The 21: 9 or ultra-wide format has been with us for some time, but during the last two years, and largely thanks to the appearance of curved screens, a characteristic that is perfectly suited to very wide ratios and their popularization between the collective gamer, the market has exploited it with endless manufacturers and models. The advantages of having extra space on the desk, without having to resort to solutions with several monitors, is something that those who work with graphic design or video editing already know. However, today programmers and fans of multitasking are also beginning to add to the option of working at an extended desktop.
This group of users clearly benefits from the extra desktop space that the 21: 9 aspect ratio offers. Intensive users of applications that require to keep a large number of windows open simultaneously (as in some online multi-table games or in streaming video from various sources type Video Stream Manager) and for those who need clarity in organizing them, they will see how this task is simplified while freeing up space on the table.
The truth is that after getting used to the ultra-wide format, it is very difficult to return to the 16: 9 standard, especially if you also use your monitor to watch movies: those shot in scope format (2,35: 1) fit perfectly , with hardly any black borders, in the frame of 21: 9 monitors, which offers image diagonals typical of a classic monitor of much larger size. At 16: 9, much of the screen space needs to be filled with black to preserve the aspect ratio of the movie and not cut content; With the ultra-wide format, all the space on the panel is used.
If after this introduction you want to take a look at the horizons that ultra-wide reveals to us, we leave you with three exponents of this format, fitting into three different profiles: the one focused on the gamer that demands a dizzying refreshment rate; the an entry level, for those who want to start at 21: 9 and are looking for an affordable price; and the top of the range, a 38-inch curved beast with which to turn our desk into a full-fledged panopticon.
Acer Predator Z35
Source: acer.com
El Acer Predator Z35 It looks spectacular: it offers us a resolution of 2560 × 1080 pixels in 35 inches, but where it really stands out over its competitors is in its refresh rate: with the Overclock option it can reach a whopping 200 Hz, something that is a great incentive for those "gamers" who need to take advantage of every millisecond of advantage. Added to this feature are NVIDIA technologies® G-SYNC, which allows you to synchronize the monitor's refresh rate with the speed at which the GPU renders each frame and thus say goodbye to fragmentation and frame reduction, and NVIDIA® Ultra Low Motion Blur to obtain greater clarity and definition of objects when using high refresh rates.
On the contrary, to say that we are facing a VA panel, not IPS, with which the viewing angles are slightly reduced, but it should not pose any problem in a monitor designed to play at short distances. In return, the response time and refreshment benefit from the peculiarities of this technology and reduce the price of this monitor a bit, which is around € 1.000.
LG29UM68-P
Source: lg.com
El LG29UM68-P It is a true all-rounder of the 21: 9, as well as one of the options with the best value for money to make the leap to the ultra-wide. For less than € 280, it offers us an IPS panel with an enveloping 21: 9 field of view, black stabilization to enjoy greater brightness and contrast in movies and games that present many dark scenes, FreeSync technology (AMD's answer to the G -SYNC from NVIDIA) and a color spectrum coverage greater than 99% sRGB.
For those who need to improve their productivity, it offers PIP and Split-Screen modes from several external sources, something that allows you to work from two different computers with a single monitor, keyboard and mouse. For those who are thinking of playing, they will find custom settings for FPS, RTS and a long etcetera.
LG 38UC99
Source: lg.com
We end up with an object of desire for anyone. LG presented the 38UC99 as the world's first 38-inch IPS monitor with a curved panel, and the truth is that, so far, it is one of a kind. It offers an ultra-wide QHD + resolution that fills our retinas with 3840 × 1600 pixels. It is a product aimed at design professionals, 3D modeling, video editors or anyone who makes the development of creative processes a way of life. Its price is around € 1.350.
In addition to sRGB + 99% coverage, among its features we find a Motion Blur reduction system (which in theory reduces the response time by up to one millisecond), Free Sync technology, an advanced version of Split-Screen that allows up to fourteen different configurations of screen distribution, multi-input PIP, Bluetooth speakers or USB type C connectors with Quick Charge system. Among this avalanche of features we do find an important absence for NVIDIA users: it does not have the G-SYNC option.
