LG UltraWide 38BR85QC-W 37.5" White 2024

The LG UltraWide 38BR85QC-W is a 37.5-inch ultrawide with exceptional color accuracy (98% DCI-P3) and a smooth 144Hz refresh rate. It's a productivity monster with gaming chops, featuring a built-in KVM switch and USB-C with 90W power delivery. Prices range from $148 to $1,400, so shop around before buying. If you want one monitor for work and play, this is a strong contender.

The 144Hz refresh rate paired with a 1ms response time puts this monitor in a comfortable spot for gaming. It's not chasing esports records, but it's smooth enough that fast-paced titles feel responsive and fluid. FreeSync Premium Pro handles variable refresh rate duties on AMD cards, and it's G-SYNC Compatible for NVIDIA users, so you're covered either way. The 450 nits of brightness means HDR content actually has some punch, and the DisplayHDR 600 certification backs that up with a wider brightness and contrast range than your average office monitor.

Color performance is where this panel really flexes. The 98% DCI-P3 coverage is exceptional, landing in the 97th percentile of our database. That's the kind of color gamut you'd expect from a monitor costing significantly more. The 10-bit color depth (8-bit plus FRC) helps smooth out gradients, which matters if you're editing photos or watching content with subtle color transitions. The 3840x1600 resolution gives you roughly 110 pixels per inch at this size, which translates to crisp text and detailed images without needing to mess with Windows scaling settings.

The ASUS TUF Gaming VG34VQL1B is probably the closest direct competitor in the ultrawide gaming space. It's a 34-inch panel with a 165Hz refresh rate, so it edges out the LG on pure speed, but it uses a VA panel that can't match the Nano IPS color accuracy here. If you're primarily gaming and don't care about color-critical work, the ASUS might save you some money. But if you split your time between creative work and gaming, the LG's color performance is hard to beat.

The Samsung G75T LS32BG652ENXGO is another gaming-focused option, but at 32 inches with a 16:9 aspect ratio, it's a different beast entirely. You're giving up the ultrawide real estate that makes the LG so good for multitasking. The BenQ MA Series MA270U and Dell S2725QC are both 27-inch productivity monitors that can't compete on screen size or refresh rate. The HP OMEN 27qs G2 is a solid 27-inch gaming monitor, but again, you're trading the expansive 37.5-inch canvas for something more conventional. If ultrawide productivity plus gaming is your goal, the LG stands alone in this group.

Here's where things get weird. The USD pricing across vendors spans from $148 to $1,400, which is a massive spread. That's not a typo. If you can find this monitor at the lower end of that range, it's an absolute steal, one of the best price-to-performance ratios we've seen for a panel with this color accuracy and feature set. At the higher end, you're paying a premium that puts it in direct competition with some serious high-end ultrawides.

The CAD price of $3,048 from a single Canadian listing suggests the higher end of that USD range is more typical. Our advice: shop around aggressively. The Newegg listing mentions fast shipping and top-rated customer service, but with such a wide price gap between vendors, a little patience could save you hundreds. Given the 74.7 overall score and the feature set on offer, this monitor makes the most sense when you can land it closer to the middle of that price range.

The LG UltraWide 38BR85QC-W is one of those monitors that makes you realize how cramped a standard 16:9 screen actually is. At 37.5 inches with a 3840x1600 resolution, you're getting a 21:9 canvas that's basically two 24-inch monitors fused together without the bezel in the middle. The 2300R curve wraps around your field of view just enough to feel immersive without making spreadsheets look like they're bending away from you. This is a productivity-first display that happens to have some serious gaming chops baked in.

LG is positioning this as a do-everything panel. The Nano IPS tech pushes color accuracy into the 97th percentile of all monitors we track, which means photographers and video editors will find a lot to like here. But the 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time tell a different story, one aimed at people who want to alt-tab from a work project straight into a gaming session without switching monitors. The built-in KVM switch is the quiet hero here, letting you run two computers through one keyboard and mouse setup.

Who's this actually for? People with desk space to spare and a workflow that demands multiple windows open at once. Coders who want an editor, terminal, and browser side by side. Content creators who need color accuracy without buying a separate reference monitor. And gamers who prefer ultrawide immersion over the highest possible frame rates. If that sounds like you, keep reading, because there's a lot to unpack with this panel.

Competitive esports players should look elsewhere. The 144Hz refresh rate is fine for most people, but if you're grinding ranked matches in Valorant or CS2 and want every possible frame, a 240Hz or 360Hz panel will serve you better. You'd also be paying for color accuracy and ultrawide real estate you won't fully use in fast-paced competitive titles.

If portability matters at all, this monitor is a hard pass. The 13.2 out of 100 portability score and 10,478 gram weight mean this is a set-it-and-forget-it display. Anyone who needs to move their setup between rooms or take a monitor on the go should look at smaller, lighter options. And if you're on a strict budget, the wide price spread means you might find better value in a 34-inch ultrawide or a 27-inch productivity monitor unless you can snag the LG at the lower end of its price range.

For the multitasker who wants one monitor to rule them all, the LG 38BR85QC-W is a compelling package. The combination of a 37.5-inch ultrawide canvas, top-tier color accuracy, and a 144Hz refresh rate means you don't have to choose between a work monitor and a gaming monitor. The built-in KVM switch is genuinely useful if you run a laptop and desktop setup, and the USB-C with 90W power delivery means one cable can handle display, data, and charging.

If you're a competitive esports player chasing the highest possible frame rates, this isn't your monitor. The 144Hz ceiling is fine for most people, but serious competitive gamers will want something faster. And if you're on a tight budget, the price spread means you'll need to hunt for a deal. But for everyone else, especially creative professionals who game on the side, this is one of the most versatile panels we've seen in a while.