LG Lays Claim To World's First 5K OLED Gaming Monitor And It's Up For Preorder
LG is accepting preorders in the US for its UltraGear GX9 (model 45GX950A-B), a curved (800R) gaming monitor built around a bodacious 45-inch OLED panel with a 5120x2160 resolution and various bells and whistles. According to LG, the GX9 is the world's first 5K2K OLED monitor, and we haven't found any proof to suggest otherwise.
This isn't quite the same as the bendable 45GX990A that LG showed off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last January, which racked up a trio of awards at the event. The 45GX990A is also a 45-inch OLED display, but with the ability to "smoothly transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature within seconds."
LG hasn't announced pricing or availability on that model yet, but we anticipate it will come with some level of stick shock, given pricing on the UltraGear GX9 45GX950A-B that's up for preorder—it's listed for $1,999.99 direct from LG and priced the same at Amazon.
So yeah, it's not a cheap display by any stretch. However, it is big and loaded with features. One of those is its dual refresh rate options. More recently, monitor makers have started pushing out dual-mode displays, which let gamers choose between a fast refresh rate at a display's native resolution, or an even faster refresh rate at a lower resolution (which can come in handy for competitive esports).
In this case, the GX9 boats a respectable 165Hz refresh rate at its native 5120x2160 resolution, and a blazing-fast 330Hz at 2560x1080, otherwise known as Wide Full HD (WFHD).
The GX9 is a FreeSync Premium Pro display that's also G-SYNC compatible. And adding to the list of certifications is VESA's DisplayHDR True Black 400 badge. Part of that entails being able to hit a peak brightness of at least 400 nits, though LG claims the GX9 tops out at an eye-searing 1,300 nits.
As for the port selection, the GX9 serves up a single DisplayPort 2.1 input, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a USB-C port with 65W power delivery, and what look to be a couple of USB 3.0 Type-A ports. There's also a pair of built-in speakers, a 4-pole headphone jack, and DTS Headphone:X support.
The monitor is backed by a two-year warranty, which is not as long as some of LG's competitors (like ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte, all of which offer three-year warranties), though our understanding is that it covers burn-in (like its competitors).
Preorders are expected to ship the week of Monday, March 31.
