LG 38GL950G Review: 3840×1600 175Hz G-SYNC UltraWide Curved Gaming Monitor

For those discontent with their 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide gaming monitors, LG offers an even bigger and faster alternative with their LG 38GL950G model.

Equipped with NVIDIA’s G-SYNC module and LG’s Nano IPS panel with a wide 98% DCI-P3 color gamut, the LG 38GL950G provides smooth performance as well as stunning colors.

Image Quality

To start with, the monitor features a screen resolution of 3840×1600 pixels, which, on its 38″ (37.5″ viewable) screen, results in a high pixel density of 110 PPI (pixels per inch).

Most people find this pixel-per-inch to be ideal as you get plenty of screen real estate as well as vivid and sharp details, and you don’t have to use any scaling whatsoever.

Further, the Nano IPS panel of the LG 38GL950G monitor boasts 178° wide viewing angles and 98% DCI-P3 (135% sRGB) color gamut, which results in vibrant and consistent colors.

It’s also factory-calibrated and comes with an emulated sRGB color profile in case you need more accurate color representation.

While it does support HDR (High Dynamic Range) with VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 certification, its peak brightness of 450-nits and static contrast ratio, which varies between 700:1 to 1000:1 (depending on a particular unit of the monitor) deliver an overall underwhelming HDR viewing experience.

Some HDR content will look a bit better, but without local dimming, you can’t experience a ‘true’ HDR picture on an LED-backlit monitor.

At any rate, HDR is not really what the LG 38GL950G is focused on.

Instead, it excels at gaming responsiveness thanks to its quick pixel response time and high refresh rate while its large screen, high resolution and wide color gamut still offer an exceptional SDR picture.

Naturally, due to the low ~1,000:1 static contrast ratio, blacks won’t be nearly as deep as those of equally-priced VA panel monitors, but those displays have disadvantages of their own such as significantly slower response time and not as accurate or punchy colors.

Alternatively, you may be interested in a 27″ 4K 144Hz gaming monitor such as the ASUS PG27UQ, which has an IPS panel and local dimming.

It offers both quick response time and a ‘true’ HDR viewing experience with stellar contrast and brightness – but then you would lose the immersion that this gigantic 38″ ultrawide display provides.

So, there’s no ideal gaming monitor. You commonly have to sacrifice something, whether it’s contrast, motion clarity, screen size, or something else – you just have to find the best compromise for you.

Performance

With an input lag of just ~3ms, the LG 38GL950G has virtually instantaneous responsiveness; you won’t be able to notice or feel any delays between your commands and the result on the screen.

Now, LG specifies a pixel response time speed of 1ms GtG (gray to gray pixel transition).

While you can get such rapid response time by using the ‘Faster’ overdrive option in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the monitor, it introduces an enormous amount of pixel overshoot.

Luckily, while using the ‘Fast’ preset, there isn’t any prominent overshoot nor visible trailing behind fast-moving objects allowing you to enjoy fast-paced video games without any distractions.

Thanks to NVIDIA’s integrated G-SYNC module, you also get variable overdrive, which will ensure that there’s no ghosting or overshoot at any FPS (Frames Per Second) rate.

Additionally, G-SYNC provides a variable refresh rate (VRR) with a 30-175Hz range, which entirely eliminates screen tearing and stuttering with minimal input lag penalty (~1ms).

The LG 38GL950G is the first G-SYNC monitor that supports VRR with AMD’s graphics cards too.

However, due to DisplayPort 1.4 bandwidth limitations, if you wish to use 10-bit color depth, you will need to set the refresh rate to 120Hz. With 8-bit color, you can set the monitor up to 160Hz.

For the maximum refresh rate of 175Hz, you will need to use 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. This type of compression will make text appear fringy, so you shouldn’t use it for games with text.

Considering how demanding the 3840×1600 resolution is, and how small the difference is between 8-bit and 10-bit color depth in games, we recommend setting the monitor to 160Hz with 8-bit color.

Moving on, the LG 38GL950G monitor has a flicker-free backlight and an integrated low-blue light filter, so it will be easy on your eyes even after prolonged use.

IPS glow is minimal and negligible on this monitor, though this can vary across different units. 

Features

The OSD menu of the monitor is user-friendly and easy to navigate thanks to the 5-way joystick placed beneath the bottom bezel.

You will find plenty of useful features such as pre-calibrated picture presets (FPS, RTS, Reader, sRGB and two customizable Gamer profiles), custom crosshairs, Black Stabilizer and an FPS counter.

Unfortunately, the monitor does not offer any MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) technology, but its native pixel response time speed provides brilliant motion clarity anyway.

At the back of the monitor, there are various RGB LEDs which are pretty bright and can create quite an atmospheric ambient lighting as you can synchronize it to content on-screen via the Video Sync Mode in the Sphere Lighting 2.0 feature.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the LG 38GL950G ultrawide monitor is sturdy and even offers height adjustment up to 110mm as well as 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility and -5°/15° tilt, but no swivel option.

Next, the screen has a subtle 2300R curvature and a low-haze anti-glare coating, which eliminates reflections without making the picture appear grainy.

There’s also a cooling fan inside the monitor, but it’s pretty quiet.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, a dual-USB 3.0 hub and a headphone jack. Note that the HDMI port is limited to 85Hz at 3840×1600.

Both G-SYNC and Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync are supported over DisplayPort 1.4 with a 30-175Hz range.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 38GL950G usually goes for $1,300, which is too expensive.

For $900, you can get the Dell Alienware AW3821DW which has a dedicated G-SYNC module as well as better DisplayHDR 600 support.

Alternatively, you can get the LG 38WN95C with DisplayHDR 600, FreeSync (G-SYNC Compatible) and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity (up to 94W Power Delivery).

At this price range, we recommend considering the Dell AW3423DWF. It has a QD-OLED panel with an infinite contrast ratio and instantaneous response time speed.

To learn more about monitors and ensure you’re getting the model most suited for your personal preference, visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

The LG 38GL950G is an absolutely marvelous gaming monitor, but its price is not as pleasing considering you can get an excellent mini LED or OLED gaming monitor at this price range. However, if you’re not interested in HDR and want a 38″ ultrawide display, the LG and Dell models are worth considering!

Specifications

Screen Size	37.5-inch
Screen Curvature	2300R
Resolution	3840×1600 (UWQHD+)
Panel Type	Nano IPS
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	120Hz – 10-bit color depth 144Hz/160Hz – 8-bit color depth   175Hz – 4:2:2 chroma subsampling
Response Time	1ms (GtG)
Adaptive Sync	G-SYNC (30Hz-175Hz) *Supports FreeSync over DP
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness	450 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 98% DCI-P3
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)