Lenovo Legion R34w-30

The advancement and progression of monitors has, like televisions, hit a bit of a creative wall. While the panels become faster, more responsive, and significantly more vibrant and detailed, the actual design philosophy of what makes up a monitor is mostly shared between competing manufacturers. It doesn't matter whether you're looking at an ASUS, Acer, LG, Samsung, BenQ, or for the sake of this review, a Lenovo monitor, what you expect from one of these kinds of devices is effectively standardised across the product segment. It's for this reason that while the Lenovo Legion R34w-30 has a lot of very promising features, when you boil it down, it's a monitor like you've seen elsewhere.

The main dish on this device is without a doubt its panel. We're talking about a 34" 21:9 ultrawide display that has a 0.5 ms response time, 3440x1440 resolution, 180Hz refresh rate, 3000:1 contrast ratio, 99% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3 rating, and a 1500R curvature too. For anyone that doesn't speak tech bro, this basically means it's a slightly larger than average monitor that offers stunning visuals and amazing performance, all while having a curved design that attempts to further immerse you in whatever it's displaying.

It's likely of no surprise to hear that this panel is excellent. Its resolution and refresh rate combination are an ideal balance for those looking for stunning graphics and a fluid presentation. QHD at 144Hz or above is, in my opinion, a near perfect balance for PC gaming, especially for those who enjoy fast-paced shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Valorant. You could make the argument that the R34w-30 lacks a tad in that it can't offer true 4K or a refresh rate that reaches up to 240Hz, and while that is definitely a criticism the fact is a lot of computers, aside from the mad few that already have RTX 50 Series components, will struggle to experience 4K visuals at much more than 100 fps, which I why I've never really understood why you need a 4K screen that can deliver those high frame rates. Hence why I believe the perfect balance is QHD at 144Hz or more in the current day, something the R34w-30 achieves with flying colours.

The 34" ultrawide panel is a beast though. It takes up a huge amount of space both thanks to its general size but also the aggressive nature of the curvature. This monitor wants and needs to be the centre point of attention on your desk, and finding room for much else will be a challenge, especially when considering the stand and how far the screen protrudes outwards. When you combine the depth of the screen and the stand that it is attached to, you will need to account for around a foot of space on your desk in a depth sense to ensure the curved ends are properly situated, which is a significantly larger spatial requirement than the curved Samsung Odyssey monitor I use on a day-to-day basis.

But just because it's a bit of a behemoth doesn't mean you shouldn't consider making the R34w-30 your go-to monitor. On top of having an excellent panel, it has great manoeuvrability that allows you to shift the screen in horizontal and vertical planes and even angle it as well. The connectivity is brilliant too, with two HDMI 2.1 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.4, and even an audio jack too. But here's the amazing kicker... It even has built-in speakers! Yep, an often unthinkable feature for a monitor is included here. The speakers aren't particularly great at all and struggle to deliver quality sound, but it saves having to pick up external speakers for when you aren't using a headset and when you aren't gaming. Sure, it can be a bit of a pain to adjust the volume of the speakers manually, as you have to use the fiddly control stick on the monitor itself to navigate through a few different menus, but otherwise, this a really nifty and often overlooked addition that surprises.

Also, it's worth noting that the ultrawide setup does mean that the R34w-30 lacks a bit of optimisation for anything that isn't a PC. For computers, this monitor works like a dream, but if you are someone interested in a gaming monitor for console gameplay, or someone who likes to be able to flick between the different platforms, it's worth noting that modern consoles don't like ultrawide panels and tend to simply stretch their typical 16:9 ratios. Also, you have to bear in mind the speaker volume point I mentioned above, as it can be even more of a pain in the neck to adjust audio when you don't have a keyboard on hand that can handle the task without an issue.

The final point that's worth noting is just how intuitive and easy-to-build this monitor is. The R34w-30 has one of the most streamlined and simplistic monitor setups I've ever seen, as there is no requirement for additional tools, and you simply need to snap together the three parts (the display, the stand's frame and the stand's vertical core) together in what will likely take two minutes. If you include unpacking the gadget and attaching its cabling to this, your setup might stretch to five minutes. For a monitor, that's about as plug-and-play as you can get.

But here's the thing, the R34w-30 isn't cheap. It clocks in at €399, and that's around the same price as an Omen 34c, or significantly more than an LG UltraGear monitor that hits the same resolution, size, and refresh rate parameters. Granted, it's not nearly the most expensive monitor on the market for this product category, as an Alienware device can often double the R34w-30's asking price, but none of this changes the fact that this monitor isn't exactly cheap. It's a quality device, with a premium feel, featuring a vibrant, clear, and responsive display, built-in speakers, and a setup process that's to die for, but it lacks in the compatibility front a tad and it costs a pretty penny. Make of that what you will.