This 38” UltraWide monitor from LG offers a Quad HD Plus display, a curved 21:9 aspect ratio, HDR10 and USB C which also powers my MacBook Pro. But one of the best features for me is being able to run picture-by-picture, displaying two inputs at the same time.
The full name of this monitor is the 38WP85C, and today I’ll talk you through a quick unboxing, set it up and show you why this has become the best monitor I’ve owned and how it can literally improve your productivity.
Right, the box it comes in is huge, which on first impressions I was concerned it wouldn’t even fit on my desk. Ok so inside the box we’ve got a pack of accessories. In here there’s things like the power cables and power adapter, HDMI and USB C cable. Along with manuals and a CD.
Then there’s the feet or the bottom part of the stand, the monitor itself and the rear support for the stand. And that’s it.
Setup
When it comes to setting it up, it’s one of the easiest monitors you can put together. You won’t need any help or any tools to get this setup.
The feet attach to the rear support, using the small inbuilt screw you just tighten it up. Now the screen lifts and clicks onto the arm. It’s that simple and takes less than a few minutes to do.
Ports
On the rear it has 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports for your laptop, games consoles or other HDMI devices. There’s also a DisplayPort 1.4, two USB 3.0 and a headphone out.
Then there’s the USB C port, now it’s not just any USB C, it will send data to the screen as well as providing 90W power back to the device you’ve got plugged in. That means as I’m using my MacBook Pro it’s charging it at the same time, meaning I only ever need one cable plugged in.
This is huge for me, as I don’t need a power cable plugged in just to power my Mac, it can all be done with one cable. Plus it looks a lot tidier this way.
I kind of wish it had more USB C ports though, it would have been good to swap one or even two of the USB 3s for more USB C. Plus as you can use the back of this as a hub, you could have other devices plugged in. Things like an SSD, speakers or another dock.
Picture Quality
First impressions, this screen is awesome! Why have I waited this long to try out an UltraWide monitor? The picture quality looks great and I’m loving how much extra space there is.
Ok, so the only reason you really need an ultrawide is for that extra screen real estate, being able to multitask or snap multiple windows or apps. This a 38” display, well technically it’s 37.5”, and it has a QHD+ resolution of 3840 by 1600, so it’s not quite 4K but it’s more than 1440p. It’s also an IPS panel so the colours and vibrancy look awesome on it.
I have my 2021 16” MacBook Pro plugged in, and although that has an incredible screen resolution, this new display does a great job of keeping up. Looking really closely you can tell it’s not 4K, the text is slightly blurry, but sitting back it’s absolutely fine.
I’ve been editing videos in Final Cut Pro and photos in Lightroom, and so far the images look sharp, colours look great and the overall quality of the screen is impressive. The HDR10 on this is 300nits, which sounds pretty low, but for me it’s not been a problem for my usage.
It is also a 60Hz screen which my last one was too. But having recently got used to the GP950 and the MacBook Pro having 120Hz screens, it’s definitely not as smooth as I’d like it to be. You notice it most when you’re scrolling or moving windows around, but if you’re not using a 120Hz device or screen you probably wouldn’t notice it. Fortunately I’ve not noticed any light bleed or blooming at all on this, it’s actually pretty perfect looking.
Screen Size
So I’ve mentioned this is my first ultrawide monitor, but it’s also my first ever curved screen. I skipped the whole curved TV craze a few years ago, but I can see how a curved monitor, especially one this size, makes sense.
The 21 by 9 ratio is wide, like really wide. But that added screen real estate is just incredible. Editing videos and being able to see the entire timeline is a game changer. It sounds weird, but I love being able to see all of it in one go. When I edit on my MacBook screen I’m always having to zoom in and scroll, so this makes it so much easier.
I often have at least two windows open at a time. While I’m writing this right now, I’m only using half of the screen, it’s as good as having two monitors side by side. And I’m not compromising on my work space. When I’m recording my audio, I’ll have the script open and Audacity to record my voice.
Obviously most screens can manage two windows at a time, but it’s when you want 3 or even 4 windows open is where it gets impressive. I’ve installed an app called Magnet, it was £6.99 on the App Store and it allows almost any combo of windows you’d need to have open.
I can have 3 windows in thirds in any order or size that suits me. This is perfect for when I’m editing a video but I might want my emails or script open on the side. If I press the toggle at the top of the screen I can snap the window, or I could use shortcuts or if I drag the window to the bottom, it’ll show me where I can drop it.
I even like the virtually borderless design of this monitor. The top and sides are so thin, and the bottom has a relatively thin chin showing the LG logo. It looks good!
The screen has an ambient light sensor too, which means the brightness will automatically adjust depending on the brightness of the room. This definitely helps reduce eye fatigue if you’re using it at night or in a dark room.
PBP
On the back of the monitor, this is my favourite part. So I said how I can have multiple windows open at the same time, but this next feature is awesome. And that’s the ability to show two inputs at the same time. For most that might not sound like a big deal, but for me I can have both my MacBook and Windows laptop displayed. I have a job outside of YouTube where I will have my Windows laptop on for 6-8 hours a day, and I usually plug my MacBook in in the evenings. Now, if I wanted to, I could have them both displayed and switch between them quite easily. On top of that as I’m using the Logitech MX keys and mouse, they are paired to both devices so I can swap between them.
To display two inputs, you just press the button under the screen, go to settings, input, PBP and change the mode. Then under Input List you can choose which inputs to show.
I’ve got my MacBook Pro and the PS5 plugged in at the same time. So while you’re waiting for your Teams or Zoom meeting to load, play a bit of Warzone. Although the response time on this screen is 5ms, it’s not going to be quite as good as a dedicated gaming monitor with a 1ms response time, so FPS gaming might not be the best choice here. But it’s still pretty cool.
Stand
Looking at the stand you might think it’s metal, but it’s actually a hard plastic with a brushed metal style. It definitely feels cheaper than it looks. Plus the footprint is pretty deep to support the weight of the screen, so for me it only just fits on my monitor riser.
There are loads of adjustments with the arm though, it can be moved up and down between 0 and 110mm, you can tilt it left and right as well as angle it up and down. The only thing it doesn’t do is swivel, you’d need to move the entire stand if you wanted to change the position of it. If you don’t want to use the stand you can also wall mount it, as it does have VESA holes on the back too.
Unfortunately there’s no cable management tube or trunking on this. It’s something I’ve gotten used to on the Ergo bracket I had before, where the cables can be hidden inside the arm and kept out of sight. For now I’ve attached them to the back using some clips, in fact these are the same clips I’ve used on my gaming desk setup. It helps keep all cables tidy and it’s easier to swap them out.
Anti-Glare
My desk is right next to a window, so having an anti-glare or anti-reflective screen is important. This one looks great and handles reflections really well. Like with any display you’ll obviously get some kind of glare, but the curved screen has actually reduced it compared to my previous monitor.
Settings / Menu
Under the monitor, there’s a small button that brings up the settings menu. You can adjust the picture settings in here, colour, brightness, temp and so on. You can change the input settings or jump to a different port. Then there’s things like the language, energy saving, LED and the buzzer.
Speakers
If you’ve seen my previous setup you’ll know I had some wooden Kanto YU2 speakers plugged in. Well I’ve removed those now, only because they looked a little cramped on the top with the new screen. But what’s great about this monitor is it does have speakers built in. They are 2 x 10W stereo speakers, and for a monitor they don’t sound bad at all. They don’t compare to the speakers I had, but they are very clear!
Gaming
You might wonder if you can use this for gaming. Well technically you can, I mean it will work and it will look awesome. But just note it’s got a 5ms response time. That’s not slow by any means, and any games that aren’t competitive or an FPS game will be fine. But having used monitors and TVs that have a 1ms response time you can see the slight delay. On top of that it’s a 60Hz screen so the image won’t be as smooth as you’d expect. I’d happily game on this but not as my main screen, I’ll stick with the GP950.
Final Thoughts
So the 38” UltraWide monitor from LG, the 38WP85C, and I’m massively impressed with it. And what do you think? Is this too big or do you think an ultrawide is the best choice?