LG 49 UltraGear gaming monitor review: Ultrawide nirvana

LG 49-inch Curved UltraGear Review: Ultrawide Immersion

The 49-inch ultrawide monitor category has significantly evolved since its early days, becoming cheaper, incorporating newer display technology, and offering better support for gaming. While you still need a large amount of desk space, these monitors are now a practical choice.

LG's 49-inch Curved UltraGear is a prime example of this change. Starting at $1,300, it provides 49-inches of screen space with a sharp 5,120 by 1,440 resolution, an ultra-fast 240Hz refresh rate, a 1ms response time, and AMD FreeSync Premium support. It stands as LG's largest and most immersive gaming monitor yet.

LG 49-inch Curved UltraGear

The 49-inch Curved UltraGear has almost everything an enthusiast wants in an extreme ultrawide gaming monitor, but native resolution support in all games and the huge desk requirement remain factors.

• Pros: Bright and sharp ultrawide display, 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, HDR support.
• Cons: Not all games support its full 5,120 x 1,440 resolution, requires a significant amount of desk space.

Gaming and Aspect Ratio

Official support for extreme ultrawides with a 32:9 aspect ratio, like the 49-inch UltraGear, is still less common than for 21:9 ultrawides. However, many major titles are playable at the monitor's full 5,120 by 1,440 resolution, including **Halo Infinite**, **Cyberpunk 2077**, **No Man's Sky**, **Armored Core VI**, and the FPS **Sprawl**. Achieving smooth framerates at this resolution still requires significant GPU power (tested with an **NVIDIA RTX 4090**), but it is less demanding than 4K resolution.

Some newer titles, like **Starfield**, may only support up to 3,440 by 1,440, resulting in black bars on the sides of the 32:9 screen. This limitation is disappointing for a monitor of this size.

Design and Productivity

The UltraGear looks and feels like a typical gaming display, featuring a sturdy stand that supports height, swivel, and tilt adjustments. The 49-inch screen is far easier to use for both gaming and general productivity than Samsung's monstrous 55-inch **Odyssey Ark**.

For multitaskers, the sheer screen space is ideal, allowing for multiple browser windows, chat apps, and timelines to be open simultaneously. However, the size and the deep 1000R curve may require users to move their head more to view the extreme edges, and the curve can potentially lead to image distortions in certain scenarios like photo editing.

Display Quality and Features

The 49-inch UltraGear is bright and colorful, reaching up to 1,000 nits of peak HDR brightness and covering 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. The massive size provides incredible immersion, making the user feel fully consumed by games like **Cyberpunk 2077** and **No Man's Sky**.

The monitor is clearly gaming-focused, including features like a built-in crosshair, FPS counter, and **RGB LED** lighting. It supports **DTS HP:X** virtual surround sound for headphones plugged into the device. It also includes two USB 3.0 ports along the rear for accessories.

Price and Competition

With a retail price of $1,300, the 49-inch UltraGear is a hefty investment, though it compares favorably to other high-end displays like 27-inch 5K screens (e.g., **Apple's Studio Display** at $1,599). However, it faces competition from cheaper 16:9 gaming monitors and high-contrast OLED screens. For example, the **Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED** is available for $900 with **AMD's FreeSync Pro**, and **LG's UltraGear 45 ultrawide OLED** goes for $1,700.

Ultimately, the UltraGear 49 is built for the specific user who demands maximum screen space and immersion, delivering brightness, color, and high frame rates across their entire field of view.