AOC Agon Pro Porsche Design PD49 49-inch OLED gaming monitor review: High style and even higher performance

The AOC PD49 is a 49-inch 32:9 mega-wide DQHD 5120x1440 QD-OLED gaming monitor with 240 Hz and HDR400.

Reviews
By
published
AOC Agon Pro Porsche Design PD49
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Image 1 of 3
AOC Agon Pro Porsche Design PD49
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

OLED tech hasn’t come up to the brightness level of Mini LED yet, but the PD49 and its competition deliver more than enough output for any indoor space. With any OLED, I always recommend leaving Uniform Brightness off so the panel will modulate brightness dynamically. It allocates power to the brighter elements and ultimately gives the image more pop. For this reason, I measure a 25% window pattern for all OLED reviews. The PD49 peaks at the same 449 nits as the PG49WCD, excellent performance. Black levels are too dark to be measured by currently available instruments so contrast cannot be determined.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Image 1 of 3
AOC Agon Pro Porsche Design PD49
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Adjusting the 25% window to 200 nits lowers the peak brightness just enough to be comfortable in a dim-to-dark room scenario. Black levels and contrast are unchanged. The ANSI test shows the same results. I can’t measure the black squares of the checkerboard pattern so intra-image contrast is theoretically infinite.

Test Takeaway: OLED isn’t the brightest tech out there but with its perfect black levels, it provides the most realistic and textured image possible in a display. The PD49 is on par with all OLEDs in all size and resolution categories. It looks stunning, but no more so than any other OLED.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

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.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • OneMoreUser
    I would be interest... if the vertical resolution had been 2160 or higher.

    Now for gaming a 32:9 1440p sure brings something, but for productivity there is no going back one you tried 2106p, only where are the screens. You can have 16:9 with 2160p, but not more than that except there is a few 5K monitors only to small and crazy expensive.
    Reply
  • SomeoneElse23
    OneMoreUser said:
    I would be interest... if the vertical resolution had been 2160 or higher.

    Now for gaming a 32:9 1440p sure brings something, but for productivity there is no going back one you tried 2106p, only where are the screens. You can have 16:9 with 2160p, but not more than that except there is a few 5K monitors only to small and crazy expensive.

    Yeah, I agree. I was almost going to say this type of monitor would replace my Acer 32" 4K when it's time to retire it, but that 2160 high is really nice for productivity.
    Reply