screen, you should consider that you’ll need a large desk to accommodate it.
You may also want to think about how close to the screen you'll be sitting. If you sit too close to a large screen, you may find that it's uncomfortable to use, as you'll be turning your head to view certain parts of the screen.
In terms of resolution, look for WQHD (Wide Quad High Definition) – which gives you a pixel count of 2560x1440 – and a wide aspect ratio of 21:9. Usually the bigger the screen, the higher the resolution. Some of the best ultrawide monitors offer additional features such as picture in-picture or side-by-side, so you can connect up a couple of sources (like two computers, or a computer and tablet) to the same display.Â
There are some ultrawide monitors that offer 2560×1080 resolutions. While this still gives you more workspace compared to a regular 1080p widescreen monitor, we feel it's still a little too low to get the full benefit of the ultrawide aspect ratio. However, they are quite a bit more affordable than ultrawide monitors with higher resolutions, so if you're on a budget, these could be a good choice.
Another issue with ultrawide monitors is that the screen is so wide, the edges will be slightly outside your peripheral vision, when sitting at a normal working distance. To solve this, most ultrawide monitors are just slightly curved at the edges, subtly bending the image to bring it back into your vision. The effect works extremely well and makes it much nicer to work on an ultrawide monitor.
Ultrawide monitors vary based on panel technology and features. Ultrawide screens  generally look just fine with vertical alignment (VA) panels, but the sharper, brighter and considerably more expensive in-plane switching (IPS) panel technology will offer better image quality.
Displays of all shapes and sizes now come with a range of optional extra features, such as 4K screens, colour-accurate screens and gaming displays with fast refresh rates (some up to 144Hz), low latency and adaptive-sync technology, all of which will certainly be great for all kinds of desktop use, from watching movies to using graphic design tools. Ensure your monitor is displaying perfectly with one of the best monitor calibrators.Â
While 21:9 is the most common ultrawide aspect ratio, there are even wider monitors with a whopping 32:9 aspect ratios. These offer even more workspace, but they are also more expensive, and take up more room on your desk.
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