21:9 monitors have done a good job of filling a couple niche positions in the marketplace. For someone that wants a single display to watch movies and use with the PC, the aspect ratio can work well. With many games, the wider field-of-view enhances games with more information on screen at once and a more immersive experience. Where they have fallen short is with their vertical resolution of 1080 pixels. Running two applications side-by-side makes everything feel cramped. For regular office work a 27” display for the same price has provided a better user experience.

Now we have the first 21:9 aspect ratio monitor with 1440 pixels of vertical resolution, the LG 34UM95. That provides the same vertical area as a 27” display but 3440 horizontal pixels instead of 2560. The larger size makes running two programs side-by-side equivalent to dual 20” displays at 1720x1440, or a 6:5 aspect ratio. Furthermore, the additional real estate makes it much easier to use for non-gaming or movie use. From spreadsheets to word processing, image editors to web browsers, the additional vertical space makes a large difference.

The LG 34UM95 is also the first non-Apple display to include Thunderbolt support. With three integrated USB ports you can use a single cable to drive the 34UM95 display and connected devices from a Thunderbolt equipped computer. An additional Thunderbolt connection allows you to connect another device directly to the 34UM95 as well. Unlike the Apple display there isn’t an Ethernet port, but there is integrated audio.

For traditional video cards the display includes a DisplayPort input and two HDMI ports. The HDMI ports are still revision 1.4a so they cannot support 60Hz refresh rates at the monitor's native resolution, but DisplayPort will run at 3440x1440 at 60Hz without any issues, including audio support. The monitor includes a full color management system with a 1-point white balance. As with previous LG displays, I have found that the CMS doesn’t work well and should be avoided. It improves the 100% readings but makes everything below that worse.

The 34UM95 includes two “Reader Modes” designed to make reading documents on-screen easier. In use what they do is pump up the red in the white balance. Since most displays ship with an overly-blue image by default, and people are used to that, this will help those people. If you have the display calibrated correctly, you wind up with an image that is very red and large errors in gamma and grayscale. Since these are easy to enable and disable in the menu system, if you like them it is easy to utilize it.

LG 34UM95
Video Inputs 2x HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort
Panel Type IPS
Pixel Pitch 0.2325mm
Colors 1.07 Billion
Brightness 320 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio 1000:1
Response Time 5ms GtG
Viewable Size 34"
Resolution 3440x1440
Viewing Angle (H/V) 178 / 178
Backlight LED
Power Consumption (operation) 56W
Power Consumption (standby) 1.2W
Screen Treatment Anti-Glare
Height-Adjustable No
Tilt Yes, -5 to 15 degrees
Pivot No
Swivel No
VESA Wall Mounting Yes, 100mm VESA
Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) 32.7" x 18.5" x 6.8"
Weight 17 lbs.
Additional Features 3.5mm stereo out, 2x Thunderbolt, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0, 2x7W speakers
Limited Warranty 1 year
Accessories DisplayPort Cable, HDMI Cable
Price $999

 

Additional Features and Usability
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  • Ubercake - Friday, June 20, 2014 - link

    Put G-sync on a monitor with this resolution and I'd consider it. I've found the wider (in pixels) the monitor, the worse the perceivable tearing when gaming. I'd consider a 60Hz monitor only for productivity.
  • JohnUSA - Friday, June 20, 2014 - link

    Only 1 year warranty is no good.
    Should have been 3 years.
  • gochichi - Thursday, July 31, 2014 - link

    You're absolutely right, if I spend $150 on a monitor, then sure 1-year is fine. But if I invest $1000, I want a 3-year advance exchange situation.
  • LudumHair - Sunday, June 22, 2014 - link

    I bought one of these yesterday but the backlight bleed is awful. There are two bright yellowish patches in the bottom left and right corners of the display that are barely noticeable in daylight and downright distracting during evening and night use. Even with brightness set to its lowest the patches are still clearly visible. Buyer beware with these panels - I'm requesting a repair from LG and will take back to the store if that doesn't pan out.
  • arpiggies - Sunday, June 22, 2014 - link

    I feared there would be some light bleed issues with this size panel. Usually happens with first few production runs before it's fixed. May I ask what vendor you procured yours from and do you know the manufacture date of your unit?
  • LudumHair - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link

    Sure, I bought it at Micro Center in NY. The manufacture date is May 2014 and there's a "(Rev 2)" by the serial/model number.
  • Larzy - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link

    Thanks for Sharing that, lets hope LG can iron out leakage in further revisions. I guess each of the manufacturers will be using this panel though, to make thier versions, so I think I'll wait a few months till they've all been reviewed.
  • Laststop311 - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link

    I don't like 21:9 makes you move your head too much. 16:10 32 inch 4k monitor with 120hz is my dream monitor.
  • gochichi - Thursday, July 31, 2014 - link

    That's a great dream. I'd certainly consider the monitor you describe. And if it came in at $1000, I'd actually buy it too.
  • genomecop - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link

    Seems the backlight bleed is a known problem. I copied this from the thread at HardOcp.com

    ...We have asked our distributor. This product currently has an unknown delivery time. The LG screens are called back because of a fabrication error in the backlight. At the moment it is not known when this model will be available...

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