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Since I made the switch to a 4K with the typical 16:9 form factor, I got many questions about the considerations, why I made that switch, and if I missed the ultra-wide format.

Below is a picture of my setup when I used an ultra-wide monitor. It sure looks great on the desk and has several benefits in sleek design.

I don't care much for the specs like refresh rates and response times. It doesn't matter when you work with documents, architectural designs, compliance requirements, security forms, and the like; it's irrelevant for me.

A portion of collaborating with others is screen sharing and virtual meetings. Using the ultrawide monitor posed challenges more often than not with certain types of sessions.

I mentioned that I don't play games. Instead, I spend most of my day collaborating with others or working on projects independently.

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If you work more individually and aren't as concerned with sharing your screen and collaborating with others, this could be a non-issue.

Hi, I'm Tobias! 👋 I write about Microsoft Azure, security, cybersecurity, compliance, cloud architecture, Microsoft 365, and general tech!

Let's set the scene for the scope of this post. I am talking about the monitor types, not a specific brand or model. Additionally, I am not using the built-in monitor stands but an Ergotron LX Desk Monitor Arm. That makes all the difference in the world for positioning my monitor and not being limited to the angles of any built-in monitor stands.

You get a lot of pixels spread out horizontally. Usually, the ultrawide monitors are 3440x1440, which is pretty poor compared to a 4K monitor in terms of pixels. For me, this was one of the deciding factors.

MZI

To set the scene, I want to clarify my use cases before you continue reading. Here's what I normally spend time on when I'm at the desk:

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However, now and then, using the laptop as a secondary monitor is helpful when I need to read and write simultaneously or have reference documentation open or when doing presentations and need to keep tabs on something in the backend.

After spending considerable time with both form factors, I will try to outline the main pros and cons as per my experiences.

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There's nothing important in the screens above, but it should showcase how I mainly use my single monitor. You can, of course, design your zones any way you want.

I position my windows in various zones depending on the type of work I'm doing, but here's an example just showcasing some of the windows automatically snapping into their zones:

The schematic of the system is shown in figure 2 below. An internally fiber network is used to tap 5% of the input light to generate Power Monitor and k-clock signals. The remaining light is transmitted to the Output pigtail. Specially designed couplers are used to achieve a flat wavelength response for both the transmitted and the Power Monitor signal. (see figures 3 and 4 below). Both signals of the MZI are detected by an ultra-low noise amplified balanced photo detector.

Thorlabs' Mach-Zehnder interferometer clock box subassemblies are designed to be used inside a swept source OCT system with a central wavelength of either 850 nm or 1300 nm. The internal fiber couplers are optimized for flat wavelength responses and coupling losses that have a very low polarization dependence, which make the output signals independent of input polarization changes. The clock box contains two detectors, providing a power monitor signal and a k-clock signal that monitors the output frequency of the swept source. Both outputs have a 200 MHz bandwidth, and the k-clock uses a balanced detection scheme to maximize rejection of common mode noise.

Ultrawide monitors are something to like. But, the quality of a 4K monitor just beats any 3440x1440 monitor, and any ultrawide monitor with a higher vertical resolution at this point is way too pricy for the average consumer.

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On Windows, I use a scaling of 150%, which works very well. The quality of the 4K monitor heavily outweighs the ultrawide monitor, and with a 150% viewing experience, it looks excellent. You can fit more things if you scale down to 125% or even 100%, but then it's a lot harder to read anything on the screen if it's at a decent distance from your eyes.

Rapidly swept laser sources typically use sinusoidal tuning elements to achieve the very fast optical frequency sweep speeds required for OCT imaging applications. Hence, accurate and reliable re-calibration of the OCT signal is required so that the final data points are equidistant in frequency. The Thorlabs swept source laser features a built-in Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) with balanced detector output that can be used for just this purpose. A frequency clock is derived from the zero crossings of the MZI interference fringe signal; these zero crossings are equally spaced in optical frequency (k-space). While this clock is intended for OCT applications, it can also be used in other synchronization applications.

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With the laptop next to my main monitor, I have no need for an additional monitor for those odd occasions where I feel I need to view something on a different monitor.

During discussions in the last two years with many who had to start working from home due to the pandemic, it became clear that numerous people developed a "home office anxiety". Perhaps I just made that term up, but the point is that there seemed to be a trend of focusing more on looking great and having an excellent setup than on enabling productive and valuable work. Ultrawide monitors were a big part of the hype – and to be fair, they are amazing. They're just not for me until they are 4K or above in resolution.

Beam splitter

Although originally designed for OCT systems, this clock can also be used for other synchronization applications.For more details on the clock, please see the Operating Principles Tab.

Note: Custom models are available with a choice of free spectral range and wavelength. Please contact Tech Support for more information.

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Also, I do not play any video or computer games. If you're looking for a statement on monitors for gamers, you're looking in the wrong place. I can only speak for my productive work setup.

How critical is this? Non-critical, of course. But generally, the 16:9 format works a lot better for sharing my screen with others.

Moving down from 34" to a 32" didn't make any difference here, as the pixel density on the 4K is incredible. I can put more things on the screen with the 4K monitor, even in the 16:9 form factor.

I particularly like the ultrawide form factor because the height isn't as high as the typical 16:9 monitors. However, the difference is relatively minor, mainly because I can move it around using the Ergotron monitor arm.

Reviewing the pictures, we see that the latter image has a narrow and slightly higher screen than the ultra-wide. Meanwhile, the ultra-wide gives us a lot of horizontal room to spread our apps - but not by a lot.

For the last eight years, I have used a single monitor. Mostly the ultrawide, and now the 4K monitor. I see no need for additional monitors, as you can perfectly well fit everything on your monitor if you scale things appropriately.

I don't often buy new gadgets or peripherals. I like minimalism in practice and in the mind, and I like things clean and tidy – all at the same time as I'm making a commitment toward a more sustainable future.

This review is not scientific; it's only based on my experiences. However, since this is a discussion coming up every so often, I'm noting my observations here.

However, this post is not about the monitor stands or my Ergotron arm - it's about my experiences with these types of monitors in general, so let's continue.

With the 4K resolution, I increased the windows display ratio to 150%, and voila - everything is super clear, and I can't see the pixels on text and fonts, images, and applications. You can see that on the 3440x1440 monitors.

To help maintain a good work environment on my screen real estate, I use PowerToys and the FancyZones capabilities to split my screen into multiple virtual monitors or areas. It works wonders, and entirely diminishes the need for that second monitor for me.

I have used a 3440x1440 ultra-wide monitor from LG for eight years. I recently needed to try something else, and I "downgraded" to 32", but with 4K, which made all the difference.