TFTCentral’s July Monthly Round-up
Here’s our monthly roundup for those who perhaps can’t keep up with all the news and information on a regular basis. We will try and provide a round-up of some of the key things going on in the monitor world each month. If you want to keep up to date but on a less regular basis, this should be all you need!
If you missed our last round-up piece for June, it’s available here. If you’ve spotted anything you think would be of interest that we’ve missed, let us know!
New 43” sized gaming screens expected soon
Originally reported back in Q1, there are a couple of interesting new 43” sized displays coming in the near future from Asus and Acer. These boast 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, high refresh rates and HDR support and are aimed at gaming primarily as a bridge between typical desktop monitors and TV’s. The HDR support is provided via edge-lit local dimming as opposed to any (expensive) FALD system.
The Asus ROG Strix XG438Q is likely to be the first released, with a 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync 2 and VESA DisplayHDR 600 although there’s no official word on release date or price in the UK at least. It is expected to be priced around $1100 – 1300 USD. The official Asus spec page has recently been put online.
The other is the Acer Predator CG437K P which was announced at their press event in April. It offers a slightly better spec with 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync, and VESA DisplayHDR 1000. At the time of the press release it was expected at a retail price of $1299 around September.
New 0.5ms Response Time 240Hz Panels Tested
There’s been quite a few new screens announced which are based on AU Optronics’ latest generation of TN Film panel. This is 24.5” in size with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate and new 0.5ms G2G response time spec. We’ve had chance to test one of the first, the Acer Nitro XF252Q which features a 0.3ms G2G spec in fact. We were very pleased with the response time and gaming performance of that screen, showing that the new panels offer some improvements over the older 1ms G2G generation. They don’t quite reach as fast as the 0.3ms spec, but they are very fast and (in the case of the XF252Q) also free from major overshoot problems. These new models should all offer an excellent overall experience for gaming with super-fast response times, high native refresh rate, and even low lag and added blur reduction modes.
There’s lots of models emerging with the new generation of panel including the AOC AGON AG251FZ2 and Asus VG258QR for example. Look out for sub-1ms G2G specs, although be careful with manufacturers who are listing MRPT specs instead as that could confuse matters.
We’ve also seen some models starting to appear with similar specs, but in 27″ screen size instead. The Acer Nitro XF272 X for instance.
Reviews coming soon!
LG 27GL850 – We know everyone is super-excited about the forthcoming LG 27GL850, with 27” Nano IPS panel, 2560 x 1440 resolution, supposed 1ms G2G response time and 144Hz refresh rate. LG updated the spec at the end of June so that the screen will feature adaptive-sync support, instead of just a traditional G-sync module. This means it can support VRR from FreeSync and G-sync systems. We are expecting to receive a review sample in the near future from LG when stock is available in the UK. Current expectation is by the end of July, although this has already slipped a couple of weeks and so may be delayed a little longer.
We have had feedback from people in Germany who had pre-ordered from Amazon.de, where it was originally expected to ship mid-July but has now been delayed until end of August. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed for updates as we get them, including when the screen arrives with us. We are waiting on an update from LG.
LG 34GL750 with 34” 1080p IPS panel and 144Hz refresh – expected to arrive in mid August and again available exclusively in the UK via Overclockers,
LG 38GL850G – we are asked about this one a lot, and yes, we will have a review as soon as we can get hold of one. Latest update we had from LG was “September”. We will keep you updated.
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