LG 40WP95C Review: 5120×2160 72Hz FreeSync IPS UltraWide Curved Monitor

The LG 40WP95C-W boasts the 5K2K resolution for those who prefer the ultrawide format but don’t want to compromise on pixel density.

It’s also equipped with Thunderbolt 4, FreeSync, decent built-in speakers, a wide color gamut and excellent color accuracy, making it a great pick for various uses!

Image Quality

Based on a Nano IPS panel, the LG 40WP95C has a wide color gamut covering 98% DCI-P3 color space for vibrant image quality. Its native color gamut is equivalent to around 135% sRGB gamut size, so regular sRGB content will have over-saturated colors in Windows.

Now, some people prefer that extra color vibrancy, while others are for more accurate sRGB colors when viewing sRGB content. The good news is that the LG 40WP95C monitor has an sRGB emulation mode with adjustable brightness that can restrict its native gamut down to ~100% sRGB for better accuracy!

IPS technology also has 178° wide viewing angles, so the image won’t shift in color, brightness, or contrast regardless of the angle you’re looking at the screen.

In addition, the monitor supports 10-bit color depth via dithering for less banding and it’s factory-calibrated, so it’s ready for color-critical work right out of the box.

The 5120×2160 resolution results in a pixel density of roughly 140 PPI (pixels per inch) when displayed on the 39.7″ viewable screen of the LG 40WP95C. That’s the same pixel density you get with 32″ 4K monitors.

In fact, this 40″ ultrawide monitor is basically a 32″ 4K display that’s ~33% wider.

So, you get plenty of screen space as well as crystal-clear text and details. Some users prefer not to use scaling at this pixel density, while others might be more comfortable with 125% scaling.

Further, the 21:9 ultrawide format provides you with extra horizontal screen space that’s especially useful for productivity work and audio/video editing due to the better view of your timelines.

Related:Are UltraWide Monitors Worth It?

In compatible games, you get an extended field of view for a more immersive gaming experience. Most newer titles support ultrawide resolutions natively and even a lot of older games can be patched or modded to do so. In games without ultrawide support, you’ll have to play with black borders at the sides of the screen or with a zoomed-in picture that fills the screen but crops some of the details.

Movies shot at the ~21:9 aspect ratios (2.39:1, 2.35:1, etc.) also fill the entire screen of the LG 40WP95C – without black bars at the top and bottom of the screen that you’d see on a regular 16:9 widescreen display.

Sadly, the monitor has a low static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which is expected from an IPS panel, but there’s no local dimming that could improve it. At this price range, you can get OLED or mini LED FALD (full-array local dimming) monitors with a much better contrast ratio for deeper blacks and an overall better image quality, but of course, they won’t have some of the features the LG 40WP95C offers.

All IPS panels suffer from IPS glow, which can be characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen at certain angles. The intensity varies from unit to unit, but in most cases, it’s completely manageable.

Another weakness of the LG 40WP95C-W is the mediocre peak brightness of 300-nits. However, most users find a brightness of ~120-nits sufficient under normal lighting conditions, so this won’t be a problem unless you’re in a particularly bright room without any blinds/curtains.

The monitor can accept the HDR10 signal, but since it lacks local dimming, you can ignore its HDR support. Some content and scenes might look a bit better due to the wide color gamut and 10-bit color depth, but you’ll mostly prefer to have it disabled.

Performance

Thanks to its IPS panel with fast pixel response time speed, there’s no noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects. There are four response time overdrive modes: Off, Normal, Fast and Faster, which we recommend leaving at ‘Normal.’

Input lag performance is also excellent at ~10ms of delay, which is imperceptible.

The LG 40WP95C has a maximum refresh rate of 72Hz, which offers a small but noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to the standard 60Hz.

To see this benefit in video games though, you’ll have to run games at 72FPS, which can be quite demanding due to the high 5120×2160 resolution (33% more pixels than 4K UHD).

AMD FreeSync is supported with a 48-72Hz VRR (variable refresh rate) range. So, as long as your frame rate is within that range, there’ll be no screen tearing or stuttering. FreeSync also works with compatible NVIDIA GPUs (GTX 10-series or newer) over DisplayPort on this monitor.

The backlight of the monitor is flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter (Reader mode) that can help reduce eye fatigue.

Features

There’s a directional joystick beneath the bottom bezel of the screen for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. Alternatively, you can use the On-Screen Control desktop application.

Useful features include Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in darker scenes), Picture by Picture, Auto Input Switch (automatically changes the input source once detected), a built-in sensor that can change screen brightness according to ambient lighting and various picture presets (sRGB, DCI-P3, FPS, Cinema, Reader, etc.).

The LG 40WP95C also supports hardware calibration via LG’s Calibration Studio (True Color Pro) application and has two separate Calibration profiles.

Besides the standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, aspect ratio, input source selection, etc.), you get access to advanced settings as well, such as color temperature fine-tuning (in increments of 500K), 6-axis hue/saturation, sharpness and four gamma modes.

LG’s Dual Controller feature is also available, which works similar to a KVM switch as it allows you to control two PCs via one set of keyboard/mouse; however, they need to be connected to your main PC, not to the monitor, and both PCs must be connected to the same network.

Usually, LG’s Dual Controller requires at least one monitor to be connected via HDMI to work, but we weren’t able to confirm this.

There’s also a feature called Variable Backlight that dims or brightens the entire screen depending on the content, but we recommend disabling it.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is robust and offers a good range of ergonomics, including up to 110mm height adjustment, +/- 15° swivel, -5°/20° tilt and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

The screen has a subtle 2500R curvature for added immersion and a light matte anti-glare coating that eliminates reflections.

Connectivity options include a Thunderbolt 4 input with DP 1.4 Alt Mode and 96W Power Delivery, a Thunderbolt 4 output for daisy-chaining, a DisplayPort 1.4 input, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, two 10W integrated speakers and two downstream USB 3.0 ports.

The HDMI ports are limited to 30Hz at 5120×2160, so they’re mainly intended for the Dual Controller feature and PbP/PiP.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 40WP95C price amounts to $1,800, which is quite expensive, but it costs the same (depending on sales) as the other 40″ 5K2K models, including the Lenovo P40W-20, the Dell U4021QW and the HP Z40C. However, the LG 40WP95C can also be found on sale for $1,300, which makes it the best value-for-money option.

They’re all based on the same panel, so the image quality is basically identical – here are the main differences between them:

While these monitors are expensive and don’t offer nearly as good image quality or gaming performance as some similarly priced alternatives, they’re among the best displays for productivity work available.

If you’re looking for something similar but cheaper, consider a multi-monitor setup with the LG 32UN650 32″ 4K IPS monitor.

Another option is the LG 38WN75C. It is an affordable 38″ 3840×1600 60Hz IPS display, albeit with a lower pixel density of 110 PPI.

Alternatively, consider the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW. It’s more expensive ($1920), but it has an IPS Black panel with a higher 2000:1 contrast ratio, a higher 120Hz refresh rate and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity.

Conclusion

Overall, the LG 40WP95C is an excellent high-end monitor for productivity work and it’s worth the price if you can put its premium features to good use.

Specifications

Screen Size	39.7-inch
Screen Curvature	2500R
Resolution	5120×2160
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	72Hz
Response Time	5ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-72Hz)
Speakers	2x10W
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, Thunderbolt 4 (in/out)
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) 98% DCI-P3
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)