Updated Aug 21, 2024 at 03:55 pm
By Nicholas Di Giovanni
overview 4 comments
Ultrawide monitors are a class of displays with either a 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratio, and they provide more horizontal screen space compared to traditional 16:9 monitors. These are great if you like opening multiple windows simultaneously, and while many ultrawide monitors are designed with gaming in mind, they also tend to offer good office performance, meaning they're great if you need something for work and play. You can even find ultrawide displays geared specifically for office use, as these tend to have higher resolutions and some additional features.
Most ultrawide displays have a 34-inch screen size, but there are larger ones up to 49 inches, which are known as super ultrawide monitors, and there are others with 38, 40, and 45-inch screen sizes, which you can read about here. On top of that, these displaystend to have curved screens to bring the edges closer toyou. There are models available at different price points, so when looking for a new ultrawide monitor, you should think about your budget and how you're going to use it.
We've bought and tested more than 325 monitors, and below are our recommendations for the best widescreen monitors. See our picks for thebest ultrawide gaming monitors,the best curved monitors, andthe best 34-49 inch monitors.
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Best Ultrawide Monitor
Dell Alienware AW3423DWF 95
PC Gaming
8.9
Console Gaming
8.3
Office
7.6
Editing
9.0
Performance Usages: Brightness
6.7
Response Time
9.9
HDR Picture
9.3
SDR Picture
9.9
Color Accuracy
9.4
Size
34"Pixel Type
QD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate
165 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See AlsoThe best ultrawide monitors in 2024: top picks for gaming beyond 16:9Is an ultrawide monitor actually worth it?UltraWide vs Dual Monitors [The Complete Guide] - Display NinjaShould You Upgrade to An Ultrawide Monitor?See all our test results
The best monitor with an ultrawide screen that we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF. It's a fantastic high-end monitor that delivers outstanding picture quality, and it's an amazing choice for gaming and watching content like shows and movies. This is because it uses a QD-OLED panel that displays deep and inky blacks in dark rooms, and it also displays a wide range of vivid colors, which is great for watching life-like and realistic content. It even has a near-instantaneous response time, sofast-moving objects are extremely sharp and clear, and it has a 165Hz refresh rate that's good enough for most gamers.
One of the bigger downsides to getting a QD-OLED like this is that it has a risk of burn-in with constant exposure to the same static elements over time. This is problematic for office use when you have many static elements on the screen allday. Only consider it if you're going to vary how you're going to use it, whether it's gaming then watching content, but it isn't an ultrawide monitor you should get only for work purposes. That said, even if you want to use it in a room with a few lights around, it has fantastic reflection handling.
See our review
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Best Super Ultrawide Monitor
Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 92
PC Gaming
9.1
Console Gaming
8.2
Office
7.5
Editing
8.9
Performance Usages: Brightness
6.8
Response Time
9.8
HDR Picture
9.5
SDR Picture
10
Color Accuracy
8.7
Size
49"Pixel Type
QD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate
240 HzNative Resolution
5120 x 1440See all our test results
If you find an ultrawide monitortoo small, then a super ultrawide is a better alternative for you. They offer a ton of screen space, but naturally, they come with a premium price tag. If that's what you're interested in,look into the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95, which is a 49-inch super ultrawide that's the equivalent of placing two 27-inch monitors side by side. It has a QD-OLED panel like the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, so it deliversremarkable picture quality and fantastic gaming performance. But it has a few advantages, as it has an even higher 240Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for competitive gaming if your setup can take advantage of it.
Unlike many monitors, it even has a built-in smart platform that makes it easy to stream content without the need fora PC. This is great for watching ultrawide movies, but because of its 32:9 aspect ratio, you'll see black bars on the sides of most content. It also has the same risk of burn-in as the Dell, but if you're concerned about that, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 is a great alternative that uses Mini LED backlighting. However, it's an older monitor that can be harder to find at times.
See our review
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Best Ultrawide Monitor For Work
Dell U4025QW 74
PC Gaming
6.3
Console Gaming
5.8
Office
8.0
Editing
8.0
Performance Usages: Brightness
7.7
Response Time
3.9
HDR Picture
6.2
SDR Picture
7.5
Color Accuracy
8.9
Size
40"Pixel Type
IPSMax Refresh Rate
120 HzNative Resolution
5120 x 2160See all our test results
If you don't need the gaming features of the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF and the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95, or you're concerned about burn-in and you need something mainly for office work,check out the Dell U4025QW. It's different from the other two monitors because it doesn't deliver the same high-end picture quality withbright highlightsand deep blacks, but you don't exactly need that for regular office work anyway. That said, this monitor is great for office use because it has a large 40-inch screen with a high 5120x2160 resolution, which is the equivalent of an ultrawide 4k screen, so the text clarity is extremely sharp.
It also has a ton of extra features, including a massive USB hub to which you can connect various devices. This includes a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support and up to 140W of power delivery, ideal for connecting even power-hungry laptops. It also has a KVM switch that makes it easy to use the same keyboard and mouse with different computers connected to the monitor. It even supports daisy chaining to a second display, which is ideal if you need even more screen space.
See our review
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Best Budget Ultrawide Monitor
Dell S3422DWG 14
PC Gaming
7.2
Console Gaming
6.6
Office
7.6
Editing
7.2
Performance Usages: Brightness
7.7
Response Time
6.8
HDR Picture
5.7
SDR Picture
8.3
Color Accuracy
7.1
Size
34"Pixel Type
VAMax Refresh Rate
144 HzNative Resolution
3440 x 1440See all our test results
If you don't need a high-end work monitor like the Dell U4025QW and find the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 too expensive, there are some good options in the budget category, like the Dell S3422DWG. It has fewer office features when compared to the U4025QW, as it doesn't have any USB-C ports. This is the main trade-off for getting something cheaper, but it's still decent if you want something for gaming and office use.
It has a 144Hz refresh rate, which isn't high enough for competitive gamers, but it's still good enough for entry-level gamers and has okay motion handling. It also performs well in bright and dark rooms, because it gets bright enough to fight glare and displays deep blacks. However, without a local dimming feature, it has limited picture quality in HDR, as small highlights don't pop against the rest of the image. Another downside is that it has narrow viewing angles, which is disappointing if you need to share the screen with someone next to you. If that's important to you, the Gigabyte M34WQ is a good alternative with wider viewing angles, but it has worse picture quality in dark rooms.
See our review
Notable Mentions
- LG 34GS95QE-B: The LG 34GS95QE-B is a 34-inch ultrawide OLED that's a good alternative to the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF if you want something with a higher 240Hz refresh rate. However, with a WOLED panel, it doesn't display the same vivid colors as the QD-OLED panel of the Dell. See our review
- Dell Alienware AW3423DW: The Dell Alienware AW3423DW is similar to the Dell AW3423DWF as it has the same panel, but the main difference is that the AW3423DW has native G-SYNC support. This is great if you want to take full advantage of your NVIDIA graphics card, but it also costs more than the AW3423DWF. See our review
- LG 40WP95C-W: The LG 40WP95C-W is a 40-inch office-oriented monitor that competes with the Dell U4025QW. It's a good alternative if you want something cheaper but has fewer features. See our review
Recent Updates
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Aug 21, 2024: We replaced the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 because the G95NA is hard to find. In the Notable Mentions, we replaced the MSI MEG 342C QD-OLED with the Dell Alienware AW3423DW and added the LG 34GS95QE-B.
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Jun 05, 2024: Added the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF as the top pick to reflect the current ultrawide monitor market, and renamed the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 to 'Best Super Ultrawide.' Replaced the LG 40WP95C-W with the Dell U4025QW for consistency with other recommendations. Removed the LG 35WN65C-B due to lack of availability and renamed the Dell S3422DWG as 'Best Budget' as it dropped in price. Updated Notable Mentions based on changes.
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Apr 16, 2024: Confirmed that our picks are available and updated the text to reflect current product availability.
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Feb 13, 2024: Made sure that the recommended monitors are still available for purchase and updated text for clarity throughout.
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Dec 13, 2023: Replaced the HP OMEN 34c with the LG 35WN65C-B because it's cheaper, and renamed the Dell S3422DWG to 'Best Mid-Range Monitor' to better represent the monitor market. Also added the HP OMEN 34c and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NC S57CG95 to Notable Mentions.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors with an ultrawide screen currently available. They're adapted to be valid for most people, in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our ultrawide monitorreviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
