LG UltraWide 38WR85QC-W.AUS 37.5" White 2023

A 38-inch ultrawide that actually earns its desk space. Work, game, switch between two PCs, and do it all on one gorgeous Nano IPS panel. Just shop around, because the price swings more than a politician in an election year.

The Nano IPS panel is the star here. 98% DCI-P3 coverage puts it in the top tier for color, and 450 nits of brightness with DisplayHDR 600 means HDR content actually looks decent, not like a washed-out afterthought. The 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time are solid for gaming, though not class-leading. Our database puts the raw performance at the 73rd percentile, which is good but not jaw-dropping. What surprised us is how well this panel handles text. Clear, crisp, no fringing. For a monitor this size, that's not always a given. The 2300R curve is subtle enough that it doesn't distort straight lines in design work, but immersive enough for games.

The most direct competitor is the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW. Dell's 40-inch ultrawide has better out-of-box color accuracy and a slightly higher resolution, but it's aimed squarely at professionals and costs more. The LG fights back with 144Hz and gaming features the Dell can't touch. If you're purely doing color-critical work, Dell wins. If you want one monitor for work AND play, the LG is the better pick. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 and ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG are both excellent gaming monitors, but they're 27-inch 16:9 panels. Completely different use case. If you want ultrawide immersion, they're not in the conversation.

Here's the thing: the price on this monitor is all over the place. We're seeing USD 1,197 to USD 1,812 across six US listings. That's a USD 615 spread for the exact same panel. If you're paying the high end, you're getting fleeced. Shop around. Newegg and Best Buy tend to have the better deals right now. At the low end, this is a strong value for what you get. At the high end, you're better off looking at the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW.

The LG 38WR85QC-W is a 37.5-inch ultrawide that tries to be everything at once: a productivity beast, a gaming display, and a connectivity hub. And honestly, it mostly pulls it off. The headline here is the sheer amount of screen real estate. 3840 x 1600 at 21:9 means you can have three full-size windows side by side without feeling cramped. Add in a 144Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium Pro, and G-Sync compatibility, and this thing handles both spreadsheets and shooters without breaking a sweat. The built-in KVM switch is the sleeper hit feature. Plug your keyboard, mouse, and two computers into the monitor, and you can switch between them with a button press. No more cable swapping under the desk.

If you're a competitive esports player chasing 240Hz or higher, this isn't your monitor. Go grab a 27-inch 1440p 240Hz panel like the ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG instead. And if you're doing professional color grading where every delta E matters, the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW is the better tool. The LG is for people who want one monitor that does everything well, not one thing perfectly.

The LG 38WR85QC-W is one of the best do-everything monitors you can buy right now. It's not the absolute best at any single thing, but it's very good at almost everything. The KVM switch, the port selection, the color, the refresh rate, the size. It all adds up to a monitor that earns its place on your desk. Just don't overpay. Find it under USD 1,300 and you've got a winner.