Is an Ultrawide Monitor the Right Option for You?

Ultrawide monitors come with their own set of pros and cons, although the number of pros is starting to increase with each passing year. As the name itself suggests, ultrawide monitors are much wider than the average rectangular monitors, laptop displays, and TVs that we are used to seeing. To give our readers an idea of the differences, let’s talk aspect ratios first 

What is Aspect Ratio in Reference to Monitors?

Aspect ratio is the ratio of proportion in between a monitor’s length and breadth. Most modern monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 16:10, but ultrawide monitors come with an aspect ratio of 21:9. Now, it should be understood that the individual length, breadth, and even resolution of a monitor’s panel will not change the aspect ratio, as long as the ratio in between the long and the short sides stay same.

For example, all monitors with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 (WQUXGA), 1920 x 1200 (WUXGA), or 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA+) will carry a 16:10 aspect ratio, irrespective of their physical dimensions. Similarly, ultrawide monitors also come in different sizes and resolutions, with the only similarity between them being the 21:9 aspect ratio. For example, monitors with resolutions such as 2560 × 1080 (WFHD), 3440 × 1440 (WQHD), and 3840 × 1600 (WQHD+) are all ultrawide monitors because the vertical and the horizontal pixel arrangements in the panels are in 21:9 aspect ratio.

Pro: Better Multitasking

The wider screen can be particularly beneficial for those who multitask. Those additional pixels and that wider display allows us to open more windows on the same screen, as compared to the standard 16:9 or 16:10 panels. For example, you will be able to open three decent sized windows on a single 21:9 ultrawide monitor, without losing clarity or visibility on any of them. However, buying an ultrawide screen monitor below 30” is probably not worth it in this regard as the text would be too small to be of use.

Pro: Immersive, Advantageous Gaming

Gamers can benefit the most from an ultrawide monitor as they allow better immersion and even provide players with a practical, in-game advantage. If you are playing a game that supports the 21:9 resolution, you will have a much wider view of the playing field on your sides. In esport, that is nothing short of a winning advantage. The G34w-10 ultrawide curved is the best Lenovo 144hz gaming monitor in 21:9 ratio that was built to let players take advantage of that wider side view in competitive shooters.

Con: Not Everything Supports the 21:9 Ratio

The ultrawide resolutions are still not supported by all software applications, movies in general, and older video games. Not that it will matter much, but if the resolution is not supported, you will see black bars on the sides.

In due time, this will not remain an issue. Just like with everything else that’s relatively new, this is only a temporary issue. All software developers will eventually adopt the 21:9 ultrawide resolutions as part of their supported aspect ratio formats. Most modern games have already done so.