LG has added another top-tier gaming monitor to its UltraGear line with an all-new 49-inch ultrawide curved display that features a 240Hz refresh rate.
While it may not boast an OLED panel like the recently released 45-inch LG 45GR95QE, the new 49GR85DC-B isn’t without a few extra tricks up its sleeve beyond its huge scale.
Essentially two Quad HD 16:9 screens slammed together without a gap or bezel; the new 49GR85DC-B monitor has an enveloping 32:9 aspect ratio that goes beyond the 21:9 ratio we’ve come to expect from ultrawide displays.
There’s also class-leading HDR, with the monitor confirmed as DisplayHDR 1000 certified, which suggests it is capable of 1000 nits peak brightness, as well as having local dimming.
Alongside those super-high contrast capabilities, the 1000R curve VA panel boasts a 5,120 by 1,440 resolution, with a claimed 1ms pixel response time to complement that headline 240Hz refresh rate. The 49GR85DC-B also features 98.5 percent DCI-P3 coverage, and AMD FreeSync Premium support.
There’s DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 inputs, with the option of connecting two different sources on each half of the screen.
For further dazzle, the chassis has customizable RGB lighting on the back, and while there are no built-in speakers, the new model does have a built-in four-pole headphone jack with support for DTS Headphone: X.
The 49GR85DC-B is available now to pre-order on LG's website for $1,300 in the US only, with the new model set to ship from April 23. Early birds that pre-order before April 2 will receive a complimentary UltraGear Gaming Pad worth $200, too. There's no news on UK or Australian pricing or availability, although we're expecting it to arrive in other markets at some point.
Analysis: New UltraGear looks an immersive marvel – but will there be the support to make it worthwhile?
The mega gaming monitor battleground is fast becoming a crowded field, what with Samsung’s Odyssey line-up and this new LG model following hot on the heels of its 45-inch OLED display.
This new ultrawide has arguably the best spec-sheet of any of its super-screen competitors, but as with all monitors boasting this sort of form factor, whether or not gamers will end up getting the full benefit of that insane width is yet to be seen.
Why? Because the 49GR85DC-B’s 32:9 ratio screen dimensions remain a fringe option that’s not always officially offered in AAA games such as Elden Ring and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
That means being left to rely on community mods for that screen-filling experience right now, but with more and more of these behemoth screens hitting the market, we’ll hopefully see better support incoming from developers.
