Choosing the best gaming monitor isn’t always easy. Do you opt for a flat or curved display, and are you willing to sacrifice resolution for a higher refresh rate? The amount of choices can be overwhelming, but what if there was a monitor that gave you the best of all worlds? Thankfully, the new LG UltraGear OLED is here to do just that.
The LG UltraGear GX9 45GX990A, or LG UltraGear OLED, is the world’s first bendable 5K2K gaming monitor with Dual-Mode. With the press of a button, the display goes from flat to curved in seconds. You can also swap between 5K and 2K resolution — with the former best for cinematic games like God of War Ragnarök and the latter best for first-person shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It’s basically the Swiss Army Knife of gaming monitors.
I review gaming monitors for a living, and the LG UltraGear OLED is one of the most impressive I’ve tried. Read on to learn more about this unique device.
Awesome display, sleek design
Like the LG UltraGear 45GR75DC, the LG UltraGear OLED is a giant 45-inch monitor that aims to immerse you in whatever game you’re playing. Given its size, you’ll need a relatively large desk to place it on.
And it’ll look good on that desk thanks to its all-black minimalist design, which places the focus on the display. The flat base keeps the monitor in place, while the thick stand has an opening you can easily tuck cables through.
The widescreen 21:9 OLED panel is a wonder to behold. We’ll need to get the monitor into our testing lab to see what it can do, but to my eyes, it’s suitably bright and colorful. But this is an LG OLED gaming monitor, so it’s no surprise that it delivers stunning visuals.
Dual-Mode
The UltraGear supports 5K resolution at 165Hz and 2K resolution at 330Hz. If you want higher fidelity, you’ll want to go with 5K (5,120 x 2,160 pixels) at 165Hz. Conversely, 2K (2560 x 1080) at 330Hz is best if you need ultra-smooth and responsive performance. Regardless of which resolution you opt for, LG promises a low 0.03ms response time when gaming.
I wasn’t able to test games out, but if the 45GX990A’s Dual-Mode is as good as the UltraGear 45GR75DC’s, then these two display modes will work perfectly for the types of games they’re meant for.
Also, you can customize the aspect ratio and picture size if you’re viewing or playing content that’s not natively 21:9.
Flat or curved display
LG has launched bendable monitors before, such as the LG OLED Flex, so it’s great to see that technology featured in one of the company’s gaming monitors. Switching from a flat to a curved screen panel with the press of a button is certainly easier (and less heart-attack-inducing) than physically bending the screen, such as with the Corsair Xeneon Flex.
Given the 21:9 aspect ratio, I’d want to keep the monitor in curved mode while gaming since that would provide the most immersive experience. The 900R curvature certainly does a nice job of enveloping you in whatever game you’re playing. But if you’re not into curved monitors, you can always keep the display flat.
Outlook
The LG UltraGear OLED 45GX990A is one of the most impressive gaming monitors I’ve seen thanks to its versatility. It’s effectively four monitors in one. We don’t yet know how much this device will cost, but it likely won’t be cheap. However, given what it can do, its potentially high price could be justified for folks desiring a dual-mode bendable monitor.
This monitor should launch sometime in spring so stay tuned for my full review!
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