Before the Pandemic, I didn’t own a monitor at home because I didn’t need one. I was working in the office all week with the odd day at home here and there, and this blog was just a pie-in-the-sky idea and I wasn’t ready to make it a reality.
So when the pandemic hit and it was working from home all the way I bought a decent size screen to use alongside my work laptop in a two-screen setup. This worked well it was a bit annoying having two screens as it took up a fair bit of space. When it was clear that we were going to be working from home for the foreseeable future I started to look at videos on Youtube about office and desk setups.
This is what led me to look at investing in an UltraWide Monitor to improve my workspace and my workflow. The monitor I decided on was the LG UltraWide 34WN80C-B 34in Curved Monitor and at the time it cost me about £600 from Amazon. I don’t think this model is currently available on Amazon but you can go to the LG Website to see what they have available.
I was a bit dubious about spending that sort of money at first on a monitor but went with it as the reviews I had read and watched were saying great things. And boy were they right.
The Screen:
The display is a thing of beauty. As already mentioned it’s 34in screen and that extra 6in really does make a difference. The screen is curved which adds a nice visual effect when scanning across the screen. The resolution is QHD UltraWide 1440p so it is lovely and crisp which is great when you are staring at a screen all day. It also has a 60hz refresh rate so scrolling through websites and document feels quick and responsive.
This display has very good colour accuracy and has a standard HDR10 high dynamic range that supports specific levels of colour and brightness. It does have a bit of a bezel but nothing major and to be honest I can’t say that I notice it at all these days.
The screen is also compatible with both Mac and Windows which was a must for me as I use both on a day-to-day basis.
Connectivity:
One of the great features of this monitor is that (like most others) it supports USB-C charging up to 60w. So this means that I can charge my laptop through the monitor. The USB-C also allows for fast file transfer and display connection. I love this as it means that I don’t need another power adaptor or cable to connect my laptop to the monitor, all you need is the one USB-C cable and away you go.
It does also have an HDMI port so you can connect your laptop that way as well, along with two USB 3.0 ports which you can charge another device through. I use these additional ports to connect my BENQ screen bar and my external webcam, which means my monitor effectively acts as a USB hub.
Multitasking:
This is where an UltraWide Monitor comes into its own for me. For work this allows me to have multiple documents open or my email open alongside a doc and it does not feel/look squeezed on the screen. This is great for comparing and reviewing or creating a document whilst getting information from other documents or websites. I will often have at least two windows open and once and easily extend that to three without compromising being able to see and use each of them effectively.
This is also great if you are a content creator or create video content as it makes editing so much easier as you can see the whole timeline. I also love that I can be writing a blog post and have another window open with YouTube on so I can have it on in the background.
Stand:
So all these UltraWide monitors will come with a stand in the box as per another monitor. The LG one that I have has a height and tilt adjustable stand so you can get it just at the height and angle that you want. I have mine on a monitor arm that is attached to my desk, the reason for this is that it takes up less space on my desk and they are also easily adjustable. I have added the link to the arm that I bought from Amazon which I think is well priced.
One thing that I would say is that if you go for the monitor arm make sure you check the weight that it can support. The UltraWides are a bit heavy than the more standard-sized monitors.
Conclusion:
I don’t regret at all spending upwards of £500 on an UltraWide monitor as it certainly transformed my office space as well as my workflow. If you spend a lot of time in front of a screen for your job then I would undoubtedly say look at getting a decent monitor and defiantly think about making it an UltraWide.
And if you fancied going even bigger than a 34in monitor then you can. I did look at potentially getting a 49in monitor but the cost does jump significantly up to around the £1000 mark. At the time as well my desk was not that big and would have been dwarfed by that size go, monitor, so think about the size of your office and desk space before deciding on what size.
I have had the screen now for about a year and a half and it’s still going strong which you would expect from a monitor in this price bracket. That’s not to say that I would look to upgrade in the future to one of those monster 49in monitors but for now, I am loving this not-so-little LG monitor.
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