I tested a curved OLED gaming monitor with a secret side quest

2025 is truly the year of OLED gaming monitors. First, we got 4K 240Hz truly become a thing and leave me mesmerized at CES 2025. And most recently, LG introduced a true feast for the eyes with the world’s first 5K2K curved OLED panel.

But these screens all have one thing in common — they are all focused on the one singular mission of just being a great gaming monitor. That’s fine and all, but they’re missing the functions to really make them a true all-dayer, such as speakers, versatility in the settings or attention paid to reducing the blue light glare.

That’s when I came across the catchily-named LG 45GX90SA and its smaller sibling, the 39GX90SA. On the face of it, you’re getting an impressively capable WQHD OLED screen on a deep 800R curve that wraps around your peripheral vision nicely.

What you don’t know at first glance, though, is that these screens are living a secret double life. Thanks to webOS (shout-out to my old Palm Pre), this could also very well be the best-looking smart TV in your house. Let me explain.

Making the right moves

So what you’re looking at in both the 39- and 49-inch panels is a WOLED panel — superior to the QD-OLED screens you see elsewhere for its pixel structure affording better clarity and a big drop in blue light emissions.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s a curved monitor with 800R curvature, but with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 3440 x 1440-pixel resolution. It’s taller than your usual 32:9 letter box of an ultrawide, which does make it more ideal for multipurpose use (more on that later).

To top off the gaming credentials, you’ve got a 240Hz refresh rate with variable support, support for AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync to minimize screen tearing, a 1.5 million:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits on HDR. Complete the package with 10-bit color depth, and this is a flash flood of vividness, whatever games you throw at it.

Popping Hades 2 on highlighted this with a buttery smooth picture that is razor sharp at every degree of its 178-degree viewing angle. It’s oh-so colorful and engulfs you in its curve.

Oh, and if you need to connect multiple sources, you’ve got USB-C with 65W Power Delivery, 2x HDMI 2.1 and a DisplayPort 1.4 socket — more than enough to fit into any setup, complete with the a ton of tilt and rotate functionality on that L-shaped stand.

Turn this TV on

LG UltraGear 45GX90SA

(Image credit: Future)

And that’s just the beginning. You pick up the simple-to-use remote and with webOS 24, you’re transported over to the smart TV functionality. Packing 300 channels, all your usual suspect streaming apps, some games and even access to game streaming services like Xbox Game Pass, this unlocks a massive amount of versatility in the way you use this.

Just because you’re a PC gamer doesn’t mean you want to be confined to just gaming. Getting all of this in one place doesn’t just make this a smashing all-in-one; the attention paid to that gaming experience could very well make this the best-looking TV screen in your house.

With webOS, you’ve got the chance to tailor and curate what you see on the home screen to your tastes — whether it’s specific playlists based on artists you love or a schedule of upcoming sports matches by following your favorite teams.

And there are speakers! Granted, they’re a little tinny, but for those moments you don’t want to be weighed down by headphones or you want a social listening experience, this is ideal.

Outlook

At $1,599 for the 39GX90SA or $1,699 for the 45GX90SA, these aren’t the cheapest screens, but cheapness isn’t the point of this screen.

LG’s mission is to give you the best of both worlds — something that gives you enough for enthusiast-to-pro gaming while also adding in a whole second persona as a smart TV to be all things to all people.

And in doing so, the company’s just dropped a low-key banger of an OLED TV that just so happens to be one of the best gaming monitors, too.