Lenovo P34WD-40 monitor review: More than a monitor, it's a workstation |

34 inch monitor in 21:9 format that stands out for its versatility, with 7 USB ports, KVM switch function, integrated network port and excellent ergonomics

Among Lenovo's range of PC monitors, the ThinkVision P34WD-40 stands out with its 34-inch 21:9 screen with 1440p resolution.A slightly curved screen might suggest it's a gaming monitor, but Lenovo's proposition is actually mainly aimed at workplaces, thanks to a series of features related to advantages and improvements.One of the facts above all: the ThinkVision P34WD-40 is equipped with 7 USB ports, making it more than a simple monitor, but a real hub to connect up to two computers, perhaps a desktop and a laptop, with the functionality of a KVM switch to share equipment with both devices.There are also some design solutions that some manufacturers use sparingly, such as retractable front doors, space for a smartphone on the base or even a USB port on top to install a mobile web camera.The suggested retail price is €799.

Small size and durable design

The Lenovo ThinkVision P34WD-40 is finished in line with the brand's other products, with aluminum gray color, traditional red and essential but refined design.The frames around the display are very thin, although the passive matrix leaves about a centimeter of black border.

The LCD panel is of the IPS type, with a resolution of 3440x1440 pixels, in a 21:9 format with a matte anti-reflective coating.The screen is curved, but the radius rotation is hardly felt, improving the viewing ergonomics: 34 inches in 21:9 format fits very well with a workstation, filling almost the entire field of view at a normal distance, with a slight curve that is natural when focusing on programs that are at the end of the screen.

The sustainability data provided by Lenovo regarding the materials used to build the monitor are very interesting and are mostly recycled: 100% aluminum, 95% plastic (representing the majority of the material used), 50% steel and 20% glass.

This stand is strong and well made and offers many possibilities to adjust the position of the screen.For example, the neck of the stand rotates +/-45°, while the screen tilts 23.5° or 5° forward.While the vertical travel is 15.5 cm, it's actually not much, because even at the maximum height of the desk, the center of the screen is a little short for our taste.

At the base you can see a kind of large notch that actually serves as support for the smartphone, which can be installed both horizontally and vertically.Looking closer, the base is so large that there would be room to accommodate a wireless charging pad, but we realized that this would complicate the project quite a bit (and increase the cost).

Not just a monitor, but a hub with a screen

The strength of Thinkvision P34WD-40 is certainly the plenty of ports available.As for layout, as with most computer monitors, the sockets are located on the back facing down.

On the video side we find two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, one of which is input and the other output to connect in chain to two other monitors.The other DisplayPort input is represented by a USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen2 with a bandwidth of 10 gigabit/s and a power supply of up to 140 watts) and AltMode DisplayPort 1.4.In addition to these there is an HDMI input.The 2.1 monitor supports a variable refresh rate and a maximum speed of 120 Hz. Near the video inputs we also find a 2.5 gigabit/s Ethernet port, which can be used by connecting a PC via a high-speed USB port.

As expected at the beginning, the ThinkVision P34WD-40 integrates a USB hub with a total of seven ports and a KVM switching function.Upstream we have two ports for connecting as many PCs as possible, the aforementioned USB-C port and a USB 3.2 Gen1 type B port with a bandwidth of up to 5 gigabit/s.

We have seven upstream ports (USB 3.2 Gen1).There are three with a type A connector and they are located on the back side near the video input.Three others are conveniently located on the front side on a retractable panel, in the middle below the screen: two USB-C ports and a USB Type A port. Finally, we find the USB Type A port in the center behind the top edge of the screen, hidden by the removable side door.The port is primarily designed to connect to the web, with a profile made specifically to accommodate the Lenovo ThinkVision MC60.

The KVM function allows you to share peripheral devices connected to the USB hub with two computers connected to the monitor via the transfer input. From the menu it is possible to choose which video input will be connected to the USB type B port. To switch from one computer to another, you can use the stick on the back of the monitor or a combination of mouse buttons (simultaneous left and right click) or keyboard (double shift).You can also choose which of the two shortcuts to use from the menu.By default, instantly connecting a computer via USB-C will switch to that computer, but you can disable this feature.

Especially for laptops, the KVM switch allows you to use the ThinkVision P34WD-40 monitor essentially as a complete docking station featuring a 140-watt battery, a 2.5 Gigabit/s network port, up to 5 USB ports (if we consider a mouse and keyboard connected) and of course a screen.In all this abundance, one thing is missing that is surprising: the monitor does not have a headphone jack with a microphone.And regular built in intercom speakers certainly can't make up for it.

On top of the operating building

As in any computer monitor, in this case the classic navigable menu with a stick is located behind the screen on the right.The Image Mode menu has a somewhat special arrangement.The main controls are in the first sub-menu called "Monitor Control", where, in addition to the classic brightness and contrast, the item "Color Mode" appears, where we find the main standards, including sRGB, DCI-P3, BT.709, but also common choices such as warm, cold, neutral and custom.This is because this parameter controls white point, color space and gamma at the same time.

However, in the "Advanced Settings" submenu we find another setting that interacts with it in one way or another and is called "Display Mode", which includes options such as "Image Creation", "Video Creation", "Digital Cinema", which creates a bit of confusion.The manual doesn't help in this regard.Experimentally, we understand that this is a kind of preset for the "Monitor Control" menu settings and that it overwrites all options set here.

In any case, the two best calibrated profiles are sRGB and DCI-P3, which lock the other adjustments.The first is aligned with the D65 white point, the sRGB gamma curve and the sRGB color space.The second is calibrated to the DCI white point, DCI-P3 color space and a gamma of 2.6, parameters used in digital cinema and not in the consumer sector.In both cases, deltaE is less than 2 in Portrait Displays' Calman In the ColorChecker test, the white balance shows a significant deviation in both cases.However, it is a good starting point if it is necessary to create a simple profile according to the context in which the monitor will be used.

The monitor theoretically also supports signals in the HDR10 format, but with a maximum brightness of only 370 cd/m2, it is definitely not suitable for those looking for a color product in this format.However, it should be emphasized that the comparison is more than rational even in this way.The P3's color space coverage is 97.5% of the CIE1931xy figure, largely in line with Lenovo's claims.

Comfortable image for the whole working day

I incorporated the Lenovo ThinkVision P34WD-40 monitor into my workflow for a few days, and I certainly appreciated its versatility and excellent image quality.However, the first thing I did was disable the AI ​​power saving feature, which is designed to intelligently reduce power consumption depending on the monitor's usage.The impact on image brightness and color rendering is significant, and in our case we had to do a lot of work in photo and video editing applications to disable this.Completed.We believe that a clean office environment is fine for most people and is worth staying active.

The quality of the IPS panel mounted on the screen is good, and you can maintain a perfect blend of color saturation, contrast and brightness along the curve with respect to the viewing point.The coating is very effective in preventing reflections and straining your eyes while working.It must be said that the screen is not too bright, which can represent a limitation in some environments, but in our opinion, it also prevents excessive strain on the eyes during daily work.

This monitor offers various features to split the screen, including the possibility to split the screen into half or two-thirds (right or left side for 2560x1440 monitors and 880x1440 monitors) like two separate monitors connected to the same PC via the True Split function (not available with HDMI input). In our opinion, the 21:9 format is now your best option without resorting to this type of hardware distribution.Allows you to organize the workspace very effectively, but there may be cases where it is useful (for example, when some programs are assigned to one or the other desktop). Instead, the picture-by-picture mode allows you to split the monitor in half (or two 1720x1440 pixels) by assigning one to the USB-C input and the other to HDMI or DisplayPort. Picture-in-picture mode if you preferThere is also