Asus ROG Swift PG49WCD 49-inch gaming monitor review: The most colorful OLED yet

49-inch 32:9 OLED with DQHD resolution, 144 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and wide gamut color.

Reviews
By published
Asus ROG Swift PG49WCD
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.

The question of whether to buy a 32:9 monitor comes down to, “Do I want to run two 27-inch QHD 16:9 screens?” If the answer is yes, a 49-inch panel with a reasonable curvature makes perfect sense. Pixel density is the same 109ppi and you get the same screen area with no dividing line. The only rub is that you’ll likely pay more for one 49-incher than two 27s. But if you’re talking about an OLED, then the price doesn’t matter. What?! The price doesn’t matter?! Once you’ve seen a good OLED in action, trust me, you won’t care how much it costs.

(Image credit: Asus)

The Asus ROG Swift PG49WCD greatly improves over other 49-inch monitors that use IPS or VA panels. If you only consider the superior viewing angles, it’s a win. But add in the huge color gamut and near-perfect video processing and you’ll be hard pressed to choose another display to better fulfill your mega-wide dreams.

My only wish was for a faster refresh rate. After playing on 240 Hz OLEDs like Samsung’s G9, I discerned a small difference in movement accuracy. The PG49WCD is still incredibly smooth, but the G9 is just a tad better for hardcore gaming.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

When considering image quality, nothing can compete with an OLED unless you really need 1,000 nits from a full-field white pattern. Only a Mini LED panel can currently achieve this feat. But if your room is free of the blinding sun, the PG49WCD has more than enough light output to make any user happy.

You can buy two 27-inch monitors or one 49-inch mega-wide. The Asus ROG Swift PG49WCD is the best one I’ve seen yet thanks to its stunning OLED panel. It does everything well and has no flaws of consequence. If you have the room and the budget, definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

TOPICS
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.