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Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: 30-second review
Unboxing the Alogic Edge 5K, and the scale of this monitor is immediately apparent. At 941mm wide, it’s significantly larger than the 27-inch 4K monitors I am used to, and the full metal chassis, Space Grey matte finish, and ultra-thin 8mm panel give it a premium look that looks great alongside my Laptop.
The Space Grey of my MacBook Pro M1 Max is matched closely by the monitor, so if pure aesthetics are important to you, then this monitor is Mac-centric and spot on.
Initial setup is out of the box is easy enough with screws from the base bolting into the stand, then the monitor clicks into place, the power adapter plugs in, and a single USB-C cable connects to the laptop, with the monitor’s display, data, and 90W charging all running through that single cable. For my MacBook Pro, the power delivery of 90W also delivers the charge, so no need to bring the Mac’s power adapter to the office.
Taking a look at the rear of the monitor, there’s a protruding bar that runs for the entire length of the back of the monitor and houses the electronics, speakers, and ports. While it’s great to have the built-in Dock, there are no USB-A ports, which isn’t a bad thing, so I had to connect my keyboard and mouse through adapters; the network plugged straight in, along with a couple of other accessories.
That single connection gives you full access to the display quality that this monitor is able to deliver with full 5K resolution and 100Hz refresh rate; switching to HDMI maintains image quality, but with some resolution and refresh rates are dropped due to the older technology.
One issue that was apparent from the outset was the slightly off-colours. Delving into the menu soon showed that the display preset was set to Warm, which adds a noticeable yellow cast to whites. Switching to Standard made a dramatic difference, and as ever from there, running the Datacolor Spyder X2 calibration brought the display into a much more accurate state.
After calibration, colours were rich and natural with a close match to the MacBook Pro, although a little brighter at 50% brightness than the Mac. The Spyder analysis confirmed a measured gamma of 2.4 against the 2.2 standard target, meaning the display runs slightly darker in the shadow and midtone regions than the standard specifies, worth understanding for critical photographic work, as you may lose shadow detail, although the shift isn’t enough to be an issue for general use.
At 40 inches, imperfections become notable; however, as long as gaming isn’t your intent for the monitor, the 100Hz refresh rate is ideal for office work, photography and video editing. Scrolling through long documents, Lightroom catalogues, or Premiere Pro timelines is smoother than the 60Hz panels I normally use.
Another notable difference to many of the monitors that I look at in the mid-range is the anti-glare matte finish, which handles studio reflections well. This is common for premium monitors and really highlights the intended use and quality that is on offer with this display. That said, highlights will still be present from bright windows, depending on how you position the monitor, but nothing that interferes with working, and for creative applications, that matte surface just gives a more accurate visual of the image compared with using a glossy panel. For the price, it’s sure to be featured in our best 5K monitors collection.
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? From approximately $1259 / £1259
- When is it out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Directly from Alogic official store
The Alogic Edge 5K is available direct from Alogic in the US for $1529.99 and in the UK for £1259.99.
The display comes in Silver or Space Grey, and includes a DisplayPort cable, a USB-C cable, a power adapter, and a two-year warranty.
It’s also available from other retailers, although availability is spotty right now – for example, it’s listed but out of stock at Amazon at the time of review.
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Specs
Panel: 40-inch IPS
Resolution: 5120 x 2160 (5K2K)
Refresh rate: 60Hz / 100 Hz
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast ratio: 1200:1 (typical)
Colour gamut: 100% sRGB / 99% DCI-P3 / 94% AdobeRGB
Pixel density: 139 PPI
Aspect ratio: 21:9
Viewing angle: 178° H / 178° V
Connectivity: USB-C (90W PD + data + display), HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C downstream x2
Audio: 3W x 2 built-in speakers
Stand adjustment: Height 151–275mm from desk, tilt, VESA 100 x 100 mm compatible.
Dimensions with stand: 941 x 245 x 570mm
Panel depth: 41mm
Finish: Space Grey (also available in Silver)
In the box: DisplayPort cable, USB-C cable, power adapter
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Design
The Alogic Edge 5K has been designed to be a perfect partner to the Mac computers, with two colour options that match the range and style perfectly. In this review, I’ve taken a look at the 40-inch 5120 x 2160 5K2K resolution screen and coupled it with the MacBook Pro M1 Max and a MinisForum MS-02 to test cross-platform compatibility.
The monitor option supplied is the Space Grey aluminium finish, with an ultra-thin 8mm panel profile, and matte surface. Out of the box, it all looks very Mac and premium, including the solid base that offers plenty of flexibility over the positioning. Looking over the monitor and the build quality throughout, the full metal assembly feels distinctly premium, all feeling solidly in line with the pricing.
Setting up is straightforward and the all-metal stand is solid, although with this size of desk, to avoid any wobble, positioning it on a good, solid desk is essential. Through the test, I found that a 40-inch width amplifies movement far more than a smaller display, and initially, on a cheaper desk, some wobble was notable.
However, this stopped as soon as the monitor was moved to a solid surface. The overall size of the monitor is 941x41x419mm, and with the stand, this comes to 941x245x694mm with the stand at max height.
There are several aspects aside from the design of the stand that stood out; the first is the flat base, which has been designed so that larger docks or other accessories can easily sit on top. This may seem like a small design feature, but for a creative studio where space often runs at a premium, any small design features like this are worth noting.
The stand also offers plenty of adjustment with a height that moves from 151mm to 275mm desk-to-monitor, which covers most working positions, especially if you work at a standing desk.
If I were to comment on anything, a little more travel at the lower end would be welcome for shorter users or lower chair positions, but for most setups, the range is fine. It’s also good to see that there’s a VESA 100x100mm on the back for arm mounting, though the monitor’s aesthetics and size work best positioned directly on the desk.
The rear protruding bar houses the dock ports, speaker unit, and electronics, which keeps the front of the monitor clean and minimal. In practice, with keyboard, mouse, and network plugged into the rear ports, with an adapter for some, a single cable could then be used to connect to the laptop, leaving the desk tidy of cables.
The all-USB-C rear port selection should suit most modern setups, but will need adapters for older USB-A peripherals such as my Keyboard and mouse. It was also notable that there wasn’t an HDMI cable in the box, given that the port is present and directly relevant for Windows users.
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Features
The 5K2K resolution of this 40-inch 21:9 aspect ratio monitor is the headline feature and at this price makes it extremely appealing for creative users, especially when you start to delve into the specifications and the colour accuracy, gamut and resolution.
Screen sharpness is also well above your usual office monitor at 139 PPI, which just highlights that at this size, screen text will still be crisp, and UI elements are sharp, unlike looking at Mac or Windows OS on a TV. That PPI and resolution in the wider 21:9 aspect ratio make it perfectly suited for creative use, with plenty of real-world space for applications to run side by side.
Where this wider space really comes into its own is when running a video timeline alongside a reference panel, spreading a Lightroom catalogue across the full width, or keeping two to three application windows open, such as Word, browser, and Music.
Personally, the most unexpected benefit of using a 21:9 monitor was apparent when I started editing some anamorphic footage shot on the Canon EOS R5 C with Sirui Venus anamorphic lenses. Essentially, once the footage was de-squeezed, I was able to use the native aspect ratio, which filled the panel edge-to-edge, eliminating the letterbox effect that makes anamorphic content feel cramped on a standard 16:9 display. If you’re a video editor working regularly in anamorphic formats, this alone makes this monitor a great option.
One or two of the more quirky features of the monitor at the PiP (Picture-in-Picture) and PbP (Picture-by-Picture) options that can be run alongside the standard, extended, and mirrored display modes. PiP proved more useful in practice once I adjusted the size. This sets your laptop screen in a window on the main display.
There are thankfully some adjustments to the size and position, and I set this to 40% scale and positioned it in the bottom-right corner of the monitor, which left the majority of the 5K panel free for documents and applications. The PBP I found less useful, but it may have its uses.
To access these features and all image options, you can use the OSD display menu, which is accessed using the small joypad on the back of the monitor. The OSD configuration takes some working out initially, but once set up, it is a genuinely well-thought-out system and was one of the fastest that I have used when running through the display analysis test to change settings.
The 100Hz refresh rate is decent at this screen size and perfect for office and creative work; the only time that you may require an uplift in the speed is if you want to play action-packed games. However, for normal use, scrolling through long documents or a Premiere Pro timeline while at 60Hz when connected via HDMI, things can seem a little slow, but through the USB-C at 100Hz, everything seems smooth enough. For creative and admin use, this refresh rate is ideal.
The built-in USB-C dock is handy and does help to keep the desk tidy with one cable delivering display, data, and up to 90W power. This all worked well on both Mac and Windows during testing, and for studios or home offices, connecting everything in the morning with one cable just saves time and makes things easy. There’s also far less to remember as you’re rushing out of the house.
Another major feature for me is the anti-glare matte finish to the display, which, for Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro, the matte surface gives a better and more accurate idea of the image compared with an overly glossy panel. It is also considerably easier on the eye during long editing sessions, and for document work in Word or general Office applications, the difference in comfort over a full day was noticeable.
One of the other features that I was interested in was the built-in 3W x 2 speakers; however, these are a weak point of the design. The volume is lower than the monitor’s size suggests, and the audio lacks the depth and richness the speaker grille suggests should be output. Compared directly with the MacBook Pro’s built-in speakers, there’s just no point in using the Edge 5K speakers. If you’re buying this monitor with the intention of removing external speakers from your desk, don’t budget for a separate speaker or audio monitor to use with this display.
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Performance
Benchmark scores
Colour gamut: 100% sRGB / 89% AdobeRGB / 97% P3
Measured gamma: 2.4 (target 2.2 — display runs slightly dark in midtones and shadows)
White point at 50% brightness: ~6600K (slightly cool of D65 6500K standard)
Best contrast ratio: 1430:1 at 50% brightness
Colour accuracy average Delta-E: 1.60
Colour accuracy max Delta-E: 4.89
Colour uniformity max DeltaE at 100% brightness: 4.5 (bottom-right corner)
Luminance uniformity max variance at 100%: 10% (bottom-centre)
Spyder overall rating: 4.0/5.0
After unboxing and plugging in the monitor, the first thing that I noticed was the overly warm look to the display. Delving into the OSD, I noted that the preset was set to Warm and changing this to Standard instantly removed the overly yellow cast that was making whites immediately look unnatural, which is an issue for creative work but also made Microsoft Office applications look odd.
While the standard preset looked OK, it was obvious the monitor still needed calibration. I did this from the outset as colour and tone didn’t look great, and running the Datacolor Spyder X2 calibration was able to bring the display into a much more accurate state, and after calibration, the colours were much more closely aligned with the MacBook Pro .
I then ran the Spyder X2 analysis, and the report confirmed an average Delta-E colour accuracy of 1.60, which is excellent for a non-factory-calibrated display at this price. The 100% sRGB and 97% P3 coverage are pretty standard, and for video work, content creation, and enthusiast photography, they should suffice.
Opening files from the Canon EOS R5 C and Hasselblad X2D II 100C in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, the 5K resolution made an immediate difference to viewing, as the detail within the images was far better defined than when compared with my standard 4K display. What’s more, with the wider panel, it meant that images were being viewed closer to their native resolution before reaching the edge of the screen. When it came to the colour and tone, after calibration, the images looked bright, rich, and highly detailed.
One issue that was highlighted with the display analysis was the 89% AdobeRGB figure, and this is where professional photographers will pay attention. That value is a usable result for drafting, client review, and editing, but careful calibration and checks will need to be in place for colour-critical output, particularly anything destined for print.
A dedicated Adobe RGB display remains the more accurate tool. Final images should always be checked on a properly calibrated, wide-gamut monitor before going to output. For in-house video teams and content creators working with P3 and sRGB delivery, the limitation is less relevant.
The measured gamma of 2.4 against the 2.2 standard that was input into the OSD means that the display runs slightly darker in the shadow and mid-tone regions than the standard specifies, which may mean shadow detail is not rendered as accurately as intended for photographic work.
In practice, at 50% brightness, the shadows looked deep, and the contrast, measured at 1430:1 at that setting, looks great, but you will need to calibrate printers to ensure that you are seeing all the shadow detail that is viewable on the display. For general photography and video use, the gamma figure is not a problem; for critical shadow work, it is something to watch for.
Colour uniformity is good at the 50% working brightness, and from the working position at the centre of the display, the panel looks even and consistent. However, as a point of note, there is some luminance variation visible when viewing a plain white screen across the full width, which is an angle-of-view effect rather than a panel uniformity problem. Keeping image editing work within the central portion of the screen avoids it entirely.
Through the test, I used the Edge 5K on both Mac and Windows and the performance was consistent. On the MacBook Pro M1 Max via USB-C, full 5K resolution, 100Hz, 90W charging, and dock functionality all worked without any configuration. On the Minisforum MS-02 Windows mini PC, the same connection delivered the same results, colour profiles, dock recognition, and display output all worked well.
By the end of the test, I was impressed with the overall quality, and while there are some small issues that those using the monitor for colour-critical work may encounter, for the most part, it stood up to the quality tests well. As a monitor, it has clearly been designed with Macs in mind, and the use and integration have been well thought through. Likewise, for most Windows machines, it also works exceptionally well, but it is worth confirming your machine’s USB-C video output capability before assuming the full 5K and 100Hz will be available.
Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor: Final verdict
The Alogic Edge 5K with its 40-inch ultrawide design gives you a completely different way of working and a great option if you are looking to upgrade from a dual-monitor desk setup.
The 5K resolution, premium Mac-esque design, single-cable connection, and colour accuracy, once calibrated, help to give you a solid quality display for creative and office use. When it comes to its place in the field, it sits between the Apple Studio Display and the mid-range 4K ultrawide market, as its price reflects.
There are limitations and things that creative professionals should take note of, such as the 89% AdobeRGB coverage, as read through the display analysis. This means professional photographers should be aware that some colours may show a slight shift and watch shadow detail carefully.
There is also the issue with the built-in speakers, which are weak, and I would definitely recommend dedicated monitor speakers over the monitors’ offerings. For home office professionals, content creators, video editors working to P3, and enthusiast photographers, these small points shouldn’t be an issue. As a display for all things creative for the price, there’s a great deal on offer here.
Should I buy the Alogic Edge 5K 40-inch ultrawide monitor?
|
Value |
Good value for money for a 5K, 100Hz, USB-C dock, and 90W PD all within this stylish monitor. |
4 |
|
Design |
Premium metal construction that reflects Apple’s computer product lines, finished in Space Grey |
4.5 |
|
Features |
Single-cable USB-C workflow, PiP/PbP support, 100Hz, anti-glare matte finish, and built-in dock. |
4 |
|
Performance |
Excellent calibrated colour accuracy and decent contrast, slightly lower 89% AdobeRGB and a measured gamma of 2.4 |
4 |
|
Overall |
A well-made, Mac-friendly ultrawide monitor that’s a perfect fit for home office users, content creators, and enthusiast photographers. |
4 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
For more picks, see our guide to the best business monitors we’ve tested.
