Dell's Curved 49-inch Display Is Like Two Monitors in One

Why get two monitors when you can have one really massive one? That's the idea behind Dell's Ultrasharp 49 curved display, which launches on Oct 26 for a whopping $1,699.

Credit: Tom's Guide

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Billed as "the world's first 49-inch curved dual QHD monitor," this ultrawide, ultra-crisp screen is designed to maximize productivity by providing all of the same benefits of a true multi-monitor setup.

With a resolution of 5120 x 1440, the Dell Ultrasharp 49 essentially gives you the equivalent of two 27-inch quad-HD displays stitched together. The design is simple and elegant -- built more for offices than gaming centers -- and has a subtle 3800R curve radius that immerses you while keeping your eyes safe with Dell's anti-blue-light ComfortView technology.

The Ultrasharp 49 touts two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, seven USB 3 ports and a USB Type-C port. That last connection is key, as folks with USB-C-enabled PCs can use just a single cable to transmit both data and video.

Credit: Dell

(Image credit: Dell)

Dell's display also features picture-in-picture support for multiple display sources, so you can, say, use one half of the monitor for your laptop and the other for your desktop. Better yet, the monitor has keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) support, meaning you can control both of your connected PCs with a single mouse and keyboard.

Dell's new monitor seems aimed mainly at business users -- the company says it's especially ideal for financial traders -- but its benefits for everyday productivity is obvious. If you don't mind paying a premium and need multiple displays (and potentially multiple PCs) to get your work done, the Ultrasharp 49 could end up being well worth its high asking price.

Michael Andronico

Mike Andronico is Senior Writer at CNNUnderscored. He was formerly Managing Editor at Tom's Guide, where he wrote extensively on gaming, as well as running the show on the news front. When not at work, you can usually catch him playing Street Fighter, devouring Twitch streams and trying to convince people that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.