Flat Or Flex? Might As Well Flex It with LG OLED Flex
We recently got the LG OLED Flex in the studio and it's basically a really awesome 42-inch OLED TV/Monitor that has a trick up its sleeve. You can either use it flat or curved, thanks to hydraulics and arm extensions that are present on the back of the panel. So you now have a fully curved screen to enjoy that curved gaming experience. So we had this for awhile and we didn't know what to really do with it. So what better way to take a look by just... playing some games on it!
First up however, we do have to mention that this will set you back a pretty hefty US$2,499 or S$3,999. So while this might be an impressive experience, we do highly suggest that you think twice before you actually purchase one.
Design
Overall, the design is pretty clean and minimal. It's much akin to that of their TV lineup. Silver is the name of the game here and everywhere you look and feel shouts nothing less than a premium standard. In order to support the entire structure and curve mechanism, do note that this very monitor does weigh quite a bit. The entire package comes in at 22.6kg or 49.8lbs. That is quite the weight so do make sure that your desk will be able to support that amount of weight and be very careful when moving the monitor around the house.
I/O
As mentioned, the stand is really chunky but that's also where you'll find all of the accompanying I/O. After all, the panel itself has to flex. So unlike standard monitors, you can't have your ports on the back of the panel itself, can you? Speaking of which, you get basically the same kind of I/O that you'll find in an LG OLED TV. We're talking 4x HDMI 2.1, 3 USB 2.0, RF Connection Input, Ethernet, RS-232C Input, Optical and Headphone Out. Of the 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs, one of them will also support eARC.
Clearly, well covered on the I/O front and you can easily hook up your PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch all at the same time with no issues at all.
Unfortunately, this also means that there aren't any PC unique ports such as DisplayPort. So if you're hooking up a PC, do definitely ensure that your GPU has support for HDMI 2.1 to make full use of that 4K 120Hz OLED panel.
The Gaming Experience
For now, we're pairing our Prime AP201 build with the LG OLED Flex and it sports a Ryzen 7 7800X3D with a Radeon RX 7900 XTX. A combo that's more than capable of handling this panel at its maximum potential.
So now let's run a few games and take this monitor for a spin! Watch our review up top to get the full experience and our thoughts as we play along!
Our Two Cents
In a nutshell however, this was an amazing experience. We didn't really have any qualms about it. The only thing we would recommend is that you have a deep enough desk to really enjoy the full 42-inches. Or you can just play with a controller or your console and lounge far away, that'll do the trick too. The only downside with this package would honestly be the speakers.
They don't sound the best especially when compared to an LG OLED C1 or C2. So we would definitely suggest using a soundbar or home theatre system or just throw on a pair of cans.
Ultimately however, is this worth the purchase as your next ultimate gaming monitor? We will unfortunately have to say no. The price tag is just a little too hefty for our liking. For that same price, you'll be able to afford a larger OLED TV or even other better monitors that have better refresh rates, ultrawide aspect ratio and all those good things. In addition, the flex effect isn't all that pronounced given how close you'll have to sit to fully feel the difference and the fact that this is still a standard 16:9 panel. A curve only really makes sense when it comes to ultrawide monitors in our opinion.
But for those of you want something that's really novel and something that you can really wow your friends or perhaps you actually would like to game flat or curved anytime you would want, then perhaps the LG OLED Flex is something that's right up your alley.
Just do note that it'll cost you a pretty penny.