LG’s 21:9 WQHD monitor was very well received, so it should not be a surprise to see other manufacturers follow suit. AOC is one of the first to also make a monitor at 3440 x 1440 pixels. This is the AOC U3477PQU.
AOC built the monitor with an IPS panel, so color reproduction should be excellent. The panel comes with an 8-bit + FRC arrangement, which will allow for more than one billion discrete colors. The panel has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, and a 5 ms gray-to-gray response time. We actually suspect that the panel in here is the same one featured in the LG 34UM95.
AOC has not skimped on connectivity. Aboard you’ll find DisplayPort, HDMI with MHL support, and a USB 3.0 interface. There are also DVI and VGA connectors, although we wouldn’t suggest using them. You’ll also find a stand with height and tilt adjustment, as well as a 100 mm VESA mount.
Overall, we quite like these monitors. If you come from a 27” QHD monitor (2560 x 1440) you’ll gain more real estate and a new experience, while not quite dipping into the 4K territory just yet. For gamers this is particularly interesting, because this is a monitor that will be drivable with a powerful graphics card, while 4K can still be problematic.
Availability is expected in September. Pricing for this monitor is expected to be £499 in the UK, which is quite good considering the LG 34UM95 costs about £800. Hopefully this one will also make it to the US.
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