The LG 49GR85DC-B is a 49-inch super ultrawide gaming monitor with a 1000R curve. It's a new option in 2023 and is one of a handful of monitors from LG with a large 32:9 aspect ratio. With a 5120x1440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, it mainly competes as a cheaper alternative to the popular Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95, which has extra features like Mini LED backlighting. Besides that, it has everything you'd expect to find in a gaming monitor, like support for all common variable refresh rate (VRR) formats, including HDMI Forum VRR. It supports both DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you can reach its max refresh rate with high-end graphics cards that support compression. It even features an edge-lit local dimming feature, but it's limited to 12 dimming zones.
Our Verdict
The LG 49GR85DC-B is good for PC gaming. It has a high 240Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for any type of gamer, and it supports all common VRR formats. It also offers a responsive feel thanks to its low input lag, but while it has a good overall response time, there's still black smearing with fast-moving objects. Also, it has noticeable VRR flicker with changing frame rates, particularly in dark scenes, which is disappointing if your PC can't maintain a consistent frame rate. Luckily, it delivers okay picture quality with high HDR peak brightness, enough for highlights to pop, and a decent contrast ratio, but its local dimming feature performs terribly, causing blooming around bright objects.
- 240Hz refresh rate with VRR support.
- Low input lag.
- Decent contrast ratio.
- Response time is fairly consistent across VRR range.
- Smearing behind fast-moving objects.
- Terrible local dimming feature results in noticeable blooming.
- Noticeable VRR flicker with changing frame rates.
The LG 49GR85DC-B is great for console gaming. While it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of the Xbox Series X|S and PS5, the consoles don't support ultrawide gaming, so you'll see black bars on the sides. That said, it has low input lag for a responsive feel, and it has a decent response time at 120Hz and 60Hz, but there's black smearing with fast-moving objects. Games also look realistic thanks to the monitor's decent contrast and excellent color volume, but it has a terrible local dimming feature that causes blooming around bright objects.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Low input lag.
- Decent contrast ratio.
- Smearing behind fast-moving objects.
- Terrible local dimming feature results in noticeable blooming.
The LG 49GR85DC-B is decent for office use. Its large 49-inch screen and 32:9 aspect ratio make it easy to multitask with multiple windows open, as there's plenty of screen real estate. It also gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit office space and has good reflection handling. However, it has some limitations because its narrow viewing angles make the image look washed out at the sides if you sit too close. It also has trouble rendering text clearly, as most text looks blurry.
- Large 49-inch screen and 32:9 aspect ratio.
- Performs well in bright rooms.
- Text clarity issues.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The LG 49GR85DC is decent for media creation. Its 49-inch screen and 32:9 aspect ratio are especially ideal if you want to see most of your video editing timeline at once or if you want to multitask with different windows open. It also has an accurate sRGB mode and displays a wide range of colors in SDR. However, it has some downsides, as there are text clarity issues. It also has narrow viewing angles, so the edges of the screen look washed out if you sit too close.
- Performs well in bright rooms.
- Decent contrast ratio.
- Accurate sRGB mode.
- Text clarity issues.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The LG 49GR85DC-B has excellent brightness. It gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room, and it gets even brighter in HDR, so highlights pop against the rest of the image.
- Performs well in bright rooms.
- Excellent HDR peak brightness.
The LG 49GR85DC-B has a good overall response time. Although it's fairly consistent across its refresh rate range, there's noticeable smearing and blur with fast-moving objects.
- Response time is fairly consistent across VRR range.
- Smearing behind fast-moving objects.
The LG 49GR85DC-B is okay for HDR. It gets bright enough for highlights to pop and colors to look vivid, and it also has a decent contrast ratio that helps it display deep blacks. That said, it has a terrible local dimming feature that causes intense blooming around bright objects.
- Decent contrast ratio.
- Terrible local dimming feature results in noticeable blooming.
The LG 49GR85DC-B has okay SDR picture quality. It displays a wide range of colors, and its contrast without local dimming is decent enough, but it has noticeable clouding in dark scenes.
- Decent contrast ratio.
- Clouding without local dimming enabled.
The LG 49GR85DC-B has impressive accuracy. It has a dedicated sRGB mode with great accuracy before calibration, but you still need to calibrate it for the most accurate colors. It has great gray uniformity, but there's a bit of noticeable dirty screen effect in the center, meaning the image is less accurate there.
- Accurate sRGB mode.
- Some noticeable dirty screen effect.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Feb 21, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.0.1. This includes a new test result for DisplayPort 2.1 Transmission Bandwidth.
- Updated Aug 16, 2024: Clarified that the LG comes with DTS Headphone:X.
- Updated Apr 26, 2024: Corrected the scores in Console Compatibility to reflect that it needs to downscale 4k signals.
- Updated Apr 17, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 2.0, mainly in the Verdict and Motion sections.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 49-inch LG 49GR85DC-B, which is the only size available, so the results are only valid for this monitor.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | Max Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49GR85DC-B | 49" | VA | 5120x1440 | 240Hz |
Our unit was manufactured in February 2023; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The LG UltraGear 49GR85DC-B is a good PC gaming monitor that offers a fast refresh rate and good enough motion handling, and the super ultrawide screen helps provide an immersive gaming experience. However, if you're looking for an ultrawide gaming monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio, you can get better picture quality and performance with the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95. Although it costs a bit more, it has an improved local dimming feature thanks to its Mini LED backlighting.
Also, see our recommendations for the best ultrawide gaming monitors, the best curved gaming monitors, and the best 240Hz monitors.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 and the LG 49GR85DC-B are different types of super ultrawide gaming monitors. The Samsung is better in most ways because it uses a QD-OLED panel that delivers improved picture quality and superior motion handling than the LG. The Samsung even has wider viewing angles, so the image remains consistent no matter where you view it from. The main advantage the LG has is that it doesn't risk permanent burn-in like on the Samsung, and there's less color fringing.
The LG 49GR85DC-B and the Samsung Odyssey G9 C49G95T are similar 240Hz gaming monitors with a super ultrawide aspect ratio, but the LG has a few advantages. The LG has better motion handling with less inverse ghosting, but the Samsung has less black smearing. The LG also features HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, which the Samsung monitor doesn't have, so you can reach its max refresh rate over HDMI with a high-end graphics card.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 and the LG 49GR85DC-B are similar super ultrawide monitors with a 5120x1440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, but the Samsung has a few advantages. The main difference is that the Samsung monitor uses Mini LED backlighting for deeper blacks and brighter highlights. The Samsung also has better text clarity and less motion smearing than the LG, delivering an overall better experience.
The LG 45GR95QE-B and the LG 49GR85DC-B are different types of ultrawide gaming monitors with a 240Hz refresh rate. The 49GR95QE-B has an OLED panel that results in deeper blacks than the 49GR85DC-B, and it also has better motion handling. While they each have an ultrawide screen, the 49GR85DC-B has an ever wider super ultrawide aspect ratio, and it doesn't have the same risk of burn-in as the 49GR95QE-B.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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