Lenovo Legion Y44w-10 43.4" DWUXGA 144Hz WLED Curved HDR Gaming Monitor with AMD Radeon FreeSync 2, 3840x1200

2021-10-06T20:00:00

Great monitor. Instruction manual is not the best, for the speaker to work you need to connect both usb from speaker and also the usb-c port.

Chris P.

Originally posted at

2021-10-01T20:00:00

For context, I would like to state that I was previously using a 24" 1440p 144hz monitor from Dell since 2016. So as you could probably guess, coming from a 24 inch to 43.4 inch had me super excited. Putting apps side by side is a joy and helps productivity a lot but takes some getting used to. Be prepared to see black bars if you fullscreen anything. This is my review of the Legion Y44w-10 after over a week of use. I am using Lenovo's Legion 7i laptop with a 3080 through a proprietary TB4 to DP 1.4 cable that is not included. You should also be able to use the included USB-C to C cable to connect and use this display's full features as long as the port you are connecting to supports video output. This is a 32:10 display with a 3840 x 1200 resolution. While this is technically considered 4K, it is not true 4K resolution like the LG-27GP950-B with 3840 x 2160 resolution. As such, this display has a rather mediocre 92.7 pixels per inch due to how big the monitor is. I didn't think this would bother me as much but from the distance that I sit away from the monitor (~1.5 feet) I would see the "screen door" effect, where it becomes easy to distinguish individual pixels. This is not a fault of the monitor as I should have done a bit more digging into monitor ppi. The upside to a lower resolution is it allows your GPU to push a higher framerate in games. Speaking of framerates, my laptop was able to push about 55 FPS in Horizon: Zero Dawn at ultra settings at this resolution. On a true 4K display I am able to reach 40 FPS with the same graphical settings while on a 2560x1600 display I am able to push 75+ FPS. As such, this display is still more in line with 4K than it is with 2K. Some AAA games will not be able to reach the 144Hz refresh at ultra settings, however eSports titles will with current RTX 30 and RX6000 laptop and desktop cards. USB Behavior: There are 2 USB-C ports. One is able to carry essentially a DP 1.4 signal while the other is used for the 4x USB-A and aux ports on the monitor itself if you are using a standard DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.0 cable. The 4x USB-A ports and aux jack can only be controlled by one USB-C input cable. To change where this data is sent, you must go into the OSD and change it manually. This is especially frustrating as the monitor defaults to the USB-C Alt DP connection despite having the other USB-C to USB-A cable connected to another computer already. Altering this setting will be reset once the monitor needs to change resolution or standby. The only fix to this is to not have a cable plugged into the USB-C alt DP port (not just leaving the cable to hang). Note: The higher bandwith USB-C is able to drive the panel at full resolution 144Hz with Freesync. Lenovo Artery is pretty bad and there seems to be no updates to the program for a couple of years now. Not only is the program laggy, it also frequently does not display the current resolution and refresh rate correctly. Using PIP is just not smooth and PBP can cause a lot of weird bugs pertaining to saturation of the display. PBP on my unit results in one input extremely oversaturated, to the point of text illegibility. This can be fixed temporarily through either turning the monitor off and back on again and/or changing the resolution of the oversaturated input. PBP limits both inputs to 60Hz. The OSD is pretty basic for 2021. MacOS: I had no problem connecting an M1 MBP to the display via USB-C to C. This notebook only supports a single display at 60Hz so it was very nice to have a larger display in this scenerio. The HDMI 2.0 ports: The monitor still uses HDMI 2.0 and you cannot force a PS5 to use 8 bit color with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling to bludgeon your way to 4K 120 hz with HDMI 2.0. Furthermore, I don't believe the port on the monitor itself is able to accept that type of signal. The PS5 will instead run at 1080p 60 with black bars on the left and right sides as the PS5 does not support ultrawide aspect ratios at the time of writing this review (Haven't seen the PS5 do 1080p 120 yet although this should be possible). I would recommend using PBP with a computer to make use of the empty space, assuming you can get the colors to work. Otherwise, the HDMI 2.0 ports will offer 3840 x 1200 at 100Hz if you are connecting to a computer with either HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 output. Freesync will not work with HDMI 2.0. Panel Quality: I haven't used many other displays to give a definite answer to how this panel is comparatively, but from my usage it seems that the "Fast" overdrive setting gives the best pixel response times without ghosting. This is, however, still not fast enough to compensate to the problem most low and mid range VA panels have: black level smearing. Trailing artifacts during mouse movements were okay. As an aside, there is no backlight strobing available on this monitor which is expected when considering its release date. My unit had almost no noticible backlight bleed even at max brightness with an even, rich black throughout the length of the display. This is one of the advantages of a VA panel as opposed to an IPS. Lenovo seems to be using a single zone backlight for this display. Don't even think about FALD. Looking at reviews of other VA panels, it seems that Samsung has a better all-round VA at this point, although at a higher pricepoint and possible horizontal flickering issues. Regarding HDR: this monitor is able to accept a 10 bit color depth from the DP1.4 port (Haven't tried with the other ports). The peak brightness on the monitor is subpar (as expected for HDR400) and I would recommend keeping HDR in Windows off, as it results in a grayed out overall color and not much benefit from the display's 400 nits peak instantanous brightness. Overall I would say this is a mediocre panel in terms of response times and color reproduction. Speakers: Highs sound tinney, mids are bland, and bass is missing. On a desk my laptop speakers actually sound better. If you are buying a monitor at this pricepoint I would recommend spending an extra $50-100 on a separate set of speakers. I use the Bose Mini Soundlink II which is all round better than the included speakers by a lot but still not perfect. The included speaker also takes up both of the USB-A ports on the back of the monitor. You can cycle through a couple of colors for the speaker via a button on the module. Stand: A very heavy plastic and metal affair. Easy to install and has exceptional turn, tilt, and height adjustments even for 2021. As expected, it does not rotate in any direction. The stand might be my favorite part of the entire package. No screws needed. OVERALL THOUGHTS: This would have been considered a good panel in 2019. But in 2021 the monitor scene has changed drastically. 4k 160Hz monitors exist without using multiple cables, miniLED is making an appearance, manufacturers are pushing 1080p 360+ Hz, etc. In the current state of monitor technology this is just a mediocre display. Okay response times, lack of HDMI 2.1, 144Hz limitation, poor software and HDR support, and general lack of 32:10 content support in the world hold this monitor back. The 43.4 inch ultrawide display market is still fairly rare, so if that size is what you are looking for I think you will get what you pay for but nothing more.

deyick

Originally posted at

2021-09-26T20:00:00

This is an excellent product, I am a Lenovo supporter 100%. Very happy with my purchase.

MWMS L.

Originally posted at

2021-09-21T20:00:00

This monitor is amazing, I have it connected to my gaming laptop on a USB c port mainly for Microsoft flight simulator 2020. I absolutely love this monitor.

M H.

Originally posted at

2021-09-20T20:00:00

Mostly bought for the screen real estate as I'm a dev. Haven't had a chance to game on it, as the Legion laptop is yet to arrive.

Spudicus

Originally posted at

2021-09-20T20:00:00

Great monitor, love the picture makes my CAD drawings clean clear and easy to review.

OHMTRON

Originally posted at

2021-08-22T20:00:00

So much much real estate, good resolution, even the base and speaker looks nice...

Raulmedina

Originally posted at

2021-08-16T20:00:00

Great display and color. Fast Refresh rate. I have plenty of room to open multiple windows for work and gaming looks superb.

sp2021

Originally posted at

2021-08-02T20:00:00

Great monitor, good specs, nice build quality, I am taking two stars off because of the advertised one-button KVM is simply not true. There is a giant thread describing this issue in Lenovo Forum. It is very tedious to change inputs. I work from home and have a main computer for gaming and a laptop. I bought this monitor to drop my existing KVM Switch box, I ended up keeping the separate KVM Box. I would also have preferred a second Display port rather than two HDMI (personnal preference).

EtnEtn

Originally posted at

2021-07-30T20:00:00

Solid screen with beautiful graphics. Perfect for business or gaming

NBEVERS9

Originally posted at

2021-07-29T20:00:00

Monitor is great, and works nicely with my brand-new P17. The speaker is good too, but needs a separate USB connection (the included double-usb cable) to seamlessly work with Windows. I was hoping it would work natively via the primary HDMI and/or USB-C Laptop-to-Monitor Cable.

HeavyLifter

Originally posted at

2021-07-26T20:00:00

quality display, sturdy, great space to have multiple files open and/or multiple sites open. Replaced by 3 monitors with this 1. The speaker and microphone are excellent for Zoom calls, etc. Nice to be rid of the headset.

WMHB

Originally posted at

2021-07-24T20:00:00

As a dual user of games and stock market investor I can only say !great job Lenovo! Gráfics and the size are perfect, sound and design of speaker are also amazing. 100% recommend this monitor. I want to add the buying experience was the best.

Rene V.

Originally posted at

2021-07-21T20:00:00

I've been loyal to Samsung for years, but decided to give this Legion monitor a try after hearing tons of great reviews. I haven't tested the KVM feature, but in every other way I'm extremely pleased. Colors are rich and vibrant, blacks are perfect, no motion blur in gaming. Very happy with this display!

TVarney

Originally posted at

2021-07-16T20:00:00

Amazing gaming monitor. I use it both with a gaming desktop as well as a 16 inch Macbook Pro. Everything I could want in one display!

Crpi

Originally posted at

2021-07-16T20:00:00

It's like a window into a whole different world. The 1800R curve makes movie feel like your in a theater.

Chrisfruin

Originally posted at

2021-07-12T20:00:00

This was exactly what i needed to finish my home office set up! The monitor is huge! The speakers aren?t too bad.

KingKoa

Originally posted at

2021-07-06T20:00:00

Amazing monitor! Should have done this a long time ago!

Proach

Originally posted at

2021-07-01T20:00:00

Great monitor arrived undamaged as it is packaged very well. The menu is a bit quirky but manageable as I'm only using this as a desktop monitor so set it up once an forget it. I have not experienced any not coming back from sleep mode as I generally turn it off because the speaker lights stay on during sleep mode, even though it's not very bright. I love the auxillary I/o on the front panel that retracts very clean look also nice for wireless headphones. I will most likely be buying another as I trade stocks ( my reason for buying ) allows me to watch upto 16 stocks or indices on TOS or 8 comfortably on webull. Or use one for YouTube or news/ finviz and have one for my trading platform where it's about like looking at a 18" monitor for each window. Crystal clear picture very impressed!!

Brian e.

Originally posted at

2021-06-28T20:00:00

Better than samsung , very good image , the software is outstanding

Marcelferras

Originally posted at

2021-06-28T20:00:00

Haven't been able to fully experience the hardware, but it was packed well and everything seems very nice so far.

mtbsam68

Originally posted at

2021-06-20T20:00:00

Beautiful display with great features very easy to set up

Dave H.

Originally posted at

2021-06-18T20:00:00

This is a GREAT monitor. My only issue was that when I first plugged in the speakers they didn't work, but I didn't troubleshoot far enough to see if it was a driver issue. But the actual screen real estate that is obtained with the monitor is enough for me for work and games.

Jamie1

Originally posted at

2021-06-17T20:00:00

I bought it about a week ago. The monitor itself is OK but there are a few shortcomings that are very annoying. The speaker that comes with it is USB and requires two USB-A ports connected to receive power. This means that you will lose two ports on the monitor. Because it is USB, it will only receive audio from the computer that it is currently connected to and because the audio signal is not coming from HDMI or DP sources, when you switch to another computer, you will not hear the speaker UNLESS you change the USB source to be the other computer. Sounds confusing and it is but it is exactly the confusion when systems integrators don't look for easy ways to get things done for their customers. It would have been preferable to add the speaker to the monitor directly rather than a cheap mono speaker with Harman Kardon branding to make it sound like you're getting something good... Another issue that I'm having is that while my MacBook air M1 plugs right in to either USB-C port and provides a great picture, the compatibility is not too solid... My Samsung Galaxy S6 Tablet will not work with this at all over USB-C and I've tested it on an external $150 USB C monitor I have for travel and it works great with that but not with my $1200 Lenovo Legion... On a positive note, PBP works well once you figure it out and the Lenovo Artery software is actually pretty neat and easy to use BUT the PIP mode ALWAYS gives you a 32:10 aspect ratio EVEN if you are using a 16:9 or 4:3 resolution which means that the PIP will show as a long black rectangle with the image in the middle... I really hope that Lenovo is still working on updating this via firmware. Besides these gripes, I love it!

cmosqmia

Originally posted at

2021-06-04T20:00:00

It's a big screen, cristal clear, ideally curved and a additional speaker. What more do you actually need. Super investment.

Carlo V.

Originally posted at

2021-05-24T20:00:00

Overall great monitor. Only gripe is that the placement of power button too close to the select button causing issues when switching between inputs.

CalvinTE

Originally posted at

2021-05-23T20:00:00

This monitor is the perfect size for a split window for normal productivity or widescreen for gaming.

Dustin S.

Originally posted at

2021-05-22T20:00:00

I?ve been using this monitor for about a week now and I REALLY like it! I am going from dual 24-inch 1920x1200 monitors to this, which is essentially the same size without the gap in-between. I will be using this monitor for work, gaming, and my own personal photography. The color is very good, (it probably needs a little tweaking, but not much) the 144 Hz refresh rate is awesome. Spreadsheets go on for a week with this thing! Tomb Raider and Civilization games take on a whole new level of immersion, and while it?s not as good as being in VR, using it with TrackIR and DCS is pretty amazing too. Over all I am really impressed with the build quality and am very happy with it. The built in pseudo-KVM, while clunky, does work once you get the hang on of it. The manual suffers from a distinct lack of any clue as to how the KVM is supposed to work and it?s mostly a trial by error feature, but once you understand it it works pretty well. If the monitor has a weakness though, that?s it. A firmware update could make the switch between one monitor output / usb bus to the other smoother. Turn this KVM feature into a one button event and it would improve the star rating immensely.

JB V.

Originally posted at

2021-05-19T20:00:00

Great Monitor, the product discribed is the product that came. The image is sharp, wide, fast and smooth. The extra speaker that came is a great addition and fits the setup nicley even with the light. I with the screen came with a remote or the onscreen buttons could be made easier to navigate (disclaimer I have not read the manuel so this could be user) however, I am capable with technology and the game mode is great nore the source switch sequance. Also, why not have 2 display ports, only one display port limts options. Overall I like the screen and would recommend it. The price is great for the quality of the product.

Wires C.

Originally posted at

2021-05-19T20:00:00

I was looking for gaming monitor and also a professional business monitor that is not too big but big enough to balance. After a long research, Lenovo Legion got my attention. I like the fact that it comes with 3 years warranty, quality speakers, usb c to support mac book pro, adjustable screen, all type of adapter wires to connect to many devices, great customer support and many more. I am happy and thankful for the best quality product from Lenovo.

S U.

Originally posted at