The LG 34UC89G-B ($899.99 list) is a 34-inch ultra-wide gaming monitor featuring a curved In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel and a handful of gamer-friendly features including Nvidia's G-Sync anti-tearing technology, a refresh rate that can be over-clocked to 166Hz, and multiple gaming preset modes. It handled our gaming performance tests with aplomb and provides strong grayscale reproduction with wide viewing angles, but it lacks some color accuracy and we would like to see more advanced color settings.

Design and Features

The 34UC89G's ($849.00 at Amazon) bezel-free cabinet, black finish with red accents, and sleek V-shaped stand let you know that this monitor is designed for gaming. The stand allows for height and tilt adjustments and has a hook for holding your headphones, and the cabinet has four VESA-compliant holes for wall mounting using an optional kit. Around back, facing outward, are two video inputs (DisplayPort and HDMI), four USB 3.0 ports (one upstream, three downstream), and an audio output. As with previous LG gaming monitors, including the 38UC99-W and the 34UC79G-B, this monitor uses a joystick button, located in the middle of the bottom edge of the cabinet, to access and navigate the on-screen settings menus.

The 34-inch UWHD (2,560-by-1,080) IPS panel has a 3800R curvature, which is not as pronounced as the curved panels used on the AOC C3583FQ (2000R) and the Acer XR382CQK (2300R), but still provides an immersive view. It has an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, a 300 cd/m2 peak brightness, a 144Hz refresh rate (166Hz with over-clocking), a 5-millisecond pixel response, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. Nvidia G-Sync technology is built in to eliminate screen tearing and help smooth out fast-action gaming.

The 34UC89G lacks the advanced six-axis color picture adjustments that you get with the Acer XR382CQK, but it does offer several gamer-friendly settings including two customizable game presets, two FPS (First Person Shooter) settings, and an RTS (Real Time Strategy) preset. It also offers four crosshair reticles to help with aiming and a Reader preset for viewing documents. Other settings include Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Refresh Over-Clock, Black Stabilizer, RGB Intensity, and Color Temperature adjustments. The 34UC89G's one-year parts, labor, and backlight warranty is rather stingy considering most monitor vendors offer three years of coverage.

Performance

The 34UC89G delivered very good gaming performance in our tests. Motion blur and ghosting were non-existent on our Crysis 3 (PC) and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Sony PlayStation 4) tests and screen tearing was not an issue, even without G-Sync. However, once G-Sync was enabled, the Crysis 3 action was noticeably smoother and more fluid. The panel's input lag of 14.4 milliseconds, as measured using a Leo Bodnar Lag Tester, wasn't quite as low as our leaders, the BenQ SW2700PT ($599.00 at Amazon) and the Lenovo L27q, both of which delivered a lag time of 9.5 milliseconds, but it kept controller latency at bay nonetheless.

Shadow and highlight detail was outstanding while gaming and while viewing an episode of Stranger Things on Netflix. This came as no surprise given the IPS panel's ability to display every shade of light and dark gray on the DisplayMate 64-Step Grayscale test. Like any good IPS panel, viewing angles were wide with no color shifting. Color accuracy, however, was not quite up to par. As shown on the chromaticity chart, red and blue colors (represented by the colored dots) are closely aligned with their ideal CIE coordinates (represented by the boxes), but green was skewed. Fortunately the flaw does not result in oversaturated greens or tinting, but if color accuracy is critical, this monitor may not be the best choice.

The 34UC89G consumed 46 watts of power in testing while operating in Reader mode. That's pretty much in line with other 34-inch monitors including the Asus Designo Curved MX34VQ ($648.00 at Amazon) (48 watts), the LG 34UC79G-B (48 watts), and the Samsung 34-inch CF791 Curved Widescreen Monitor (45 watts).

Conclusion

If you're ready to experience gaming on an extra-large curved-screen monitor, the LG 34UC89G-B is definitely worth a look. Its 34-inch IPS panel uses Nvidia G-Sync technology and a speedy refresh rate to deliver smooth and error-free gaming performance, and it offers a nice assortment of gamer-friendly features including several optimized preset modes, crosshair-aiming reticles, and a headphone rack. While its grayscale and viewing angle performance was spot-on, the 34UC89G's color accuracy was a bit off kilter and it lacks the advanced color settings needed to properly calibrate the panel.

If your budget allows, consider our Editors' Choice for extra-large gaming monitors, the Acer XR382CQK. Granted, it's almost $400 more than the 34UC89G, but it has a massive 38-inch screen that offers more accurate colors and is loaded with I/O ports including multiple HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, a DisplayPort output for daisy-chaining multiple monitors, a USB-C port, and four USB 3.0 downstream ports. Moreover, it is FreeSync enabled and offers advanced color settings.

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Further Reading

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• Report: LG and Samsung Are Developing Portable Displays for Phones