There’s no shortage of ultrawide gaming monitors out there. From OLED offerings that dazzle the senses to super-bright Mini LED affairs that remain vibrant even in bright rooms, there’s something out there to suit practically all needs.
The Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 (to give it its full, rather clunky name) falls in the latter category. A 34-inch Mini LED ultrawide gaming monitor with a super-speedy 240Hz refresh rate and plenty of connectivity options, it’s looking to woo you over with its relatively sensible aesthetics and performance. At typically $1,200/£900, though, it isn’t cheap and falls pretty close to premium OLED monitor territory, which is, for many, the holy grail for gaming monitors. Until Micro LED becomes more mainstream, at least. Having said all that, you can currently find it 50% off at Lenovo US after the holidays.
Is the Y34wz-30 worth it? Let’s find out.
Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30
$600 $1200 Save $600
The Legion Y34wz-30 is fast, bright, and performs well. The ultrawide aspect ratio provides an immersive element to gaming while improving multitasking. While it’s too expensive compared to the competition, it’s now half off at Lenovo. If you’re after flexible connectivity options, it’s hard to beat.
- Attractive pared-back design
- Large, immersive curved screen
- Strong HDR performance
- Typically too expensive considering the competition
- Design won’t suit all tastes
Design
Curved screen with RGB flair
Pocket-lint
- Dimensions: 807.2 x 451.3 x 320.1mm
- Weight: 10.5kg
Regarding gaming monitors, the Legion Y34wz-30 certainly isn’t the most in-your-face offering when it comes to brash gamer aesthetics, which is no bad thing in my book. An all-black plastic affair (minus a grey bracing strip on the base), it should fit in rather nicely with more sensible desk aesthetics. The base, in fact, is probably the most striking thing about it and will probably divide opinions.
As a fan of architecture, I rather like the cross-braced, bridge-girder vibe it gives off, but it certainly won’t appeal to everyone. Both feet of the stand are also more or less at a 90-degree angle while sticking out a fair amount. I found myself with plenty of room on my average-sized desk, mind, but it’s something to bear in mind if space is tight and you tend to leave a lot of things on your desktop.
Weighing a perfectly manageable 10.5kg, it’s an absolute breeze to set up. I clipped on the arm and screwed in the stand (all toolless), carried it over to the desk without fuss, and was up and running within a minute of opening the box. Having struggled with fiddly monitor setups in the past, both my sanity and back were very grateful for the Y34wz-30’s slick, manageable setup process. It’s also very easy to adjust both the height and tilt, with plenty of wiggle room for both, making for a very comfortable, ergonomic setup.
Beneath the screen, you’ll find another clue to its gaming DNA in the form of a centralised RGB light strip, which diligently beams colourful lights down onto your desk. It’s very subtle in well-lit conditions and adds a rather pleasant effect in low light. Naturally, you can turn it off, and given the hidden under-bezel location of the RGB strip itself, it’s completely hidden from view. The built-in menu states that you can download Lenovo’s Artery software for additional controls of the RGB functionality, but having installed it, I couldn’t see anything related to it. Either way, I left it turned off for the most part and was perfectly happy with its scrolling RGB effect for those periods when I fancied a little extra ambience round the back.
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Features, connectivity, and sound
Excellent connectivity and solid speakers
Flip the Legion Y34wz-30, and you’ll be met with a rather sensible black panel, with a central portion jutting out that houses all the ports. And what a generous selection there is. You’ll find two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-C port DP Alt Mode for video and data transfer, a second USB-C port for data, and four USB-A ports thrown in for good measure. Oh, and let’s not forget the Ethernet port and headphone/audio out jack. Phew.
That’s a pretty impressive selection by any standard, and it gets even better when you throw in the built-in KVM switch, which lets you control multiple connected PCs with the same keyboard and mouse. I only had one PC on hand during my testing, but if you regularly switch between two devices, the usefulness of this feature cannot be overstated.
…”What a generous selection there is. You’ll find two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, a USB-C port DP Alt Mode for video and data transfer, a second USB-C port for data, and four USB-A ports”.
The physical controls for turning the monitor on and off and navigating the menu can be found beneath the right-hand side of the screen, and it’s one of the more accessible and more intuitive setups I’ve used. The large power button is all but impossible to miss, and clicking in the joystick to bring up the menu, navigate through the options, and select your settings is something that feels natural, with no frustrating guesswork required.
As for the sound, the Legion Y34wz-30 houses two 5W speakers. Naturally, they won’t hold a candle to dedicated headphones, soundbars, or desktop speakers, but they’ll get the job done as far as built-in monitor speakers go. Reaching surprisingly impressive volumes, you won’t be left wanting for more, especially as things can get a little tinny and harsh when cranked to the max, with little bass to balance it out. You’re more than likely planning to use a dedicated external sound output with whatever gaming monitor you choose to grace your desk, but it’s at least reassuring to know that this one can hold its own without assistance, should the need arise.
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Screen and performance
Super-bright Mini LED panel and impressive contrast in HDR mode
The Legion Y34wz-3’s 34-inch 3,440 x 1,440 VA panel has a very gentle 1500R curvature, which I’d say is the perfect amount for a screen this size. It slightly envelops your view, but not to such an extent that it’s distracting or desk-dominating. The panel itself uses a Mini LED backlight, though this only kicks in if HDR is turned on.
When HDR is off, the experience isn’t all that impressive, but you’ll want to wear sunglasses once it’s on. As a self-confessed OLED monitor lover, I even have to bow down to the power of Mini LED when it comes to brightness. The Y34wz-3 is eye-searing at max brightness, which is actually a good thing, as you can comfortably rest in the knowledge that you’ll never be left wishing there was just a tad more in the tank.
Black levels are also far, far better in HDR mode. When turned off, blacks look more like a dark grey. Turned on, though, and they become a deliciously deep, rich black. And that’s despite the rather low level of local dimming zones (just 384), which is a figure that a fair few competitors overtake. Without an OLED display in the same room to compare with, you’ll be very content with the contrast and black levels on offer here.
Overall, the black levels and HDR performance make for a very enjoyable gaming experience, particularly in titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, which have no shortage of dim, gloomy caves and dungeons to explore. With HDR mode on, the Legion Y34wz-30 is able to let me spy on hidden doors and enemies in darker environments, which my dark elf character found useful on more than once occasion. It has to be said that the wide 21:9 aspect ratio, combined with the slight curve of the screen, also makes for a more immersive gaming experience, letting me see more of my on-screen environment than traditional 16:9 displays.
As for the refresh rate, its 165Hz performance is more than enough for my middle-aged gaming reflexes. Its buttery-smooth performance is particularly notable in fast-paced games like Rocket League, and there’s even an Overdrive mode which cranks things up to 180Hz. Now, there’s no way my eyes can tell the difference between 165 and 180Hz, so this is more of a way to grab a bit of extra spec street cred in my eyes – especially the overclock in Overdrive mode automatically turns off after 30 minutes. Supporting AMD Freesync Premium Pro to reduce screen tearing is a nice feature for AMD GPU users, but I can also confirm that the Nvidia RTX 4090 used in my testing produced no screen tearing issues, as you’d expect with such a beefy card.
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Verdict
Solid monitor that gets plenty right
Lenovo
Overall, the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 is a solid monitor that gets plenty right. From an unassuming, pared-back design to a beautifully bright, fast screen, intuitive controls, decent sound, and a plethora of connectivity options, there’s a lot to like here.
“From an unassuming, pared-back design to a beautifully bright, fast screen, intuitive controls, decent sound, and a plethora of connectivity options, there’s a lot to like here.”
It is greatly let down by its steep $1,200/£900 price tag – especially as it only has 384 dimming zones to play with. However, it’s currently on sale at Lenovo for $600 in the US. That’s half off. For context, you can pick up the Alienware AW3423DWF for $799/£929 (though it’s recently been as low as £740 on offer). It is widely regarded as one of the best gaming monitors ever made. It’s an OLED affair, which, while dimmer, provides an incredibly punchy viewing experience thanks to its true, untouchable black levels and contrast.
In short, the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 dutifully fills a niche for those who desire a 34-inch ultrawide monitor with solid performance and – crucially – the plethora of connectivity options it offers, which sets it apart from the competition. If you’re scared of OLED burn-in and need a super-bright gaming monitor with built-in functionality for multiple connectivity, then this should be on your consideration list.
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