Like bendable, adaptable Elastigirl from the seminal Pixar film The Incredibles, LG’s latest widescreen display is a “5K2K” OLED monitor that transitions from a standard flatscreen to a 900R curved screen. It’s extra large at 45 inches, and it will cost a pretty penny, but it may also be the only monitor you’ll ever need.
LG is known for its experiments with flexible, morphable screen material, but the 45GX990A still comes as a surprise. LG is promoting its latest 45-inch panel, which offers flexibility beyond bendability. It features VRR (with no word on its top refresh rate) alongside its “Dual-Mode” feature, which lets you switch between resolution presets. The display comes with a toggle to swap between a 21:9 or 16:9 aspect ratio or other picture sizes—either 39-, 34- or 27-inches—without digging through monitor settings. LG said there’s a total of eight different configurations.
To avoid getting confused by the “5K2K” resolution claims, the display is 5,120 by 2,160, though that will change depending on what settings you use on the monitor. The pixel count is effectively equivalent to the height of 4K, at 3,840 by 2,160. If you plan to game on such a setup, you’ll want to run games that offer ultrawide support. At least the LG Flexible OLED is rated for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. It should also include support for DisplayPort 2.1 HDMI 2.1 (even with HDMI 2.2 on the horizon) and 90W power delivery.
The 45GX990A is a standard OLED with the .03 MS response times typical of this display type. It may not be as pretty as other 16:9 curved monitors, like Alienware’s AW3225QF from earlier this year, but the difference will be marginal. I’ve also enjoyed the QDOLED on the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 with its 1800R curve. I’ve never felt the need to suddenly trade in a curved display for a flatscreen, though maybe the top end of the UltraGear GX9 series might change my mind.
LG is trading the quantum dots of those other screens for size and flexibility—literally and figuratively. You get a massive 45-inch screen real estate that can fit your desired curve, whether filling your periphery or offering a slight bend to your typical workstation. Either way, 45 inches would consume most desks, so say goodbye to your multi-monitor setups.
That’s all before we know the pricing on these displays before LG shows them off during CES 2025 in the second week of January. LG has additional, non-flexible monitors like the sister curved OLED and the 45GX950A, which includes the same 5K2K OLED but with a standard 800R curve. LG also claims this model has limited bezels to a “virtually borderless design.” This fellow, the likely-expensive monitor, is joined by a “smart gaming monitor,” the UltraGear 39GX90SA. That 800R curved OLED display uses LG’s Linux-based webOS to act like your typical smart TV, which may make it good for game or movie streaming.
Again, there’s no word on pricing or release timing. LG finally started selling its famed transparent Signature OLED T, which first showed off at CES 2024 earlier this month for $60,000. I don’t expect LG to take nearly as long on its UltraGear GX9 series, but that’s up to the screen maker. Last year, LG’s big CES announcement was a 240 Hz monitor that can also go to 480 Hz. That display cost $1,400 MSRP. Judging by its size, we expect the GX9 to cost even more.
