Bottom Line
The LG 34GS95QE is an excellent OLED gaming monitor, though there are a lot of similar alternatives available in this price range that you should check out as well.
LG 34GS95QE is yet another 34″ 3440×1440 high refresh rate OLED ultrawide gaming monitor – let’s see how it stacks up to its alternatives!
Image Quality
The LG UltraGear 34GS95QE-B is based on LG Display’s W-OLED panel.
LG advertises this monitor as a ‘next-gen’ panel, but while it does have the improved brightness of 275-nits for a 100% white window (or APL – Average Picture Level) and up to 1300-nits for small < 3% APL – the LG 34GS95QE still uses the RWBG subpixel layout instead of the RGWB layout of newer W-OLED panels.
This means that some fringing will be noticeable on small text and fine details. This isn’t noticeable in games and videos, but if you plan on using the monitor for work that involves a lot of reading and typing, you might find it bothersome.
Besides that, the monitor offers an incredible HDR image quality thanks to its wide 98.5% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage for vibrant colors, infinite contrast ratio with per-pixel dimming, true 10-bit color depth support for smooth gradients without banding and 178° wide viewing angles, which ensure that the image remains flawless regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.
There’s also an sRGB emulation mode in case you want to restrict the monitor’s native color gamut down to ~100% sRGB for better SDR accuracy.
Next, the ultrawide format further improves the viewing experience by providing you with an extended field of view on compatible games.
Movies shot at the ~21:9 aspect ratios are displayed without black bars at the top/bottom of the image, and the extra horizontal screen space is especially useful for productivity work and audio/video editing.
Naturally, this also means that 16:9 content will have black bars at the sides of the screen, and there are some games that don’t support ultrawide resolutions (such as Valorant and StarCraft II).
Now, while the boost in peak brightness up to 1300-nits is definitely welcome, note that this refers to white luminance.
Samsung’s QD-OLED panels have a lower peak white luminance of 1000-nits (250-nits for 100% APL), but they actually have a higher color volume than LG’s W-OLED panels.
As a result, QD-OLED panels have a higher perceived brightness due to their brighter colors and wider color gamut.
Performance
The LG 34GS95QE has a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz and supports variable refresh rate via official AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible certifications for tear-free gameplay up to 240FPS. It also supports HDMI 2.1 VRR over its HDMI ports, allowing you to use VRR on the PS5 as well.
Sadly, as expected from VA and OLED panels, VRR brightness flickering will be noticeable in dark scenes of games with fluctuating frame rates (or in some in-game menus, loading screens, etc.).
OLED panels have instantaneous pixel response time speed, so there’s no noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects, regardless of the refresh rate.
Further, the monitor has low input lag of ~3ms, which is imperceptible.
The main downside of OLED panels is the risk of burn-in when displaying an image with bright static elements for too long. However, if you’re using the monitor sensibly and take advantage of the built-in burn-in prevention features, it shouldn’t be an issue.
LG even offers a 2-year warranty that covers burn-in, though some manufacturers offer a 3-year coverage.
The burn-in prevention features include OLED Screen Saver, Screen Move (moves the image by a few pixels every now and then) and Image Cleaning.
Lastly, the LG 34GS95QE monitor is flicker-free and there’s a low-blue light filter mode available in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.
Features
Behind the screen’s bottom bezel, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD menu.
Alternatively, you can use LG’s On-Screen Control desktop application to make your monitor adjustments using your keyboard and mouse.
Apart from the standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, etc.), the LG 34GS95QE also offers some advanced settings and features:
- Manual color temperature fine-tuning in 500K increments
- 6-axis hue/saturation
- Sharpness
- 3 gamma presets
- Input Auto Switch
- Display calling (Full Mode, Original, Just Scan, Cinema 1 and Cinema 2)
- Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in scenes)
- Crosshair overlays
- Refresh rate tracker
- Picture in Picture / Picture by Picture
- Hardware calibration
- Adjustable RGB lighting
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor is robust and offers a good range of ergonomics, including up to 120mm height adjustment, -10°/15° tilt, +/- 10° swivel and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.
Next, the screen has an aggressive 800R curvature for added immersion, though some users might find it to be too steep. Further, the screen has a bit heavier matte anti-glare coating that efficiently prevents reflections but adds some graininess to the image (only noticeable on solid colors).
There’s also a cooling fan inside the monitor, but it’s silent.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, two HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth (with 4K 120Hz upscaling support), a dual-USB 3.0 hub and a headphone port (with DTS Headphone:X support).
Price & Similar Monitors
The LG 34GS95QE price ranges from $750 to $1,300.
We find that it is only worth considering at ~$800 since the 34″ 3440×1440 175Hz QD-OLED models can regularly be found for $800, such as the Dell AW3423DWF.
The difference between 175Hz and 240Hz is not that noticeable (especially if you can’t output over 175FPS), while most users will prefer the more subtle 1800R screen curvature for the QD-OLED panels.
Further, while the LG 34GS95QE has a higher white luminance, QD-OLED panels have a higher color volume, resulting in a higher perceived brightness, as well as a wider color gamut.
Next, most models using Samsung’s QD-OLED panels offer a 3-year warranty that covers burn-in instead of LG’s two. These first-gen QD-OLED panels also have a bit less text fringing.
Finally, the choice between the heavier matte anti-glare coating of W-OLED panels and the glossy surface without polarizer of QD-OLED panels comes down to personal preference.
Note that we’re also expecting 34″ 3440×1440 QD-OLED models in 2024 with a higher 240Hz refresh rate.
ASUS also offers their model, the ROG Swift PG34WCDM, based on the same 34″ 3440×1440 240Hz W-OLED panel with USB-C (DP Alt Mode, 90W PD), KVM, heatsink for cooling instead of a fan, and ELMB up to 120Hz, though it goes for $1,300.
You might be interested in 39″ models as well, such as the LG 39GS95QE.
For more options and information, check out our dedicated OLED monitors article.
Conclusion
Overall, the LG 34GS95QE is an excellent gaming monitor if you don’t mind the steep 800R screen curvature and minor fringing on small text and fine details caused by the subpixel layout; otherwise, we recommend going with one of the QD-OLED models.
Specifications
| Screen Size | 34-inch |
| Screen Curvature | 800R |
| Resolution | 3440×1440 (UWQHD) |
| Panel Type | OLED |
| Aspect Ratio | 21:9 (UltraWide) |
| Refresh Rate | 240Hz |
| Response Time | 0.03ms (GtG) |
| Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync Premium Pro (48-240Hz), G-SYNC Compatible, HDMI 2.1 VRR |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1 |
| Other Ports | Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0 |
| Brightness (1 – 3% White Window) | 1300 cd/m² |
| Brightness (10% White Window) | 800 cd/m² |
| Brightness (100% White Window) | 275 cd/m² |
| Contrast Ratio | Infinite |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (true 10-bit) 98.5% DCI-P3 |
| HDR | VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Instantaneous response time, low input lag, VRR up to 240Hz
- Infinite contrast ratio, wide color gamut, high peak brightness
- Plenty of useful features
- Fully ergonomic design, USB hub
- 2-year warranty that covers burn-in
The Cons:
- Risk of burn-in
- Text clarity issues due to the uncommon subpixel layout
