6 Benefits of Upgrading to an Ultrawide Monitor

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Most computer users would be happy with their laptop’s built-in display or the basic widescreen monitor that many desktop computers have. While they are indeed enough to get things done, ultrawide monitors have several advantages that you will only understand once you use them. Even though I started with a 24-inch widescreen model with a 16:9 aspect ratio, I was always curious about the ultra-wide option. So when I had some extra money, I bought an LG 29-inch ultrawide monitor to complement my external monitor, and I never looked back.

I liked the ultra-wide screen so much that I bought another one when I had the chance, giving me enough desktop real estate to avoid using Alt+Tab when working. For this reason, I’m going to share some of the benefits I began to experience when I upgraded to an ultrawide. These benefits have improved my productivity, improved the ergonomics of my workstation, and even made entertainment much more immersive. Of course, purchasing an ultrawide monitor also comes with some compromises. So while these benefits worked well for me, you still need to consider your own situation when deciding how (and if) an ultrawide monitor would fit into your workflow.

Getting an ultra-wide external display is one of the best home office upgrades I’ve ever implemented on my workstation. Most monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9, so the majority of apps and websites are often optimized for this aspect ratio. This means that placing two apps side by side on a standard widescreen display often cuts off some information. This may not be a problem if you just have a web page on one side of your screen and a word processor on the other, but it will quickly become a problem if you’re juggling three or more applications, or if you’re working with a spreadsheet with many different columns.

An ultrawide monitor can solve this problem by giving you more side space. Using a 21:9 monitor is like having half an extra monitor compared to a standard 24-inch monitor. This allows me, for example, to have Slack open all the time on the right third of the main monitor while keeping the left two thirds open for the main application I’m working in – Microsoft Word, Excel, a web browser, or whatever application I use to get things done. This is crucial for me as a remote worker, especially when I need to connect with my colleagues to collaborate. I also sometimes have three apps open simultaneously on my screen, which is still doable on my ultrawide screen but almost impossible on a standard widescreen monitor.

Dual monitor workstations are great for productivity, as the extra monitor means you can easily set up all the apps you need independent of each other. However, this configuration also poses some ergonomic problems, especially if the screens are not placed optimally. If you’re using dual monitors and the secondary display is placed at an extreme angle to your primary display, that means you’re constantly craning your neck to look at it. This could lead to repetitive strain injury (RSI), which is a type of muscle or tendon strain caused by repeating the same small movements over and over again — you know, like craning your neck to view a spreadsheet or web page.

An ultrawide monitor can solve this problem by keeping everything in front of you, so you no longer need to turn your head just to look at other apps or data. If you need even more space to run two full-size apps, like having two large-screen monitors side by side, you can opt for an even wider 32:9 ultrawide monitor, like this 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 monitor or this 45-inch LG UltraGear curved gaming monitor. Of course, just having a single ultrawide won’t automatically solve any issues you might have with your posture – you also need to make sure the screen is positioned at the right height to avoid the dreaded “tech neck” posture.

One way to avoid neck pain with a dual monitor setup is to position the screens directly in front of you. With both monitors in your field of view, you won’t need to move your neck just to look at one or the other screen. However, this introduces another problem: that awkward bezel (the frame that surrounds the screens) that runs across the middle of your desk. This is especially true if you have cheaper monitors with thick bezels, separating your desk into two sides with large pieces of plastic. But even if your screens have a minimal bezel, it will be difficult to hide this separation between your two screens.

This is one reason the smart money would buy a single ultrawide monitor instead of two monitors. This is especially true if your workstation doesn’t face a wall, as the view behind your desk can become distracting. You can buy a bezel-less Asus kit to hide that unsightly gap between your screens, but they’re quite expensive at $109, and not everyone will find them as effective at hiding the bezel. You might be better off saving that money to buy one of these cheap ultrawide monitors that are worth buying.

In addition to helping you be more productive, ultrawide monitors can also help you enjoy games and movies more than you already do. Unfortunately, not all games support an ultra-wide screen, especially older ones created before this type of monitor was available. Nevertheless, many popular modern titles, like Red Dead Redemption 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator, No Man’s Sky, Forza Horizon 6 and others, support ultra-wide gaming. If you’re playing a game that doesn’t scale much, you can temporarily change your monitor to a supported resolution (usually 1920 x 1080) to avoid running into issues.

Many older TV shows and movies are shot with a 16:9 aspect ratio, so you’ll have to deal with black bars on either side of the screen if you have a 21:9 ultrawide monitor. However, if you like the latest movies, you will appreciate the aspect ratio offered by these screens. Indeed, many filmmakers shoot their films with a wider aspect ratio, such as 2.35:1 or 2.40:1. This makes 21:9 ultrawide monitors ideal, since their 2.33:1 aspect ratio is often close enough that the black bars that fill the rest of the screen are minimal, if not unnoticeable.

Even though an ultrawide monitor generally costs more than a single standard-width screen with a similar height, the upgraded model is often still less expensive than purchasing two of these smaller screens of a similar caliber. For example, this 24-inch LG monitor with a 100 hertz (Hz) refresh rate and 99% sRGB (excellent color coverage) costs $169, but the 29-inch LG ultrawide monitor I shared above only costs $282.45. So if you buy just one of these instead of two 24-inch LG monitors, you’re saving about $55 up front. The only major difference between the two is that the ultrawide option doesn’t have AMD FreeSync, but that shouldn’t really matter if you’re only buying an ultrawide monitor for productivity or for watching movies.

Samsung monitors offer a similar value proposition. The 24-inch Odyssey G3 (G30D) costs $199.99, which means you’ll have to spend almost $400 if you want to get two of them. For comparison, the 34-inch ViewFinity S50GC, which is not only physically larger than the G30D but also has a much higher 1440p wide resolution, costs just $329.99. That means you save over $70 if you choose one of the latter instead of two of the former monitors. However, you’ll make some compromises if you choose the Samsung ultrawide monitor, such as a slower refresh rate (100 Hz versus 180 Hz) and higher response time (five milliseconds versus one millisecond gray-to-gray). These are rarely important for productivity purposes, but they may be important if you also enjoy competitive gaming or simply want the smoothest experience possible when playing games.

If you have two monitors on your desk, that means you’re using twice as many power and data connections as a single-monitor solution. While these simple-to-work cable accessories can help clean up wires coming out of your displays and into your desktop or laptop, having a single set of HDMI and power cables (or a single USB-C cable) will make organizing your desk much easier and reducing clutter on your desk.

Aside from that, a dual-monitor solution takes up more desktop space than a single ultra-wide display. This won’t be a problem if you have a large office table, like this amazing standing desk from Corsair, but you might struggle to fit two monitors on your desk if you only have a small workspace. For example, two monitors will have two bases, which means you will have less space to place your other desktop gadgets. On the other hand, a single ultrawide monitor will only have one base, freeing up a lot of desk space while reducing clutter. And of course, it will also improve your overall desktop experience.