My current 27in monitor is 10 years old and is on its way out

Looking for a new one and like the look of the curved ultra wide monitors

Will be used for gaming, spreadsheet work and general web browsing, watching videos etc..

Looking for around 40in+ wide and budget is £600

Any recomendations?

34″ 2k curved (AIO) (3440×1440)

Its great.
40 would be too big for me though. PC gaming already at 34 is loads of visual info. I’m happy screen splitting browser/excel/word/etc in half and 34 is more than enough “real estate”

I have one like this;
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/alienware-38-curved-gaming-monitor-aw3821dw/apd/210-axqm/monitors-monitor-accessories

It fits neither your size or budget requirements but this is STW so that doesn’t matter. It’s awesome and my emails have never looked so good.

37.5 inch, 3840 x 1600 pixels, radius 2.3 metres, 75Hz.
It is an Acer XR382CQK.
Worked well when I was working from home: could have three A4-sized sheets open at the same time, or a looong spread sheet, and still be able to read all the cells.
Also great for flying my aeroplane – filling more of my field of view increases the immersion and fun (without feeling airsick).

It is pretty old now: launched in 2017, so I would advise you consider something newer, but have no idea how much technology has advanced. I bought it a couple of years ago (on ebay I think, from Littlewoods for £600 ex-display, or customer return). Certainly, going for a wide monitor is a good idea: I had looked into multiple monitors, but this was no more expensive, and much less faff (and better for gaming). I bought mine because I figured after ten years, the technology would have advanced and it would look better than my previous monitor (it has, it does). Also it seemed to be a good specification, reviewed well and was a good price (full price was about £900 at the time).

Curvature
2.3 metres is only slightly curved. Works for me, but I do wonder if I would have preferred something with more of a curve.
Difficult choice for you to make without an extended test drive.

Resolution
Word of warning: many wide monitors are only 1440 or 1080 pixels high: that will limit resolution. At working distance (and wearing glasses ‘cos I’m old), I can just see the dots.
I’m glad I went for 1600 pixels high (and I was used to it because I had being using a Dell 3007WFP HC monitor with 2560 x 1600 pixels for ten years).
I also do wonder if I should have gone for 4K (3840 x 2160).
That would certainly be the right aspect ratio if you are going to watch videos.
At the time I bought mine, they were much more expensive. Dunno how good a 40+ inch HD monitor you can get for £600.
4K also would need a more expensive graphics to drive games at a reasonable frame rate, or I would have to lower the resolution, which would make me feel sad…

In true STW fashion I will recommend what I have, slightly out of budget, but this monitor is incredible. https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/dell-ultrasharp-38-curved-usb-c-hub-monitor-u3821dw/apd/210-axnt/monitors-monitor-accessories
In the event it breaks, I will replace it with the same, or the 40” version.
I ummed and aaahed for ages, as I had two 4K 27” monitors that are really very good, so couldn’t believe a single widescreen could be as good or better. I was wrong.

I have no qualms about recommending a widescreen monitor, minimum I’d go for would be a 34. But reckon the sweet spot is 38-40. It’s just so easy to have everything open and makes most of my work just so much easier and quicker. It does take up quite a lot of space on the desk though.

Edit – I did ensure I went for a 1600 vertical resolution, a lot of monitors are 1440 or less and for work the 1600 gets the right amount of info on the screen.

Cheers for the replies

Im currently looking at these, little bit bigger than what i want but it should work well, had stuff from this brand before and its always been spot on, they use a Samsung panel too

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-43-ips-super-ultrawide-freesync-120hz-qled-hdr600-curved-monitor-eiq-43cvsuwd120fshq/version.asp

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-49-qled-5k-uwhd-120hz-curved-monitor-eiq-49cv5uwd120fshqa/version.asp

Review here

escrs

The fact that you have been pleased with other stuff from eletriQ is a good start.

If you are going to use it much for gaming, bear in mind that it is freesync. I could not find anything by eiO on the nvidia G-sync monitor list, so it may not be supported by G-sync.
This should link: nvidia G-sync monitor table
My monitor is freesync, doesn’t seem to be supported for G-sync. I have switched from an AMD to a nvidia graphics card. Nvidia cards give better performance for a given price than AMD cards on my favourite games (only found out after I had bought the monitor). I now have to put up with slightly less smooth graphics, or slightly more tearing, than I would if I had a G-sync monitor.

That first impression report from Jack Woodhams on 29 June 2021 is promising.
He said that he would do a full in one or two weeks.
He replied to a comment four months ago: ‘I decided to do it as a 3 months later video. That way using it for enough time for a proper opinion. A week isn’t enough. So stay tuned for that’
I still can’t find a full report.

A month ago Jack Woodhams replied to a comment:
‘The Entertainment Consultancy …also, I see that Laptops Direct now do two different electriQ 49″ monitors… same price but different specs; which one do you recommend please? I am non-technical!!’
with a link to the monitor you linked to, saying ‘It has a higher pixel resolution and faster response time.’
which suggests to me that he did not do the first impression on the monitor you are looking at.

I have only been able to find one other review of an electriQ monitor from a website I have heard of: eTeknix (and I happen to trust them). A 32 inch 4K monitor (I couldn’t find the model number). The overview starts: ‘The phrase you get what you pay for is easily thrown around. However, while there are signs that this is a cheaper monitor, it still holds up far better than I expected.’
This should link: eTeknix ElectriQ 32″ 4K FreeSync IPS Monitor Review

Please keep us posted.

I have an AOC 34″ curved monitor (100hz 1440P).

I still have my old 28″ LG 144hz 1080P gaming monitor and tried to go back to it to see what the difference is.

It was like going back to black and white TV, the curved monitor is just better in every way.

I don’t miss the higher refresh rate either. Colours are better on the new one and it’s a lot sharper due to being a higher resolution.

I just wish I could build a better PC to fully take advantage of it. My RTX2060 is beginning to sweat on newer titles 🙂

I’ve got a 34″ 3440×1440 ultra wide (non curved) and it’s brilliant, I normally have windows split on each side so use it effectively as 2 monitors. I also have a 2nd monitor, a 23″ 1080p one, next to it as a true 2nd monitor.

Update time

So in the end i went for the Electriq 43in QLED Ultrawide 3840 x1200 Freesync (my laptop has AMD FreeSync) 120hz monitor with a Samsung panel for £450

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/electriq-43-ips-super-ultrawide-freesync-120hz-qled-hdr600-curved-monitor-eiq-43cvsuwd120fshq/version.asp

Been using it for the last 3 days, setting it up and adjusting it to suit my needs and its been great so far, big improvement over my old Samsung 27in led monitior

Makes working with two windows open much easier, gaming wise its been great for GTA 5 and Forza 4, so much that i find im playing them more than normal

A quick Firefox add on and i can watch Youtube, Netflix, Prime etc.. in full wide screen with no black bars

So far there has been no downsides

Would of loved one of the Samsung Odyssey G9 monitiors but at 1k for the entry level 49in one it was always an over budget dream

The thread helped me. Went for the Samsung at the same size and panel. Has speakers which I don’t use (hifi instead) and PIP which I do. Work laptop commands the screen with an inset for my personal laptop (vintage MBP). Delighted. If I could change one thing it would be a remote or front button to turn off PIP.

If I could add one feature it would be a wireless charger on the footplate (where mine sits). My work laptop supports via USBC but doesn’t take charge as it’s not powerful enough, and loses support when using a small docking station (which was annoying). If you are just using zoom and teams, the speakers are fine

Curvature is modest. I don’t game and I don’t need pro levels or colour reproduction. I do need sliver and white to match the rest of my desk though. 🤣

If its for work then tread carefully. I had one and whenever I did a screen share in teams no one could see it because it would try and squeeze why whole monitor onto 1 screen at the viewers end making it more or less unreadable. I ended up having to stop using it and go back to 2 normal monitors

I do have to share a window not the screen, so that’s a fair point. But that’s a small downside for most meetings.

@TiRed I like the speakers – what are they?

I think they look great but I really dislike the acoustics. The curve focuses the reflected sound to your position, so it could get irritating if you do a lot of Teams meetings where you talk or present.

I have nothing really to add, but I love mine. Every time I get a chance to work from home I am reminded how much better it is to have more real-estate. Copying things between documents, seeing it all out in front of you is invaluable. Mine is 3440×1440 but I might be tempted to go bigger next time. Even with that res, I use my laptop display beside it with another window there.

At 34″ I’m not sure if the curve is essential – it would look neater and take up less space if the panel sat flush with the wall. But I haven’t tried a non-curved one so who knows?

I had one and whenever I did a screen share in teams no one could see it because it would try and squeeze why whole monitor onto 1 screen at the viewers end making it more or less unreadable.

i have an old monitor hooked up to my computer at the side that I don’t really use ‘live’ but I drag stuff across there when I really need to share a screen.  It’s often painful sharing only a window as sometimes things don’t show if clicking something starts a new window so viewers can’t see it

@StuF They’re vintage Rogers JR149’s fed with digital input from the dacmagic (used to switch inputs between laptops and a cd player) via a Sonos amp. They are the same drivers as the legendary LS3/5a’s used for close monitoring, but are a bit more balanced (and far cheaper!).

For the monitor I found 1440 was ideal. Taller meant I was looking up and down when I viewed a page. That 28” monitor is with son2. This one is perfect.

@TiRed Out of interest, how do you turn the PIP on/off?

Button joystick on the bottom right rear of the panel. Used for navigating the menu. It’s pretty simple and three clicks/jogs but a single push front button would be nicer.

I also do wonder if I should have gone for 4K (3840 x 2160).
That would certainly be the right aspect ratio if you are going to watch videos.
At the time I bought mine, they were much more expensive. Dunno how good a 40+ inch HD monitor you can get for £600.

I bought a 40″ 4K TV a few years ago for around half that, can pay even less now. Similar width to a 34″ ultrawide but more height (which I find better for documents and the like). You hardly ever need to maximise a window, just move things around as you want. Only drawback has been having a remote on my desk to switch it on and off.

For sharing, most of the time for me it’s powerpoint and I use the native powerpoint share. The rest I can usually just share the app I’m talking about. If I really need to share a whole screen I switch the laptop display back on and share on that.

Button joystick on the bottom right rear of the panel. Used for navigating the menu. It’s pretty simple and three clicks/jogs but a single push front button would be nicer.

Thank you!

I had a choice of a widescreen one or a 4k std format one.
Lots in the office went widescreen, and has been said above – you need to faff if you are screen sharing with somebody.

I have 2 x 27″ 4k – one is Dell (about 500 pounds), one is Lenovo that was ~£200. I can’t tell the difference between the 2. Although the stand is rubbish on the lenovo.

So, for around 200 the lenovo 4k is a bargain!

I bought a LG Ultrawide 34inch at the beginning of WFH – (34wn80c-b). By far the best monitor set up I’ve used. In the office I used to have 2 30inch HP Z-series but always hated the join as you were never looking at the center of the screen, more at one side of one screen. The curved ultrawide is much more immersive, and much easier on the eyes. Also, with USB C, it’s one cable so not desk cable clutter if docking a laptop – assuming your laptop support usb-c charging.

I use it mostly for geospatial and geological interp – lots of long cross sections so the width is great, plus it’s wide enough to have two spreadsheets side by side – ditto ppt.

A 40 inch would be amazing, but word of warning, the wider you go, the more depth you need to your desk to be far enough away from it.