Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ Review
The Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ is an incredible widescreen monitor for gaming – but is it worth its vast price?
By Mike Jennings June 21, 2019 10:02 am BST
Verdict
Good basic image quality, solid design and decent features, but a high price and some inconsistent performance are issues
Cons
What is the Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ?
The Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ is the latest Republic of Gamers monitor, and it’s one of the most outlandish panels the firm has ever released – not least because it has a vast 49-inch curved widescreen that will dominate any desk.
Having such a huge design is a double-edged sword – it’s great for some games, but it can be detrimental to others. And, with a price of £989, performance needs to be top-notch to justify the outlay.
Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ – Design and features
The Asus has a native resolution of 3840 x 1080 and an aspect ratio of 32:9. When combined with the 49-inch diagonal, it’s like having two 27-inch 1080p monitors sitting side-by-side. The unit looks like it wants to give you a hug.
Behold the colossal curvature of the Asus XG49VQ.
It isn’t the first time we’ve seen a screen of this size and shape. The Samsung CHG90 has the same size, resolution and refresh rate, and it costs £919. If you need something smaller and cheaper, the BenQ EX3501R has a 3440 x 1440 resolution and a 35-inch diagonal for £625.
A more recent rival to enter the fray comes from Philips. The Brilliance 499P9H isn’t a gaming screen, so its FreeSync tops out at 70Hz, and it has only 8-bit colour. However, it offers a better resolution than the Asus – it runs at 5120 x 1440. It also costs just under £900.
Nevertheless, the Asus still offers a lot of pixels, and any widescreen involves compromise, which may mean that it isn’t suitable for your system.
Widescreens aren’t ideal for all games: they’re fantastic for racing titles, and FPS and strategy games often benefit from the extra horizontal space. However, some games feel cramped due to the lack of vertical space – the 1080 vertical resolution isn’t particularly high.
Elsewhere, some eSports titles simply won’t allow you to run at the Asus’ resolution, because it provides an unfair advantage. The screen also has a response time of 4ms, which is middling – totally fine for mainstream gaming, but not high enough for serious eSports games.
The XG49VQ’s extra-wide display looks great, but its size isn’t always a boon.
Some games may stretch artificially to fit the screen, or have trouble rendering their UI elements properly.
Most games will work without issue on the Asus screen, and in certain genres – especially racing – the width is a boon. But check the situation with specific games before you buy.
The resolution itself also has its pros and cons. The 3840 x 1080 panel is made up of 4.1 million pixels. That’s plenty, but it’s a long way short of the 7.3 million used on the Philips screen, and half as many as the 8.2 million needed for 4K panels.
The lesser pixel count means that a wider range of graphics cards will be able to run games smoothly on this screen, even with AMD FreeSync. However, the lesser pixel count also means inferior sharpness. The Asus’ density level of 81ppi isn’t high, and it means that the screen’s pixels are visible, especially if you’re sitting close. It isn’t a terminal problem, and games are crisp enough. Nevertheless, it’s worth bearing in mind if you prize higher resolutions.
A 49-inch screen at 5120 x 1440, such as the Philips Brilliance 499P9H, has a 109ppi density level, so it’s visibly crisper. 4K screens are sharper until their diagonals go beyond 40in. The BenQ EX3501R sits at 106ppi.
These issues impact on non-gaming uses, too. The 1080p height feels cramped when you’re working, and the 32:9 aspect ratio is too wide for films; much of the screen ends up unused.
Set the resolution and diagonal aside and you’ll find a screen with inconsistent features. It has the aforementioned 144Hz AMD FreeSync 2, which now works with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.
You get good picture-by-picture options. The XG49VQ can display three different video sources at once – so, potentially, you could use the screen to display images from a games console and a couple of different PCs, or any other configuration of hardware.
With any of the picture-by-picture modes activated, however, you can’t use HDR or FreeSync – the screen is limited to 60Hz. But it’s still a versatile option.
The Asus includes HDR for normal screen operation, but it only adheres to the VESA DisplayHDR 400 standard. That’s an entry-level HDR protocol that comes with modest requirements: a long-duration brightness level of 320 nits and a burst brightness level of 400 nits.
Those brightness figures aren’t much higher than many screens without HDR, and Asus also says that the XG49VQ will hit a peak brightness level of 450 nits regardless of its HDR modes. In short, while the screen does have HDR, it will have minimal impact – and not many games have HDR modes anyway.
Elsewhere, the Asus adheres to the ROG blueprint. It sports a dramatic stand that includes handy cable-management, and the screen sits on a wide, narrow base with two legs. The bezels are slim, and build quality is good.
The speakers are impressive: the 5W units are loud, and display solid treble and high-end quality. Bass is a little weak, but they’re good enough for gaming and better than most other screen speakers.
Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ – OSD and setup
It’s always tricky to assemble a 49-inch widescreen due to the panel’s sheer size, and the Asus weighs a not-so-inconsiderable 13.3kg. However, once you’ve got past the bulk it’s relatively easy to manage. All of the screws have handles, so no tools are required.
There are solid adjustment options, too. The screen swivels and tilts, and offers 120mm of height adjustment. It’s also compatible with 100mm VESA mounts.
OSDs controlled with joysticks really should be the norm in 2019 – thankfully, Asus has included one on the XG49VQ.
The Asus has two HDMI 2.0 ports and a DisplayPort 1.2 connection. The panel also comes with two USB 3.0 ports and a headphone jack. Sadly, there’s no USB 3.1 connectivity, and no Type-C. The port positioning is also disappointing: none of those USB ports are installed on the side of the screen, and the connections are tricky to reach behind the stand.
The OSD is navigated with a joystick. It’s wobbly, but it’s easy to use. An initial tap brings up hotkey options. You can switch screen modes, turn on the ROG’s gaming options – including crosshairs and frame-rate counters – and adjust speaker volume.
The main menu is good; it’s large, fast and attractive. You get the usual options for tweaking brightness, contrast, gamma and colour temperature, and other menus have settings for HDR and FreeSync. There’s also a system settings menu with options to customise the hotkey options and tweak the USB ports, and all of the hotkey options are replicated in the OSD. The menu is intuitive and easy to use – if you ever need to delve in and change a setting, it’s never a chore.
Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ – Image quality
The Asus has good core image quality. At factory settings – when the screen uses its Racing mode – it returned a brightness of 499 nits, which is huge and better than Asus’ spec-sheet claims.
That’s too high for getting through lengthy gaming sessions without searing your eyes, but it allows plenty of versatility. It combines with a fantastic black level of 0.11 nits to deliver a contrast ratio of 4536:1.
That, again, is better than Asus’ quoted 3000:1 figure, and it means that you’re going to get incredible depth and vibrancy at every part of the colour spectrum – enough to make games pop.
The average Delta E of 2.16 isn’t far short of the point where human eyes won’t detect discrepancies, and the colour temperature of 6825K is fine – a tad cool, but not noticeably wayward.
With the screen dialled back to a more conventional 250-nit brightness, the screen maintained its impressive Delta E result. Contrast stuck at 4527:1, and colour temperature was better.
These results mean games look fantastic on the Asus XG49VQ – punchy, vibrant and bright. It beats rivals; the BenQ couldn’t compete in any area. The Samsung had better Delta E and colour temperature figures, but the difference between the two is minor and the Asus has far better contrast.
The XG49VQ’s core display settings are excellent, but HDR is a mixed bag.
The Asus displayed 99.3% of the sRGB colour gamut, which is excellent and absolutely fine for any game.
It’s all great so far, but the Asus started to disappoint when I considered its HDR abilities. For starters, the panel displayed only 81.8% of the DCI-P3 gamut. That’s short of the 90% claimed by Asus, and it means that the screen won’t display the full range of colours for HDR.
Brightness is also an issue. While the Asus XG49VQ ’s factory brightness level easily met the VESA DisplayHDR 400 standard, using the panel’s three HDR modes saw those results decline – along with contrast results, too.
In the Cinema and Gaming HDR modes, the A XG49VQ ’s brightness hovers around 300 nits and the contrast sits around 2350:1. Using the FreeSync HDR mode reduces the brightness and contrast levels to 232 nits and 1845:1 respectively.
Those brightness figures don’t meet VESA DisplayHDR 400 standards, and they mean that HDR will have a limited impact here. Content will still look bright and punchy, since the benchmark results displayed here are still great in the wider market – and it will give you a benefit when compared to running the screen at lower levels of brightness. You’ll get a small boost to punch and vibrancy here, but it isn’t going to be a transformation.
The XG49VQ offers a number of specific game display modes, but all of them pale in comparison to the HDR modes.
It isn’t all bad news, though, because the three HDR screen modes do offer some surprising advantages. As well as having great contrast by normal standards, they all deliver sub-2 Delta E levels, and all of them have colour temperatures that are very close to the 6500K ideal. That’s better colour quality than the Asus XG49VQ’s factory performance.
This means that those HDR modes are still worth looking at, since they still have great contrast and colour quality. As long as their use doesn’t hinder your games, you’ll be good to go.
The HDR modes are the only screen modes worth using. The FPS mode ramps the backlight up to 0.44 nits, which drops the contrast to a middling 1101:1 – so the screen highlights darker areas but lacks depth, which makes games look flat. The RTS/RPG mode is the same, and the MOBA mode ruins the Delta E and makes the screen look almost monochrome. The Cinema option is too blue and too cool.
Uniformity tests reveal that Asus XG49VQ has fallen foul of a familiar widescreen problem: maintaining accuracy across such a vast screen.
Down both of the XG49VQ ’s edges, with the screen at full brightness, the screen lost around 17% of its backlight strength. In the corners that figure rose to 25%. Delta Es also became worse in these areas: down each edge the screen’s average Delta E deviated by 5 points, and in the corners the Delta E deviations almost hit 7 points.
The XG49VQ is pretty easy to set up and customise to your liking.
These brightness and Delta E results have real-world implications. The decline in brightness is visible along the edges of the screen, and particularly in the corners, when brighter shades are being displayed. The Delta E results mean that colours are worse, too. When the screen is white in the centre, the edges and corners look grey-blue.
It isn’t a good bill of health for the Asus, but this isn’t a huge surprise. Happily, there are mitigating factors. The curve helps, and the brightness and colour variations won’t be noticeable in darker games, or when there’s a lot of action on-screen. And if you reduce the brightness levels to make the screen more palatable, then the uniformity deviations will have less visible impact too.
Why buy the Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ?
The Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ has several good attributes. Contrast and colour accuracy are great, the widescreen format helps in several gaming genres, and the lower resolution means more GPUs will be able to run this screen properly. You’ve got AMD FreeSync, good build quality and solid adjustment options. Even the speakers are impressive.
However, HDR has little impact, connectivity could be better, and not all games benefit from a widescreen. The resolution means the screen isn’t particularly crisp, and uniformity is quite poor. Those are problems that we don’t necessarily expect when a screen costs £989 – more than any of its rivals.
If you can cope with those issues and have plenty of money to burn then the Asus is a good option for fans of particular genres – especially as a result of its gaming features and, potentially, due to the lower resolution too. However, there’s no denying that this monitor has noticeable flaws, and it just won’t suit the majority of gamers.
Verdict
The Asus makes a huge first impression thanks to its 49-inch design, and it offers good gaming features, stonking contrast and solid colour accuracy – for racing games and certain other situations, it will work a treat. However, it will prove restrictive in other titles, and its minimal HDR impact, uniformity issues and lesser resolution are all potential issues. It’s expensive and only suitable for a handful of gamers.
Asus rog strix xg49vq
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Asus. 49″ ROG Strix XG49VQ Gaming Monitor
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Asus XG49VQ 49″ Curved
The Asus XG49VQ is a fantastic option if you want an immersive experience that’s bundled with an agile screen. The 144Hz refresh rate and low input lag combine to give users the feel of a competitive gaming display, while the expansive display area engrosses your visual senses. We love the product’s simpler design which makes it fit easier into various tastes and setups.
User Score
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Reviewers Didn’t Like
- Poor uniformity
- HDR mode doesn’t do much
- Huge price
- Limited usefulness in some genres
Direct Competitors and Related Products
Our editors hand-pick these products using a variety of criteria: they can be direct competitors targeting the same market segment or can be similar devices in terms of size, performance, or features.
Dell U3818DW 38″ Curved
Expert reviews and ratings
So, whether you should buy the XG49VQ or not depends on what you want it for. Mainstream computing and occasional gaming? This isn’t the right choice. But if you’re in search of a huge screen to complete your gaming rig, its striking design and.
Good basic image quality, solid design and decent features, but a high price and some inconsistent performance are issues.
The Asus makes a huge first impression thanks to its 49-inch design, and it offers good gaming features, stonking contrast and solid colour accuracy – for racing games and certain other situations, it will work a treat. However, it will prove.
If you’ve got loads of money to burn and you want the biggest gaming monitor around, then the screen in our Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ review is certainly worth investigating. It’s bright and punchy, and will make applicable games look superb. Just be aware that smaller widescreens, higher resolutions and more conventional form factors could be better options – and cheaper too.
The Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ is a great push into 49-inch territory for gaming monitors, but it’s not going to be a purchase or upgrade on everybody’s wishlist. The limited availability of 32:9 compatible games and pillar boxing will turn away some buyers, though those who know what they’re getting into will be happy at what it can do.”
The Asus XG49VQ is a fantastic option if you want an immersive experience that’s bundled with an agile screen. The 144Hz refresh rate and low input lag combine to give users the feel of a competitive gaming display, while the expansive display area engrosses your visual senses. We love the product’s simpler design which makes it fit easier into various tastes and setups.
You know, the idea for this monitor was great, the execution of it, however, is average. For gaming, really I’ve been enjoying the XG49VQ. Games do need to support the odd resolution as when they don’t the screen can result in a stretched image. Overall.
The Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ is a promising super-wide monitor that has almost everything needed to deliver an ultra-immersive gaming experience.Build quality is good, the subtle curve helps create a wraparound effect, the 3,840×1,080 resolution offers.
By muycomputer.com on February 18, 2020 90
Una vez se entra en la gama de monitores Ultrawide no hay vuelta atrás, dicen sus principales propietarios, y no es exageración. La cantidad de pantalla que se gana con la relación de aspecto 32.9 es simplemente abrumadora, consiguiendo un campo de.
By newesc.com on December 28, 2019 83
y alternativasSeamos sinceros, elASUS ROG Strix XG49VQ no es un monitor para todo el mundo. Tiene buenas características, el formato panorámico es genial para algunos juegos, pero donde le sacaremos más partido será en la multitarea. Su HDR tampoco es.
By Prad on August 13, 2019 39
SoundDer Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ verfügt über zwei 5-Watt-Lautsprecher. Sie befinden sich im unteren Bereich des Monitors und strahlen in Richtung Tisch ab. Sie verfügen zwar über eine ordentliche maximale Lautstärke, doch fehlt es dem Klang leider an.
By everyeye.it on May 08, 2019 80
ROG Strix XG49VQ è un monitor che conferma tutti i pregi del formato 32:9 e della diagonale generosa applicati al mondo del gaming. Il campo visivo è enorme, la risoluzione non è molto elevata ma allo stesso tempo è più accessibile, anche a.
By gamestar.de on March 27, 2019 89
Nils Raettig: Im Test macht Asus mit dem ROG Strix XG49VQ nicht viel anders als Samsung vor etwa einem Jahr mit dem C49HG90. Ich habe aber nach wie vor viel Spaß daran, im 32:9-Format zu spielen, wobei ich generell ein Freund von breiteren.
By Noticias 3D on September 13, 2019
El Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ es un monitor que debe ser experimentado. De poco sirve explicar que la sensación de inmersión en un juego, por ejemplo, es superior que en otros monitores menos panorámicos, y que es precisamente eso lo que marca la diferencia.
Asus XG49VQ Review – DFD Super Ultrawide Gaming Monitor with FreeSync
The Asus XG49VQ offers an expansive, 49-inch screen with the resolution and refresh rate of two fast gaming monitors rolled into a single display. The top-ranking brand has included the best specifications in the package, along with a design that will favor the gamer’s tastes and preference. The Samsung C49HG90 first launched this category with brilliant success, so let’s check out how the Asus XG49VQ stacks up against it’s established rival.
Design and Features
The Asus XG49VQ doesn’t steer too far away from the brand’s current gamer product designs, especially those in its Strix line. The monitor has a matte black finish all over which we prefer over the orangey streaks of variants like the Asus PG258Q or even the PG27UQ. The monitor is bezel-free on three sides, but in reality, it is a dual stage design with very thin panel borders.
The rear panel looks much simpler with a smooth, matte black cover, but it has a large Asus logo and a circular accent at the middle finished in gunmetal. We think this aesthetic direction is best since it will fit more system builds without trying too hard to match colors. Also, the overall appearance would not look out of place in work-oriented spaces since it lacks the garishness of its siblings.
The build quality imbued into the Asus XG49VQ doesn’t differ from the company’s other premium products that passed through our hands. The plastic panels feel flat and sturdy and are manufactured perfectly to fit together seamlessly. We also did not notice any creaking from the device despite its 30-lb weight, indicating that each of the parts melds together perfectly.
We’re glad that the Asus XG49VQ uses a tiny joystick for OSD control right under the bottom bezel at the center. This layout makes it convenient for users who want to tinker with the product’s various features which will come in useful one way or the other. There is also a lone USB 3.0 slot to the side which is great for peripherals such as keyboards or USB speakers.
The rest of the Asus XG49VQ’s connectors are concealed behind a removable panel at the rear of the chassis. The layout includes DisplayPort 1.2, dual HDMI 2.0 slots, and two more USB 3.0 connectors. There is also a 3.5mm jack and a pair of 5-watt speakers, but frankly, Asus could have added more options since the price and the size of the device can accommodate some more.
The Asus XG49VQ is supported by a massive stand with a semi-helix shaped base that isn’t as twisted as the PG258Q’s. The all-matte black finish is a welcome change of pace, but some might find the asymmetric design a bit disturbing. You can tilt, swivel, and adjust the height of the display or you can also opt for a VESA mount with a 100 x 100 adapter to get a perfect view.
Display and Performance
The Asus XG49VQ sports a massive, 49-inch curved VA panel with a 3840 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and a 4ms response time with 1ms MPRT boost. This model also includes a specified 3000:1 contrast ratio for excellent blacks and a 450 cd/m2 backlight which is more than adequate for daily use. The device is also certified with VESA DisplayHDR 400, which is the entry-level category for HDR monitors.
What’s great about the 3840 x 1080 resolution is it’s neither too sharp nor soft, making it perfect for games. The screen is comparable to dual 1080p displays, so there is a lot of room for workflows and extended FOVs. DFHD also isn’t as difficult to run as a 4K monitor, so many games will run at high framerates with most GPUs.
The Asus XG49VQ posts impressive color results once scrutinized with a colorimeter, thanks to its high-grade VA panel. It’s able to produce around 110% of the sRGB gamut or around 84% of the Adobe RGB for eye-popping color and vibrancy. Accuracy is equally fantastic since DeltaE did not exceed 2.0, which means colors are natural and there are almost no noticeable deviances.
Contrast ratio reaches up to 2000:1 giving us the deep satisfying blacks and shade definition anyone would expect from a VA panel. The panel’s backlight reaches a searing 455 cd/m2 in tests which is too bright for daily use. These scores fall in line with DisplayHDR 400 specifications, but unfortunately, the changes it brings to visuals isn’t as considerable as anyone would hope.
Compatible games like BFV show a bit of detail and lighting enhancement if HDR mode is active, but it would hard to tell the difference compared to running it in SDR. You will need a display with higher certification like the Asus PG27UQ if the extended depth and light blooms are a priority.
Panel uniformity is where the Asus XG49VQ requires massive improvements since the upper corners had a brightness variance of up to 20%. The screen’s edges look noticeably dimmer, but colors remained within reasonable limits with deviations staying within DE 2.7 from the D65 standard. Take note that this could change between unit to unit, but curved displays have always had these problems ever since.
Motion handling is more than just decent on the Asus XG49VQ despite its disadvantages in pixel response time. The display shows minor smudging in fast-paced scenes, but it will not disturb your gaming on a detrimental scale. A TN variant like the PG278QR will always have snappier transitions, but we know its a small price to pay for a deeper contrast ratio and richer color.
The Asus XG49VQ is a FreeSync gaming monitor making it a perfect match for the latest AMD GPUs like the Radeon VII and the upcoming Navi flagships. G-Sync compatibility isn’t certified and we may have to wait for more driver updates from Nvidia, but it should work on paper. Input lag tops out at 5ms when running at full refresh rate and low input lag mode activated, so there is no need to worry about delays or “de-synced” instances.
Thoughts on the Asus XG49VQ
The Asus XG49VQ is a fantastic option if you want an immersive experience that’s bundled with an agile screen. The 144Hz refresh rate and low input lag combine to give users the feel of a competitive gaming display, while the expansive display area engrosses your visual senses. We love the product’s simpler design which makes it fit easier into various tastes and setups.
The Asus XG49VQ can provide accurate and vibrant colors, but there are some aspects which require improvements. This model has a friendlier launch price than its competitors, but it could use a few critical improvements on aspects such as its panel uniformity.
