I bought this today. It was not an impulse buy. I spent months researching and then two months of waiting for stock from LG Malaysia.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9ATcrNHHeh84bWrzrKdc9v33BjhmPV6-CNjHxt-jUnkJif_DOgo14_nHJaIFIL6jmf_ySCfjStGobUoI1lFkSD9TQKDr7wsKrdiI4RTSgkveorbTOkQjyF3N1baVzWWLNb-F/s400/IMG_2171.jpg) |
So beautiful and wide .. although I have to say it is not as sharp as a MacBook Retina display |
Trust me, it is not easy to buy a modern monitor these days.
I have a few criteria:
- ultra wide screen regardless of size - can be 32" or 34" or even 34"
- it must be IPS screen, not TN or whatever the other one is called
- it must have USB-C to charge the MacBook Pro and also to extend the display of the MacBook
- it must have good speakers. Not the puny ones that some Dell monitor shipped with.
Really good ones. I hate having to plug in the speaker jack from PC to
monitor
- it should have G-Sync support
- bonus - it has nice legs that doesn't take up space
I
have searched high and low. I looked for Asus, I looked at Dell
and Alienware.. none of them ticked these checkboxes, particularly that
USB-C one..
I realize that I really wanted the USB-C and good speakers. I don't really care about G-Sync because even though I still play games, I spent more time surfing, reading, watching video and listening to music on the PC.
The
LG UltraWide 38WK95C Monitor met all of the criteria except the G-Sync.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQL1mlhd9A4UnAqkIDA-zRSaqO-pD4FjAYnKTfNGaw2YPaPoFjMaFM_PRlHBCpfhCgtlHfc5-ExTDJIrAXkPfQYfqRWJIuQe_6Tn95CatDkFcND-ysEJB0Ir2e9pN_xsKDeHL/s400/IMG_2152.jpg) |
Left column: USB-C (upstream), DisplayPort, HDMI x2. Right column: USB 3.0 x2 (downstream), headphone and power |
About the USB-C
I will repeat this because not many YouTube videos or written
reviews were very specific about the USB-C. This monitor DOES
charge the 2017 MacBook Pro 13" via the USB-C cable that was provided by
LG. It also extend the display of the MacBook, meaning it will be a
secondary display to the Mac. In fact, it gives out 60W of power via the
USB-C PD (Power Delivery). There you go. You can rest assure it works. Even the box has the words "Laptop charging" printed on it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZe-tVzgh8w5cwERTHp89ICBEm3SHLaKcEjHR6X9dSGFVOxnIJCKKosc8hjrQewAv3pHsOa6sVt5XrzAtvcjsB_-DWFXtQy0Nq9NbhE9_tDCgZ89VGuItaaVLn64Cy4zTreTk/s400/IMG_2176.jpg) |
Photo of the back - USB C at the top for the Mac; below is DisplayPort to connect to the GTX1060 on the PC |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHfI6NDs7yQYnl8XMcoNwWRHy-YsfSyp13Ci7vLgaksoiDyd-IO6uYmcIyquob5XIyOjUzLWzXxEoR4_DVonjYe6M3qkAtYX-3QVQjKy6qHRas_GDJLytDtW1t2OutFh2cYrr/s400/IMG_2175.jpg) |
Use the USB-C cable provided by LG. I don't think you can use the one provided by Apple |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9B8dgZ68DNzkSIgUmoZq15YD8QuzCwg5In3tiQOMdHFVWupiClPpYY7gxhETqj5THsoYn6m4LLc-tRULaG6a1LgLFYSsMN2IISe292VSVxru8i7PrFhaoYyZgqdmVxWkvT-yu/s400/IMG_2174.jpg) |
When I connect the USB-C to the Mac, even with Windows running, a dialog box pops up |
The PC can be connected to the LG via DisplayPort. The moment I plug in the USB-C, a dialog box appear asking me that it detected a USB-C connection and whether I wanted to display it. If I pressed on the joystick at the bottom of the monitor, the screen will swap to macOS. If I leave it, it will time out and switch back to the PC. Even if it switched into the PC, the Mac continues to charge. I can switch to the Mac anytime by changing the Input selection in the monitor menu.
There is another interesting thing about the USB-C. If the monitor goes to sleep, for instance, you sleep the PC and so they monitor blanks out, the USB-C continues to charge the Mac. However, the
USB 3.0 which has a 5V, 0.9A charge capability, will stop charging. Btw, you can connect and charge an
iPad or iPhone with the USB 3.0, strange that it couldn't charge an iPad Air.
I don't have a MacBook Pro 15", so I can't test but one video I saw in YouTube claimed that the 60W is able to charge the 15".
USB hub
There is a USB hub built into the back of the monitor - the USB-C cable served as an upstream port and the two blue-USB 3.0 port is the downstream port. What this means is that I can plug my mouse and keyboard into the USB 3.0 provided that:
1/ I plugged the USB-C into the MacBook. Then the keyboard+mouse can drive the MacBook.
2/ I attached the USB-C cable into a
usb-C to usb-A adapter (that is included in the accessory box) and then plug this adapter into the PC's USB 3.0 port. Then the USB behind the monitor become a USB 3.0 hub and the keyboard+mouse can drive the PC.
This also means I must physically plug the USB-C cable into the Mac
or a PC in order for the keyboard+mouse to drive the Mac
or PC. My other option is to use software to simulate a KVM switch and LG does provide a software - they called it the Dual Controller. It simulates key and mouse press via tcpip. I am not a fan of this simulation as I believe there will be lag.
10Wx2 Bluetooth speakers
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oldGq1K0CYTGQNFWF6U1lzoUtCNEO7DyPxrhxBpdBra9c7J-ve_-rcGVTOpifwLjA6_zb5SnQBrC5rafHBRkofNSmoiw_2nXtLApgm11EKrltsg8ApuU6PZ6_r4lHj6QZ8i4/s400/IMG_2168.jpg) |
Shot taken from the bottom of the monitor. Notice those vents? This is just one side of the speaker. There are two of them. |
There are two speakers at the bottom of the monitor, located at the air vent on the base of the screen. This is a 10W speaker and there are 2 of them! 10W speaker is loud - as loud
as modern TV speakers.. if not better. LG said these speakers came with Rich
Bass - the bass is really deep and strong. I am loving them very much! I also do not need additional cable to plug from the PC/Mac into the monitor. The USB-C itself does power graphics+sound from the Mac to the monitor. The DisplayPort (or HDMI) also power graphics+sound from the PC to the monitor.
Also, the speakers itself has Bluetooth capability, so I can cast sound from my iPhone or iPad into the speakers wireless across the room.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wmTWSD7r2hUM3oLDm1B_CDELg807kH58yxv4WAyXFUrTnCFksJ8xJ5nd7AXbww8H731W0h8y3de4wyH0-3agmWYq5we9SG-s-aMj4FPuzD9_VNMe4sMNvaAvP_SV0lZiTzlK/s400/IMG_2165.jpg) |
Mission Impossible from iTunes - full screen and no black bars! |
This monitor is a 21:9 - meaning it is able to play wide screen video from edge to edge, without having the black bars. I played Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation from iTunes and it went edge to edge. Really, really nice.
The curve doesn't bother me much but you must sit a bit further from the monitor because it is just so huge. I do find myself having to move my head to one side if the window is there. I have to say though - if you are used to the super retina resolution from the MacBook Pro, you will find that this LG screen is not as sharp. It doesn't cramp a lot of pixels into a smaller inch. Really, it's just like any other monitor. I am just being spoiled by the MacBook Pro.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9r933GW76Pso1wSLV_5QONQtowUSpbzgplOTokQmR36VL00diqznQEmmT507sa9_QmJnvhKVm-xs6sfKJrPp69yCjHxyMT0zxOac7x2yOSsYT7EFnkHCrZzfjOfLuZUAeImc/s400/IMG_2166.jpg) |
The box is nice |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_13VRt3evYVNa-vx-RBhyc0Qo_sDb1T0ZKj6T7iCkd9phXoUMmQ2EGbsv0n8mK8c989MQnv1fzrMvn57X8bpDqvv0gA0pz8prMA2yaVoyQpb5SrtRjdBB3qj1MPFJexy6cSx7/s400/IMG_2149.jpg) |
Another view of the box. Very nice design. |
If you are looking for a UltraWide screen to improve your productivity (work with the Mac) and then yet have an option for fun (chill out with music or watch a 4k video or, even gaming with the PC), I think this is the right monitor for you. It's what I do. I connect the PC to the DisplayPort to relax. And when I need to work, I just plug the USB-C to the Mac and with a flick of the joystick, I could flip the screen to the Mac for work... well, except that I don't have a keyboard and mouse switch to connect to the Mac at this moment (I will have to look into this).. anyway, great monitor and I'd highly recommend it!
Follow up article -
backlight bleeding? Thankfully, no.
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