AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD 45-inch ultra-wide OLED gaming monitor review: Extreme curve and speedy performance

45-inch 21:9 OLED display with an 800R curve, WQHD 3440x1440 resolution, 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10 and wide gamut color.

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AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

Applying an HDR10 signal to the AG456UCZD switches it over automatically and opens up four additional picture modes. DisplayHDR is the default and best choice. I ran all HDR color tests in this mode as it was the only accurate choice. The other three present a different look but ultimately have flaws that hide detail and exaggerate color unattractively. They also introduce resolution-reducing edge enhancement.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

With Constant Brightness turned off, the AG456UCZD tops 635 nits when measuring a 25% window pattern in HDR mode. AOC claims 1,000 nits, which is indeed possible if you measure a small enough area of the image, 3% or less. Brightness? Yes, there is plenty. HDR has a lot of punch, deep contrast, and a true three-dimensional look. Black levels are unmeasurable as usual so I can’t post a contrast ratio.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

HDR grayscale charts don’t get much better than this. The AG456UCZD’s tracking is visually perfect, with no errors greater than 2dE. The EOTF is a bit dark until it meets the reference line at 40% brightness. The tone-map transition is on-spec at 65% brightness.

The HDR gamut charts show the same level of over-saturation that I see in nearly all HDR monitors, OLED and LCD. This provides a lot of verve to the presentation, and the AG456UCZD manages to track its saturation points linearly. That preserves detail, so you’ll see every nuance contained in the original material. DCI-P3 is fully covered and Rec.2020 runs out at around 85% for red, 75% for green and 95% for blue. This is also typical of the wide gamut displays I’ve tested.

Test Takeaway: The AG456UCZD provides the same stunning HDR image as all the OLEDs I’ve reviewed. In this regard, they are nearly equal. The AOC has a bit more brightness than average, which manifests as stronger highlights. It also has full DCI-P3 gamut coverage, so you’ll see lots of vivid hues in all HDR content. In this regard, it gives nothing away to other similar screens.

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Makaveli
    Looks good but these are a no for me dawg.

    800R curve too aggressive( which you call super immersive) lol
    1440P on 45 inch terrible PPI (so this is strictly a gaming monitor nothing else)

    Also why is is DP 1.2 and not 1.4?
    Reply
  • Findecanor
    Yet another "gaming only" monitor that would be awful for productivity.
    Reply
  • Makaveli
    Findecanor said:
    Yet another "gaming only" monitor that would be awful for productivity.
    Yes I prefer a monitor that allows me to do both.
    Reply
  • oofdragon
    Guys pls stop this cr.. even 24 is too large for 1080p density, why waste time, effort and materials in a monitor so large but with such a poor pixel density? That size is already 4K density, it should def have been 5120x2160, it even costs $1399!! Just no,nsens this to refurb and do right next time
    Reply
  • The Historical Fidelity
    oofdragon said:
    Guys pls stop this cr.. even 24 is too large for 1080p density, why waste time, effort and materials in a monitor so large but with such a poor pixel density? That size is already 4K density, it should def have been 5120x2160, it even costs $1399!! Just no,nsens this to refurb and do right next time
    I was about to reply about the 45” 3440x1440 issue when I saw yours. I totally agree, it was a big letdown when I read 3440x1440….I want to replace my 10 year old 34” 3440x1440 curved monitor but I’m not paying for a side-grade (I regard the worse PPI to offset the larger size of this monitor so “side-grade”)

    This article got my hopes up as a 45” 21:9 2160p ultrawide OLED with an aggressive curvature is exactly what I want lol. Too bad…
    Reply
  • kookykrazee
    Wow! $1400 for a gaming only curved monitor? For this same price I could have a 4K TV that would do the job nearly as well for both gaming and production.
    Reply