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- Solid build quality
- Strong HDR performance
- Good internal speakers
- Colors can be dull
- Expensive for what it is
The Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 is the latest high-end ultrawide gaming monitor from the manufacturer which includes a high refresh rate and HDR1000 on a UWQHD display. While it can look impressive at times and performs admirably well, its pricing really lets it down, especially when compared to its competition, and for that reason it can’t quite be considered one of the best gaming monitors.
Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 price and availability
The Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 is available now in countries such as the US and UK for $1,199.99 / £899 respectively. However, the panel appears to be discounted directly from Lenovo at $719.99. That positions this gaming monitor towards the premium end of the spectrum for QHD gaming monitors, and a rate we usually see for high refresh rate displays, but more on its features later. There’s no getting around the fact that this is a pricey panel, but maybe its feature set may justify the purchase for you.
Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 design and features
In terms of design, the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 is a 34-inch ultrawide 1440p mini-LED VA panel. That means there’s an aspect ratio of 21:9. It features a refresh rate of 165Hz which can be overclocked to 180Hz, and there’s a 1ms response time. What’s more, there are dual W5 speakers built in which mean it should be easy for media playback without having to reach for some of the best gaming speakers.
You won’t need to worry about connectivity with the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 as there’s 2x HDMI 2.1 ports and a single DisplayPort 1.4 alongside a USB-C port as well. In the bulk of my testing with this monitor, I had it hooked up to my PS5 and my PC while switching interchangeably, similar to my testing with the company’s 32:9 Legion R45w-30. There’s also AMD FreeSync Premium Pro which should cut down on screen tearing nicely, provided you have one of the best GPUs to push 1440p up nice and high, such as the RTX 4070 Super or RTX 4080.
What I can commend the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 for is the HDR1000 which means you can expect local dimming and high contrast ratio of 3000:1 with its 10-bit color depth. If you’re someone who enjoys media playback and also want to game with deep blacks and vivid colors then you’re likely to be covered here. However, mini-LED VA still pales compared to what OLED can do, and factoring in the $900 / £900 MSRP, reads as a bit of a missed opportunity. Especially when considering that the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM and Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 aren’t priced much higher.
Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 performance
Over the last two months I’ve used the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 every single day and I’ve seen what it’s been able to do. Starting off with gaming, the display does an above average job whether you’re gaming on a dedicated PC or a console such as the PS5. For said console games with HDR support, you can generally expect strong results. I was particularly impressed by how the monitor handled darker areas such as those found in Death Stranding and night time sections in Ghost of Tsushima. No details are lost when visibility is low, and that’s to be commended.
Color reproduction is strong but unlikely to blow you away. This was most apparent to me in a playthrough of God of War Ragnarok for the Valhalla expansion. Whites, and pale colors pop nicely but particle effects and bright lights were a little muted. It was most apparent when going through races in Ride 5. No matter the weather conditions, the game just didn’t look as sharp as when I’ve ran it on other ultrawide monitors I’ve tried in the past.
The 165Hz refresh rate is buttery smooth and should serve you well in the majority of titles you throw its way. In my testing, I made sure to run through more games than I care to admit in Fortnite and The Finals and the gameplay experience was incredibly smooth. While I wish that things looked a little brighter and more vivid, there’s no faulting the raw performance prowess on display.
Media playback, however, is exemplary. The stereo 5W speakers are loud and the 21:9 aspect ratio mean that the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 can confidently deliver on a proper cinematic experience whether you’re streaming or using Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. Despite being 1440p, there’s no loss of details with a lower resolution. Particular highlights for me were playing Dune (2021), John Wick: Chapter 4, Bladerunner 2049, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. If you’re in the market for a monitor for gaming and media then this could be it.
Should you buy the Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30?
The Lenovo Legion Y34wz-30 is ultimately a good but not leading gaming monitor which offers up decent HDR, a fast enough refresh rate, and solid speakers for a solid all-rounder approach for console and PC gaming. However, it’s hard to justify given its high price tag, and the fact that’s up there in league with OLED panels rocking a faster refresh rate. If it was a couple of hundred bucks cheaper, I’m sure I’d be singing a different tune, but this one doesn’t quite do enough to stand above its competition.
