Ultrawide monitor (for development) - flat or curved screen?
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I should have substantiated my question with some background information. I often need to view Visual Studio (often 2 files side by side), an Android emulator and a Zoom window at the same time. I currently use a single 1920 x 1200 monitor at home only because I have limited desk space. At work I have 2 1920 x 1200 flat panels with the option of having a third, but these days I work from home most of the time. I've been asked to select a an ultrawide of my choice, so I want to ensure I do due diligence (reviews can be misleading because they're often sponsored by the manufacturer) before having my company fork out $$ for the device. As I understand it, the value of a curved ultrawide is that it provides better edge-to-edge clarity than a wide flat panel since the distance from the eye is roughly the same throughout the width of monitor. On the flip side, curved monitors provide a less than accurate rendition of extreme detail at the edges and therefore aren't recommend for CAD, design or photographic applications. While curved ultrawides come in a wide array of widths, my desk will allow for a maximum diagonal size of 34", which in my informal testing seems ideal for development. I intend to face the left half of the monitor head on and view the right curved portion from time to time. If I had more desk space, I would just use 2 flat panels, with the one on the right being tilted a bit towards me. I'm leaning towards one of these 3440 x 1440 (21 x 9) monitors which are priced at the lower end of the market:
- Dell 34 Ultrawide WQHD Curved Monitor - S3422DW[^]
- Samsung 34" WQHD 100Hz 4ms GTG Curved VA LED Monitor (LC34J791WTNXZA)[^]
- LG 34WN80C-B Ultrawide Monitor[^]
Again, thanks very much for your input. /ravi
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I should have substantiated my question with some background information. I often need to view Visual Studio (often 2 files side by side), an Android emulator and a Zoom window at the same time. I currently use a single 1920 x 1200 monitor at home only because I have limited desk space. At work I have 2 1920 x 1200 flat panels with the option of having a third, but these days I work from home most of the time. I've been asked to select a an ultrawide of my choice, so I want to ensure I do due diligence (reviews can be misleading because they're often sponsored by the manufacturer) before having my company fork out $$ for the device. As I understand it, the value of a curved ultrawide is that it provides better edge-to-edge clarity than a wide flat panel since the distance from the eye is roughly the same throughout the width of monitor. On the flip side, curved monitors provide a less than accurate rendition of extreme detail at the edges and therefore aren't recommend for CAD, design or photographic applications. While curved ultrawides come in a wide array of widths, my desk will allow for a maximum diagonal size of 34", which in my informal testing seems ideal for development. I intend to face the left half of the monitor head on and view the right curved portion from time to time. If I had more desk space, I would just use 2 flat panels, with the one on the right being tilted a bit towards me. I'm leaning towards one of these 3440 x 1440 (21 x 9) monitors which are priced at the lower end of the market:
- Dell 34 Ultrawide WQHD Curved Monitor - S3422DW[^]
- Samsung 34" WQHD 100Hz 4ms GTG Curved VA LED Monitor (LC34J791WTNXZA)[^]
- LG 34WN80C-B Ultrawide Monitor[^]
Again, thanks very much for your input. /ravi
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I should have substantiated my question with some background information. I often need to view Visual Studio (often 2 files side by side), an Android emulator and a Zoom window at the same time. I currently use a single 1920 x 1200 monitor at home only because I have limited desk space. At work I have 2 1920 x 1200 flat panels with the option of having a third, but these days I work from home most of the time. I've been asked to select a an ultrawide of my choice, so I want to ensure I do due diligence (reviews can be misleading because they're often sponsored by the manufacturer) before having my company fork out $$ for the device. As I understand it, the value of a curved ultrawide is that it provides better edge-to-edge clarity than a wide flat panel since the distance from the eye is roughly the same throughout the width of monitor. On the flip side, curved monitors provide a less than accurate rendition of extreme detail at the edges and therefore aren't recommend for CAD, design or photographic applications. While curved ultrawides come in a wide array of widths, my desk will allow for a maximum diagonal size of 34", which in my informal testing seems ideal for development. I intend to face the left half of the monitor head on and view the right curved portion from time to time. If I had more desk space, I would just use 2 flat panels, with the one on the right being tilted a bit towards me. I'm leaning towards one of these 3440 x 1440 (21 x 9) monitors which are priced at the lower end of the market:
- Dell 34 Ultrawide WQHD Curved Monitor - S3422DW[^]
- Samsung 34" WQHD 100Hz 4ms GTG Curved VA LED Monitor (LC34J791WTNXZA)[^]
- LG 34WN80C-B Ultrawide Monitor[^]
Again, thanks very much for your input. /ravi
Personally, I'd look to find a solution to get two monitors, such as using a wall mount or one of those two monitor stands. I keep my main monitor just a bit to the left of center and the second one to the right. I get a lot of screen real estate since when developing, there's often a need to have something else open that you may refer to and it may need more than just a "sidebar" view. That's a personal preference but I really wonder if a wide monitor really accomplishes the same thing since you want to keep your center of focus on your main IDE. I'd have to try both out personally, I think.
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I should have substantiated my question with some background information. I often need to view Visual Studio (often 2 files side by side), an Android emulator and a Zoom window at the same time. I currently use a single 1920 x 1200 monitor at home only because I have limited desk space. At work I have 2 1920 x 1200 flat panels with the option of having a third, but these days I work from home most of the time. I've been asked to select a an ultrawide of my choice, so I want to ensure I do due diligence (reviews can be misleading because they're often sponsored by the manufacturer) before having my company fork out $$ for the device. As I understand it, the value of a curved ultrawide is that it provides better edge-to-edge clarity than a wide flat panel since the distance from the eye is roughly the same throughout the width of monitor. On the flip side, curved monitors provide a less than accurate rendition of extreme detail at the edges and therefore aren't recommend for CAD, design or photographic applications. While curved ultrawides come in a wide array of widths, my desk will allow for a maximum diagonal size of 34", which in my informal testing seems ideal for development. I intend to face the left half of the monitor head on and view the right curved portion from time to time. If I had more desk space, I would just use 2 flat panels, with the one on the right being tilted a bit towards me. I'm leaning towards one of these 3440 x 1440 (21 x 9) monitors which are priced at the lower end of the market:
- Dell 34 Ultrawide WQHD Curved Monitor - S3422DW[^]
- Samsung 34" WQHD 100Hz 4ms GTG Curved VA LED Monitor (LC34J791WTNXZA)[^]
- LG 34WN80C-B Ultrawide Monitor[^]
Again, thanks very much for your input. /ravi
I, too, have limited desk space at home, and only set my second monitor up occasionally. I have 2 24” screens. I’ve been considering a dual monitor arm, such as the Ergotron at Amazon. I saw one in use at a doctors office and was pretty impressed.
Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
I have a 32" monitor but have recently switched over to using my laptop more extensively for all my work. I find the closeness that the laptop provides is a much easier work experience. However, for flight simulations my 32" screen cannot be beat...
Steve Naidamast Sr. Software Engineer Black Falcon Software, Inc. blackfalconsoftware@outlook.com
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
It's hard to recommend a G9 for development, but it's really easy to recommend a giant curved screen. Maybe a high refresh rate (120hz+) is actually a pretty great thing if you're staring at it for hours. Reasons: 1) No futzing about with monitor 1 vs 2 and their relative positions, one of them not getting signal one day, etc. 2) The curved screens are supposed to be better on your eyes because the focal point remains the same, less refocusing. 3) No matter if you buy the exact same brand of monitor and then you calibrate them, they will still not be "the same". 4) Nobody needs to be turning the monitor sideways to see more code without scrolling, you can only look at a few at a time anyway. 5) It's a cheaper way to get the same amount of screen real estate. Granted, you can't really go cheap low-spec big curved screen, but you don't really want the corollary of multiple cheap low-spec panels anyway if you care about your eyes.
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Do you think you'd have space for 2 monitors if the one on the right were vertical instead of horizontal? I've not tried it, but I know several who prefer their second screen to be vertical.
I might, but I prefer to work in landscape mode. I experimented with a vertical screen at work and found it hard to use. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
Thanks again for your useful and informative comments! /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
I would get 2 monitors, like 2 27" or 2 larger and a nice stand. I bought 2 Dell 27" and the Dell stand that holds 2 monitors and I'm very happy with them. Added a 3rd 24" monitor to have larger fonts, easier to read for actual reading from apps that don't have adjustable text size. I went to Viewsonic HQ as a reseller for an event and got to checkout all the monitors, and the curved ones really hooked me. I wanted one really bad. But my friend at Kingston, Director of IT gave me the 411 on a single curved monitor and told me the horror stories about actually using them for development. I can't remember the exact issues that came up, but it was a long list of things that didn't pan out. Most of the issues were remote desktop and video meeting related.
If it ain't broke don't fix it Discover my world at jkirkerx.com
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I would get 2 monitors, like 2 27" or 2 larger and a nice stand. I bought 2 Dell 27" and the Dell stand that holds 2 monitors and I'm very happy with them. Added a 3rd 24" monitor to have larger fonts, easier to read for actual reading from apps that don't have adjustable text size. I went to Viewsonic HQ as a reseller for an event and got to checkout all the monitors, and the curved ones really hooked me. I wanted one really bad. But my friend at Kingston, Director of IT gave me the 411 on a single curved monitor and told me the horror stories about actually using them for development. I can't remember the exact issues that came up, but it was a long list of things that didn't pan out. Most of the issues were remote desktop and video meeting related.
If it ain't broke don't fix it Discover my world at jkirkerx.com
Unfortunately I don't have enough space for 2 panels at home, which prompted this thread. I use 2 24" panels (each 1920 x 1200) at work. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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My problem with curved big screens is simple: are they good for your eyes? I'm pretty sure that my eyesight has got worse as a result of decades of screen use, and curved screens mean that for 6~8 hours a day you are focusing at exactly the same distance which can't be good long term for the eye muscles. Can it?
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
I used to make it a habit of looking away every 20m to a distance of more or less 20ft for 20s as I read somewhere once this prevents eye strain known surprisingly as the 20/20/20 rule, but have since forgotten and neglected to do so, but your post has reminded me, so I thank you. Also I wear blue filter glasses and am glad of it. Also the Visual Studio edit window background set to Color of the Universe 0xFFF8E7 255 248 231 I find soothing. Your post has led me to examine recommended for minimum eyestrain monitors. Will consider same. Again thank you. - Best
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
I say ditch the ultrawide all together! I went with a 43" monitor at UHD. It's big enough that all of the pixels are useful (in other words, I run it at standard DPI @ 3840 x 2160 pixels). I have a 32" UHD monitor at work and I've found that 125% is needed in order to be useful. Also, the 43" monitor I'm referring to is made to be a monitor and comes with a stand and doesn't look weird like it does when you plug a PC into a TV.
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What do you recommend? /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
I purchased a flat 34" ultra wide. Mainly use it for write code (development). The monitor supported picture-by-picture. I really like it a lot. Depending where I'm sitting, it feels like the text on either ends are harder to read. Guessing cause I'm viewing from the side. Haven't tried a curved, so not able to give an opinion. Getting it would help, who knows.
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Funnily enough (not, don't ask) I had an accident with my 43" Sony Bravia flat screen I was using. Was 10 years old, but still pretty nice for 1920x1080. Its flat, and while I thought about a curved screen for this it didn't really seem to matter. It was arms length away, so not like I was doing a lot of head turning from left to right. Ordered a refurbished 43" Samsung tv, quad density, for only a quarter of the price that I paid for the Sony. I think the higher density will be nice, we will see....
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I purchased a flat 34" ultra wide. Mainly use it for write code (development). The monitor supported picture-by-picture. I really like it a lot. Depending where I'm sitting, it feels like the text on either ends are harder to read. Guessing cause I'm viewing from the side. Haven't tried a curved, so not able to give an opinion. Getting it would help, who knows.
luckydragon76 wrote:
Depending where I'm sitting, it feels like the text on either ends are harder to read.
Right. Which is why I'm leaning towards a curved screen. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
