Acer debuts three OLED gaming monitors, including the 27-inch 480 Hz Predator X27U F3

Predator X27U F3
(Image credit: Acer)

Acer is kicking off Computex early by announcing three new gaming monitors aimed at enthusiasts. The industry is increasingly moving toward OLED panels for high-end gaming monitors, and Acer is no exception with the Predator X27U F3, X32 X3, and X34 X5.

The headline-grabbing monitor is the Predator X27U F3, which features a 26.5-inch WQHD OLED panel. What makes it special is its 480 Hz refresh rate — which is incredible for an OLED panel, and is nipping at the heels of the fastest IPS panels. You can reach that 480 Hz maximum using HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C. With a pixel response time of 0.03 ms (GTG), this is bound to feature a winning combination of smoothness and responsiveness for gamers with itchy trigger fingers in first-person shooters.

Given that this is an OLED monitor, the contrast ratio is 1,500,000:1, meaning that black levels are immeasurable with our tools. The Predator X27U F3 supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and is Nvidia G-Sync compatible. Acer lists typical brightness at 275 nits, which is about average for an OLED panel (IPS panels are typically much brighter), although peak HDR brightness can reach 1300 nits.

(Image credit: Acer)

If you need a larger panel, there's the new Predator X32 X3, which gives you another 5 inches on the diagonal (31.5 inches). This is a 4K OLED monitor with a 240 Hz refresh rate — but Acer has a trick up its sleeve, as the Predator X32 X3 can also boast a refresh rate of 480 Hz, if you drop down to Full HD resolution. Acer hopes this monitor will be a jack of all trades, simultaneously appealing to those who want high resolution and ultra-fast response. We'll have to wait until we get a review unit in our lab to see how it fares in the real world, but we have the sneaking suspicion that this is the same 32-inch panel used in the LG 32GS95UE.

Like the Predator X27U F3, the Predator X32 X3 can reach its maximum refresh rates (at Full HD or 4K) over HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C. Typical brightness is rated at 275 nits, while peak HDR brightness is listed at 1000 nits.

(Image credit: Acer)

Finally, there's the Predator X34 X5. This is the largest of the newly announced monitors, coming in at 34 inches. It has an OLED panel like the other monitors, but it differs due to its 1800R curvature. The panel features a UWQHD (3440x1440) resolution, supporting a maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz.

All three monitors feature an integrated KVM switch, allowing you to share a mouse and keyboard between two systems, and dual 5-watt speakers, and all support 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage along with 10-bit panels.

Of the three monitors, the Predator X27U F3 will arrive first, landing in Q3 with a price tag of $1,199. The Predator X32 X3 and X34 X5 will come in later, in Q4, and will cost $1,199 and $1,099, respectively.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware. He has written about PC and Mac tech since the late 1990s with bylines at AnandTech, DailyTech, and Hot Hardware. When he is not consuming copious amounts of tech news, he can be found enjoying the NC mountains or the beach with his wife and two sons.

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  • thestryker
    Assuming that's the same LG panel as all the other 34" 240hz OLED I believe it's the first to not have the terrible 800R curve. Maybe there's some hope for someone releasing a monitor using the 39" version without the steep curve.
    Reply
  • helper800
    thestryker said:
    Assuming that's the same LG panel as all the other 34" 240hz OLED I believe it's the first to not have the terrible 800R curve. Maybe there's some hope for someone releasing a monitor using the 39" version without the steep curve.
    I am glad there is a version of this panel that is not that atrocious 800R curve... 1100 though is kinda steep.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    helper800 said:
    I am glad there is a version of this panel that is not that atrocious 800R curve... 1100 though is kinda steep.
    Yeah the price is why I'm not more excited about this one really. The Alienware 34" OLED is regularly on sale for $800 and for me this one isn't worth the additional cost so I'm happy waiting until something hits my $/perf or mine breaks to get anything.
    Reply
  • Cardboard Android
    Could be awesome...if they ever actually release them.

    Last year at CES Acer showed off the X45 and X34 saying they would be released Q2. The X45 was only available September and cost a $300 more than the LG 45 OLED but without HDMI 2.1 so was no where near able to be competative. The X34 similarly, only really released January although Ive only been able to find 2 for sale across Europe/US, no HDMI 2.1 and $200 more than similar monitors.

    This year at CES again a whole bunch of new monitors promised all for Q2, all with reasonable specs (just not quite as fully featured as competitors), but always more expensive and no sign of them actually being available any time soon. As I WFH and game I was actually quite excited about the new 'Z' mini-led panels they were launching, since they would be more resiliant against burn in from the work side of things, but again no sign of them.

    Back in August last year I was lucky enough to win a 34" Acer Predator monitor....but I'm still waiting for it (dont get me started on the terrible communication as well) . So I've been keeping my eyes open, seeing what is available/released, and it seems Acer just dont care about their monitors anymore. Even when I check out the Singapore or Taiwan sites they dont have any available. I would love to love the new Predator monitors, but they are alway missing one key feature and not available. Shame.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    Per TFTCentral the 34" is a new Samsung QD-OLED display panel which explains the lesser curve:
    https://tftcentral.co.uk/news/acer-predator-x34-x5-announced-with-34-ultrawide-240hz-qd-oled-panel
    Unfortunately it seems they didn't actually end up changing the subpixel layout as originally claimed:
    https://tftcentral.co.uk/news/an-update-and-correction-for-the-new-34-ultrawide-240hz-qd-oled-panel
    Reply
  • helper800
    thestryker said:
    Unfortunately it seems they didn't actually end up changing the subpixel layout as originally claimed:
    https://tftcentral.co.uk/news/an-update-and-correction-for-the-new-34-ultrawide-240hz-qd-oled-panel
    It definitely DOES have the newer Gen2-Gen3 sub-pixel layout. What it actually doesn't have is the "Quantum Enhancer."

    Below is what the Quantum Enhancer is described as:

    "The Quantum Enhancer, which Samsung Display calls the "soul of QD-OLED", is the upgraded driving logic of the TCON (display timing controller) that controls millions of self-emissive pixels within the 2024 QD-OLED TV panel. This is what allows the 2024 QD-OLED TV panel to reach 300 nits in full-screen and up to 3000 nits peak in a 3% window with the same power consumption as the 2023 panel, claims Samsung Display. The monitor panel retains a peak brightness of 1000 nits."
    Reply
  • thestryker
    helper800 said:
    It definitely DOES have the newer Gen2-Gen3 sub-pixel layout. What it actually doesn't have is the "Quantum Enhancer."
    Did you actually read the link? They're literally testing a screen using the new panel and found that it doesn't.
    Reply
  • helper800
    thestryker said:
    Did you actually read the link? They're literally testing a screen using the new panel and found that it doesn't.
    Yes I did, and they state the following:

    "This new panel is being produced this year alongside their gen 3 panels, but we were told it didn’t feature the new Quantum Enhancer technologies that are used elsewhere for their new 27″ 360Hz and 32″ 4K 240Hz panels which are both classified as gen 3, and so Samsung called this gen 2 themselves. We labelled this gen 2.5 as it is being produced this year and so doesn’t quite fit alongside their other gen 2 panel (49″ in size) which was produced last year."
    Reply
  • helper800
    thestryker said:
    Did you actually read the link? They're literally testing a screen using the new panel and found that it doesn't.
    Okay, so maybe I should have read the paragraph below. This is some false advertisement from Samsung, no?
    Reply
  • thestryker
    helper800 said:
    Okay, so maybe I should have read the paragraph below. This is some false advertisement from Samsung, no?
    Yeah that's exactly how it struck me, but as they note in the article only Samsung ever made the claim the monitor manufacturers themselves never did. It makes me wonder if it was one of those where the person/department making the claim just assumed it counted for all of the gen2/3 panels.
    Reply