You’re standing in a tech store, or maybe you're just doom-scrolling through PC hardware subreddits, and you see it. A screen so wide it looks like it could double as a windshield for a small aircraft. That’s the LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved monitor. It’s a 45-inch behemoth with an aggressive 800R curve that practically wraps around your head. Honestly, the first time you sit in front of one, it feels a bit claustrophobic, but in a "this is my cockpit now" kind of way.
Most people see the spec sheet and start reaching for their wallets. 240Hz? Check. 0.03ms GtG response time? Insane. OLED blacks that make space sims look like you’re actually drifting through a void? Absolutely. But there is a catch that most YouTube reviewers gloss over because they're too busy showing off B-roll of Cyberpunk 2077.
The resolution is 3440 x 1440.
On a 27nd-inch or 34-inch screen, that resolution is crisp. On a 45-inch panel, the pixel density drops to about 84 pixels per inch (PPI). If you’re coming from a 4K display or even a high-density laptop screen, you are going to notice the pixels. It's not a dealbreaker for everyone, but it’s the elephant in the room that we need to talk about before you drop over a thousand bucks.
The 800R Curve Is Basically a Hug For Your Eyeballs
When LG decided on an 800R curve, they weren't playing around. Most "curved" monitors use 1500R or 1800R, which is subtle. The LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved is different. Because the screen is so incredibly wide, a flat panel would actually be hard to use; the corners would be so far away you'd be constantly craning your neck.
By pulling those edges in toward your peripheral vision, LG creates this weirdly intimate gaming experience. It’s immersive. Truly. If you play Microsoft Flight Simulator or Forza Horizon, the world just swallows you up. You stop looking at a screen and start looking through a window.
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But there’s a downside to this extreme "wrap-around" effect. If you do any kind of professional work—like architecture, photo editing, or even just lining up columns in a massive Excel sheet—the distortion is real. Straight lines don't look straight. They follow the arc of the panel. For a gaming-first setup, it’s a non-issue. For a "do-it-all" home office, it might drive you slightly crazy after eight hours of looking at warped spreadsheets.
Let's Talk About That OLED Panel
OLED is the gold standard for a reason. Each pixel is its own light source. When a pixel needs to be black, it just turns off. No "glow," no "backlight bleed," no grayish haze during dark scenes in Alan Wake 2.
The LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved uses LG’s W-OLED technology. It’s incredibly fast. We’re talking 240Hz refresh rates that make 144Hz feel sluggish. If you’ve never experienced an OLED's nearly instantaneous response time, it’s hard to describe. There’s no "ghosting" or "smearing" behind fast-moving objects. In a fast-paced shooter like Apex Legends or Valorant, everything remains perfectly sharp, even when you're flicking your mouse like a maniac.
However, because it's OLED, you have to talk about brightness. It gets bright enough for most rooms, but if your desk is directly in front of a giant window with the sun blasting in, you might struggle. The matte finish helps with reflections, but it also takes away a tiny bit of that "pop" you get from glossy OLED TVs. It’s a trade-off. Do you want fewer reflections or a slightly punchier image? LG went with "no reflections," which makes sense for a monitor you sit two feet away from.
Why the Pixel Density Actually Matters
So, back to that 84 PPI. This is the biggest point of contention in the community.
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To put it simply: text looks a bit fuzzy. Windows 11 wasn't exactly built with low-PPI OLED subpixel layouts in mind. If you spend your day reading long-form articles or coding, you might notice "color fringing" around letters. It looks like a tiny rainbow shadow on the edge of the text.
- Gaming: You won't notice it. At all.
- Movies: Looks fantastic.
- Office Work: It’s okay, but not great.
If you’re a "spec-head" who needs 4K clarity, this isn't your monitor. But if you value "size and speed" over "absolute sharpness," the LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved is in a league of its own. There’s something about the sheer physical scale of a 45-inch screen that makes a 34-inch ultrawide feel like a toy.
The Reality of Burn-In in 2026
We can't talk about OLED monitors without mentioning burn-in. It’s the fear that keeps people up at night. "If I leave my taskbar there for three years, will it be permanently etched into the screen?"
LG has baked in a lot of safeguards. There’s "Pixel Cleaning," "Screen Move" (where the image subtly shifts by a few pixels every so often), and "Auto Static Brightness Limiter" (ASBL). These features work. For most gamers, burn-in isn't going to be an issue for the lifespan of the monitor.
But you have to be smart. Don't leave a static HUD on the screen for 12 hours a day at 100% brightness. Use a dark mode for everything. Hide your taskbar. If you treat it like a traditional LCD and never let it "rest," you're asking for trouble. LG’s warranty typically covers these issues, but check your local region’s specifics because they do change.
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Ergonomics and the "Desk Tax"
This thing is huge. No, seriously. The stand is deep. If you have a shallow desk from IKEA, the monitor is going to be about six inches from your nose. You need a deep desk—at least 30 inches—to really appreciate this screen.
The stand itself is solid. It has height, tilt, and swivel adjustments. But because the monitor is so wide, swiveling it feels like moving a piece of furniture. Most enthusiasts end up VESA mounting it. Just a heads up: you’ll need a heavy-duty monitor arm. A cheap gas-spring arm will sag under the weight and the leverage of that 800R curve.
Is the LG UltraGear 45 OLED Curved Worth It?
Right now, the market is flooded with OLEDs. You have the 27-inch 1440p models, the 32-inch 4K models, and the 49-inch "super ultrawides."
The LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved sits in a weird, aggressive middle ground. It’s for the gamer who wants the biggest possible FOV without going to a "super ultrawide" format (which many games don't support properly). It’s for the person who wants to feel like they are inside the game.
If you are a competitive FPS player who cares more about pixel density and seeing heads at a distance, you might be better off with the 32nd-inch 4K OLED. But if you play immersive RPGs, racers, or flight sims? This monitor is a transformative experience.
Actionable Next Steps
Before you pull the trigger, do these three things:
- Measure your desk depth. If your desk is less than 28 inches deep, you will likely find the 45-inch screen overwhelming and the pixel density more noticeable.
- Check your GPU. Driving 3440 x 1440 at 240Hz isn't as demanding as 4K, but you still need a beefy card (think RTX 4080 or better) to actually hit those frame rates in modern titles.
- Audit your use case. If your PC is 80% work and 20% play, the 800R curve and lower PPI might frustrate you. If it's 80% gaming and 20% YouTube, go for it.
The LG UltraGear 45 OLED curved isn't a "perfect" monitor because the perfect monitor doesn't exist. It's a specialized tool for immersion. If you understand the trade-offs—the lower pixel density for the massive, wrap-around OLED speed—it's easily one of the most fun displays you can buy today. Check for firmware updates as soon as you plug it in; LG frequently tweaks the brightness algorithms and HDR performance through software. Once it's dialed in, it's hard to go back to a flat, non-OLED screen. It just feels... small.