Enthusiasts that want a super-wide display to enjoy an immersive gaming experience have a new option: LG’s new 49-inch UltraGear 49GR85DC. The company announced today that the 49GR85DC is now shipping in the United States and will arrive in Europe later this month. Asian customers will have to wait until “later this year” to get their eyes on this ginormous monitor.
With an aspect ratio of 32:9, the 49GR85DC is the equivalent of two 16:9 2560 x 1440 displays placed side by side, giving an effective resolution of 5120 x 1440 (DQHD). In addition, the monitor features a tight 1000R curvature and a VA panel. As you might expect, using a VA panel means that the contrast ratio far exceeds that of traditional IPS panels, coming in at 3,000:1. The 49GR85DC is also no slouch in brightness either, delivering typical brightness of 450 nits. However, you can crank that to 1,000 nits in HDR (the monitor is DisplayHDR 1000 certified).
The 49GR85DC boasts a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz, with a response time of 1 ms. Of course, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync compliance are included here. Given that this is a gaming monitor, you won’t be surprised to learn that there are RGB elements on either side of the I/O pod that sticks out from the back. Speaking of I/O, there are two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports. Interestingly, LG didn’t opt to include USB-C connectivity or a KVM switch with this DQHD monitor. However, you will find Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture support and a 3.5mm headphone jack for support for DTS:S headsets.
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The 49GR85DC will likely most frequently be compared to the Samsung Odyssey G9. The two monitors are a close match regarding specs (resolution, refresh rate, 1000R curve, 1000 nits max brightness), but the LG has the advantage in pricing. The Odyssey G9 is priced at $1,499, while the 49GR85DC undercuts it by $200 with an MSRP of $1,299 or $1,297.27 at Amazon. With that said, Amazon splits the difference between the two and offers the Odyssey G9 for $1,399.
If OLED technology is more up to your speed, LG also offers the 45-inch UltraGear 45GR95QE, although you’ll have to settle for WQHD (3440 x 1440 resolution).
