Ever since the pandemic hit and more and we began working from home, having the extra screen real estate via a dual monitor setup has arguably been a huge boost for productivity. Similarly, more and more laptop manufacturers are adding some height to their productivity laptops too. LG though wants to take it to the extreme, with a new display format altogether in their new LG DualUp monitor.
Taking the phrase ‘two is better than one’ a bit too literally, the LG DualUp is a 27.6-inch, Nano IPS display with a resolution of 2560 x 2880p in a 16:18 aspect ratio. LG is calling it the Square Double QHD resolution, and the DualUp is essentially two 21.5-inch, 1440p monitors stacked on top of each other vertically. It covers 98% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, has a brightness of 300nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The LG DualUp isn’t a gaming monitor of course, and so only has a 5ms response time and lacks AMD FreeSync too. You’ll also find two HDMI ports, a single DisplayPort, and three USB hubs including USB-C ports on the monitor. It comes with 14W stereo speakers too, and will have picture-by-picture to separate the display in half to output display from two different sources.
That being said, this monitor was never meant for gamers anyway. The 16:18 aspect ratio will boost productivity and convenience, according to LG, and comes with an LG Ergo stand that clamps onto the desk for more table real estate. One other benefit the stacked double display ought to provide is that you no longer need to move your head side-to-side as much as you would in a traditional dual monitor setup, which LG argues is the main cause of neck pain.
As someone who regularly uses a dual monitor setup and daily drives an LG ultrawide monitor, I actually think that the LG DualUp looks like a great solution. Ironically, I’d argue it would be a solid second monitor, with a more typical display or even a gaming monitor as your main display. It’s just the latest wacky new display from LG, having just recently launched the LG StanbyME, a smart TV on a stand. LG hasn’t revealed much else about the LG DualUp just yet though, but promises to do so during their upcoming CES 2022 virtual press conference. You can find out more about the LG DualUp in the meantime from their announcement post on their website.
