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HDR Performance

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

The X34 OLED is certified for DisplayHDR 400 True Black, but it could earn a 600-nit badge if it wished. It is one of the brightest 34-inch OLED 21:9 monitors currently available. It supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switch.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

Only the very expensive PG34WCDM is brighter than the X34 OLED, and not by much. 663 nits is very bright and well ahead of the rest, which are around 450 nits. The AOC is dimmer because it doesn’t have variable brightness for HDR like the others. The net effect is that highlights are very bold which makes the X34 OLED more textural and three-dimensional than dimmer screens. Acer rates it at 1,300 nits for a 1.5% window, and there is no reason to doubt that claim. I measured a 25% window for this test.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

I could see a faint green tint in my X34 OLED’s HDR grayscale pattern. There is no means of adjustment here, but the impact on content was minimal. The EOTF is a bit wonky with dark tracking below 20% and a bit too much brightness from 30 to 70% where the tone map transition is. In practice, this obscures the deepest shadow detail, but midtones and highlights are not affected.

The color charts are textbook in appearance. All color points are on target or just a tad oversaturated. The X34 OLED looks plenty vivid without any need to push color like so many other HDR monitors do. This is excellent performance. The BT.2020 test looks similar with on-point performance until the panel runs out of color at 83% red, 75% green and 95% blue.

Test Takeaway: Despite a slightly green grayscale and a skewed EOTF, the X34 OLED has a solid HDR image with very accurate color. It’s very bright and textural thanks to its high peak level, which more than mitigates any deficiencies. I wish there were a Quantum Dot layer for more color, but even so, it looks impressive.

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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.