Ultra Wide Monitors

Why buy an ultra wide monitor?

An ultra-wide monitor can help boost your productivity, provide a more immersive gaming experience, and improve your multitasking capabilities. The wider display allows for more windows and applications to be open and visible at once. This lets you get things done more quickly and reduces the need to switch between applications. The wider field of view can also provide a more immersive gaming experience, as it allows for more of the game world to be visible on the screen compared to a traditional monitor.

Disadvantages

There are however some potential disadvantages to ultra-wide monitors. The wider aspect ratio may not be suitable for all types of content, such as standard-definition video, which can appear distorted or stretched. Additionally, some applications and games may not support ultra-wide resolutions, resulting in black bars or other display issues.

Choosing a monitor size

When choosing an ultra-wide monitor, there are several key specs to consider. Ultra-wide monitors typically start at around 29 inches in size, with the most common sizes being between 34 and 38 inches. However, some users may prefer a smaller display for reasons such as desk space limitations or a more compact setup. If you are considering a smaller ultra-wide monitor, it is important to ensure that the display is still large enough to take advantage of the wider aspect ratio. A smaller display may not provide as much additional screen real estate as a larger display, and text and images may appear smaller and harder to read. It is also important to consider the resolution of the display, as a lower resolution may result in a less sharp and detailed image.

Image quality

If you’re working with moving images (e.g. video) or are using the monitor for gaming, pay attention to refresh rate and response time which determine how responsive the monitor is and how smoothly it handles changing images. Contrast ratio and brightness together with the monitor’s colour gamut will determine how vivid and realistic images appear on screen so these specs will be important if you need accurate colour reproduction (e..g for graphic design work).

Other features to consider

Some ultra wide monitors come with built in speakers or webcams which might be useful if you use the monitor for entertainment purposes or you have a lot of video conferencing meetings for example. You will also find some ultra wide monitors are also curved rather than flat. Curved screens can also help to create a sense of depth and perspective, which can be especially beneficial for gaming and watching movies. The curvature of the screen can help to reduce glare and reflections, resulting in a more clear and crisp image. Additionally, curved screens can provide a more uniform viewing distance across the entire screen, which can be especially beneficial for large displays.

Finally, it's important to ensure that the monitor has the appropriate ports for your specific devices, such as HDMI or DisplayPort.