LG 34UM95 Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on June 18, 2014 7:00 AM EST_678x452.jpg)
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.
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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 |
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SeanFL - Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - link
Thoughts on moving from using two 24" 1920 x 1200 monitors to this one? I'll lose some horizontal pixels and pick up some vertical. Used mainly for video and audio editing.scottrichardson - Thursday, July 3, 2014 - link
SeanFL, I'm in the same boat as you. Running two Apple LED 24" Cinema displays but one is about to die. Apple doesn't sell a replacement display compatible with my 2009 Mac Pro, so I'm looking at this LG. The extra vertical resolution will be nice, and possibly more useful in many cases for my design/coding work.Wondering if there are any further updates on the backlight bleed issues?
SeanFL - Saturday, July 19, 2014 - link
Scott, I picked one of these up a few days ago and am very impressed. No backlight issues that I can detect, and the display is beautiful. A much nicer display than the Dell Ultrasharp 2407. Not having a bezel in the middle of my workspace has also been an upgrade. Haven't missed any of the vertical pixels that I gave up when setting aside two 1920 x 1200 monitors.Now I'm looking for a mount to be able to switch between sitting and standing. The
Ergotron LX seems like a nice fit.
SeanFL - Saturday, July 19, 2014 - link
correction, make that horizontal pixels I gave up. btw, mine was manufactured June 2014, mentions rev02 on the back.scottrichardson - Monday, July 21, 2014 - link
That's great news Sean. I have mine ordered through my local computer store. They were told there's a 'worldwide shortage' and are not expected to hit the country until after the end of July. I don't mind waiting. Apple ended up replacing the panel in my 5 year old 24" LED display for FREE, which was very nice of them (after how much I paid for my Mac Pro setup, they felt it was fair!!!). Really looking forward to the display for the same reasons you are enjoying yours. No bezel in the middle, extra vertical pixels etc.inperfectdarkness - Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - link
Never! There shouldn't even be 22/9 screens. We need more 16:10 screens. Screw hollywood's ridiculous widescreen formats.gochichi - Thursday, July 31, 2014 - link
You're so right about this. Just to think about how simple the connection would be at this point to a 2560x1600 screen. I have no clue why 2560x1600 is stuck at a 30" display option and no other option. I would love to see 2560x1600 at 20", 23", 25", 27" etc. It would so awesome, and finding a computer or laptop with a DisplayPort is all that would be required. We can dream...gochichi - Saturday, July 26, 2014 - link
This technology segment has had a true lapse in innovation in very many years. So much so, that these obvious products finally coming is more than welcome. And if I have to bite my tongue and call it "innovation" then I will.I think that companies assume that people don't have decent eyesight way too much.
Where is the obvious 23" 2560x1440? Where is it? Where in this stagnant,-no-good market is such a product? We have 11" laptops with 2560x1440... but no 20" or 23" desktop monitors?
Well, I got tired of waiting, so I got the UP2414Q which is really fantastic. So much less dorky looking than the 27" displays. But it won't run flawlessly on every machine.
Here's the difference between stupid reality, and the wonderful non-innovation that should really be: I WILL buy an $800-$1000 display for myself, but if the market weren't so retarded... I'd buy 70 units of 23" 2560x1440 IPS displays (with DisplayPort and HDMI) for $500 a pop. I'd buy 70 units, if not more.
So this whole market is stagnant from sheer greed and this imaginary notion that nobody cares, where the reality is that anybody with a 2010+ MacBook (Air or Pro) would love nothing more than to plug into a 23" "retina" display for that price.
Example of devices that run 2560x1440 flawlessly, but 4K at only 30Hz
Surface Pro, X1 Carbon, MacBooks,
Just to be completely clear, I would, and so many others would too... prefer to spend $500 on a 23" instead of the 27" units available for years now.
I'm so disgusted with this market... sure this particular product is less stale than most, just like my Dell UP2414Q is also less stale. But why not have a vibrant product that everyone could enjoy? Why are they pretending that there's a niche market when the reality is that there's a massive, unaddressed market of people who want nice, and need practical. Of people that need other things on their desks other than a screen. Of people who have money but don't want to waste it on junk.
Gadgety - Friday, August 1, 2014 - link
Thanks for the review. It's a tempting proposition when looking at the screen, but taking everything into account I find that $999 is too much money for what I'd get. I'll stay with a 29 inch 21:9 instead, and I'll get some daylight on my desk as well....GerardFreeman - Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - link
Can some one tell me what GPU will run this monitor at full res?