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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom of Tech Chap, and I've rounded up 10 of what I think are the best and also the most exciting gaming monitors of 2022 so far.
00:09And if you are thinking of upgrading this year, let me know what you've got your eye on in the comments below.
00:13And if you enjoy the video and want to see more from me, then a cheeky like and subscribe would be lovely.
00:18Alright, so let's kick off with... not this one actually, we'll come back to this.
00:22I want to talk about the Alienware QD OLED Ultra Wide.
00:25I have no doubt you've already seen this because it's possibly one of the best gaming monitors ever made.
00:30Although the AW3423DW name isn't the most exciting.
00:36But with actual genuine HDR performance, thanks to the per-pixel dimming of the Quantum Dot OLED panel from Samsung,
00:43and it basically takes the best of OLED, adding that Quantum Dot layer for brightness,
00:47and then on top we get gaming features like 175Hz refresh, G-Sync Ultimate, a Quad HD resolution,
00:53and it's a 34-inch 21x9 display.
00:57Beyond that, we're looking at 1000 nit peak brightness, we have high P3 colour accuracy, fast response time,
01:02and also DisplayHDR 400 True Black support, which is good, but surprisingly low when you consider the advertised peak brightness.
01:10Although latency doesn't seem to be quite as good as more traditional LCD panels,
01:15and also there's no HDMI 2.1 support, which makes it a little bit less ideal for consoles,
01:20but since we haven't got 4K resolution, you're not going to hit that sort of bandwidth cap.
01:24Okay, moving on.
01:25And Samsung have basically taken the same panel from the Alienware, because, well, they made it,
01:30and dropped it into their own equally tasty-looking Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 monitor.
01:35It does miss out on G-Sync Ultimate, but is otherwise pretty much identical.
01:39Same QD OLED panel, same 1800R curve, same 175Hz refresh, and same Quad HD resolution.
01:46And so pricing should be similar as well, and to be honest, I'd be more than happy with either,
01:50so it might come down to cost and availability.
01:53But what if you just can't decide between a flat and a curved monitor?
01:58I know, these are real problems, but why not have both?
02:01Well, say hello to Corsair's new Xenon Flex 45-inch bendable OLED monitor.
02:08Designed by Corsair and using an LG panel, you can adjust the screen from flat up to an 800R curve,
02:15which I must admit, I do find more immersive, particularly for racing games.
02:19But then if the distortion and the reflection start to annoy you, then you can just flatten it back out. Simple.
02:24And you adjust it by literally grabbing the handles on either side, which can feel like you're breaking it.
02:29And of course, we don't know about long-term durability yet, but it's certainly a cool idea.
02:33And it's a huge 45-inch, 21x9 screen with a 240Hz refresh and 1000 nit-peak brightness.
02:40Now, if you like the look of the Corsair, but don't fancy paying the premium for that bending mechanism,
02:45then check out this 45-inch LG OLED ultrawide.
02:49Feature-wise, the panel is almost identical to the Corsair, being QHD with a 240Hz refresh,
02:54but the fixed 800R curve means it should be a fair bit cheaper.
02:58And of course, it's an OLED, so expect the same great black levels and punchy colours.
03:02But like the Corsair, the only downside is that they're not 4K,
03:06so at that 45-inch screen size, they're not going to be the sharpest.
03:10Now, I'm not saying bigger is always better, but if you do want a **** gaming monitor on your desk,
03:16then look no further than the LG UltraGear 48GQ900B,
03:21a massive 48-inch, 4K, 138Hz OLED gaming monitor.
03:27It's basically a 48-inch OLED LG TV, but with a faster refresh and some more monitor-like features
03:33like DisplayPort, as well as an anti-glare and anti-reflective coating on the screen,
03:37and we don't have to worry about auto-dimming.
03:39So being OLED, colours look fantastic, blacks are deep and inky,
03:43and it gets brighter than most OLED TVs as well.
03:45And the size really helps you make the most of that 4K resolution,
03:49although for me, I reckon it's just a bit too big for everyday use on a desk.
03:54There's also G-Sync, FreeSync Premium, HDR10, along with HDMI 2.1 ports,
03:59so it's ideal for both PC and consoles.
04:01I was about to say it's not cheap at $1,500, but then looking at these other monitors that I'm talking about,
04:07and actually another Asus one, which I'll come on to in a second,
04:10actually, for the size, it's not crazy expensive,
04:14which blows my mind how expensive monitors are at the moment.
04:17But I know what you're thinking, because I agree.
04:1848 inches is just too bloody big.
04:20Even on this 100cm depth desk, I have tried it,
04:25and I must admit, it did give me a bit of eyestrain and actually led to some headaches.
04:28I find 48 inches too big unless you're going to wall-mount it or have it on a table separately,
04:33and you're using Xbox controllers or Bluetooth peripherals.
04:36For me, I think 42 inches is a much more comfortable size.
04:39Still big, but not overwhelming.
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05:42But sadly, the LG doesn't come in a 42-inch variant.
05:45So have a look at this instead, the 42-inch ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ,
05:52which as it happens, does also come in 48 inches if you really want.
05:56And it's almost identical to the LG with 138Hz refresh, G-Sync, 3-Sync Premium, HDMI 2.1,
06:02but it comes with that more gamery Asus ROG styling,
06:05and also some pretty beefy cooling so it can sustain the high brightness.
06:09For me right now, I would say this is my favorite gaming monitor,
06:13and it'll cost you £1,400 or £1,500 if you want the 48-inch.
06:18Okay, moving on, and we have the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8.
06:22This was actually the world's first 4K 240Hz monitor, and availability is actually pretty good.
06:28So I reviewed this a few weeks ago, and I really liked it, especially the 32-inch mini-LED panel,
06:35although that quite severe 1000R curve on a monitor this size isn't everyone's cup of tea,
06:39and I think I'd personally prefer without.
06:41Even so, image quality is great.
06:43Samsung claim up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness, and it does dim quite quickly,
06:48but it is still brighter than almost any other monitor on the market,
06:51and the almost 1,200 local dimming zones means this isn't a million miles off OLED levels of contrast.
06:57We get FreeSync Premium Pro, 1ms response time, but really the headline is that 4K 240Hz refresh.
07:04It's buttery smooth for gaming and just general desktop and work use,
07:08although the only caveat is it's nearly impossible to hit 4K 240 in demanding games right now.
07:13Maybe the upcoming RTX 4000 series will get you closer.
07:17Okay, time to throw in a bit of a wild card.
07:20Let me show you the Samsung Odyssey Arc,
07:23this whopping great curved 55-inch OLED gaming monitor that can also, for some reason, rotate vertically.
07:30Think of it as a tech demo concept that someone snuck into full production.
07:34This is actually the world's biggest dedicated gaming monitor with a quantum mini-LED VA 4K panel,
07:40up to 2,000 nits of brightness, although again, it's Samsung, so bear that in mind,
07:44a beefy speaker system, and of course that curvier than curved 1000R display.
07:50There really is a trend towards OLED and curved gaming monitors at the moment.
07:54OLED, I'm all behind. Curved, I'm not sure.
07:58I appreciate in some games, like Flight Sim or Forza, racing games in particular,
08:02I think it is a lot more immersive, maybe RPGs as well, but you don't really want that for FPSs.
08:07Having stuff in your peripheral vision is immersive,
08:10but not actually helpful when you want to spot the bad guy and take the shot before he does.
08:14Also, for watching videos and movies, if you do any kind of editing, I do a lot of video editing on my monitor,
08:20not ideal, so most of the time I want either a very gentle curve or a flat screen.
08:25But what do you reckon? Flat or curvy? Monitors, which do you prefer? Let me know in the comments.
08:29Also, unlike a 55-inch TV, the Arc gets a 165Hz refresh and multi-view,
08:35which lets you have multiple inputs on screen side-by-side, which kind of makes that bigger size more useful.
08:40You get Samsung's usual smart TV features, as well as this very clever and also ginormous Arc dial control.
08:47Okay, so let's come back to reality a little bit, because now I do want to talk about this guy that I have on my desk.
08:52This is the Eve Spectrum, although actually they recently rebranded to Dough.
08:57So while the box still says Eve, this is the Dough Spectrum,
09:00which has been out for the best part of a year now, although this is the new glossy version,
09:05which seems a bit counterproductive for a gaming display, but actually, I found I really like it.
09:10You get better perceived contrast and richer colours at the expense of more reflections.
09:15And also, it does cost more, which is a bit annoying.
09:18It kind of reminds me of playing on a TV or even, I don't know, say like an Apple display,
09:23with this more vivid, contrasty look, and I really do quite like it, actually.
09:26Going back to regular matte gaming panels almost look a little bit washed out next to this.
09:31But like the regular Spectrum, we're also getting a high-end 27-inch 4K 144Hz panel.
09:36It's nano IPS, so no mini-LED or OLED here, sadly, and also G-Sync compatible with FreeSync Premium Pro,
09:43and it supports HDR10 and DisplayHDR 600, along with some pretty impressive colour accuracy,
09:49so you could use this as a work monitor as well.
09:52Plus, we get DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C with 100W charging, and HDMI 2.1.
09:57And it costs about £1,000, so if you want a relatively compact 4K high-refresh gaming and maybe slash work monitor,
10:06I think the Eve Spectrum Glossy is worth a look.
10:08Or, alternatively, maybe the new Sony Inzone M9.
10:12Now, I reviewed this a few weeks ago, and I would say it's a good monitor, but maybe not the best on the market.
10:18I guess that could maybe also be applied to this.
10:20But the advantage is it's a similar price to this, but we get mini-LED, so slightly better contrast,
10:25although a matte, not glossy screen, and also a couple of bespoke PS5 features.
10:30So if your budget is around that £1,000 mark, definitely look at both the Eve, sorry, Dough Spectrum, and also the Sony Inzone M9.
10:38And finally, if you're into your esports or just want the best competitive advantage,
10:43then you're going to want a super-duper high-refresh display.
10:46And we're now just starting to see 480 or even 500Hz gaming monitors.
10:52Like this guy, the 24-inch 1080p ASUS Swift 500Hz.
10:58Now, I reckon anything above 240 is a case of diminishing returns.
11:02And also, to hit that full 500fps will require an insanely beefy system, unless you're playing CSGO.
11:08And maybe even more exciting is the Swift's built-in NVIDIA Reflex analyzer, which gives you live latency figures,
11:14which you can then minimize by tweaking monitor settings to get the most responsive experience.
11:19And we should see more models getting this analyzer in the future.
11:22Because actually, reducing latency has a bigger impact on your competitiveness, even over higher refreshes.
11:28And so NVIDIA Reflex and Radeon's Anti-Lag can make a massive difference.
11:33The ASUS Swift uses an eTN esports panel, which also has a low response time and G-Sync.
11:38But of course, being a TN variant, don't expect colors or contrast to match anything like a mini-LED IPS or a QD OLED.
11:46And also expect to pay a hefty price, although this really is a specialist esports display.
11:53Now, to be fair, I did say these are the best gaming monitors of the year so far,
11:57not the most affordable or most available even.
12:00I do appreciate a lot of those are very expensive.
12:02But as always, we do see trickle-down technologies as more high-end monitors come out,
12:06more OLEDs, more high refresh.
12:08Then it makes everything else cheaper.
12:10And also, if you are considering buying one of the new generation GPUs from NVIDIA or AMD,
12:14now also may be a good time to upgrade your monitor as well.
12:17There's no point getting 300 FPS in your games if you're still stuck on a 144Hz or, dare I say, 60Hz monitor.
12:24But what's your setup right now?
12:25What are you using?
12:26And are you thinking of upgrading?
12:28And if so, to what model?
12:29Let me know in the comments.
12:31Thank you so much for watching, guys.
12:32A like and subscribe would be very much appreciated.
12:34And I'll see you next time right here on The Tech Chap.
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