BenQ EW3880R

Certainly spectacular, arguably flawed, undeniably expensive

- By Jeremy Laird

OCCASIONALLY, a new product pops up that appears to have skipped the past five years completely. We give you the ‘new’ BenQ EW3880R. That’s not to say this epic 38-inch monitor is rubbish, as there’s lots to like. But the EW3880R is a pricey screen that feels decidedly dated.

First, let’s cover the basic proposition. This is 38 inches of gently curved (2300R, to be specific) IPS panel. The native resolution clocks in at 3,840x1,600, so it’s 4K in the horizontal, but not in the vertical, and the aspect ratio is 21:9 ultrawide.

By some measures, this is a pretty epic panel. The sheer scale of the screen combined with the ultrawide aspect ensures that. But it’s far from novel. In fact, back in 2016, LG announced the 38UC99, a monitor that ticks every one of those spec boxes. It’s almost certain the BenQ’s LCD panel was supplied by LG. And we have a hunch it may even be that same six-year-old IPS first seen in the aforementioned 38UC99.