With OLED display technology moving from exotic to common, it’s genuinely a great time to buy a gaming monitor. OLED delivers excellent picture quality and performance, but it is expensive. If you look at 34-inch 21:9 screens, for example, an OLED version will cost around $1,000. If you don’t have much money to spend, there are some good deals at the other end of the scale.
Xiaomi is a brand you’ll find in big box stores, mainly in the TV aisle, but it also offers computer monitors. I have its latest one here for review, the G34WQi. It has a WQHD, 3440×1440, 34-inch 21:9 VA screen running at 180 Hz with Adaptive-Sync, HDR, a 1500R curve, and wide gamut color. And it sells for less than $300.
Xiaomi G34WQi Specs
| Panel Type / Backlight | VA / W-LED, edge array |
| Screen Size / Aspect Ratio | 34 inches / 21:9 |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | Curve radius: 1500mm |
| Max Resolution and Refresh Rate | 3440×1440 @ 180 Hz |
| Row 4 – Cell 0 | FreeSync: 48-180 Hz |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | G-Sync Compatible |
| Native Color Depth and Gamut | 8-bit / DCI-P3 |
| Response Time (MPRT) | 1ms |
| Brightness (mfr) | 350 nits |
| Contrast (mfr) | 4,000:1 |
| Speakers | None |
| Video Inputs | 2x DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Row 12 – Cell 0 | 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone output |
| USB 3.0 | None |
| Power Consumption | 36w, brightness @ 200 nits |
| Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base | 31.9 x 15.3-20.1 x 8.3 inches (811 x 389-511 x 210mm) |
| Panel Thickness | 4.4 inches (112mm) |
| Bezel Width | Top/sides: 0.4 inch (9mm) |
| Row 19 – Cell 0 | Bottom: 0.7 inch (17mm) |
| Weight | 15.2 pounds (6.9kg) |
| Warranty | 3 years |
34-inch ultra-wide monitors occupy a sweet spot between size and visual immersion. 21:9 and 32:9 screens cover more of the viewer’s peripheral vision than traditional 16:9 displays. And when they’re curved, the suspension of disbelief is even higher. The current pinnacle of this genre is 49-inch 32:9 screens, but they require a good deal more space and are more expensive.
The G34WQi impresses right off the bat with its low price. You can currently find them online for less than $300. For that low sum, you get a high-contrast VA panel with 3440×1440 WQHD resolution and a 1500R curvature. I measured over 3,330:1 native contrast for SDR and HDR content. That is about triple the dynamic range of any IPS panel, including the premium models. I also found wide color coverage with nearly 92% of DCI-P3 and excellent out-of-box accuracy. The G34WQi does not require calibration and is certified from the factory. Not many sub-$300 monitors can claim that boast.
Gaming performance is bolstered by a 180 Hz refresh rate and support for G-Sync and FreeSync. The G34WQi has not been certified by Nvidia. It also offers blur reduction via backlight strobe and an adjustable overdrive. Play enhancements include a frame counter but no aiming points or sniper modes. Internal speakers and USB ports are also absent, which is not unusual for a budget monitor—an LED ring lights up the back panel with different colors and effects.
My first impression is that the G34WQi is focused on image quality and performance; in those respects, it delivers well beyond its modest price.
Assembly and Accessories
You might need a store employee to help you locate the G34WQi in a pile of monitor boxes because its carton has little printed on it to identify the contents. The three main parts are packed in crumbly foam and will require the services of a Philips-head screwdriver. A tiny one is included. The base is a simple metal plate with holes drilled in it. Find the two bolts in a small ziplock bag and attach it to the upright. Then, the panel snaps on. There is a 75mm VESA mount for aftermarket arms, but you’ll need to source your own fasteners. The power supply is external, but it’s a large wall wart rather than the usual brick. The lone bundled cable is DisplayPort.
Product 360
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The G34WQi’s styling is back to basics with no frills like molded-in features or colored trim. The front bezel is flush and thin around the top and sides, and it has a 3H hardness anti-glare layer. It keeps light reflections at bay while enabling a sharp and grain-free image. The bottom trim has the Xiaomi logo in the middle, and you’ll find a larger version in the back made from glossy letters that contrast against a matte finish. An LED ring encircles the attachment point, which can show different color and effects that are programmed in the OSD. The joystick controller is also backlit, which accesses all monitor functions.
The stand is solid with a shiny strip in the back and metallic gray sides. It bolts to a solid metal plate and is very stable in operation. Swivel is 40 degrees to either side with 5/21 degrees tilt and a height adjustment of 4.8 inches. There is a little wobble thanks to the small hinge that joins the panel and stand, but it is stable enough for the G34WQi’s total weight of 15.2 pounds.
The inputs are hidden under a removable panel, including two DisplayPort and two HDMI. The HDMIs max out at 100 Hz, so you’ll need DisplayPort to run at 180 Hz. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are no internal speakers or USB ports.
OSD Features
The G34WQi’s OSD pops up when you click the joystick to the right. Moving it left summons the input selector while up and down adjust the brightness.
The OSD has game-focused styling with a control guide at the bottom and signal info at the top. You can always see the input refresh rate, overdrive setting, and HDR and Adaptive-Sync status. In the Picture Mode sub-menu, there are four presets. Standard is the default and best choice for all content and usage. There are three fixed color temps to adjust the image and a custom mode with RGB sliders. Five gamma presets adjust tonal range, and you can specify the color gamut, Native, DCI-P3, or sRGB.
There are five overdrive settings, but in my tests, I found little effect from any of them. The Fastest setting shows visible black trail artifacts in moving patterns, which indicates undershoot. You can further reduce blur by shutting off Adaptive-Sync and turning on the backlight strobe in the Advanced menu. There is no control of pulse width, nor can you turn up the brightness to compensate for the reduction in light output. This menu also has the HDR control, which should be set to Auto for a seamless switch between signal modes.
The Game Mode menu is redundant because if you turn it on, it enables three more picture modes and duplicates the image options found in the Picture Mode menu. There is no effect on video processing, so I recommend leaving it off.
The G34WQi includes a nice graphical menu for PIP and PBP options. You can view two video sources at once in split screen or window layouts. In the System menu are the LED lighting options, called Backstrip lighting. You can change the color, choose from breathing, static or rainbow effects, and match the color to onscreen content. Also here is the refresh rate indicator. There are no aiming points or sniper modes.
Xiaomi G34WQi Calibration Settings
The G34WQi does not need calibration in the default Standard picture mode with Game Mode turned off. If you want to tweak, there are five gamma presets that measure as marked. And there’s a custom color temp with RGB sliders. They are fairly coarse in operation, but I managed a small improvement in color accuracy with a few minor changes. The full native gamut is in play for SDR and HDR content. It covers just over 91% of DCI-P3. If you want sRGB, choose that option from the Color space field in the Picture Mode menu. Below are my recommended SDR settings. HDR signals gray out all picture controls. You can switch automatically by setting HDR to Auto. Here’s an important tip: raise the brightness to maximum before switching to HDR. Otherwise, the G34WQi will remain at the same light output level, and you won’t be able to adjust it once the HDR signal is active. More on this later.
| Picture Mode | Standard, Game Mode Off |
| Brightness 200 nits | 39 |
| Brightness 120 nits | 21 |
| Brightness 100 nits | 16 |
| Brightness 80 nits | 12 |
| Brightness 50 nits | 5 (min. 23 nits) |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| Color Temp Custom | Red 48, Green 49, Blue 50 |
Gaming and Hands-on
Gaming on the G34WQi was a generally satisfying experience, but there were a few things that I wished were better. On the upside, the control response is quick with no perceptible input lag. I could aim and move precisely and dispatching enemies in Doom Eternal was no problem. The HDR and SDR pictures were colorful and bright. The G34WQi has excellent contrast thanks to its VA panel, and the color is vivid with a natural and saturated look.
My complaints centered around video processing. The overdrive is poor; even on its fastest setting, it undershoots. This manifests as black trail artifacts behind moving objects. You can also see them in the background when moving the mouse rapidly. Motion blur isn’t too bad, about average for a 180 Hz monitor. However, I had to make a greater effort to focus on the aiming zones, especially when homing in on distant targets.
Moving more slowly, as one would in less frenetic games, I could take time to enjoy the colorful and detailed surroundings. High contrast makes the picture look sharper and the G34WQi excels in that regard. Playing games that don’t require a quick trigger finger will make you happy with the bright and colorful image.
I also considered the value in getting an ultra-wide curved monitor for less than $300. This screen format is ideal for smaller desktops where you want some extra immersion but don’t have the budget or room for a 45 or 49-inch display. The G34WQi is about the most cost-efficient way to improve the feel of virtual reality over a 16:9 screen.
You don’t quite get the full screen area of two 16:9 monitors for work tasks, but there is enough room for extra document windows. The G34WQi’s curve is ideal for productivity because it’s gentle enough to avoid distortion. Straight lines remain straight, and nothing looks unnatural. This monitor is well suited for everyday use, gaming, and video.
Takeaway: The G34WQi is a great all-around display that delivers high contrast and saturated color for an impressive image at its price point. Though I noted some weaknesses in video processing, gaming was nonetheless satisfying. I was drawn in by the extra width, and issues with motion blur were adapted to. Yes, I’ve seen better, but not for less than $300.
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To compare the G34WQi, I’ve grouped five WQHD panels: ViewSonic’s XG341C-2K, Monoprice’s 44394, Philips’ 34M2C7600, HP’s Omen 34c and ASRock’s PG34WQ. The ViewSonic and Philips are premium Mini LED panels priced over $1,000.
Pixel Response and Input Lag
Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.
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Response times and refresh rates usually go hand-in-hand, but the ViewSonic is unusual because it takes 7ms to draw a full white field while running at 200 Hz. The 180 Hz G34WQi comes in at 6ms, which is respectable. Unfortunately, its overdrive undershoots, leaving visible black trail artifacts behind moving objects. Blur is minimal but you’ll see some breakup in fast camera pans. Input lag is the good part of the G34WQi’s story at a class-leading 26ms. The monitor is quick and precise when aiming and moving.
Test Takeaway: Aside from a weak overdrive, the G34WQi delivers decent performance with quick control response. Rapid movements show some breakup of detail thanks to overdrive undershoot. The blur reduction (MPRT) is a viable alternative that further reduces blur, but the black trail artifacts cannot be removed.
Viewing Angles
The G34WQi looks better in the viewing angle photos than other VA monitors. You can see a 40% light reduction with a green shift in the side view. Looking from the top, light drops by 50%, detail clarity is reduced by low gamma, and there is a red/green tint. The G34WQi isn’t a great choice for sharing but for a single user, it delivers good imagery from edge to edge.
Screen Uniformity
To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.
Xiaomi does not skimp on quality control even though the G34WQi is a value-focused monitor. A 7.62% deviation means there are no visible issues. I saw no hotspots, glow, or bleed in my sample. This is excellent performance.
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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
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Xiaomi claims 350 nits for the G34WQi, and my sample topped 385. This is with DCR (dynamic contrast) turned off. Turning it on reduces the black level but also crushes shadow detail. With over 3,333:1 native contrast, no help is needed here. This is about triple the dynamic range of an IPS panel, a difference you can clearly see in content. The picture looks more lifelike with greater depth and color saturation. Among VA monitors, the G34WQi is just above average in this test.
After Calibration to 200 nits
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Calibration makes very little difference in the G34WQi’s contrast. It’s about the same as before, but color is a tad more saturated thanks to the grayscale adjustments. More on that later. The Philips and ViewSonic have higher native contrast, but they also cost a lot more.
The G34WQi is the best of the rest in the ANSI test, with a ratio just under 3,000:1. This is very consistent performance that you wouldn’t expect for less than $300. Again, the Philips and ViewSonic take first and second place, but that should be the case, considering they cost far more.
Test Takeaway: The G34WQi uses its VA panel to produce class-leading contrast. Among budget screens, it is a clear winner. Only a pair of expensive Mini LED models can beat it; that is certainly significant. With 385 nits peak brightness available, there is more than enough light output for a punchy image. And the high contrast helps color look more saturated.
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Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
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The G34WQi impresses from the get-go with a grayscale chart free of visible errors. Only the 100% brightness step touches the 3dE mark, and you won’t be able to see that issue in actual content. The gamma trace is mostly straight with slight rises at 10 and 80-90%. These are also not a factor in content. The G34WQi meets its factory calibration data sheet claims. This is very impressive for the price.
Calibration lowers the average error level and tightens up gamma a bit, but visually, the difference is quite small. This is excellent performance.
If you select the sRGB gamut, color temp and gamma presets are off the table. Grayscale tracking is without visual error, but gamma gets a bit wonky. A dip at 10% means some shadow detail will be too bright in tone. The rise at 80-90% manifests as dull highlights. The picture has a little less verve in general but as you’ll see below, color is very accurate in the G34WQi’s sRGB mode.
Comparisons
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The G34WQi sits atop both the pre and post-calibration comparisons. It has excellent out-of-box accuracy and calibrates to a very high standard. Though the gamma range of 0.15 puts it in last place, that is still a fairly tight set of values. It takes first place in the final chart with a 0.91 deviation from 2.2. The actual value is 2.22, which is within a whisker of perfection.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
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The G34WQi’s default DCI-P3 color chart has no areas of complaint. Red is slightly undersaturated, but this will be hard to spot in actual content. Green is almost fully covered, which is impressive in a sub-$300 monitor. Calibration doesn’t make a visible difference, but the average error is a tad lower thanks to tightened-up secondary colors. It doesn’t get much better than this at any price.
The sRGB chart also has slight red under-saturation, but at 1.13dE, it is even closer to perfection.
Comparisons
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The G34WQi sits near the top in the color test with an invisible error of 1.36dE. That it beats the premium screens from ViewSonic and Philips is most impressive. This is far better performance than I usually see from budget displays.
In the volume test, the G34WQi is the best of the rest. It’s only beaten by the Mini LED panels, which cost far more. It’s the most colorful monitor you’ll find for less than $300, that’s for sure. 91.68% coverage of DCI-P3 is a tad above average for rank-and-file LCDs. To get more color, you’ll need Mini LED or OLED. The G34WQi’s sRGB mode is near-ideal at 96.33% coverage. It is qualified for critical applications in both DCI-P3 and sRGB realms.
Test Takeaway: The G34WQi delivers color accuracy and coverage well above its price class. That it performs almost as well as monitors costing four times as much is very impressive. It has a colorful and natural look for all content and should satisfy even the pickiest users.
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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.
The G34WQi supports HDR10 content with an automatic switch once you’ve set the OSD option to Auto, it’s turned off by default. There are no additional picture modes or image adjustments.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
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When running the HDR contrast tests, I discovered a quirk. The G34WQi carries its brightness setting over from SDR to HDR. That means if you’ve set it to 200 nits for SDR, that’s all you’ll get for HDR. The workaround is to max the brightness slider before inputting HDR content, which is a step that shouldn’t be needed. There is no dynamic contrast or variable dimming enabled here, so HDR contrast is the same as SDR. The G34WQi tone maps with reasonable accuracy, so HDR looks a little better than SDR. But if you want maximum impact from the latest HDR content, this monitor is not for you. Note that the ASRock, HP and Monoprice screens have a lot more contrast to offer. The Mini LED displays shut off their zone-dimming array, so black levels and contrast cannot be measured.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
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The G34WQi nails the grayscale portion of the HDR test but is a bit dark in its EOTF tracking. There are no visible errors in gray step patterns which is a good thing. But output rises too slowly as the stimulus level increases which means some shadow detail will be obscured. This would be helped by dynamic contrast but alas there is none.
In the color tests, most points are over-saturated, which helps add impact to HDR. This makes it a little better than SDR, but without a broader dynamic range, image quality improvements are limited. Hue tracking is on point, meaning colors looks natural. The Rec.2020 chart shows the same behavior. The only difference is that the G34WQi runs out of color, around 85% red, 90% blue, and 75% green. This is typical performance for wide gamut monitors.
Test Takeaway: The G34WQi has good HDR color that looks natural and saturated, and is reasonably accurate. But with dark EOTF tracking and no dynamic contrast, the picture is only slightly more impactful than its SDR counterpart. The need to max brightness manually before applying an HDR signal is unnecessarily fiddly too. That could be potentially fixed with a firmware update. The G34WQi supports HDR but doesn’t make the most of the extra quality it offers.
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I encourage everyone with the means to buy an OLED monitor. They are awesome in every respect and if more people buy them, they’ll get cheaper. But I must be realistic; they’re just too expensive now to fit into every budget. Thankfully, VA technology delivers some of that extra color and contrast for much less money. Not only does it cost less than OLED, but it also significantly undercuts Mini LED.
The Xiaomi G34WQi is one of the best budget screens I’ve reviewed. It isn’t perfect; no monitor is. The overdrive could be better; I found it annoying to keep changing the brightness level when switching between SDR and HDR modes. But neither of these things impacted the excellent color and contrast I enjoyed. As a VA panel, it has about triple the dynamic range of an IPS monitor. It has one of the largest color gamuts in its class, with almost 92% measured coverage of DCI-P3. HDR could benefit from dynamic contrast which is not in evidence. But seriously, it’s less than $300, so I can’t cry too loudly.
If you want to put an ultra-wide monitor on your desk but can’t afford OLED or Mini LED, the Xiaomi G34WQi is a great choice. With a gorgeous image, accurate color and solid build quality, it’s one of the best displays you can buy for less than $300.
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