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I look forward to the day when an OLED gaming monitor costs the same as its LCD counterpart. That means around $400 for a speedy 27-inch flat panel or $500 for a 34-inch ultra-wide model. Today is not that day, but we’re a bit closer than when you started reading this. The AOC Agon Pro AG346UCD shows you can get nearly all the performance of an $800 OLED for $650.
There are a couple of flaws here. There is no variable brightness option, so the measured peak brightness is around 236 nits in both SDR and HDR modes. That’s not a problem for SDR content, which doesn’t rely on strong highlights for its impact. That comes from the AG346UCD’s large color gamut which is the largest of any OLED I’ve reviewed at over 112%. It is without a doubt, very colorful.
I found room for improvement in HDR. In addition to low relative brightness, the most saturated colors weren’t quite saturated enough. In my gamut tests, everything up to around 60% was on target, but shades over that mark fell short. Since the AG346UCD has more than enough potential coverage, I must conclude that this monitor will soon receive a firmware update.
There was certainly no fault with its gaming prowess. It makes as much of 175 Hz as most other OLEDs make from 240. You don’t need to pay extra for more Hertz; the gain is almost zero. I enjoyed smooth motion with crisp detail in both moving and static images. And input lag from my perspective was a non-factor. Gaming with the AG346UCD is both precise and satisfying.
If you’ve hesitated at the entry price for an OLED gaming monitor, consider the AOC Agon Pro AG346UCD. It has it where it counts and is a pleasure to use for both work and play.
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