LG's 49-Inch HDR Gaming Monitor Lands With A Sexy Curve And Fast 240Hz Refresh Rate
LG is adding another 49-inch gaming display to its stable, the Curved UltraGear (49GR85DC-B), and it's now available to preorder for players with relatively deep pockets. The preorder period lasts from now until to Sunday, April 2, 2023, with orders expected to begin shipping out the same week. Those who do decide to preorder will receive LG's reversible UltraGear Gaming Pad valued at $199.99 for free.
It's up to you to decide if the bonus item is worth the risk of preordering an item that hasn't been reviewed. At least on paper, however, the 49GR85DC-B looks like a promising display for gamers interested in an ultrawide setup.
The 49-inch display features a dual QHD (5120x1440) resolution, which works out to a 32:9 aspect ratio. It's also fast and responsive with a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response time, according to the rated specs, and is a FreeSync Premium Pro display to boot. That means you can avoid screen tearing and enjoy smoother gaming on your Radeon graphics card.
Also notable is that the 49GR85DC-B with its VA panel meets VESA's DisplayHDR 1000 certification. Interestingly, LG only lists the typical (450 nits) and minimum (350 nits) brightness levels on its spec sheet, though in order to earn the DisplayHDR 1000 certification a monitor must be capable of at least 1,000 nits of peak brightness.
"For those who desire the ability to play, watch, stream or work from multiple input sources at the same time, the new monitor offers OnScreen Control which supports both Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP) allowing consumers the ability to configure their monitor to suit their needs. Consumers can also choose from a variety of enhanced gaming GUI including Gamer, FPS or RPS to optimize display settings," LG points out.
Connectivity options include a pair of HDMI inputs, two downstream USB 3.0 Type-A ports (and one upstream port), DisplayPort, and an audio output (there aren't any built-in speakers). As for ergonomics, users can make the tile, height, and swivel adjustments.
You can preorder the 49GR85DC-B for $1,299.99 directly from LG. That's a bit on the high side, considering you can snag Samsung's 49-inch Odyssey G9 for $999.99 from Amazon, or the Odyssey CRG Series with a slower refresh rate (120Hz, 5120x1440) for $799.96. Likewise, there's the ASUS ROG Strix XG49VQ (3840x144Hz) for $799. And if your budget allows, there the Odyssey Neo G9 G95NA (5120x1440, 240Hz, 2000 nits peak) with mini LED backlighting for $1,449.99 at Amazon.
