HP Z34c G3 review: A great ultrawide office monitor for your MacBook
The Z34c G3 is a fully featured ultrawide monitor for home office workers and businesses
Pros
- 100W USB-C and RJ45
- Bright, accurate panel
- Surprisingly versatile stand
Cons
- Expensive
- Thick bezels
- Iffy contrast and colour temperature
The HP Z34c G3 is a 34in ultrawide monitor aimed at business and home office users. To that end, it’s bristling with high-end work-related features: chief among these is a pop-up 5-megapixel webcam, but there’s also a noise-cancelling microphone and a selection of very useful ports.
Considering the specifications and the size of the panel, it’s clear that the HP Z34c G3 is meant for users with cash to blow and demanding requirements. Fortunately, this monitor is most certainly up to the task: even if you’re a Mac owner, the Z34c G3 delivers.
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HP Z34c G3 review: What do you get for the money?
The HP Z34c G3 is available in the UK at various business-oriented retailers for anywhere between £875 and £1,169. That gets you a 34in IPS monitor with a resolution of 3,440 x 1,440, a 1900R curvature, a refresh rate of 60Hz and a response time of 6ms. There’s no adaptive sync support to speak of.
On the rear and lining the bottom of this monitor, you’ll find a total of four USB-A 3.0 ports (two on the bottom, two on the rear) plus a USB-B 3.0 hub port. There’s also a USB-C port capable of supplying 100W of power and carrying a video signal simultaneously; an RJ45 port for hard-wiring to an Ethernet connection; and HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 inputs (one of each).
As I’ve already mentioned, there’s also a pop-up 5-megapixel webcam – both Windows Hello-compatible and Zoom-certified – a built-in noise-cancelling microphone and an IR sensor for use with a compatible remote control (sold separately).
The slim stand provides 150mm of height adjustment, 30 degrees of swivel and 10 degrees of backwards tilt. In the box, you’ll find HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-A to USB-B cables plus a VESA mount adapter, the power cable and assorted documentation.
HP Z34c G3 review: What does it do well?
It’s obvious from the off that the HP Z34c G3 is an expensive monitor. Whether you like the softly curving matte grey panelling is a matter of personal preference, but there’s no denying how well built and solid the monitor looks and feels.
The implausibly slim stand is cemented by a wide, flat base that prevents wobble, and there’s an impressive range of movement on offer. In particular, 150mm of height adjustment and 30 degrees of left/right swivel is very generous for an ultrawide monitor.
The pop-up webcam is also well appointed and is capable of capturing crisp five-megapixel stills and 1080p video at 30fps. I like that it can be hidden when not in use and that you can manually tilt it up or down to make sure you’re in frame.
Then there are the ports. For me, it’s the 100W of USB-C power delivery that pushes the Z34c G3 ahead of its rivals, but it’s certainly hard to find fault with the spread of USB-A ports and the RJ45 Ethernet port. Using a single USB-C cable, you can significantly improve your port situation – which is great news for MacBook owners.
As always, however, a monitor will live or die by its panel performance. Admittedly, there’s less at stake for an office monitor versus a gaming model, but the HP Z34c G3 largely delivers the goods. Out of the box, this monitor produced 92% of the sRGB colour gamut with an average Delta E colour accuracy score of 0.57 – a very good result indeed. Switching the monitor into sRGB mode produces similar results (an average Delta E of 0.62).
This is also a pleasingly bright monitor. The backlight tops out at 367cd/m², which is bright enough to make it readable even in direct sunlight, and viewing angles are equally good. The IPS panel is mostly to thank for this, but the very slight curvature reduces the effect of distracting glare, too.
HP Z34c G3 review: What could be better?
There are a few small chinks in the HP Z34c G3’s armour. While the panel is bright and accurate, it delivers mediocre contrast, topping out at 887:1 on test. I also noted a consistent tendency towards a bluish tint – the colour temperature sat stubbornly at 6900K throughout the testing process. This is despite the fact that HP’s always-on Eye Ease technology is supposed to reduce blue light.
Similarly, the Z34c G3’s design has a few weak spots. The bezels on the monitor are surprisingly wide, lending the monitor a dated look that some may find unappealing. In addition, the hole hiding the USB-C port is too deep, meaning chunkier USB-C cables won’t fit.
Finally, it should be noted this is a pretty terrible monitor for gaming. With no adaptive sync support, a bog-standard 60Hz refresh rate and relatively slow response times, you won’t be jumping behind the wheel of a Porsche in Forza after work.
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HP Z34c G3 review: Should you buy it?
The HP Z34c G3 is a formidable ultrawide office monitor. A sizeable feature set and a good-quality panel make this an obvious choice for businesses or home office workers looking for something with added bells and whistles.
There’s no avoiding the price tag, but I think between the better-than-average webcam and the MacBook compatibility the Z34c G3 more than justifies it.
