LG 34WL500-B 34" IPS LED UltraWide Monitor Review

No need for dual monitors when one monitor can do the job!

Display

This display is a beauty to see! I constantly have multiple windows open and the ultrawide resolution of the LG 34WL500-B allows me to create an ideal layout for my workflow. Previously, I used two widescreen monitors (16:9) and while I don’t quite have the same screen real estate on the LG, there’s something about having everything on one screen that makes it feel more seamless.

The monitor features a 2560x1080 resolution with a 5 ms response time which is suitable for gaming. The display also has a matte finish which helps reduce glare from lighting behind you.

Setup and Connectivity

The monitor has 2 HDMI inputs. There is no DVI or VGA connections. There is also a headphone jack on the back of the speaker for audio output delivered over the HDMI connection, but there are no built-in speakers.

I was a little nervous that my aging Mac Mini (Late 2012) model would not be able to handle the resolution of this monitor. Unfortunately, I was not able to use the HDMI port on the Mac Mini itself. However, I was able to use an Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (the keyword here is that it must be an “Active” adapter) to get the monitor’s native resolution as follows.

• Connect the Active Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapter to the Mac Mini’s DisplayPort (aka Thunderbolt) connection.
• Then, use the HDMI cable (included with the monitor) to plug into the adapter and the monitor.
• Make sure nothing is plugged into the Mac Mini’s HDMI port. It took me awhile to pinpoint this as my issue as it was preventing me from reaching the 2560x1080 resolution.
• On your Mac, navigate to System Preferences, then Display. You should be able to set the Resolution to “Default” and the Refresh Rate to “60 Hertz” to reach an output of 2560x1080.

Features

There are no speakers on the monitor, but there is a headphone jack so you can plug in your own headphones to listen to any audio delivered over the HDMI connection. While the Active DisplayPort to HDMI adapter did deliver audio to the headphone jack, I was not able to control the volume on my Mac Mini; I needed to use the volume controls on the monitor.

Speaking of the monitor controls, there is a small joystick underneath the center portion of the monitor. It’s a little tricky to use at first, but I quickly got the hang of it. I like that the control is hidden out of view. When the menu is not on the screen, pressing the joystick left and right will adjust the volume