LG 38WN95C Monitor launched

Decko87 said:
Dream monitor, not dream price. I'd rather spend the money on an LG CX48 at that price.
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I'll be curious to see how burn in goes in that thread. Besides, I'm interested in an ultrawide. I'll probably be looking at the 38GN950-B which is nearly the same as this monitor.
 
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Was curious if anyone had feedback on this monitor since launch. I had one delivered this week, upgrading from a 38UC99.

Overall:
  • Brightness: First monitor I truly have to turn down the brightness significantly. This is great, leaving you plenty of headroom for sunny days, certain games, etc. Even right now, a white website, in medium lit room, can be a bit too much, even at 29 brightness.

  • 144hz and Input: I wasn't expecting to be surprised by more than just the high framerate, how responsive it immediately felt was impressive. Everything feels more connected with my hand on the mouse. Compared to my older monitor, everything feels lighter and doesn't lag behind.

  • Build Quality:
    Feels like a step down from the 38UC99
    • The WN's Matte plastic feels cheaper than the silver paint/smooth white plastic on the UC.
    • WN's black bezel seemed cheap, front edges have a slight roundness, but has that cheap sharp edge feel in some areas. While the silver frame on the UC is rounded with an angled bevel, plus better fit the left and right sides compared to the WN.
    • !!! (Photo Below) !!! Stand quality and imperfection: I like the cleaner, modern base, the pillar/arm looks worse in person. Didn't know it was plastic compared to the base. Not a deal breaker, but it has odd raised edges (seams I assume) on two sides, that are not symmetrical, and stand out on one side from the front or back. Worse, directly on the back, there's an imperfection in the manufacturing defect the created a large curved dark line. This reminds you of cheap plastic toys. (Photo below)
    • Stand Depth: This is minor, but I'm curious why this new design is deeper than before, and pushes the screen out further too. The UC feels compact in comparison. I ended up ordering an arm and drilling a hole in my desk.
  • Bleed:
    Seems to have a small amount of bleed 3/4 of inch out from the corners. My UC really has no bleed

  • IPS Glow:
    Mostly expected, but I found the glow on the bottom corners stood out more due to it's blue tint, versus the more gray/warm top IPS glow. Plus the slight bleed amplifies it a bit. The UC screen, while a bit more glow, the bottom glow was the same color, or hue, as the top, helping feel more even.
    • Last night I just tried to use the monitor like normal, not look for IPS glow or bleed. Even with a black background, room with lights (not full brightness), local dimming off, it's not that bad all considering. For now, I've had to sit a bit closer than I'd like due to space until I put it on an arm, so this may of made the glow worse. As I type now, I'm leaning back at 24 inches from the screen, and the glow is minimal (with a black background set). While at 17-18 inches, sitting straight, glow becomes very noticeable. Cyberpunk with HDR, brightness at 85, local dimming on, I was able to enjoy the game without being distracting. Outdoor night scenes are decent and rarely just black. Though, if inside a building and you walk into into a dark passage or dead end, glow will stand out.
  • Uniformity:
    • Color: With white, nothing jumped out at me to be noticeable, for example, the left side didn't feel like a different color than the right.
    • Evenness: Pretty even, with slight vignette towards the sides, but not enough to stand out, plus at least natural looking. While the UC seems to have slight darker areas across the upper middle and on the sides, but not noticeable with normal use.
  • Dead Pixels:
    I haven't found anything, and I scanned the screen filled with various test colors.

  • Color Temperature:
    Overall, this screen is warmer compared to the UC. So if this isn't what you like, it can be problem in HDR mode or sRGB, as color settings are locked. I also couldn't get the UC monitor to match, even by changing it to warmer setting. I don't have calibration equipment. Luckily I don't plan to use the UC beside it. Though, I have a Cinitq 24 Pro screen I kept below the UC and never noticed either screen having a visible temperature difference. I had to move it aside for now, but that could be a problem if I can't get the Cintiq to match closely.

  • Color:
    HDR and 130% sRGB really make some things pop, brightness and saturation, sometimes too much. For example, Fall Guys may burn your eyes, while Cyberpunk, the color boost makes all the neon signs pop, interface icons for loot, etc. I also find the color can make something like fire actually look like a hot surface. So filling the screen with a certain orange can look like a glowing hot burner, while the same orange on the UC just looks like, well, orange. So, in some cases, can add realism and depth, in other cases, hurt your eyes or not look realistic. Luckily this monitor has an sRGB mode. In other modes or HDR, Nvidia's control panel has a vibrancy slider than can knock down that saturation to something near sRGB (About a -7% adjustment). In HDR mode, SDR can also look a bit washed out. A 3% increase vibrancy helped this.

  • Local dimming:
    • Hard to say how much this helps due how large the zones are. A 2 inch white circle on a black screen would cause 2-3 zones to light up, raising the black level for a huge chunk of the screen.
    • Flickering: Now and then I'd notice flickering in a corner or on the sides during early testing. Though, hours in Cyberpunk, didn't notice any issues. But if you have a dark scene with only a small amount of content visible, the zones may stand out as it lights up the next large zone near something. For example, check the Shadow of the Tomb Raider opening scene on YouTube, where Lara wakes up in darkness trying to climb up with only glow from a light on her shirt. Great way to test how real the light is, does just look like something on her shirt, like a white background on a screen, or does it bright enough to convince you it's a flashlight. Now, since it's not OLED or FALD, the edge local dimming may fail for this scene, washed out or distracting, requiring you to turn down the brightness, losing that HDR effect on the light. Few scenes later, escaping to the surface, there's a nice slow pan to an ocean sunset too.
  • Stand Wobble:
    Acceptable when typing and basic gaming, really didn't wobble anymore than the desk itself. Now, if I purposely shaking the desk or monitor, then it might wiggle a little longer. While the 38UC99 on an Ergotron HX, extended out, only wobbles in sync with the desk. For example, even if I push the UC on the Ergotron to shake it, the WN on it's own stand ends up shaking just a bit longer.

  • G-Sync - Seems to work great.
    I had to turn it off for daily work, as Adobe Illustrator, and likely other Adobe programs, was causing stuttering low framerate when moving desktop windows, animation switching between desktops, etc.

  • Motion clarity:
    Huge improvement over what no looks like a blurry, smeary screen on the 38UC99. I tried Hades for the first time and you can still appreciate the hand drawn backgrounds while in motion. On the UC, motion will blur out so much detail.

  • USB-C:
    Haven't tested it, but my 38UC99 also had it. The big upgrade here is it can provide more power than the other monitor. So if you have a MacBook 16, it should keep up with your power needs.

  • Picture by Picture:
    Self explanatory. Though, I used it on the 38UC99 one to play my Nintendo Switch via HDMI while viewing content from PC on DisplayPort. Nice to have, if you have a use case for it.
Stand imperfection, visible seams:
38WN95c-Stand-Imperfection.jpg


Some IPS glow and bleed, uniformity photos:

IPS-Glow-and-Bleed-Comparison.jpg


Quick comparison of plastic bezel:
Monitor-Bezels.jpg
 
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I’ve been using the LG CX 48” for a few months now, love it, however it’s just too big for my desk. I’m very interested in trying this monitor... worth it?
 
I think I am gonna have to do this... Covers what I need for work (3DS Max, Unreal Engine, Photoshop) and I can game on it. Right now stock is zero and the prices are an extra 1k above retail, might have to wait.

How are the screen snapping/dividing/PIP/PBP? I am currently on two Dell 2410 WFP's and I have an Eizo connected to a laptop with AMOLED. Would like to get rid of the Eizo.
 
Lamont said:
I think I am gonna have to do this... Covers what I need for work (3DS Max, Unreal Engine, Photoshop) and I can game on it. Right now stock is zero and the prices are an extra 1k above retail, might have to wait.

How are the screen snapping/dividing/PIP/PBP? I am currently on two Dell 2410 WFP's and I have an Eizo connected to a laptop with AMOLED. Would like to get rid of the Eizo.
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I haven't used any desktop screen snapping tools. For the most part, I enjoy running most Adobe software full screen. Works great for 3D software like Modo, so much room to have tool panels on the both sides and still enough room to split the viewport down the center. For browsers and other software, usually the Windows command to snap a window to the left half and right half works well enough.

Picture by Picture. Haven't tested it on this model, only my older LG 38UC99. It was straight forward, even split (I don't think there was an option to change proportions). Activating, Windows instantly changes the resolution on my PC to match (connected via Displayport) - so no need to manually change resolution to fill half the screen when you want to enable it for multiple PCs or other input. When I connected a Nintendo Switch with HDMI (2nd input has to be HDMI), it kept the original 16:9 aspect ration with bars on the top and bottom. There's also a control to choose which audio it uses.
 
Thank you TimothyB . Man, I want this so bad now. I almost got a different one, but the 75mhz refresh kinda stopped me. I should wait.

How is the stand? I have seen reviews of similar types and they wobble like crazy.
 
Lamont said:
Thank you TimothyB . Man, I want this so bad now. I almost got a different one, but the 75mhz refresh kinda stopped me. I should wait.

How is the stand? I have seen reviews of similar types and they wobble like crazy.
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Actually being able to use 75hz 38UC99 probably would be a nice upgrade over 60hz and make it easier to wait longer for a perfect monitor. But it was never made G-Sync compatible and if you tried to set 75hz, more often you’d end up with stutters.

Regarding the stand, I was using the 38WN95c as my main monitor for a few weeks and I don’t recall it bothering or coming to my attention (assuming you have a sturdy desk). I will say it’s a more wobbly than others. I honestly wasn’t giving it too much though since I’m going to use an Ergotron HX, which is so much better sturdier.

Yesterday I had the Alienware AW3821DW and this LG side by side. I noticed the LG was wiggling more often than the Alienware when performing a fast mouse movement. It only stood out that day since the corners were directly in front of me to fit them side by side.

I posted some observations of the Alienware against this LG a few hours ago in the AW3821DW thread.
 
Thank you again with the reply. Now I just re-fresh the website and hope it comes in stock.

Also, do you use a Wacom at all?
 
Lamont said:
Thank you again with the reply. Now I just re-fresh the website and hope it comes in stock.

Also, do you use a Wacom at all?
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I have a Wacom Cintiq 24 right now. Haven’t used it as much as I intended due to time and stress with my main job. I put the Ultrawide on an arm to free up desk space to move the Cintiq around.
 
TimothyB said:
Actually being able to use 75hz 38UC99 probably would be a nice upgrade over 60hz and make it easier to wait longer for a perfect monitor. But it was never made G-Sync compatible and if you tried to set 75hz, more often you’d end up with stutters.

Regarding the stand, I was using the 38WN95c as my main monitor for a few weeks and I don’t recall it bothering or coming to my attention (assuming you have a sturdy desk). I will say it’s a more wobbly than others. I honestly wasn’t giving it too much though since I’m going to use an Ergotron HX, which is so much better sturdier.

Yesterday I had the Alienware AW3821DW and this LG side by side. I noticed the LG was wiggling more often than the Alienware when performing a fast mouse movement. It only stood out that day since the corners were directly in front of me to fit them side by side.

I posted some observations of the Alienware against this LG a few hours ago in the AW3821DW thread.
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Would you choose this over the Dell AW38? I was going to snag the Dell, but have reservations now. Primarily for non competitive gaming and some light photo editing.
 
The Dell is much easier to get right now... the 38WN95C has been notoriously difficult to get a hold of since release. Myself I lean towards the LG for aesthetics plus the fact it has some actually not awful speakers built in to supplement my headphones. Also, as a policy i dont buy monitors mail order and I do buy 3rd party warranties for LG based on their reputation.
 
Surly said:
The Dell is much easier to get right now... the 38WN95C has been notoriously difficult to get a hold of since release. Myself I lean towards the LG for aesthetics plus the fact it has some actually not awful speakers built in to supplement my headphones. Also, as a policy i dont buy monitors mail order and I do buy 3rd party warranties for LG based on their reputation.
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Good to know... I had the AW38 on order but cancelled. I feel like I need a few more reviews first. That or be patient with another UW release.
 
@ 0600 this morning...

2021-01-27 07_31_42-Window.png


0605 .... Aaaaaaaaaannnnd it's gone!!!

2021-01-27 07_34_39-Window.png


I ended up getting the Dell because of this.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is the difference between this and 38GL950?

it seems that while this lacks the gsync model, it gains:
HDR 600
Usb-C PD and native MacBook support.

which is rather have than the module anyway.
 
Cali3350 said:
Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is the difference between this and 38GL950?

it seems that while this lacks the gsync model, it gains:
HDR 600
Usb-C PD and native MacBook support.

which is rather have than the module anyway.
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It's basically the same thing with a different set of internals. Instead of the G-Sync module and its limited ports, this one uses some cheaper Freesync stuff and controllers that allow for USB-C and more ports as well as including a picture by picture mode in the firmware.
 
Can anyone with this monitor confirm if it accepts a 4k input and downsamples the image (such as, a PS5 can be hooked into it and it will accept the PS5 4k image and downsample to screen res)? I read the manual on the LG website and it seemed to imply it could do this, however am looking for a personal confirmation. If so, this is my monitor!

Edit: ordered! Amazon had stock at MSRP this morning.
 
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Just got mine!

I am coming from a LG CX 48" (it was just too large...) and first impressions are: Man this is a downgrade. You get so used to OLED you forget just how great it looks.

But it was too big, so it is what it is. I was initially afraid that this monitor would be too large and was considering 34" ultrawides, but I am glad I went with this. Coming from the LG this thing seems silly small, so I can only imagine what a 34" would look like.

HDR is predictably pretty useless. Quick test in Hitman 3 and Demon Souls on PS5 show both games looking significantly better in SDR than HDR (the opposite of the CX where HDR looked great). The speakers are also pretty sub-par compared to a good set of speakers (or the TV speakers on the CX) but to be fair for monitor speakers they sound decent enough.

I sound down on it as I am coming from such a good display - I do not mean to. The thunderbolt connection is wonderful for using my work Macbook Pro when I WFH, and having a properly sized monitor that can fit on a monitor arm is obviously very very nice compared to the honker that was the CX.
 
Cali3350 said:
Just got mine!

I am coming from a LG CX 48" (it was just too large...) and first impressions are: Man this is a downgrade. You get so used to OLED you forget just how great it looks.

But it was too big, so it is what it is. I was initially afraid that this monitor would be too large and was considering 34" ultrawides, but I am glad I went with this. Coming from the LG this thing seems silly small, so I can only imagine what a 34" would look like.

HDR is predictably pretty useless. Quick test in Hitman 3 and Demon Souls on PS5 show both games looking significantly better in SDR than HDR (the opposite of the CX where HDR looked great). The speakers are also pretty sub-par compared to a good set of speakers (or the TV speakers on the CX) but to be fair for monitor speakers they sound decent enough.

I sound down on it as I am coming from such a good display - I do not mean to. The thunderbolt connection is wonderful for using my work Macbook Pro when I WFH, and having a properly sized monitor that can fit on a monitor arm is obviously very very nice compared to the honker that was the CX.
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So what's the verdict on the 4k signal input from the PS5? And if it does accept the signal, how does it look when downsampled and sized to fit?

I'm thinking of using this monitor for double duty as well (PS5 and PC)
 
Astral Abyss said:
So what's the verdict on the 4k signal input from the PS5? And if it does accept the signal, how does it look when downsampled and sized to fit?

I'm thinking of using this monitor for double duty as well (PS5 and PC)
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It works fine with the 4k downsample. PS5 sends out the signal at 4k no issues.

It looks fine. You cannot notice any downscaling artifacts or the like. If you can deal with IPS black levels (which I thought I could, but apparently cannot anymore) you will love the monitor.
 
Cali3350 said:
It works fine with the 4k downsample. PS5 sends out the signal at 4k no issues.

It looks fine. You cannot notice any downscaling artifacts or the like. If you can deal with IPS black levels (which I thought I could, but apparently cannot anymore) you will love the monitor.
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Thanks for the info. I really used to hate the gray blacks of IPS monitors, but the Nano filter helps a lot. It's still not perfect, but I can tolerate it now and not be annoyed.
 
Cali3350 said:
It works fine with the 4k downsample. PS5 sends out the signal at 4k no issues.

It looks fine. You cannot notice any downscaling artifacts or the like. If you can deal with IPS black levels (which I thought I could, but apparently cannot anymore) you will love the monitor.
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Yeah it is hard going to anything else after OLED. When I went to my brothers over the ho kk idaho he got a new lg nano something tv and god did it make my eyes bleed.
 
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