LG 38GL950G curved 3840 x 1600 175Hz Nano IPS G-SYNC model

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When it comes to an immersive experience, bigger is generally better. Having a ‘wider’ aspect ratio is also useful for an immersive gaming experience due to the native FOV (Field of View) advantages. The LG 38GL950G (38GL950G-B owing to the black stand and rear) ticks both of these boxes with its expansive 37.5” 21:9 screen. It also offers a host of other attractive gaming-oriented features, which we’ll come onto shortly. As a member of the ‘UltraGear’ monitor family, it offers similar styling to the likes of the LG 32GK850G and 34GK950G. There are no potentially offensive bright colourful plastic elements and the stand has a Y-shaped foot that isn’t as much of a desk depth hog as some designs. Matte black plastics are used extensively, with a few dark red elements such as the plastic strips at the rear faces of the stand feet. The bezels have a dual-stage design which comprises a slim panel border around the image and a thin hard outer plastic component. The bezel is thicker at the bottom and hides most of the panel border. This panel border appears to ‘blend in’ at the top and sides if the monitor is switched off, which is why it’s commonly referred to as a ‘3-side borderless’ design. Or as LG more accurately markets – “3-Side Virtually Borderless”. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick that hangs beneath the bottom bezel.







The monitor uses a 37.5” UltraWide Nano IPS panel, with 3840 x 1600 resolution, 1000:1 static contrast and 178/178° viewing angles. It is marketed as having a 21:9 aspect ratio as this is more common and better understood by users, although it’s technically a 24:10 (12:5 or 2.4:1) aspect ratio. It will work in much the same way in practice, but you get ~1 inch of extra height and ~3 inches of extra width compared to a 34” UltraWide as well as some extra pixels to play with. The pixel density remains similar. The panel is also curved, with a 2300R curve delivering a fairly gentle (but on such a wide panel still noticeable) curve. In our experience this draws the user in and adds a slight sense of extra depth, without fundamentally changing the experience or making things seem unnatural. Other attributes include a light matte anti-glare screen surface and a 144Hz refresh rate which can be overclocked in the OSD to 175Hz. The monitor also supports G-SYNC to smooth out tearing and stuttering for Nvidia GPU users (30 – 175Hz variable refresh rate range). An enhanced phosphor flicker-free backlight is included, which is what the ‘Nano’ in Nano IPS refers to. This should yield a colour gamut of ~98% DCI-P3 (~135% sRGB) and offers a 450 cd/m² typical maximum luminance. VESA DisplayHDR 400 is supported, the lowest level of HDR support certified for by VESA. A 1ms response time is specified – LG’s current detials suggest this is grey to grey, although specified response times like this must always be taken with a grain of salt. The monitor also includes DAS (Dynamic Action Sync), a low input lag feature – which, alongside the fact it’s a G-SYNC model, means you can expect input lag to be minimal.







At the rear of the monitor the stand attaches using a quick-release mechanism and can be removed to make way for an alternative 100 x 100mm VESA solution if preferred. The included stand offers tilt and height adjustment. Around the attachment point there is a radial red ring, breaking up a sea of matte black plastic. This houses an RGB LED lighting solution called ‘Sphere Lighting 2.0’. This is a revised version of the system we enjoyed using on the 32GK850G and should allow you to create a bias light or other atmospheric lighting to illuminate the area behind the monitor. The ports face backwards in a recessed area towards the right of the monitor and include; DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 ports (plus upstream), a 3.5mm headphone jack and a DC power input (external power brick). Further information can be found on LG’s website. The monitor is available for ~$1800 USD (~£1500).



