LG UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) gaming monitor review — curves dumping you into the middle of your game

LG recently launched their UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) gaming monitor in Australia and for the past couple of weeks it has been adorning my desk and I’m in love.

The new LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitors arrive in three different sizes, 34-, 39- and 45-inches with each size offering varying connectivity options and the 45-inch the only one with built-in speakers.

 

My breath was taken away before I’d even taken the monitor out of the box.  Maybe it is because my Alienware 38-in ultrawide gaming monitor is thick(-ish) but this LG UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) is incredibly thin – think smartphone thickness – and has bezels so small they rival many high end laptops.  The curvature is also a lot more than my 38-inch gaming monitor and this LG has the most aggressive curvature on a monitor I have ever seen.

The OLED display is a massive 44.5-inches in size with a 3440 x 1440pixel UWQHD resolution which is good but not great for a monitor this big.  Although it would have been nice to have a higher resolution that may affect the speed of some games if your PC is not up to the test of pushing a 4K resolution (which is the next step up).

 

I said above the curvature is aggressive and by that I mean that the 800R curve feels like the monitor is wrapping around you.  The ideal focal spot to use this monitor from is a small 80cm (800mm) which is close.  

While gaming the curve allows for an incredibly immersive experience and really feels like you are closer to the game.  On the other hand when using the monitor for productivity the curve may just be a bit high.  For basic web surfing, word processing etc it is fine but if you are performing more creative drawing and editing you may struggle with straight lines given the curve of the monitor can make a straight line look curved.

For me though all I do is gaming and basic productivity so it was a great experience.

 

OLED displays are much sought after for a reason – their colours pop while at the same offering deep blacks and a massive contrast and this monitor is no different.  The colours are vibrant, punchy and really a sight to behold.

The refresh rate of a monitor is important when gaming and the  LG UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) offers a 240Hz refresh rate – easily good enough for 90% of us casual gamers.  I was able to play even the fastest games without any issues at all – my reflexes are not good enough to worry about gaming at a higher refresh rate than that and I doubt yours are either.

LG includes  2 x HDMI 2.1 ports, 1 DisplayPort 1.4, two downstream USB 3.0 ports and a 4pole headphone out (DTS HP:X) port and a USB-C 65W PD port.  It is disappointing that the USB-C port is not Thunderbolt compatible but there aren’t many gaming monitors around with that included because there are better options for gaming than USB-C.  You can use the USB-C port for displaying though so it’s ok but I’d just use  the DisplayPort connectivity option if I were to buy this.

There is RGB lighting for the button underneath and the rear of the monitor.  LG calls this their Hexagon Lighting.  You can change the colour displayed within the settings to a range of preset colours or you can have it cycle through all the colours.

 

Performance

I tested the monitor on a range of games, some of them a bit old now but I’m old so when I find a game I often stick with it for a while: Battlefield 1, Red Dead Redemption 2, Warhammer 40000 Rogue Trader, Dakar Desert Rally and Cyberpunk 2077.

Taking into account my slowing reflexes, the gaming experience was astonishing.  The 800R curvature might look very too much but when gaming it really puts you within the game.  I love it.  Gaming on this monitor is an experience.

 

Final Verdict

At a tick under $3,000AUD the LG UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) gaming monitor is not cheap but it is big and it is beautiful.  The OLED display is bright and vibrant with colours that jump off the screen and the blackest of blacks. 

The curve of the monitor is extremely aggressive but it dumps you right into the middle of the game.  The design is incredibly impressive with the monitor impossibly thin with bezels that appear to be under 7mm.  If you have a spare $3,000 I can recommend you check out this monitor if you want an immersive gaming experience.

The LG UltraGear 45 OLED (45GS96QB) gaming monitor is available now at LG.com/au and leading retailers for RRP $2,999AU. For more information head on over to the LG website.