I use this as my primary monitor for WFH/Gaming/Sim Racing and as an Office TV.
As a WFH monitor, it's an 8/10. You have ABL and only 106 ppi. The ABL is easy to deal with as long as you're not planning to look at a 100% white screen all day. You can also disable ABL in the service menu.
The text readability can be improved using ClearType within Windows...but know that it won't be perfectly sharp like on the smaller screen you may be upgrading from. I work with text a lot and I find it good...not great, not just good enough, but good. The monitor, by default, doesn't wake/sleep with Windows like a typical monitor would...but if you google "LG Companion", a kind soul has written an amazing piece of software that allows the screen to function just like a standard monitor. The LG Flex will wake, sleep, turn on and off just like an everyday monitor you're used to. LG Companion also has some quality of life improvements. Great tool, must have.
As a gaming/sim racing monitor, 10/10. HOLY. Ok, look....the curve might seem like a gimmick to you, but gaming on a large format 4k curved screen is something else. No worrying about UW support, but still a massive amount of immersion. I have other, larger OLED TVs in the house, and this is by far my preferred way to game. Clarity, response time, brightness, immersion...it's the perfect experience to date. Higher refresh rates will be welcomed when computing speed improves, but for today and the foreseeable future, 4k120 on a large monitor is an excellent way to experience games.
As an Office TV/Secondary TV, again 10/10. It's an LG OLED panel at the end of the day. They make some of the best TVs around. I love the fact that I can get a best-in-class gaming session and then "un-curve" the screen and have another best-in-class experience while I'm catching up on my favorite show or watching a sports game on the couch.
About the curve feature specifically, every time I use it, I am impressed. I DID buy a 4 year extended warranty on this, not something I normally do, but I've been working with technology long enough to know that first run, concept style products don't always have the best reliability. That said, I have had zero problems with the bending mechanism, and I've been using it multiple times per day. It has a cool little "whirrr" sound to it as it moves, it bends further than you think it does, and it's very quick to adjust within the 20 different curvature settings. Good job LG. Now let's hope it doesn't just, ya know, die one day.
The speakers are pretty good for what they are, but understand the soundstage and base are lacking. The rest of the range, clarity, and loudness are all very good for built-in tv/monitor speakers.
The stand is well designed, especially since you'll be using this as a monitor. The range of motion is fantastic. It's easy to move. All of the inputs are built into the stand and easily accessible. There's a basic USB hub and a single PC uplink. Would have liked to see a KVM at this price point. The RGB lighting on the back is a nice to have, but not really bright enough if it's a feature you really want. If you have the stand at the lowest point, it blocks a portion of the front firing speakers. If you really care about audio, use headphones or an external sound source. You have a lot of options for sound with eARC support.
The size.....it's a big screen/stand combo. You can't remove the screen from the stand for obvious reasons, so make sure you have the room. It's 37" wide when the screen is flat, and the stand base is around 11" long front to back. The TV floats towards you about 10" from the back of the stand. I have this on a 30" desk and it's the perfect distance to fully fill your peripheral vision when curved and not need to move my head when flat.
All in all, the best monitor I've used to date. Yes, it has some quirks since it is a hybrid monitor/TV. Yes, the value is tough to justify if you are only using it for a single or static use case.
But as my productivity/gaming/sim racing monitor and office TV, and as someone who loves innovative products.....it's an easy buy for me and I would do it again.
EDIT - 4 Months Later: Zero issues. Using it every day and still very impressed.
EDIT 2 - It's been nearly a year, no issues. Still daily use, 10ish hours a day as I work from home.
| Brand Name | LG |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 49.8 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 11.7 x 36.9 x 29.6 inches |
| Country of Origin | Mexico |
| Item model number | 42LX3QPUA |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Wide Viewing Angle; Pixel Level Dimming; AI Picture Pro; AI 4K Upscaling; Cinema HDR; Dolby Vision IQ; Game App; Game Optimizer; Auto Low Latency Mode; Variable Refresh Rate; G-SYNC Compatible; FreeSync Premium; Cloud Gaming; NVIDIA GEFORCE Now; Ambient Lighting |
| Speaker Type | Built-In |
| Item Weight | 49.8 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 42.1 Inches |
