Asus ROG Swift 42″ PG42UQ and 48″ PG48UQ OLED Gaming Monitors Announced

January 5, 2022August 15, 2022 Simon Baker

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At this week’s CES event in Las Vegas, Asus announced two new OLED based displays aimed specifically at desktop monitor usage. This includes the “World’s first 42″ OLED gaming monitor” with their ROG Swift PG42UQ. We’ve already seen LG announce their new 42″ OLED42C2 this week which is officially part of their TV line-up, but Asus are gearing their alternative even more at the desktop monitor market. There is also the larger 48″ PG48UQ, as an alternative to popular displays like the LG 48″ CX and C1 series (and future C2 48″ model).

Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ and PG48UQ Specs

The new screens utilise OLED panels for exceptional black depth, contrast, HDR performance and response times. They offer a 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) and 120Hz refresh rate for gaming, along with a 0.1ms G2G response time (realistic on OLED), wide gamut with 98% DCI-P3 coverage and 10-bit colour depth. They also come factory calibrated with a dE <2. The screen also supports adaptive sync for VRR from both NVIDIA and AMD systems.

Proper HDMI 2.1 Connections included

Unlike the LG OLED C2 TVs, the new Asus models include DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity as well as 2x HDMI 2.1 and also 2x HDMI 2.0 ports. There is also a USB hub included. Making a point about recent controversy surrounding HDMI 2.1 branding, Asus even state that “Unlike most HDMI 2.1 monitors, though, ROG Swift OLED displays use fixed-rate link (FRL) tech to unlock the full 48Gbps bandwidth of the new HDMI specification. That means you can game at 4K and 120Hz on the latest gaming consoles, all without chroma subsampling blurring the image.” We are glad they are adopting this approach and being transparent. They also talk about VRR and ALLM being featured which is good news for console gamers.

Higher peak brightness thanks to ‘Premium cooling’ and a custom heatsink

As the Asus press release puts it, “one design challenge with OLED panels is heat dissipation. Since excessive heat can affect product lifespan, it’s not uncommon for TV manufacturers to cap brightness levels in order to keep operating temperatures around 60° C. We drew on our extensive experience with cooling motherboards, graphics cards, and laptops to design a custom cooling solution for the ROG Swift OLED series. A large custom heatsink and a carefully planned interior airflow layout maximizes heat exchange to keep operating temperatures below 50° C. That thermal headroom lets these monitors offer a peak brightness of 900 nits*, while limiting burn-in for reliable long-term performance.” Asus go on to stipulate that this 900 nits is a peak brightness in HDR mode and with a small highlight area and 3% APL.

Micro-texture coating instead of glossy

*Image for demonstration purposes only, provided by Asus*

The Asus press release says that “The glossy surfaces of typical OLED TVs might increase their appeal in the showroom, but their reflective surfaces can cause distractions when they’re used as a desktop monitor. ROG Swift OLED monitors feature a Micro-texture coating that shows less glare than other options. This allows these displays to offer more accurate colors and less on-screen distraction in the heat of battle, creating a better viewing experience.” It doesn’t sound like this is a full-on AG coating, perhaps a lighter texture but we will wait to hear hands on impressions.

More information on pricing, release date and specs when we have it.

Update 15 August 2022 – check our our news piece with full information on this screen and our hands on first impressions from the Asus launch event

Source: Asus

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