The Monoprice 44394 offers specifications that aren’t usually associated with affordable or budget pricing. It boasts a 40-inch Crystal Pro screen with a fast refresh rate, but it costs less than half of what a similar model costs in today’s market. Let’s take a closer look to see if we have a 40-inch value champion or if this size category still belongs to the high-end segment of the monitor market.
Monoprice 44394 Specifications
- Screen Size: 40 Inches
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440 UWQHD
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 8ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1200:1
- Brightness: 400 cd/m2
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 5 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 DSC x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2, USB-C PD90W x 1, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions: 37.2” x 23.4” x 11.3”
- Weight: 24.16 lbs
Design and Features
The Monoprice 44394 doesn’t look like a gaming model at all, but we know that the simple aesthetic will appeal to more modern tastes. The monitor has a matte black finish all over, but it has an RGB LED strip at the back. The display has a bezel-free design, but it still has inner borders like most modern displays.
It’s a giant when it comes to desktop displays, so getting your desk ready is ideal before pulling the trigger. It needs 37 inches of width and almost a foot of depth, so standard-sized desks might not have enough space to accommodate it. It’s also heavy at 24.16 lbs, so extra hands might be necessary to set it up.
The Monoprice 44394 also showed drastic improvement in the build quality department versus its predecessors. The plastics used are noticeably thicker and sturdier, plus there were no cosmetic defects on any of its parts. The included stand is stable and capable of handling the weight, but it can still wobble due to the massive size of the display.
Its OSD is also very easy to use, even if the layout isn’t as refined due to its joystick. The latter glows blue when the screen is on and goes to red if you send it to standby mode. Other large monitors can sometimes include remotes, but you will survive without them and the price increase that comes with them.
The included stand offers tilt, swivel, and height adjustments for your convenience. With the stock setup, it’s easy to get a comfortable view, unlike the older budget models, which only had tilting. You can use VESA mounts, but they’re only necessary if your desk space is rather limited.
What’s most interesting about the Monoprice 44394 is its connectivity layout. It doesn’t have USB ports for accessories, but it includes a 90-watt USB-C port alongside its DisplayPort 1.4 and dual HDMI 2.0 ports. That gives it fantastic flexibility, but the lack of type-A connectors means you can’t maximize that potential with KVM functionality.
It also has a pair of 5-watt speakers which are not the best out there, but clearly better than what other budget models have. It can get loud enough to fill a small room, but the lack of woofers is obvious. We’d still use headsets over these, but its always nice to have a set that’s usable for more basic tasks like media consumption.
Display and Performance
The Monoprice 44394 sports a 40-inch curved IPS panel with a 3440 x 1440 resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and an 8ms response time. The backlight has a 400 cd/m2 output while the contrast is listed at 1200:1. This model has a 16-zone local dimming feature and HDR 400 certification, but we all know how limited that is.
The first issue with the screen size and resolution is its lower pixel density compared to the more common 34-inch variants. However, you can manage that by sitting slightly further from the screen, which you will likely do anyway because of the size. It is still great for immersive gaming and multitasking, but some tweaking might be necessary if it looks pixelated to you.
The Monoprice 44394 covered more than 100% sRGB and 88% DCI-P3 for good color output in games and movies. It’s not accurate out of the box, with a deltaE average of 2.68, but that’s acceptable for gaming and entertainment purposes. Most users won’t need to calibrate it, so it’s good for use right away once it’s out of the box.
Calibrating the monitor reduced the dE average to 1.64, which is more balanced and neutral than the stock setting. Its not a considerable improvement, but it makes the monitor usable for some content creation or media production. However, it is not worth getting the colorimeter for this since the calibration results are underwhelming, so we recommend prioritizing a more refined prosumer monitor instead.
The Monoprice 44394’s backlight reached 409 cd/m2 in SDR, but its peak was meager at 415 cd/m2. The screen’s contrast reached 1497:1 at 30% brightness, making it better than most IPS panels when it comes to black luminance. It’s not comparable with VA or OLED panels, especially when it comes to contrast extension via local dimming, but it has some value when used at night.
Its panel uniformity had some issues with backlight leaks at the top edges of the screen. There is also a lot of clouding in dark scenes when the limited local dimming is working. The 2nd issue is expected, but the backlight bleeding can vary with every unit made due to tolerances.
The monitor’s pixel response time is comparable with most 144Hz IPS ultrawides, even if the brand listed a high 8ms. However, its overdrive feature isn’t as good, so some blurring can still happen even if you use it. This is expected from the monitor, which was not conceived for E-Sports use anyway.
The Monoprice 44394 is compatible with FreeSync and G-Sync for tearing—and stutter-free gaming. Dual compatibility is a must-have if you want to save money since you can keep the monitor if you want VRR functionality but regularly switch between the GPU brands. Its input lag is 4ms at 144Hz, so it’s suitable for fast-paced games.
Thoughts on the Monoprice 44394
The Monoprice 44394 is an excellent option because of its low price and what it has to offer. Its 40-inch IPS panel performs admirably in all parts of testing except for its panel uniformity, which is random anyway. It is built better than its predecessors, and it even includes a 90-watt USB-C for good measure.
It’s far from perfect, and other 40-inch models, like the AOC AGON AG405UXC, have some form of advantage over it, such as USB ports. However, most of these limitations are negligible because of the money saved. What matters most is the panel and its performance or qualities, so we can still consider this a good buy.
Pros:
- Excellent Price and Screen Size
- Solid Build Quality
- Fantastic Colors and Contrast
- 90-Watt USB-C
Cons:
- Limited HDR
- Prone to Blurring
About the Author: 
Paolo has been 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; he believes that every citizen has the 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 and create reviews that accentuate the seldom-explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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