A Brief Look at LG'south 34UM67

The LG 34UM67 is the company's new mid-range ultrawide monitor, with a 21:ix 34-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2560 10 1080. Higher-end ultrawide displays with 3440 ten 1440 displays are available from LG, though those currently don't back up FreeSync. And speaking of FreeSync, this monitor supports variable refresh rates of 48 Hz to 75 Hz.

There are 2 things to note well-nigh the 34UM67 that impact how it works with FreeSync. The first is that there is no DisplayPort cablevision in the box, but HDMI, so if you lot wanted to employ FreeSync straight away, you're going to need to buy a DisplayPort cable separately. Secondly, FreeSync is actually disabled by default in the monitor'south settings; if you're struggling to get FreeSync working, this could be the reason why.

The 34UM67 is a plain monitor that uses a combination of glossy and matte black plastic. The display area is protected by matte plastic, then you don't get as many reflections irritating you during gaming, at the expense of higher color quality. Everywhere else - including the back of the monitor, a strip below the display, and the stand - uses glossy plastic, which is a massive dust and fingerprint magnet that you'll struggle to keep clean without abiding wiping.

I wouldn't say this monitor is hugely bonny, and LG hasn't really done annihilation that makes its design stand out from the crowd. I liked the inclusion of a partly-transparent L-shaped stand, which makes the display wait like its floating from some angles, though it would be nice to meet slightly smaller bezels for the multi-monitor users out there.

The stand up itself is potent only inflexible, only supporting tilt for a pocket-sized but adequate range of angles. This means at that place's no height adjustment, a feature you would go from a higher-end brandish. Understandably, as this is a 21:9 monitor, there is also no rotation support.

All the ports for this monitor are located in the heart of the back console, just to a higher place the stand up. You get a single DisplayPort (required for FreeSync) also as ii HDMI ports, ane of which is at right-angles with the monitor for tighter wall mounting (and yes, the 34UM67 has VESA mounting holes). There'southward besides 3.5mm sound in and out, every bit well as a power jack that connects to the external power brick. The reasonably rubbish speakers are located forth the bottom edge of the display.

The monitor'due south on-screen brandish (OSD) is controlled by a directional toggle that doubles as a power button, establish in the centre of the lesser edge, below the power LED. It's non obvious that this toggle is how you command the OSD, simply when you become the hang of it, it's a remarkably skillful control system. Throughout the OSD you'll detect the usual options such as color, brightness and contrast controls, pixel response settings, a special gaming way, and more. As I was nigh interested in testing FreeSync, I didn't carp seeing what nearly of the settings did, although information technology seems like yous get a reasonable selection of controls.

I don't have much information on the console itself, other than it's a 21:9 34-inch IPS-form display at 2560 x 1080, which equates to 81 pixels per inch. This is definitely non a high-resolution display with pixel density close to that of a 27-inch 1080p display, though I found it to be fine for productivity and gaming. Ideally I would love a higher resolution display to go with FreeSync, merely this would cost quite a fleck more than the 34UM67, which retails for $650.

The IPS-quality display does wait great for viewing photos and movies, peculiarly those that are filmed in a ii.39:1 aspect ratio (although there will be upscaling if it'south a Full Hd copy). From what I can tell, color saturation is excellent, every bit are contrast ratios, though black levels aren't as good as I've seen from top-of-the-line displays. The display is also very bright on its maximum brightness level, and has relatively proficient viewing angles, although not without a degree of contrast shift at acute angles.

21:9 is an interesting aspect ratio for a monitor, and this was the first real time I've spend with one as my daily driver. While I normally rock three 16:9 monitors, which is great for productivity, a single 16:ix monitor allows you to easily take two applications open side-by-side without feeling restricted past horizontal space. In fact this is a recommended apply case for a monitor like the 34UM67: a single app maximized across the entire display looks manner too big, but two apps next feels normal afterwards a few days of use.

For gaming, the experience you lot go from a 21:nine monitor is fantabulous. I typically game beyond my three displays via Eyefinity, which gives me an immersive experience with fantastic peripheral vision that occupies my entire field of view. 21:9 gaming is the adjacent best matter, and it's much more accessible to an average gamer, both on a setup side (Eyefinity is oftentimes buggy) and a performance side. The extra width you go from a 21:9 monitor in games makes it feel more immersive than 16:9 or 16:10, especially when the monitor itself is 34-inches large.

There are even so some compatibility issues with 21:9 in games, with some games non supporting the attribute ratio at all and either cropping to 16:9 or zooming in. However you'll find that many games, peculiarly newer ones, run fine at 16:9, and that will merely increment in the future.