LG 38UC99 Announced: 37.5-Inch Curved 21:9 Display with 3840×1600 Resolution
by Anton Shilov on September 2, 2016 3:20 PM EST
This week at IFA in Berlin LG introduced a new flagship UltraWide display. The new monitor is called the LG 38UC99 and it's LG's largest UltraWide display to date, with a diagonal size of 37.5 inches. With a horizontal resolution of 3840 pixels, and support for 99% of the sRGB color gamut, LG appears to be positioning the monitor as one well suited for displaying UltraHD content filmed in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. Gamers aren't left out either, with support for AMD FreeSync being included as well.
The basic specifications for the panel are listed below. There aren't any big surprises as far as the panel goes, with a resolution of 3840 x 1600, a 5ms GtG response time, a peak brightness of 300 nits, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. When you look at the monitor as a whole there are a few interesting points. The monitor has a built in USB 3.0 hub, which is generally expected of high end monitors, but in this case there are two USB Type-A connectors as well as a USB Type-C connector. LG has noted that the Type-C port can charge mobile devices, but there's no word yet on whether they support high wattage charge modes as part of the USB Power Deliver spec.
The monitor also has two 10W speakers, and it can be paired with smartphones or other devices via Bluetooth to play audio wirelessly. I would expect that most users interested in buying the LG 38UC99 for watching movies will also have a good set of speakers to go with it, but the feature is there for users who may not have enough desk space to fit such a large monitor and a sizeable pair of speakers.
| LG UltraWide 38UC99 | |
| Panel | 37.5" IPS |
| Resolution | 3840 × 1600 |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Response Time | 5 ms gray-to-gray |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m² |
| Contrast | 1000:1 |
| Viewing Angles | 178°/178° horizontal/vertical |
| Color Saturation | 99% sRGB |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.23 mm |
| Pixel Density | 110 ppi |
| Anti-Glare Coating | Yes |
| USB Hub | 3-port USB 3.0 hub: two USB-A, one USB-C receptacles USB-C port supports charging |
| Audio | 10 W × 2 |
| Launch Price | $1499 (?) |
LG can really be credited with bringing 21:9 displays to market in any significant capacity. A few years ago it was just a niche form factor, and prior to that it didn't really exist at all. Since then it has been adopted by many different users, including fans of movies, gamers, and users looking to improve on productivity without having to set up two separate displays. In the case of the 38UC99 the display is curved, which may limit its appeal among some groups, particularly those who need proper accuracy for geometry displayed on the monitor like users doing computer assisted design work.
Right now the LG 38UC99 doesn't have an official price, but several reports have stated that it will cost $1499 at launch. That places it strictly in high-end territory, but that's not really a surprise for a monitor of this size with these specifications.
Sources: LG, DisplaySpecifications, TechCrunch.
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Lolimaster - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
What about 16:10 or 3:2 monitors, those will be awesome for mixed productivity.saratoga4 - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
It is a shame that 16:10 is all but dead at this point. For dual monitors where you have lots of horizontal space, the extra vertical was so nice.I do love my 21:9 LG ultrawide screen though for home use. It fits much nicer on a small desk than 2 screens while having most of the horizontal. For games that support it, ultrawide is also pretty cool.
Eidigean - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
My HP zr30w is an IPS 2560x1600. This is the first monitor that feels like an upgrade.Anandtech, what is the Radius of Curvature? This is a most important fact. I look forward to the day when I can buy three curved monitors that form a perfect arc with a radius 2 to 3 feet in front of me, minimal bezels, and 90 degrees or arc wide. I want every pixel pointing towards me.
ImSpartacus - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Can you really complain once you have this many pixels at your disposal?This appears like a wider 30" 2560x1600 display. What's not to like about that?
Samus - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Lots of HP professional monitors are still 16:10. It isn't dead, far from it. Just don't expect to find one at Best Buy among the Acer's and AOC's and Lenovo's...The HP LP2470 is one of the most legendary 16:10 displays, mostly because it's introductory price was ridiculous, but also because it was the most accurate monitor made up until that point, using cold cathod backlighting no less. The successors the hp zr24, zr27 and zr30 are all excellent, modern replacements, but I'd never talk anybody out of buying an LP2470 for $200-$300 used. The control boards are known to fail around 20,000 hours but that's because owners rarely clean the cooling vents (the monitor is cooked by two fans to keep temperatures consistent in aiding color reproduction) but even if the control boards fail, or even lamps fail, everything is surprisingly inexpensive to service. I replaced the lamps and inverter on one a few years ago that has 30,000 hours on it and was too dim to calibrate. Parts were $170 and that is basically a new monitor at that point,
seerak - Monday, September 5, 2016 - link
Funny, my first thought was that it's just a cut-down 4k 40" 16x9.stephenbrooks - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Wouldn't something as "tall" as 3:2 (or even worse 4:3 or 5:4) have to be curved spherically rather than cylindrically?xthetenth - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
An ultrawide is two monitors in that aspect ratio range with no bezel in between them so you can dynamically allocate screen space between them.ddriver - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
Need highres 21:9 monitor. This is a notch up from the usual 1440, but at that size, ppi is disappointing.solipsism - Friday, September 2, 2016 - link
The the technologies are technically here, but it'll take awhile before you'll. get in the 200 PPI range with this size monitor.