It’s been a while since 4K monitors first entered the market and with every generation they are getting better and better. A few generations go by, they become more affordable and then something new and exciting comes to market. It is a vicious cycle of technology after all.
In this video we have partnered up with ASUS to show off what the future of 4K monitors looks like and the best part is - you can actually buy it right now.
This is ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX - it's the world's first mini LED 4K gaming monitor that features 144Hz refresh rate, HDR 1400 and full array local dimming with 1152 zones as well as colour accurate 10 bit display. To top all of this off - it features NVIDIA’s highest rated certification - G-Sync Ultimate. Clearly there are a tonne of features in there, so let's dive right in.
Let's do a quick tour around the monitor.
It comes with a nice and sturdy stand which has tilt, swivel and height adjustments as well as ability to vesa mount it.
On the back we find a power port, special service port, three HDMI 2.0 ports and one display 1.4 port that supports display stream compression. Right next to it we have a USB upstream port and two USB downstream ports, these are great if you want to clean up the desk and go wireless without sacrificing on signal strength. Lastly we have an earphone jack and Kensington lock.
Apart from these standard connectivity ports, it also has a few more unusual but practical features, one of them being a USB port on the top of the screen, as well as a tripod screw hole. This can be used to set-up a camera with a neat cable for charging or if you are using a webcam you can set up a light right next to it to enhance your look in streaming or business calls.
The whole monitor certainly screams gaming, starting with the fierce looking stand, ROG logo at the back as well as Aura sync controllable projector style light at the bottom. You can also install custom design templates on the provided changeable films.
With externals out of the way, let’s see what’s under the hood. As we power it up we are immediately greeted with a bright 32 inch 4K display that runs at 144Hz. You will need a powerful card to run triple A titles on it but, man, it looks sharp and smooth.
To be fair there are many high refresh rate 4K monitors out there, but this one stands out by introducing Mini LED technology with full array local dimming.
Historically monitors had backlight which was either edge lit or sometimes covering the whole screen, but those were using standard size LEDs that are large and getting local dimming to work on them brings many challenges.
As Mini LEDs are small, ASUS was able to place more of them and this allows greater control on screen brightness in 1152 individual zones with peak brightness of 1400 nits hence the DisplayHDR 1400 certification. A quick side note - as it stands right now, there are only two monitors that have achieved this certification and both of them are made by ASUS.
I mentioned that it gets bright and trust me it can get very bright. It actually makes a big difference, especially in games where fighting scenes with explosions get an extra level of realness.
On the topic of games - as mentioned before this monitor also features NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate which pushes things further. In order to be certified, each monitor must meet certain criteria such as having 144Hz or higher refresh rate, optimised latency for gaming, factory calibrated accurate SDR and HDR colour gamut support, best in class HDR support and best in class image quality. Basically everything that a gamer would want.
This kind of requirement has added benefits to people who require colour accurate displays for work. The monitor features a 10 bit factory pre-calibrated display to Delta E value of under 2, which places it squarely in the prosumer category and it even comes with a certified report. Any content creator could work by day and jump into the action at night without the need of having multiple monitors.
For gamers, the included LiveDash OLED screen might be of interest. It is possible to set-up important information such as frame rate, system temperature, fan speeds, voltages and alike. You can set this up and also control the Aura Sync RGB through Armory crate software.
To sum things up - this monitor supports a pretty impressive spec sheet. Colour accurate, high refresh rate 4k panel - check. Full array local dimming using mini LED backlight to achieve that phenomenal HDR experience - check. Oled screen to track key stats - check. And to top it all off - G-Sync ultimate to ensure it is not just ASUS who thinks this monitor is great, but it has gone through validation by NVIDIA. At the end of the day - this monitor has all the features you may ever need, all that's left is to fine tune your gaming experience.
ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX: Amazon link
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