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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I’ve been saying for a while that there are no bad OLED monitors. I’ve been reviewing them almost without letup for months now and have yet to find one that wasn’t excellent in every respect. Yes, there are minor issues here and there, but when taken as a whole, the genre guarantees success. The only question is, what size and shape best fits your needs?

If first-person shooters and sims are your thing, ultra and mega-wide screens create the best version of virtual reality short of a set of goggles. You can have aspect ratios of either 21:9 or 32:9, but 21:9 is where the height is. If you’ve found 34-inch screens a bit underwhelming, the AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD at 45 inches creates its own category. And it doesn’t cost significantly more either.

(Image credit: AOC)

With WQHD 3440x1440 resolution, the AG456UCZD has only 83ppi pixel density. But in my experience, that made no difference whatsoever. OLED contrast and color more than compensate. The SDR picture was extremely colorful and the HDR picture is on another level from anything possible in the LCD camp. It has the same infinite blacks and contrast as any OLED, but its size and shape are unique.

Also equal to the very best is the AG456UCZD’s video processing. Though it needs to run over 200fps to be at its best, that means perfect motion resolution with no motion blur. Moving objects retain every scrap of detail and are equal in sharpness to static parts of the image. Fast camera pans come with no artifacts or breakups. It’s one aspect of display performance where OLED can be said to be perfect.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

My only nitpick here is the compromise I had to make with gamma. There isn’t an option that tracks 2.2 perfectly but by changing one setting, I was able to make an improvement. And the default image was fine to begin with so take these comments for what they are, nitpicks.

The AOC Agon Pro AG456UCZD is yet another superb OLED gaming monitor. It’s unique in size and shape. There isn’t another display like it. And it doesn’t cost much more than a 34-inch 21:9 screen while offering a lot more immersion and superior sound. If you have the desire for VR glasses but don’t want to spend even more money, the AG456UCZD is clearly worth checking out.

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