LG 34WN80C Review: 3440×1440 IPS Curved UltraWide Monitor With USB-C

The LG 34WN80C is a 34" 3440x1440 curved ultrawide monitor with an IPS panel for accurate color reproduction and USB-C with 60W Power Delivery.

Bottom Line

If you’ve been looking for an ultrawide monitor with accurate colors for photo/video editing that also has a USB-C port capable of charging your laptop, the LG 34WN80C might be the monitor for you.

Design:
(4.0)
Display:
(4.5)
Performance:
(4.0)
Price/Value:
(3.0)
3.9

The LG 34WN80C-B is a 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide monitor with an IPS panel, which makes it ideal for productivity and entry-level color-critical work.

Plus, it has a USB-C port with DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery allowing you to transfer data, video signal, and charge a compatible laptop with just one cable!

Image Quality

The monitor is based on LG’s AH-IPS panel with 178° wide viewing angles, dithered 10-bit color depth support (8-bit + 2-bit FRC), and standard 99% sRGB color gamut.

This means that you get accurate, consistent, and vibrant colors fit for basic photo/video editing in the sRGB color space as the colors will stay perfect across the entire screen regardless of the angle you’re looking at the monitor.

The peak brightness of the LG 34WN80C amounts to 300-nits, while its static contrast ratio ranges from 700:1 to 1,000:1 depending on the individual unit of the display.

While there are monitors with higher brightness and contrast at this price range, none of them have as accurate colors as the LG 34WN80C – and a USB-C port.

Under normal viewing conditions, the screen will be more than bright enough while the static contrast ratio of ~1,000:1 delivers decent blacks and respectable detail clarity in shadows and highlights of the picture.

The 3440×1440 screen resolution perfectly fits this 34″ sized ultrawide monitor.

You get a pixel density of roughly 110 pixels per inch, meaning that you won’t have to use any scaling, yet you’ll have plenty of screen space as well as crisp details and text.

The 21:9 ultrawide format also provides you with extra horizontal screen space, which is ideal for productivity work and video editing. Of course, games and movies will look more immersive as well!

Basically, you can think of the LG 34WN80C as a 27″ sized monitor that’s just 33% wider.

Performance

The LG 34WN80C has a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz, and it lacks FreeSync support, which would allow it to change its refresh rate dynamically and thus keep screen tearing at bay.

Given that it’s not a gaming monitor, this is not surprising, though since FreeSync is royalty-free, including it wouldn’t have increased the monitor’s price.

Regardless, video games will look great thanks to the monitor’s high resolution and vibrant colors!

You may be able to overclock the monitor up to 75Hz for a little kick in motion clarity, but since every monitor is at least slightly different, your mileage may vary regarding just how far you’ll be able to overclock your unit of the monitor.

The pixel response time speed of the LG 34WN80C amounts to 5ms GtG (gray to gray pixel transition) when the ‘Faster’ overdrive mode is enabled.

We recommend using the ‘Fast’ mode instead since ‘Faster’ can introduce some unnecessary visual artifacts (pixel overshoot).

With the ‘Fast’ preset, there’s no noticeable smearing behind fast-moving objects as the pixels are more than fast enough for the display’s 60Hz refresh rate.

The LG 34WN80C input lag performance is excellent as well, with only ~10ms of delay, which is not noticeable at 60Hz.

Moving on, the backlight of the monitor is entirely flicker-free, and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter allowing you to use the monitor for extended periods without getting a headache or eye strain.

Note that all IPS monitors suffer from IPS glow; when watching dark content in a dim-lit room, you’ll be able to notice ‘glowing’ around the corners of the screen. The amount of glowing varies across different units of the monitor.

This is an expected drawback of this technology, and in all but most extreme scenarios, it’s completely tolerable.

Features

lg 34wn80c monitor screen split feature

The LG 34WN80C monitor offers plenty of useful features, including On-Screen Control, which allows you to adjust all of the monitor’s key settings in a desktop application.

Alternatively, you can use the OSD joystick beneath the bottom bezel of the monitor to access and navigate the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Some of the noteworthy features include Black Stabilizer (alters the gamma curvature to make details in the dark more visible) and numerous pre-calibrated picture presets (FPS, RTS, Reader Mode, etc.).

The LG 34WN80C also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), however, since it has no wide color gamut support nor local dimming, HDR is just software-emulated.

It can accept and display the HDR10 signal, but HDR content won’t look any better.

In other words, you can just ignore its HDR support as it doesn’t even increase the monitor’s price.

Other useful features include advanced picture adjustment tools such as color temperature fine-tuning, four gamma presets, and 6-axis hue/saturation.

The LG 34WN80C also supports Dual Controller, which allows you to use one set of keyboard/mouse to control the monitor as well as an extra monitor that’s connected to your PC and displayed via the Picture by Picture mode.

Design & Connectivity

lg 34wn80c back

The design of the monitor is elegant and simple with ultra-thin bezels while the stand offers height adjustment up to 110mm, tilt by -5°/15°, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Note that the full name of the monitor is LG 34WN80C-B where the ‘-B’ suffix just implies the black color of the monitor.

The screen has a curvature of 1800R, which further enhances the viewing experience by bringing the edges of the screen closer to your peripheral vision, thus eliminating image distortion.

Further, there’s a matte anti-glare screen coating, which effectively prevents reflections.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, two downstream USB 3.0 ports, and a USB type C port with DP Alt Mode and up to 60W Power Delivery.

Keep in mind that to get to USB 3.0 data speed, the USB-C port of the monitor needs to be used as the upstream port via a USB-C to USB-A cable. When using USB-C to USB-C, the USB hub is limited to USB 2.0 speed.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 34WN80C goes for around $550, which is rather expensive considering its specifications and features.

The newer LG 34WQ73A model can be found for ~$330 yet it offers a higher 90W Power Delivery.

If you don’t need USB-C, you can find a 34″ 3440×1440 144Hz IPS monitor with a flat-screen, the Sceptre E345B-QUN168W, for $300 – and with a curved panel, the Acer XR343CKP, for $500.

For more information and the best deals currently available, visit our always up-to-date best ultrawide monitors and best USB-C monitors buying guides.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a display that supports USB-C and has accurate, consistent, and vivid colors, we recommend the LG 34WQ73A.

In case you can go without USB-C and/or strict color precision, there are more cost-effective models available.

Specifications

Screen Size34-inch
Screen Curvature1800R
Resolution3440×1440 (UWQHD)
Panel TypeIPS
Aspect Ratio21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate60Hz
Response Time5ms (GtG)
PortsDisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
USB-C (DP Alt Mode, 60W PD)
Other Ports2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
99% sRGB
HDRHDR10, software-emulated
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • Accurate and consistent colors
  • High pixel density
  • Height-adjustable stand
  • Rich connectivity options

The Cons:

  • Design lacks swivel option
  • No AMD FreeSync
  • IPS glow and mediocre contrast ratio (as expected from this panel technology)

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.