LG Ultragear GX9: Two-minute review
The LG Ultragear GX9 is an impressive, immersive gaming monitor that’s ideal for a relatively small subset of gamers. Let's get a couple of things out the way early though: first, it’s not cheap, so any gamer on a budget will probably want to look elsewhere; and as awesome as a 45-inch (well, technically 44.5-inch) ultrawide screen is, some might find it too wide for practicality’s sake.
After all, it can be tough to focus on the action in the center of the screen and also keep tabs on your health bar in the top-left corner when you have to move your gaze over 20 inches to check on it. This also means it's not ideal for esports gamers, despite the impressive refresh rate and response time.
However, those are issues endemic to this ultrawide form factor and not necessarily a knock on the LG Ultragear GX9. All the best gaming monitors with an ultrawide screen are on the pricier side, and too wide to rely on peripheral vision to catch important information.
For those who have the money and aren’t playing esports (or still want that wrap-around experience), that wide display and 800R curvature, along with the 4K resolution, good color coverage, and speedy refresh rates and response times, make this monitor a delight to use with most games.
Cyberpunk 2077 or Monster Hunter Wilds, for example, look gorgeous and completely envelop my vision during gaming sessions. Of course, it helps that the built-in speakers sound pretty decent as well.
There are a few other pluses as well, such as all the necessary ports (minus a USB hub with KVM support), including a USB-C port with power delivery, and good ergonomics for such a wide monitor. This is a hearty recommendation as the best monitor for the right gamer.
LG Ultragear GX9: Price & availability
- How much does it cost? $1,999.99 / £1,799.98 / AU$3,499.00
- When is it available? Available now
- Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia
When you look at the best ultrawide monitors, the price of the LG Ultragear GX9 doesn’t seem out of place, though it’s still expensive. You can get a nice gaming laptop with an OLED panel or a powerful gaming desktop for the LG Ultragear GX9’s $1,999.99 / £1,799.98 / AU$3,499.00 asking price.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, which originally went for $2,199.99 / £1,599 / AU$3,399 and is now $400 cheaper, is a good comparison. It is a little bit older, hence the price drop, but it’s got a great OLED screen with sharp resolution, fast refresh rates/response times reaching up to 240Hz, and good color coverage. It’s also bigger than the Ultragear GX9 at 49 inches across.
However, like most ultrawide monitors, it peaks at a 5,120 x 1,440p resolution compared to the LG Ultragear GX9’s 5K2K or 5120 x 2160p resolution.
- Value: 4 / 5
LG Ultragear GX9: Specs
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Screen size: | 44.5-inch | |
Aspect ratio: | 21:9 | |
Resolution: | 5120 x 2160 | |
Brightness: | 275 nits | |
Response time: | 0.03ms (GTG) | |
Viewing angle: | 178˚/178˚ | |
Contrast ratio: | 1,500,000:1 | |
Color support: | 98.5% sRGB | |
Inputs: | 1x DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB-C (90W), 2x USB-A downstream | |
Weight: | 30.9 lbs (14 kg) |
LG Ultragear GX9: Design
- The monitor is massive
- Decent, if limited, ergonomics
- Plenty of ports, including USB-C
The LG Ultragear GX9 is a massive gaming monitor. Its 44.5-inch monitor (measured corner-to-corner diagonally) results in a length of 39 inches and a height of 18 inches, not including the stand. This can be an overwhelming monitor to use.
Of course, it has a nice 800R curvature, which brings the far ends of the screen in so that, experientially, its outer reaches fill out the peripheral vision.
It’s big enough that I have to dart my eyes to the edges to read specific information, like a health bar, which makes the size and curvature great for immersive experiences but not for esports-type gaming (I’ll get into the actual performance aspect below).
Since the monitor is so big, it does have somewhat limited ergonomics. While no specifics are listed, its biggest possible adjustments are a height adjustment of about 5 inches. If I had to guess, it swivels and tilts about 15 degrees in each direction. It’s not a lot, but more than enough for this kind of monitor.
Since this is such a big monitor, it has a large, strong, and stable stand with a wide base. There is cable management, though it’s basic, with a passthrough hole in the middle of the stand so all the cables go in one direction out the back and towards whatever they’re connected to.
Speaking of ports, the selection is pretty good. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports, so you could use this with a next-gen console or gaming computer, a single 1.4 DisplayPort, and one USB-C with 90 watts of power delivery for use with Ultrabooks, MacBooks, and the like.
There are also two USB-A downstream ports for charging peripherals. Unfortunately, there's no KVM capability via those USB ports.
Lastly, there’s a single button in the center of the lower back for power and navigating the OSD menu.
- Design: 4.5 / 5
LG Ultragear GX9: Features
- Game modes in OSD menu
- Supports variable refresh rates
- Has picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture, but no KVM
The monitor has a couple of cool features baked into the OSD menu worth knowing about beyond the usual, such as HDR and curvature. For instance, there’s a Game Mode icon in the OSD that brings up four presets with settings such as color temperatures, refresh rate max, and whether VRR, HDR, and DAS Mode (Dynamic Action Sync to minimize lag) are on.
Beyond the different modes, you can change the aspect ratio in the OSD menu to a narrower image for when you need all your gaming info in front of you, offsetting the potential esports-related issue I’ve mentioned with using such a large screen.
Not only is there support for HDR, but the LG Ultragear GX9 also comes with support for VRR (variable refresh rate), which synchronizes the frame rates of the monitor with the source to minimize screen tearing, stuttering, and the like.
Picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture are both available as well if you want to use two sources at the same time. Unfortunately, as I’ve previously mentioned, there’s no KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) system where you can use a keyboard and mouse plugged into the monitor to control whichever source you have pulled up.
- Features: 4.5 / 5
LG Ultragear GX9: Performance
- Can handle any game, though some are not ideal for the aspect ratio
- Very good contrast and colors, along with a 5K2K resolution
- Good but not great audio
I've played a number of games on the LG Ultragear GX9, namely Monster Hunter Wilds, South of Midnight, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Gotham Knights, and found the monitor to be everything it's advertised to be.
Really, the only limitation is when loading up a game that doesn’t support the ultrawide resolution, such as South of Midnight – this just means there are black bars on the sides instead of the game stretching edge to edge – or when a game isn't ideal for that ultrawide resolution.
However, as mentioned before, you can change the aspect ratio. If you don’t change it, and then open up something fast-paced where you need to keep an eye on that health bar, you’re going to be in trouble.
The OLED screen and HDR support provide very good contrast – specifically DisplayHDR TRUE BLACK 400 – enabling me to see in the shadows in certain games. And the colors look more vibrant because of it. It also helps that the LG Ultragear GX9 has a rated 1500000:1 contrast ratio and 98.5% DCI-P3 color coverage.
Between the 165Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and VRR support, the action is smooth no matter how fast. And the 5K2K resolution (5120 x 2160p) is sharper than most of the competition, as most ultrawide monitors I’ve come across use a 5120 x 1440p resolution.
Since this monitor is so large, I appreciate the fact that it comes with built-in speakers. And while they’re not as good as the best computer speakers, discounting the budget options, they sound pretty decent. You don’t get any real low-end or rumble, but the sound is full and packs a good punch otherwise.
- Performance: 4.5 / 5
Should I buy the LG Ultragear GX9?
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Value | The LG Ultragear GX9 is very pricey. However, considering what it is and what it does, the price is more than justified. | 4 / 5 |
Design | Yes, it’s massive, but it has decent if limited ergonomics and a good selection of ports. | 4.5 / 5 |
Features | Variable refresh rates, picture by / in picture, and more make this fairly feature-rich, even if it doesn’t have KVM. | 4.5 / 5 |
Performance | It’s gorgeous, immersive (sometimes a little too much), and has great contrast and colors. | 4.5 / 5 |
Average rating | The good news is that it’s massive. The bad news is that it’s massive. Either way, you have to decide if it’s worth the price. | 4.38 / 5 |
Buy the LG Ultragear GX9 if…
You want an immersive gaming experience
The LG Ultragear GX9 is so massive that it will cover your peripheral vision, transporting you into any game that can take advantage of the ultrawide screen real estate.
You want a great-looking screen
Not only is it OLED, but it has great contrast, helped by the HDR, as well as strong color coverage. Last but not least, it has 5K2K resolution – a higher resolution than what I usually see in the ultrawide monitor space.
You want a gaming monitor with USB-C
There are a lot of good gaming monitors out there. However, USB-C with power delivery is still not standard. So, if you need that to plug in a MacBook when not gaming, it's available here.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re turned off by the price
Whether it’s out of your budget or dropping 2K on a gaming monitor puts a pit in your stomach, there are much cheaper gaming monitors that still offer a good gaming experience.
You don’t want to be overwhelmed
Even if the price doesn’t make you flinch, the sheer size of the monitor could be overwhelming for some, especially if you like playing esports and want a screen where you can see it all without having to constantly move your eyes.
Also Consider
If my LG Ultragear GX9 review has you considering other options, here are two more monitors to consider...
Samsung Odyssey OLED G9
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is a little older, so its price is now much lower than the LG Ultragear GX9 while offering an even wider 49-inch size. The resolution is lower at 5120 x 1440p, but it has a lot of the same features, including the same level of HDR.
Read our full Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 review
MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED
The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED might be a mouthful to say, but it’s a great ultrawide monitor. Again, it has that lower ultrawide 1440p resolution, but also an almost-as-fast 144Hz refresh rate, and the same HDR and color coverage, plus it goes for about half the price.
Read our full MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED review
How I tested the LG Ultragear GX9
- Used regularly for a couple of weeks
- Tested with various games and media
- Tried out all the features
I used the LG Ultragear GX9 Gaming Monitor regularly for a couple of weeks. I tested it with various games and media, especially Monster Hunter Wilds, South of Midnight, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Gotham Knights, to see how it would fare. I also played around with the OSD menu, features, and ergonomics.
The LG Ultragear GX9 Gaming Monitor is clearly meant for gamers who want an immersive experience, specifically those who like their games to feel more cinematic, and it does that job well. Of course, it comes with a price tag to match.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years, from laptops to keyboards and speakers, so I can use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
- First reviewed August 2025
English (US) ·