The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

You can’t go wrong with one of the best ultrawide monitors if you’re a content creator or a hardcore gamer. That massive screen real estate that these widescreen displays offer is simply incomparable, and definitely ideal for not just playing the best PC games. In fact, as that extra bit of space actually helps streamline workflows and cuts the time you spend on work, they’re actually ideal for getting a lot of productivity and creative tasks done.

The best part is that the best ultrawide monitors come in many shapes, sizes and feature sets. That means that depending on your budget, needs and desk space, you’ll definitely find one that fits the bill. If you need one for video or photo editing, there’s an ideal one out there with a vibrant design and excellent color accuracy. If you need a gaming monitor, you’ll find one with low latency and fast refresh rates. 

We gathered the best ultrawide monitors 2020 has to offer, all of which we tested and reviewed ourselves. When just having a nice monitor won’t cut it anymore, the best ultrawide monitors are here to take over. Go wide or go home.

Best ultrawide monitors at a glance

  1. BenQ EX3501R
  2. AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition
  3. Alienware AW3418DW
  4. Asus Designo Curve MX38VC
  5. MSI Prestige PS341WU
  6. AOC CU34G2X 
  7. LG 34UC79G-B
The BenQ EX3501R is equipped with a USB-C input and an astonishing 2,500:1 contrast ratio. (Image credit: Future; EA)

1. BenQ EX3501R

Finally, an ultrawide HDR monitor

Screen size: 35-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440 | Brightness: : 300 cd/m2 | Refresh rate: 100Hz | Response time: 4ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 2,500:1 | Color support: sRGB 100% | Weight: 23 pounds

Huge display

HDR

Needs a bit of tweaking

Ultrawide resolutions are already pushing our computing experiences to the edge, so when we came across the BenQ EX3501R, a 3,440 x 1,440 monitor with HDR, we sat up and took notice. This is an absolutely incredible gaming monitor – though BenQ advertises it as a ‘video enjoyment monitor’ – and considering it’s equipped with a USB-C input and an astonishing 2,500:1 contrast ratio, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything not to love about one of the best ultrawide monitors out there. Well, at least until you look at the price tag.

Read the full review: BenQ EX3501R

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

The AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition is an excellent ultrawide monitor (Image credit: Future)

2. AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition

A premium high-refresh ultrawide monitor

Screen size: 35-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440 | Brightness: 300 cd/m2 | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Response time: 4ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 2,500:1: | Color support: sRGB 100% | Weight: 26 pounds

Amazing color

Up to 120Hz refresh rate

Thick bezels

Ultrawide resolution? Check. Fast 120Hz refresh rate? Also check. The AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition is certainly more than its clumsy name lets on. This 3,440 x 1,440 ultrawide monitor isn’t just stunning with its perfect VA panel, but coupled with a 120Hz refresh rate and a low 4ms response time, it should make the top of any gamer’s list of the best ultrawide monitors. Just bear in mind, that if you want to take full advantage of the AOC Agon, you’re going to need a little help from something like the RTX 2080 Ti.

Read the full review:  AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

The Alienware AW3418DW has been around a while, but it’s still great. (Image credit: Future)

3. Alienware AW3418DW

Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440 | Brightness: 300 cd/m2 | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Response time: 4ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 | Color support: sRGB 100% | Weight: 26 pounds

Excellent display

G-Sync

Expensive

The best ultrawide monitors aren’t just great for experiencing the best PC games, they’re also amazing for creatives and professionals. And, the Asus Designo Curve MX38VC is an exceptional example, providing excellent color accuracy, and a high resolution that’ll be a boost to photo and video editors. Considering its price tag, it would have been nice to have HDR included, but this gets the creative job done so well that we can easily overlook that little exclusion.

Read the full review: Alienware AW3418DW

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

The Asus Designo Curve MX38VC is a great ultrawide for creatives. (Image credit: Future)

4. Asus Designo Curve MX38VC

An ultrawide for the creatives

Screen size: 37.5-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3,840 x 1,600 | Brightness: 300 cd/m2 | Response time: 5ms G2G (grey-to-grey) | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 1,000:1 | Color support: 1.07 million colors | Weight: 9.9kg

4K and Ultrawide

Built-in Qi wireless charging

No HDR

The best ultrawide monitors aren’t just great for experiencing the best PC games, they’re also amazing for creatives and professionals. And, the Asus Designo Curve MX38VC is an exceptional example, providing excellent color accuracy, and a high resolution that’ll be a boost to photo and video editors. Considering its price tag, it would have been nice to have HDR included, but this gets the creative job done so well that we can easily overlook that little exclusion.

Read the full review: Asus Designo Curve MX38VC

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

The MSI Prestige PS341WU is a cut above the 4K norm. (Image credit: MSI)

5. MSI Prestige PS341WU

When 4K just doesn’t cut it…

USB-C: Yes | Screen size: 34 inches | Resolution: 5,120 x 2,160 | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | HDMI inputs: HDMI 2.0 x 2 | Display ports: DisplayPort v1.4 x 1

Glorious 5K2K resolution

Superb Nano IPS panel

Great feature set

Patchy build quality

Mediocre HDR performance

If you’re looking for a monitor that’s a cut above the 4K norm, then you’ve got the MSI Prestige PS341WU. Showing up any impeccable 4K monitor is by no means an easy feat, but this monitor does so with the huge 5K2K native resolution (and 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio) of its luscious 34-inch IPS screen. It doesn’t come cheap, but it does have a great feature set to make up for that, including a Nano IPS panel with DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR support and comprehensive connectivity. All that packed in a beautiful white aesthetic, and you’ve got yourself one of the best ultrawide monitors of 2020.

Read the full review: MSI Prestige PS341WU 

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

(Image credit: AOC)

6. AOC CU34G2X

Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440 | Brightness: 300 cd/m2 | Refresh rate: 144Hz | Response time: 1ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 80M:1 | Color support: 16.7 Million | Weight: 20.9 lbs

Superb performance

Immersive

Menu is hard to navigate

No G-Sync

There’s no arguing with this monitor’s exceptional performance. This ‘frameless’ monitor works hard to provide best-in-class performance, rather than advertising its gamer-centric nature via sharp angles and aggressive RGB lighting. Though if you are looking for gaming features, it boasts a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time and 1440p resolution for immersing gaming that looks incredible as well. And, with a $450/£450 price tag, you’re certainly getting a lot of value for your money.

Read the full review: AOC CU34G2X

The best ultrawide monitors 2020: top 21:9 monitors

The LG 34UC79G-B is an affordable ultrawide monitor. (Image credit: Future)

7. LG 34UC79G-B

An ultrawide without the ultra-price

Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,080 | Brightness: 250 cd/m2 | Response time: 10.3ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio: 1000:1 | Color support: sRGB 92.1% | Weight: 8.6kg

Affordable

AMD FreeSync

Lower resolution than other options

One of the main drawbacks of the best ultrawide monitors is that they happen to be on the expensive side. Sure, having an extremely wide screen is fantastic, but if you can’t spend a grand on a new monitor, you’re out of luck. Luckily, the LG 34UC79G-B is here to save the day on a budget. Now, this display doesn’t have as high a resolution as some of the other selections on this list, coming in at 2,560 x 1,080, but with the amount of money you’re saving, it almost doesn’t even matter. Plus, you’re getting FreeSync, too.

Read the full review: LG 34UC79G-B

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