LG 38WN75C Review: 3840×1600 IPS UltraWide Curved Monitor

The LG 38WN75C-B is the most affordable 38″ 3840×1600 ultrawide monitor. Here’s everything you need to know about it and how it compares to similarly priced alternatives.

Image Quality

Based on a 37.5″ viewable screen, the 3840×1600 screen resolution results in a high pixel density of roughly 111 PPI (pixels per inch). This means that you’ll have plenty of screen space as well as sharp details and text without having to use any scaling.

Therefore, the LG 38WN75C monitor is ideal for office-related use and for anyone who needs a lot of screen real estate for various spreadsheets, multi-tasking, etc.

Further, the monitor uses an IPS panel with dithered 10-bit color depth support, 178° wide viewing angles, standard sRGB color gamut – and it’s factory-calibrated!

As a result, you get accurate, consistent, and natural colors, making the display fit for professional photo and video editing.

The ultrawide aspect ratio makes the monitor particularly great for audio and video editing as the extra horizontal screen space provides you with a better view of timelines.

In compatible video games, you also get a wider field of view for a more immersive gaming experience, while movies shot at the ~21:9 aspect ratio are displayed without black borders at the top and bottom of the screen.

You can think of the LG 38WN75C as a regular 32″ 16:9 monitor that’s around 5% shorter and 20% wider.

Moving on, the monitor has a peak brightness of 300-nits, which is plenty under normal lighting conditions. Unless you have a particularly bright room with big windows and no blinders, the screen will be able to get more than bright enough.

As expected from an IPS panel monitor, the contrast ratio amounts to 1,000:1. So, you won’t get as deep blacks as that of VA panels, but there aren’t any 38″ ultrawide monitors using VA technology available anyway; VA panels also have their own flaws.

Another weakness of IPS monitors is IPS glow. It can be characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen with varying intensity depending on the viewing angle.

The intensity also varies from unit to unit, but in most cases, it’s manageable by lowering the screen brightness and/or adding some ambient lighting behind the screen.

Performance

Sadly, the LG 38WN75C is limited to 60Hz, so it won’t appeal to many gamers.

However, keep in mind that the 3840×1600 resolution is quite demanding, so if you have a weaker GPU and/or you don’t play a lot of fast-paced games, you might not need a higher refresh rate anyway.

But, there’s more bad news.

The LG 38WN75C doesn’t support a variable refresh rate, so we don’t recommend it if you’re sensitive to screen tearing in games. If you can maintain 60FPS though, you can use this V-Sync trick to prevent tearing at a lower input lag penalty than usual.

Input lag performance, on the other hand, is very good at around 10ms, so you won’t be able to notice any delays between your actions and the result on the screen.

Additionally, the monitor has a fast pixel response time speed as there’s no noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects.

There are four response time overdrive modes: Off, Normal, Fast, and Faster, out of which we recommend sticking to the Normal mode in order to avoid overshoot.

Overall, if you’re not sensitive to tearing or plan on using V-Sync, you get an enjoyable gaming experience thanks to the monitor’s big screen with high resolution, ultrawide format, vivid colors, low input lag, and quick response time.

Features

Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen, you’ll find a directional joystick for easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Alternatively, you can use the OSC (On-Screen Control) desktop application and make all the adjustments via a keyboard/mouse.

You also get support for Picture in Picture and the Screen Split feature that provides you with various presets for easier multitasking, though we recommend trying Window’s FancyZones utility too as it offers more customization.

Unfortunately, the LG 38WN75C doesn’t support Picture by Picture. You can, however, use the Dual Controller feature to control two PCs connected to the screen via one set of keyboard and mouse, but you can’t display both sources simultaneously.

Other features include standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature, aspect ratio, sharpness, gamma, and 6-axis hue/saturation), various picture presets, and Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in dark scenes).

HDR10 is available too, but due to the monitor’s lack of wide color gamut and local dimming, among other things, you can ignore its HDR support.

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter, which can prevent eye strain caused by prolonged use of the screen.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is fairly sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 110mm and tilt by -5°15°, while the screen is VESA mount compatible, has a matte anti-glare coating that eliminates reflections, and a 2300R curvature for added immersion.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports and a headphone jack.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 38WN75C goes for $900, which makes it the cheapest 38″ ultrawide monitor.

The LG 38WK95C offers FreeSync up to 75Hz, USB-C with 60W PD, a USB hub, and built-in speakers for ~$150 more.

If you want a higher refresh rate, you’ll have to invest at least $200 more for the Dell AW3821DW. It has a 144Hz refresh rate, a G-SYNC module, and DisplayHDR 600.

At this price range, you should also consider an OLED or mini LED gaming monitor for HDR content consumption, such as the Dell AW3423DWF and the Samsung Neo G7.

Check out our dedicated best ultrawide monitor buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals available.

Conclusion

All in all, if you want a 38″ ultrawide monitor for office-related work, content creation, and everyday use, the LG 38WN75C is the most affordable option.

As long as you’re not sensitive to tearing or a competitive FPS player, it’s also a decent monitor for gaming.

Specifications

Screen Size	37.5-inch
Screen Curvature	2300R
Resolution	3840×1600 (UWQHD+)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	60Hz
Response Time	5ms (GtG)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)