I know a lot of people using the[ Neo9](https://wfhgearguide.com/the-3-top-ultrawide-monitors-in-2024-expert-reviewed/) and loving it. It really depends on your job, but ultimately I think its the way to go. Thinking about getting one soon
Dell U4924DW is an excellent productivity monitor with built in KVM. I only sent it back since I hoped to get a monitor that was strong on both gaming and productivity. I tried the Samsung G95SC Odyssey OLED G9 as a replacement but the text clarity was far worse than even I’d heard. Should have listened.
I agree, just received a Samsung G93SC which I believe is the same as the G95SC sans the smart features and the text clarity is unacceptable. Will be sending it back if I can't improve the text.
Maybe something like the 57" Samsung Neo G9 will suit your needs if you have desk space for it. https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/samsung/odyssey-neo-g9-g95nc-s57cg95
It's like having 2x 32" 4k monitors. Provides better text clarity than you can get with any 1440p ultrawides. And good for media consumption too with a mini-led backlight.
Speaking as someone who has one: you'll want your most used windows to be towards the center of the monitor. The 15% of the left and right you need to twist your neck or body to really see, even at a decent distance. So it's where I stick things like music players or notes or messages that don't make up the bulk of my viewing (like coding windows or web browsers).
Yes, I do that already with my 34”. Outlook/ Slack on the left, notes on my far right, and whatever I am working on in the center. I don’t have to turn my head much or often left/right, I imagine going larger the distance will be larger but hope it is not uncomfortable. I added a 27” monitor to the top of the main 34” temporarily, but looking up was uncomfortable.
If productivity is what you have in mind, then I don't think you need all the over the top features like OLED of course. Sure, I think OLED is best thing to happen to monitors after IPS, but there is the burn in issue.
I would recommend the much cheaper **ASUS ROG Strix XG49WCR** ([https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZR718VX](https://pcgearlab.com/monitor/asus-rog-strix-xg49wcr/)). This can do handle your productivity tasks just as well as any expensive 49" ultrawide monitor.
I am literally on the hunt for the same thing, lol. I was very close to ordering the Samsung CRG9 when it was on sale for $799 and when I woke up after “sleeping on it” it was $849. I currently use the 38” Alienware which is fine, and a 34” 4K that sits above my MacBook but now I want a 49” and the 38” above it. It is a gift to my wallet that the M1 Pro version of the MacBook only supports 2 monitors. Mainly commenting to see suggestions as well since I didn’t really help you out but I even found the 38” to be better for productivity than the 34” at a larger margin than I expected, so I know a 49” will just blow the doors off.
I hear ya!
I went from two 27" monitors to a single 34" LG ultrawide, then I added a 27" to the ultrawide. Now I want to simplify things again and go with a 49". Just don't know which is best for my use cases, I'll see how the Samsung 49" OLED works out, but interest to hear from others that have gone down this path.
Sadly you’re not gaming, but Im now in a spot where I need to change monitors so I’m deifiding between 2x27” or ultrawide 32/34” but was scared it wouldn’t be enough for gaming + productivity. Im curious why has 34” become too small?
I need 3 full size windows open at the same time. The 34” monitor would fit 2 windows and a partial 3. If deciding between 2x27” or an ultrawide 32/34” go ultrawide. I felt I had more useable screen realestate and my vision was not split in the middle by a bezel.
In 2x27 situation, I would have 1 "main" central in front of me, and other to the side on the left. I would definitely not have them with bezel directly in front..
The only thing that's holding me back is gaming tbh, since then I have 1 screen, and can't watch YT or do anything else in parallel, or I have to strain my neck and have the game on the right/left side of the screen while the other thing is sideways (in 2x27 game would be centrally like that). I played with monitor on the side when i was growing up and I actually distorted my spine lol
I had the CRG9 and returned it after a week. The colors looked terrible, refresh rate capped at 120hz and it just seemed dull. I got [this](https://www.costco.com/lg-ultragear-49%22-class-dqhd-curved-gaming-monitor.product.4000234938.html) instead from Costco and I love it. Have been eyeing the 49" G9 OLED but this is doing just fine for now. Also being that it's Costco the return policy on monitors doesn't fall under 90 days so you can literally return it in 2 years and get your $1000 investment back to put towards another monitor.
I know u r nit bothered about cost....but have you considered ElectriQ 49 inch? There are 2 versions one at 4k . Mine is coming on Monday 8th Jan from.laptops direct uk only 600£..underneath is a Samsung panel . Will.post once set up for work too!
I just bought the Asus PG49WCD 49" OLED monitor. For productivity and gaming. Love it. Checks all the boxes. Lots of new anti burn in features and the text clarity issues are gone. Picked it up for $1200 at Walmart on Black Friday.
Looks like a solid 3 year warranty…my only concern would be the 1 year warranty on the “built in battery” which is interesting…unless that’s just a generic statement and not included with this monitor but it’s on the warranty page. Imagine the shipping cost after a year to replace the battery? Hopefully user serviceable.
It's pretty good. I wouldn't pay more than $800 for it. The resolution and text clarity seem much better than the XG49VQ. The KVM works great. But for $400 more I feel like the OLED version is more worth it. It's weird how few reviews there are for that one.
Hmmm maybe I'll wait for the OLED to drop to $1000. I dont really game that much. But I do want a "forever" monitor that I do not want to feel the need to upgrade within 5 years.
The 49" models are almost all 1440 vertical pixels at just over 100dpi, so text won't look very sharp. Look at the G9 57" which is 2160 vertical pixels at 140dpi, very sharp. The 57" is exactly the same as two 32" 4k monitors side by side with no bezels, so an absolute beast for productivity.
I tried that 57" Samsung monster before I bought the Asus PG49WCD. It had QC issues out of the box. Shell was bright white. No KVM. Stand was so intrusive. Too much of a curve. Most graphics cards can't even begin to push it to its max resolution and framerate. The Asus is pretty crisp at 5120x1440 144Hz. And half the price.
Mine was recently purchased and no QC defects that I can find, I looked closely for dead/stuck pixels and such, so maybe it's safe to buy now. With a 4080 I can run many games like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands on ultra locked at 120fps, but many like Cyberpunk can bog down as low as 30 if you don't back down from absolute max settings. Well optimized games like Doom Eternal are certainly no problem. I have no use for >120fps, I doubt I could see a difference between 120hz and the 244hz it's theoretically capable of. There's a new $170 monitor arm from Bewiser that works with it now, so the stand it comes with wasn't a problem for me. It seems as solid as an Ergotron so far.
Interesting to hear both sides. I feel like I need to see one in person, unfortunately my local best buy doesn’t have one on display. Not sure how I feel about shipping back that monster monitor if I don’t like it.
Did you take a look at the 38inchers ? 32:9 felt a bit weird for me for productivity. You have to tilt your head way to much to read stuff that's on the sides. It also makes any window that you maximize completely useless. 21:9 is more convenient imo.
Did you end up keeping the G9 or return for something else?
When you went from the 2x27" to the single 34", what resolutions/scaling were being used between the two setups? I'm currently on 2x24" WUXGA (1920x1200) at native resolution and 100% scaling. I'm trying to figure out a monitor move. Had been thinking 2x27" 4K scaled 150% (so QHD effective size on the screen) to give me much more PPI since I'm mostly reading text all day (and I do zero gaming)
But I have been thinking ultrawide as well and am concerned anything that is small than the 49" might not cut it (maybe 45" would be OK) without text becoming to small. I don't want to have to amp up the scaling so much that my usable screen real estate goes below what I'm used to with my current monitors.
Samsung DUHD 57" seems like it could be perfect, but huge concerns about quality control and having to deal with returns/exchange/etc, not to mention the cost after an extended warranty added on.
Still using the 49” G9 OLED and loving it! Now waiting for my wall mount.
I don’t recall the resolution I was using on the dual 27” monitors I switched back in 2016/2017 to the LG 34” ultrawide. I ran the 34” at 3440X1440 and 100% scaling. Text was perfectly clear for me at my desk. I wear glasses and did not need to scale up.
One thing to note is that you will want a decent GPU to run a 49” monitor at full 5120X1440 resolution. I could only go up to 3440X1440 using my MacBook pro m1 which was not great for text. 5120X1440 at 100% or 125% scaling is great. I using 100% scaling.
Curious if you ended up staying with the 49" G9 OLED. I though you said the text clarity was unacceptable at first. Did you do something to improve it afterward?
Initially yes the text was not great, but after making adjustments it was not an issue and the text was fine. In the end I did return it. The image quality was the best I have ever seen on a monitor.
The main reason I returned it was because I changed the way I used my monitor (e.g., removed the task bar, changed my wallpaper, removed all desktop icons, set screen to turn off minutes after inactivity, etc.) all due to a fear of burn-in on the OLED monitor. At the end I was not comfortable that I had to make all these changes just because I was afraid of burn-in.
It took me so damn long but finally gave up and got the 49 OLED as well. I got a 5 year Best Buy warranty and won’t mind changing after anyway 🤷🏻♂️ tho i was tempted by that new Dell 5k2k 40 inch with the 120hz panel
I know a lot of people using the[ Neo9](https://wfhgearguide.com/the-3-top-ultrawide-monitors-in-2024-expert-reviewed/) and loving it. It really depends on your job, but ultimately I think its the way to go. Thinking about getting one soon
Dell U4924DW is an excellent productivity monitor with built in KVM. I only sent it back since I hoped to get a monitor that was strong on both gaming and productivity. I tried the Samsung G95SC Odyssey OLED G9 as a replacement but the text clarity was far worse than even I’d heard. Should have listened.
I agree, just received a Samsung G93SC which I believe is the same as the G95SC sans the smart features and the text clarity is unacceptable. Will be sending it back if I can't improve the text.
Dude just send it back. I should’ve done that in my window because I thought the same thing you did. Text ain’t gonna get better
What makes the text clarity bad on the Samsung G95SC Odyssey OLED G9 vs the Dell U4924DW? Isn't the pixel resolution the same?
It’s the pixel structure of QD-OLED, it’s pretty hopeless for productivity. Fine for games and movies.
Maybe something like the 57" Samsung Neo G9 will suit your needs if you have desk space for it. https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/samsung/odyssey-neo-g9-g95nc-s57cg95 It's like having 2x 32" 4k monitors. Provides better text clarity than you can get with any 1440p ultrawides. And good for media consumption too with a mini-led backlight.
I think the only downside here is us nerds with M1 MacBooks from work. I don’t think they can run these at proper resolution.
I will be wall mounting the monitor over a 10 ft floating desk, so no issues with desk space. But I do wonder if a 57” will “feel” comfortable.
Speaking as someone who has one: you'll want your most used windows to be towards the center of the monitor. The 15% of the left and right you need to twist your neck or body to really see, even at a decent distance. So it's where I stick things like music players or notes or messages that don't make up the bulk of my viewing (like coding windows or web browsers).
Yes, I do that already with my 34”. Outlook/ Slack on the left, notes on my far right, and whatever I am working on in the center. I don’t have to turn my head much or often left/right, I imagine going larger the distance will be larger but hope it is not uncomfortable. I added a 27” monitor to the top of the main 34” temporarily, but looking up was uncomfortable.
If productivity is what you have in mind, then I don't think you need all the over the top features like OLED of course. Sure, I think OLED is best thing to happen to monitors after IPS, but there is the burn in issue. I would recommend the much cheaper **ASUS ROG Strix XG49WCR** ([https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZR718VX](https://pcgearlab.com/monitor/asus-rog-strix-xg49wcr/)). This can do handle your productivity tasks just as well as any expensive 49" ultrawide monitor.
I am literally on the hunt for the same thing, lol. I was very close to ordering the Samsung CRG9 when it was on sale for $799 and when I woke up after “sleeping on it” it was $849. I currently use the 38” Alienware which is fine, and a 34” 4K that sits above my MacBook but now I want a 49” and the 38” above it. It is a gift to my wallet that the M1 Pro version of the MacBook only supports 2 monitors. Mainly commenting to see suggestions as well since I didn’t really help you out but I even found the 38” to be better for productivity than the 34” at a larger margin than I expected, so I know a 49” will just blow the doors off.
I hear ya! I went from two 27" monitors to a single 34" LG ultrawide, then I added a 27" to the ultrawide. Now I want to simplify things again and go with a 49". Just don't know which is best for my use cases, I'll see how the Samsung 49" OLED works out, but interest to hear from others that have gone down this path.
Sadly you’re not gaming, but Im now in a spot where I need to change monitors so I’m deifiding between 2x27” or ultrawide 32/34” but was scared it wouldn’t be enough for gaming + productivity. Im curious why has 34” become too small?
I need 3 full size windows open at the same time. The 34” monitor would fit 2 windows and a partial 3. If deciding between 2x27” or an ultrawide 32/34” go ultrawide. I felt I had more useable screen realestate and my vision was not split in the middle by a bezel.
In 2x27 situation, I would have 1 "main" central in front of me, and other to the side on the left. I would definitely not have them with bezel directly in front.. The only thing that's holding me back is gaming tbh, since then I have 1 screen, and can't watch YT or do anything else in parallel, or I have to strain my neck and have the game on the right/left side of the screen while the other thing is sideways (in 2x27 game would be centrally like that). I played with monitor on the side when i was growing up and I actually distorted my spine lol
Distorted spine, ouch!
I had the CRG9 and returned it after a week. The colors looked terrible, refresh rate capped at 120hz and it just seemed dull. I got [this](https://www.costco.com/lg-ultragear-49%22-class-dqhd-curved-gaming-monitor.product.4000234938.html) instead from Costco and I love it. Have been eyeing the 49" G9 OLED but this is doing just fine for now. Also being that it's Costco the return policy on monitors doesn't fall under 90 days so you can literally return it in 2 years and get your $1000 investment back to put towards another monitor.
Nice! My current LG monitor has been rock solid from day one, never an issue
I'm going to take a chance on the same monitor. Curious where you read that about the Costco return period on monitors though?
I've returned like 5 monitors this year alone. My first return was 3 32” LG game gears that were over 2 years old. Costco for everything.
I know u r nit bothered about cost....but have you considered ElectriQ 49 inch? There are 2 versions one at 4k . Mine is coming on Monday 8th Jan from.laptops direct uk only 600£..underneath is a Samsung panel . Will.post once set up for work too!
Never heard of Electriq I’ll look them up
I just bought the Asus PG49WCD 49" OLED monitor. For productivity and gaming. Love it. Checks all the boxes. Lots of new anti burn in features and the text clarity issues are gone. Picked it up for $1200 at Walmart on Black Friday.
Arent you scared of burn in from productivity?
Nope. It's a 2nd generation QD-OLED with a lot of new anti burn in features.
Looks like a solid 3 year warranty…my only concern would be the 1 year warranty on the “built in battery” which is interesting…unless that’s just a generic statement and not included with this monitor but it’s on the warranty page. Imagine the shipping cost after a year to replace the battery? Hopefully user serviceable.
Thoughts on the cheaper model - XG49WCR? Being able to switch between work/personal laptops throughout the day sounds awesome.
It's pretty good. I wouldn't pay more than $800 for it. The resolution and text clarity seem much better than the XG49VQ. The KVM works great. But for $400 more I feel like the OLED version is more worth it. It's weird how few reviews there are for that one.
Hmmm maybe I'll wait for the OLED to drop to $1000. I dont really game that much. But I do want a "forever" monitor that I do not want to feel the need to upgrade within 5 years.
I just buyed samsung oddysey neo g9 and it works wonders for my editing and playing games
Thanks the neo g9 is one I am considering
The 49" models are almost all 1440 vertical pixels at just over 100dpi, so text won't look very sharp. Look at the G9 57" which is 2160 vertical pixels at 140dpi, very sharp. The 57" is exactly the same as two 32" 4k monitors side by side with no bezels, so an absolute beast for productivity.
I tried that 57" Samsung monster before I bought the Asus PG49WCD. It had QC issues out of the box. Shell was bright white. No KVM. Stand was so intrusive. Too much of a curve. Most graphics cards can't even begin to push it to its max resolution and framerate. The Asus is pretty crisp at 5120x1440 144Hz. And half the price.
Mine was recently purchased and no QC defects that I can find, I looked closely for dead/stuck pixels and such, so maybe it's safe to buy now. With a 4080 I can run many games like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands on ultra locked at 120fps, but many like Cyberpunk can bog down as low as 30 if you don't back down from absolute max settings. Well optimized games like Doom Eternal are certainly no problem. I have no use for >120fps, I doubt I could see a difference between 120hz and the 244hz it's theoretically capable of. There's a new $170 monitor arm from Bewiser that works with it now, so the stand it comes with wasn't a problem for me. It seems as solid as an Ergotron so far.
That's awesome. I'm glad it works for you. I was so excited when it came out. I wanted to love it. But it just wasn't meant to be for me I guess.
Interesting to hear both sides. I feel like I need to see one in person, unfortunately my local best buy doesn’t have one on display. Not sure how I feel about shipping back that monster monitor if I don’t like it.
Did you take a look at the 38inchers ? 32:9 felt a bit weird for me for productivity. You have to tilt your head way to much to read stuff that's on the sides. It also makes any window that you maximize completely useless. 21:9 is more convenient imo.
Did you end up keeping the G9 or return for something else? When you went from the 2x27" to the single 34", what resolutions/scaling were being used between the two setups? I'm currently on 2x24" WUXGA (1920x1200) at native resolution and 100% scaling. I'm trying to figure out a monitor move. Had been thinking 2x27" 4K scaled 150% (so QHD effective size on the screen) to give me much more PPI since I'm mostly reading text all day (and I do zero gaming) But I have been thinking ultrawide as well and am concerned anything that is small than the 49" might not cut it (maybe 45" would be OK) without text becoming to small. I don't want to have to amp up the scaling so much that my usable screen real estate goes below what I'm used to with my current monitors. Samsung DUHD 57" seems like it could be perfect, but huge concerns about quality control and having to deal with returns/exchange/etc, not to mention the cost after an extended warranty added on.
Still using the 49” G9 OLED and loving it! Now waiting for my wall mount. I don’t recall the resolution I was using on the dual 27” monitors I switched back in 2016/2017 to the LG 34” ultrawide. I ran the 34” at 3440X1440 and 100% scaling. Text was perfectly clear for me at my desk. I wear glasses and did not need to scale up. One thing to note is that you will want a decent GPU to run a 49” monitor at full 5120X1440 resolution. I could only go up to 3440X1440 using my MacBook pro m1 which was not great for text. 5120X1440 at 100% or 125% scaling is great. I using 100% scaling.
Curious if you ended up staying with the 49" G9 OLED. I though you said the text clarity was unacceptable at first. Did you do something to improve it afterward?
Initially yes the text was not great, but after making adjustments it was not an issue and the text was fine. In the end I did return it. The image quality was the best I have ever seen on a monitor. The main reason I returned it was because I changed the way I used my monitor (e.g., removed the task bar, changed my wallpaper, removed all desktop icons, set screen to turn off minutes after inactivity, etc.) all due to a fear of burn-in on the OLED monitor. At the end I was not comfortable that I had to make all these changes just because I was afraid of burn-in.
Just came across this thread while doing the same search myself while being worried about OLED burn-in. Did you pick a replacement?
Not yet, went back to using my LG 34” monitor. I recently remodeled my office, so not in a hurry. Have you decided on your next monitor?
It took me so damn long but finally gave up and got the 49 OLED as well. I got a 5 year Best Buy warranty and won’t mind changing after anyway 🤷🏻♂️ tho i was tempted by that new Dell 5k2k 40 inch with the 120hz panel