Monoprice 35-inch Zero-G Ultrawide Review: Solid Gaming Performance For a Low Price

Curved VA panel with 120 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR, and wide-gamut color.

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Monoprice 38035
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Monoprice 38035
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 38035-2 is one of the brighter 21:9 VA panels I’ve encountered. The Philips and ViewSonic screens are Mini LED so they have an advantage there, and a much higher price tag. 355 nits is plenty of light for SDR content, more than you need indoors certainly.

The 38035-2’s black level is about average, so its default contrast is 2856.8:1 which is also about average. It’s still far greater than any IPS monitor can boast so it and all the monitors here have more dimensional and impactful pictures.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Monoprice 38035
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 38035-2 loses just a bit of dynamic range with calibration but not enough that the other improvements aren’t worthwhile. It’s a tiny sacrifice to make for better color and a more vibrant image. ANSI contrast is also a bit lower than the other monitors but for this price, it’s forgivable. You won’t be giving up significant picture quality in any case.

Test Takeaway: The 38035-2’s VA panel gives it a contrast advantage over more expensive IPS monitors. When compared to other VA panels, its performance is slightly lower, but the image is still saturated and dimensional. At this price, I’m completely satisfied.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

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MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • MarioAndLuigiPlumbing
    Tom Sunday said:
    Actual buyers at Amazon did not give Monoprice a good review. Looks like the company is still in its infancy and is short in expected customer service and the quality of the product is seen to be generally poor. So in this respect they have a ways to go! As such pricing here does not play a big role!

    Monoprice has been around since 2002 - so, no, they are not in their infancy. Why is someone buying Monoprice from Amazon when they have their own retail site? I've ordered from m/p plenty of times. Only once did I have a problem and they replace the item quickly because it was under warranty.
    Reply