Asus Launching XG438Q 43-inch 4K/120 Hz Freesync 2 HDR Monitor Next Month

I’ve been seriously toying with the idea of getting a 43-inch monitor. Until now, Philip’s Momentum 43 was the only real option, short of buying a TV: 4K, HDR1000, and a screen that takes up your entire desk. It did have its shortcomings, though: Edge-lit HDR (instead of FALD), a relatively low input response thanks to its VA panel, and a narrow Freesync range.

I think I’m going to have to shelve that idea for a few months, now. Asus just announced that its monster XG438Q display will launch later this month. When the Momentum 43 came out, the XG438Q was bandied about in reviews as a higher-quality competitor, but Asus never got around to releasing the damn thing. This gave Philips a monopoly in the absurdly-large monitor segment. But with the arrival of the XG438Q, things are going to change.

There’s a major emphasis on forward-facing gamer-friendly features here. The monitors offer up 4K resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. I’ve gamed at 4K. And I’ve gamed on high-refresh monitors. I’m almost terrified of what’s going to happen to my social life if those two things ever came together in a single monitor. The XG438Q also features HDR600. There isn’t confirmation on whether this is an edge-lit panel or whether it uses FALD. If it’s a FALD panel, it’d make for a meaningfully better experience than the Philips, even if the 600 nit peak brightness is lower.

Freesync 2 is also present here, and with an impressively wide refresh range: Freesync works from 48 FPS to 120 FPS. This makes the Freesync range wide enough for LFC to kick in at lower refresh rates.

All in all, we’re talking about what’s possible the ideal gaming monitor. No word on pricing yet but we’re guessing it’s going to cost A Lot.

Further Reading:

• Gigabyte Disables PCIe 4.0 for Ryzen 3000 CPUs on older AM4+ Boards
• PCIe 4.0 Gaming Performance Analysis: Load Times and Benchmarks