The Lenovo G34W-10 is an easy-to-own ultrawide monitor with excellent gaming performance thanks to its 144Hz refresh rate. Specs like these used to go for over a thousand, but it has now become more affordable to bring smooth, immersive gaming to the masses. Let’s check out how the Lenovo G34W-10 compares to its mighty competitors like the AOC CU34G2X and the Gigabyte G34WQC.
Lenovo G34W-10 Specifications
- Screen Size: 34 Inches
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440 UW-QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms MPRT
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, 3.5mm Audio Jack x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 31.81” x 16.21” x 10.23”
- Weight: 17.85 lbs
Design and Features
The Lenovo G34W-10 sports a simpler aesthetic than its high-end brethren, so it’s easy to mistake it as an office variant at first glance. The monitor has a matte black chassis that’s easy to clean and will always look new even with minimal care. The display is bezel-free on three sides, giving you the impression that the screen is wider.
You have to prep your desk space for the Lenovo G34W-10 since it takes up a lot of space, unlike its 16:9 counterparts. It needs ten inches of depth since it has a sizable stand, so you might have to rearrange your peripherals such as bookshelf speakers. It’s not too heavy at 17.85 pounds, but we recommend asking for help or following its assembly instructions closely.
Build quality for the Lenovo G34W-10 is great since it uses high-quality materials and a robust overall design. The plastic panels used are thick enough to prevent flexing and cracking, plus they don’t have gaps in the seams and edges. The stand is a bit wobbly, but it only happens if you nudge the screen or try to tap its controls.
The Lenovo G34W-10 uses a single OSD joystick for its functions so you don’t have to fumble around in the dark. It has an LED that lights up when the monitor is powered on plus it’s under the bottom bezel so you can see it without reaching for it. This is a minor upgrade, but we always like the small details that make a product easier on its users, especially beginners.
The stand included with the Lenovo G34W-10 only offers tilt and height adjustments, but that’s all you will ever need. Ultrawide monitors were not designed to be used as portrait displays, and you don’t have to swivel them since they have to be centered to you to maximize the immersive effect. You can opt for VESA mounts, but it is completely unnecessary unless your desk space is limited.
One of the aspects of the Lenovo G34W-10 that took a hit to make it more affordable is its connectivity layout. You get DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 which is all you need for basic operation, but the only extra included is a 3.5mm analog jack. There are no valuable extras such as USB ports, but those are secondary considerations for budget models.
There are no speakers on this model, but that’s understandable since secondary features are usually removed to drag the price down. Ultrawide monitors and immersive gaming are more enjoyable with headsets or surround speakers anyway, so we don’t see its primary audience using built-ins. They can be utilized for work-related tasks such as conference calls.
Display and Performance
The Lenovo G34W-10 boasts a 34-inch 1500r curved VA panel with a 3440 x 1440 resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms MPRT response time. The backlight has a 350 cd/m2 brightness, while the contrast ratio is at 3000:1. This model isn’t labeled with VESA’s HDR certification, but that’s not very different from its competitors which can only offer the meager HDR 400 standard.
34-inch 1440p ultrawides are great for all-around use since they are sharp, but visibility doesn’t suffer for work. It’s easy to read text, plus you get extra space for more apps or programs. Games look great and crisp while the extra width of the screen gives you more eye candy to see while enjoying your favorite titles.
The Lenovo G34W-10 renders 97% sRGB and around 78% of DCI-P3 which isn’t the best, but reasonable enough for daily use. The deltaE average by default sits at 2.66 which isn’t spot on, but also acceptable for a budget monitor. the screen isn’t as vibrant as the Gigabyte G34WQC or the AOC CU34G2X, but their default accuracy results do not have large gaps that translate into noticeable color errors.
Calibrating the Lenovo G34W-10 produced a lower deltaE average of 1.09 which is an excellent score for a budget gaming monitor. This enables it to be used for editing and content creation, but most would need to buy a colorimeter to get the same level of improvement. To be honest, the display already looks good by default for gaming, so getting the gadget for that purpose is unnecessary.
The backlight on the Lenovo G34W-10 only managed to reach 340 cd/m2 which is below its claimed rating, but plenty for daily use. The contrast ratio, on the other hand, reached an impressive 2270:1 at 60% brightness. The screen looks great when displaying dark images even when the lights are out unlike IPS panels which tend to look washed out in the same situation.
Panel uniformity for the Lenovo G34W-10 could be a bit better due to some light leaks at the top and bottom edges of the screen. This flaw manifests as clouding on a dark screen, but it isn’t as visible in full-color images. Take note that this aspect will vary between every monitor made due to tolerances, so there are better units out there.
Responsiveness isn’t so great for the Lenovo G34W-10’s VA panel if you aren’t using its overdrive and MPRT feature. We recommend using the overdrive’s Normal level as a minimum to lessen the flaws, although there will be some leftover persistence. Using MPRT is your last resort since the extreme level also works great but there are some halo effects on contrasting objects.
The Lenovo G34W-10 is a FreeSync monitor, but it also works with Nvidia’s G-Sync Compatible mode. This duality is great since both companies have powerful GPU options that can run this monitor’s resolution and maximum refresh rate. Input lag is great at 6ms at 144Hz, so users will not feel or notice any delays while gaming.
Thoughts on the Lenovo G34W-10
The Lenovo G34W-10 is an excellent pick if you want to test the waters with ultrawide or immersive gaming. it’s not the most vibrant or accurate, but it manages to look great when putting out those precious visuals. We like that it already includes creature comforts for the price since many brands often skimp on these when the pricing is lower than usual.
However, there are some limitations with the Lenovo G34W-10 that you will not get with its competitors. its motion handling is slightly behind, and not to mention the lower gamut coverage that was recorded from the sample. However, it’s around $50 cheaper most of the time, so it is still a great pick if you want more bang for your buck.
Pros:
- Excellent Price
- High Contrast
- FreeSync/G-Sync Compatible
- Reasonable Image Quality
Cons:
- Limited Gamut Coverage
- Middling Pixel Response Time versus Competition
- Panel Uniformity Needs Improvement
- Limited Connectivity Options
About the Author: Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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