- Alienware AW3225QF
- ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM
- Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P
- MSI MPG 321URX QD OLED
In brief
The Alienware AW3225QF is a QD OLED monitor with 240Hz and 4k that costs less than competing screens. It is also the only one with a curved panel. The screen has a fairly basic feature set, without a multi-function USB-C port for your laptop. The menu options are also limited, and unfortunately there is no good Display P3 mode, nor an AdobeRGB mode. The display for ‘normal’ sRGB content is good, even better than some photo editing screens, and the AW3225QF also offers excellent HDR color reproduction, albeit with limited brightness. The mode with maximum peak brightness sometimes actually darkens the image. Like other QD OLED screens, the AW3225QF has extremely fast response times, excellent viewing angles and of course perfect contrast, but also a mirrored screen surface and color fringing around small print.
In brief
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM is one of the best QD OLED monitors with 240Hz and 4k at the moment, but also the most expensive. ASUS has built in all kinds of extra features. This is one of the few OLED monitors with 120Hz black frame insertion, which helps prevent motion blur at the lower refresh rate, but does not look sharper than a 240Hz image. The multi-function USB-C port offers 65 or 90W power delivery, depending on the screen brightness chosen. The color adjustment for sRGB and HDR is very good, with also a reasonably good Display P3 color reproduction. Similar to other QD OLED options, this monitor offers extremely fast response times, excellent viewing angles and of course perfect contrast, but also a mirrored screen surface and color fringing around small print. The maximum brightness is limited, especially for HDR images, where the mode with maximum peak brightness sometimes actually makes the image darker.
In brief
The Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P is one of the best QD OLED monitors with 240Hz and 4k. The screen has very extensive connections. There are twice DisplayPort 2.1 between the five image inputs, allowing the screen to display the 4k/240Hz signal without compression, although this is of little use for the time being. Potentially useful are the multifunctional USB-C port with 65W Power Delivery, the extensive KVM feature and the DisplayPort out. The color reproduction is very good across the board, both for SDR and HDR, although not the very best of the QD OLED screens we tested. The FO32U2P does offer an AdobeRGB mode that many other models lack. Similar to other QD OLED options, this monitor offers extremely fast response times, excellent viewing angles and perfect contrast, as well as a mirrored screen surface and color fringing. The maximum brightness is limited, especially for HDR images, but the Gigabyte can be slightly brighter than other tested models.
In brief
With its QD OLED panel with 240Hz and 4k, the MSI MPG321URX QD-OLED is one of the best gaming screens of the moment. The screen offers extremely fast response times, excellent viewing angles and of course perfect contrast, but also a mirrored screen surface and color fringing around small print. The screen does not have a high maximum brightness, especially not for HDR images, where the mode with maximum peak brightness sometimes actually makes the image darker. Compared to competing monitors with this panel, the MSI has a relatively inconspicuous design and broad feature set, with 90W USB-C power delivery and a KVM switch. The USB2.0 ports are not really up to date. The color accuracy for sRGB and HDR display is not bad, but competitors do better. The MSI MPG321URX does have a good Display P3 mode and an option for AdobeRGB. Other brands still fail to put such a mode on their screen.
Monitor enthusiasts have had to wait a long time for it, but at the beginning of 2024 they are finally here: 32″ OLED screens with a 4k resolution and a high refresh rate. For those looking for a high-end gaming monitor that is not very large or extra wide, it seems so A bit of the ultimate combination. Based on previous OLED monitors that we have tested, you can expect perfect contrast and therefore a beautiful HDR display, a wide color range, fast response times, excellent viewing angles and ditto uniformity.
Previous OLED monitors were only available in a smaller (27″) or much larger (34″ or 49″) format, with the exception of the rare and usually very expensive 32″ screens based on a printed JoLED panel. They had a refresh rate of only 60Hz and were therefore unsuitable for gaming. At CES early this year, more than ten 4K OLED screens with a 240Hz refresh rate were announced, equipped with two different types of panels: Samsung’s QD OLED and LG’s Woled. As previously expected, the QD OLED screens will come first. In this article we look at the first of these types of screens available in the Netherlands: the Alienware AW3225QF, ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P and MSI MPG321URX QD-OLED. Given the interest, it is not surprising that availability is still limited. None of the four screens are currently readily available.
In addition to all the other promises that OLED technology brings, the maximum refresh rate of 240Hz is special in itself, where most of the previous 4k LCD gaming monitors had a 27″ diagonal. The only other 240Hz 4k monitor we the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 (S32BG85) from a few years ago. Other brands have not gone beyond 160Hz until now. With the exception of the Odyssey monitor, most other 4k LCD gaming monitors did not offer a good HDR display either. their much too low contrast. Samsung equipped the Neo G8 with a mini LED backlight with more than two thousand zones to circumvent that limitation of LCD, which other manufacturers of 4k LCD gaming monitors generally did not opt for.
1150 to (more than) 1500 euros
The Alienware AW3225QF distinguishes itself from the other three by its curved panel, where all other currently announced (QD) OLED screens of 32″ are flat. It is also slightly more competitively priced, although this screen also makes you 1149 euros lighter. Gigabyte offers two 4k QD OLED screens: the Aorus FO32U2 with a suggested retail price of 1149 euros and the Aorus FO32U2P, which should cost 1349 euros. We look at the more expensive of the two, which stands out with its DisplayPort 2.1 connection and DisplayPort out you can daisy chain a screen. Both models also have a USB-C port for your laptop.
The MSI MPG321URX costs 1400 euros and also has such a port, just like the ASUS PG32UCDM. It has an even more expressive design, with more RGB lighting than the other three. Potentially interesting is the presence of a 120Hzblack frame insertionfeature to reduce motion blur. ASUS also provided its Oledultrawide PG34WCDM with this, but most other OLED monitors do not have it, including the other three screens in this article. All extras may cost a bit, because the PG32UCDM is the most expensive with a suggested retail price of 1,500 euros.
We are curious how the new QD OLED panel performs and which manufacturer has built the best product around it. It is possible that our current winner will soon be overtaken again, because a few interesting models still have to appear. For example, Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) has built-in smart functionality and a matte finish instead of a glossy panel like the screens in this article. Judging from our recent preview of the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE, based on the competing Woled panel with the option of a 480Hz refresh rate at 1080p display, this could also be an attractive alternative.
Update 5-5: An earlier version of this round-up was released a few weeks ago, with only the monitors from Alienware, ASUS and MSI. Since then we have also tested the Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2P. Today we are publishing a new version of the article with the Gigabyte monitor included. We also took feedback from the previous version to perform some (re)tests on the previously discussed screens.
