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Even though OLED isn’t quite ready to beat LCD on the best gaming monitors yet, more products are coming out with this technology. With these new products, there are more options and, hopefully, prices will go down. Size has been a problem in getting more people to accept it. Early OLED computer monitors weren’t much smaller than big-screen TVs, which made them hard to use in an office-sized system for work and play.
With its new 42-inch OLED display, the ROG Swift PG42UQ, Asus has taken a step forward. As with all new genres, the first products are premium (read: expensive), but there is a lot to like. The PG42UQ has a 4K resolution, a refresh rate that has been cranked up to 138 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and extended colour.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ specifications
| Panel size | 41.5-inch |
| Native resolution | 3840 x 2160 |
| Refresh rate | 138Hz |
| Peak brightness | 450 cd/m² typical |
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review: Design
The Asus PG42UQ is also a pretty big screen, but we prefer the 42 “size is easy to use at normal viewing distances and fits on a desk. It’s about 12cm wider than the AW3423DW and a lot taller, too. It has 72% more screen space than a 32-inch TV “display. This is a huge and very immersive monitor, but it’s not as great as the 48″ OLEDs we had before, and we think 42″ is about as big as we’d want to go on a desk. You can buy this gaming monitor from its official website.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review: Features
The Asus on-screen display is fine. It has all the basic features of a monitor and is very similar to displays made by Asus in the past. This means you get gaming features like FPS displays and crosshairs, which is a bit of a surprise since static elements like these can cause OLEDs to burn-in, so we wouldn’t use them. But Asus has several screen protection features that can be turned on or off, such as moving the screen, recognising logos, and a screensaver that dims the image.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review: Display and Performance
Next, we’ll look at response time performance. Since it’s an OLED, I was expecting great results, and Asus delivered. Since this uses the same panel as the LG C2 OLED, it works almost exactly the same as the C2, with a response time of about 1ms and no worries about overshoot. Cumulative deviation is also very good, with a very low number that is about the same as other OLED displays.
In addition to being very fast, one of the best things about OLEDs is that they keep this speed at all refresh rates without having to overdrive. The PG42UQ is the same speed whether the refresh rate is at its highest of 138Hz or at its lowest of 60Hz. The smoothness and sample and hold motion blur are the only things that are different between these refreshes. The response times are the same, though.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review: Image Quality
The new ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ gaming monitor is a real beast. It can handle both new and old games with ease, as long as your GPU is powerful enough to handle 4K at 138Hz. You’ll need a GeForce RTX 4090 to run the screen’s native 4K resolution and 138Hz refresh rate.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ review: Price
The main question is whether or not the price tag of $1,399 is worth it. At that price, it costs more than LG’s 42-inch C2, but for the extra money, it does a few things better. First of all, it works like a normal monitor, not like a smart TV.
Smart TVs are very annoying because they can’t wake up and go to sleep with your PC. Instead, you have to control them manually. The Swift PG42UQ is different because it works like any other monitor and even has USB upstream.
Final Words
The ASUS PG42UQ is a great gaming screen. It has a response time that is almost instantaneous, which makes motion look very smooth. It also has low input lag with high-frame-rate signals, but it gets worse with 60 fps signals, so it isn’t ideal for some console games.
Speaking of which, its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth lets it get the most out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and its VRR support keeps the screen from tearing. Lastly, it’s great for gaming in dark rooms because it shows deep blacks without blooming.
Asus ROG Swift PG42UQ Ratings
Pros
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for console gaming.
- Perfect black levels.
- Outstanding motion handling.
Cons
- OLED = risk of burn-in
- No height or swivel adjustment
FAQs
Is the ASUS ROG Swift good for gaming?
The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQ is one of the best 32-inch 4K monitors on the market right now. It’s good for both PC gamers and owners of new consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Is Rog swift better than Rog Strix?
The ASUS ROG Strix XG279Q is better than the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q. The XG279Q supports HDR, has a faster response time and its maximum refresh rate is slightly higher.
What is the color depth of PG42UQ?
The PG42UQ gaming monitor features 10-bit true color depth and 98% cinema-quality DCI-P3 gamut for unparalleled realism.