LG 38UC99-W Review

The LG is a large ultra wide screen monitor in technically a 24:10 format, although LG list as 21:9 on their website at the time of writing. This is a slightly unusual form factor and the first we’ve covered here on GamingMonitors-UK. You might be wondering if games are going to work OK but you should be fine with any game that supports 21:9. The inclusion of FreeSync with an operating window of 52Hz – 75Hz is also a big attraction for gamers.

The monitor itself is rather imposing, you’re going to need a big desk to hold this comfortably. It’s the type of screen that could replace your existing dual monitor setup.

Build Quality

The LG 38UC99-W is a large imposing monitor with a gentle 2300R curvature, the bigger this value, the more gentle the curve. With such a large screen the curve becomes desirable in my opinion, less so with smaller sizes but on this 38″ model it helps to bring the edges into your line of view. The stand will need to be sturdy to support this weight, but it still manages to provide both tilt and height adjustment.

There are 14 different split-screen layouts you can utilise to aid your productivity. So, for example, you could still simulate having two separate monitors on the one screen!

Connectivity is adequately supported through two HDMI 1.4 ports and a DisplayPort connector, but note that the HDMI ports will only support 30Hz at native resolution. There are also two USB 3.0 ports capable of fast charging. And, there is also a USB Type C port, this actually seems quite novel right now but of course this will soon be a standard addition on new hardware so it’s nice to see it included.

The monitor includes a powerful pair of 10W speakers, you can even stream directly to them from your phone via Bluetooth if you wish! I haven’t heard them so I can’t say if they deliver on LG’s promise but they should be better than some of the poor sound setups integrated into rival models.

Performance

The IPS technology that powers this screen is known for solid colour accuracy and viewing angles. LG claim that the monitor will be good when viewed from 178°/178° horizontal/vertical.

The addition of FreeSync into this setup is a big win for people looking for an ultra wide that’s good for games. This technology helps to keep the frame rate of the display in sync with the frames being produced by the graphics card. This gives smoother, less laggy, tear free animations when playing those fast paced shooters. The Adaptive-Sync operates over 52Hz to 75Hz so if your graphics card output rate drops below 52 frames per second you will lose this advantage. You’ll need a decent graphics card to power this screen anyway, it had a lot of pixels to push around!

Other helpful features include Dynamic Action Sync that supposedly reduced input lag, and the Black Stabilizer which apparently gives more detail in dark areas of games.