LG Ultrawide 38BP85C-W 37.5" Black 2021

The LG 38BP85C-W is a gorgeous 38-inch ultrawide with excellent color and USB-C docking, but the 60Hz refresh rate kills any gaming ambitions. It's a productivity beast at the right price, just don't pay full retail.

The panel itself is a standout. Color coverage hits 95% DCI-P3 and it's a 10-bit panel (8-bit plus FRC), so gradients look smooth and colors pop. Brightness tops out at 300 nits, which is fine for indoor use but won't wow anyone in a sunlit room. HDR10 support is there, but without real local dimming or higher peak brightness, it's more of a checkbox than a feature. The 60Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time put it in the bottom third of our database for performance, so if you're coming from a high-refresh display, you'll notice the difference immediately.

The Dell UltraSharp U4025QW is the closest direct competitor, offering a larger 40-inch panel with a higher 5120 x 2160 resolution, but it costs significantly more. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27UCDMG and MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 are both 27-inch OLED gaming monitors that absolutely destroy the LG in refresh rate and response time, but they're tiny by comparison and built for a different purpose. The Samsung Odyssey G60SD sits in a similar gaming-focused camp. If you want one monitor for both work and serious gaming, the LG isn't it. If you want a dedicated productivity ultrawide, it's a solid choice, just not the best value in the lineup.

At $950 USD, this is a tough sell as a new purchase. You're paying a premium for the 38-inch size and the extra vertical resolution, but the 60Hz panel and modest brightness hold it back. If you can find it refurbished or used like new, the value proposition improves significantly. For pure productivity, the screen real estate is hard to beat, but you're not getting cutting-edge display tech for the price.

The LG 38BP85C-W is a big, beautiful ultrawide that nails the basics for office work and media. You get a 37.5-inch curved IPS panel with a 3840 x 1600 resolution, which is basically a taller 1440p ultrawide. That extra vertical space is a real productivity win compared to standard 34-inch ultrawides.

But here's the thing. This is not a gaming monitor, no matter what the FreeSync sticker says. It's capped at 60Hz with a 5ms response time. For spreadsheets, code, and video editing, it's fantastic. For fast-paced gaming, you'll feel the ceiling pretty quickly.

Skip this if you play fast-paced games or want a high-refresh experience. A 60Hz panel in this price range is a dealbreaker for competitive gamers. Also skip it if you need real HDR performance, since 300 nits and no local dimming won't deliver the contrast HDR content demands. If portability matters at all, this thing is a 28-pound desk anchor.

Buy this if you're a professional who lives in spreadsheets, code editors, or video timelines and wants maximum horizontal and vertical space without jumping to a 5K2K panel. The color accuracy and USB-C docking make it a genuinely great office companion. Just don't expect it to pull double duty as a gaming display, and try to find it below MSRP.