With options suddenly abundant, midsize 4K OLED monitors are set to become the must-have gaming accessories of the year, at least for gamers who seek high-resolution visuals without going to an ultrawide panel. On the heels of the stellar Alienware AW3225QF, the latest 4K OLED entry comes from Asus. Its ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM ($1,299) is a 32-incher with a 240Hz maximum refresh rate and a lightning-quick response time. It’s a stunner that offers excellent color accuracy and color coverage, making for an overall extraordinary user experience. Within such a competitive field, aesthetic preferences may sway users and their wallets toward this Asus model, the Alienware, or another option. Still, we think the ROG Swift is different enough to merit an Editors’ Choice award for 4K OLED gaming panels.2024: The Year of the OLEDAsus hopes to one-up Alienware with a monitor that matches the AW3225QF’s strengths in almost every regard (and in some instances, even tops them). Starting with the design, the Asus monitor carries over the bold, cyberpunk aesthetic we’ve seen on Asus ROG laptops. Set atop a tripod-like stand, the monitor isn’t afraid to outshine your other gaming gear, with an illuminated logo on its bezel and a light beaming out of the bottom that projects a second logo onto your desk.
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.
The kiss of RGB stretches to the back side as well, with a split-logo design reminiscent of Asus’ ROG Zephyrus and its AniMe Matrix LED schemes. Etching along the back suggests a circuitry motif. Asus employs a maximalist design sensibility that contrasts Alienware’s clean, minimalist look, and I can see the appeal (even if I don’t prefer it).
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The monitor measures 22.8 by 28.2 by 10.7 inches (HWD) and weighs 13.2 pounds without its stand. It wears a slim silhouette despite its size, with thin bezels emphasizing the broad screen real estate. You’ll find the OSD controls tucked behind the glowing Asus logo that sits almost like a belt buckle at the monitor’s center.
Like the Alienware AW3225QF, the Asus PG32UCDM supports VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black, but the Asus does not employ Dolby HDR (though Asus says Dolby Vision HDR support will be added via firmware update in the first half of the year). In truth, the screens are virtually identical—except for one obvious difference: The ROG Swift OLED is flat, while the Alienware is curved, albeit very slightly.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The difference between a curved monitor and a flat screen is worth noting here. Curved monitors do come with concrete benefits, including reduced glare and deeper perceived blacks, and some subjective improvements, like the potential for increased immersion. Screen curve is a feature that takes some time to get used to; I was a curved-monitor skeptic for some time, and now I find them hard to live without.Lacking a curve doesn’t take away the fact that the PG32UCDM uses OLED panel tech, which means it outclasses IPS, VA, and TN panels in everything from power efficiency to color-gamut coverage. OLED monitors are able to display “true” black, which means that the black pixels turn off to create zero-light zones and maximum contrast. The screen supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA Adaptive Sync, which should ensure smooth, tear-free visuals and low-latency gaming up to the maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It’s also an Nvidia G-Sync Compatible panel. The monitor’s extensive OLED care features include software that sends you reminders to activate the pixel-cleaning function, which Asus says “calibrates any issues that may arise on the screen” when the monitor has been turned on for a long time.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
In addition to the OLED care features, the build of the monitor itself is designed with longevity in mind. The ROG Swift features a custom heatsink to facilitate heat dissipation, while the back cover has top vents that further improve cooling to reduce burn-in risk. In addition, a graphene film helps the QD-OLED panel further reduce its operating temperature. This is similar to the ventilation layer between the panel and the back housing of the Alienware AW3225QF.Moving back to the monitor’s port hub, you’ll find a bounty of options: two HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB-C/DisplayPort connectors (one delivers between 65 and 90 watts of power), and a headphone jack. Asus bundles DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C cables in the box, so you’re ready to go right away with whichever type you choose. Another feature advantage the PG32UCDM has over the Alienware AW3225QF is the included virtual KVM, handy if you’re looking to use the monitor for work and play with multiple PCs or other input sources. On the flip side, one of the ROG Swift’s disadvantages is a large external power brick. It’s heavy, a little unwieldy, and a bit of an eyesore. But there’s a reason for it: Asus purposely did not integrate the AC adapter into the display because in the event that the power supply is damaged due to common issues like surge or spikes, a separate adapter is easy to replace. If an internal power supply dies, that means sending in the whole monitor for repair. Testing the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM: Exceptional Color RangeTo figure out how well the new Asus monitor performs, we tested its color gamut, brightness, color accuracy, and contrast ratio using Calman monitor calibration software, a Murideo Six-G signal generator, and a Klein K-10A colorimeter. We also ran the monitor through a gauntlet of games to measure input lag and judge its real-world performance.First, we tested the monitor in its default picture mode with an SDR signal. Under these conditions, it saw an average brightness of just 197 nits (candelas per square meter), slightly lower than the Alienware’s. Switching over to HDR, we measured 457 nits of brightness while using the Standard preset profile with the True Black 400 setting, and reached 1,018 nits when testing peak HDR brightness. (We measure sustained HDR brightness at a 10% window size, but to measure peak brightness, we drop the test size down to 2%.) That’s extraordinary, but you won’t reach this searing level of brightness in normal gaming conditions. OLED displays become brighter as the test patch size gets smaller, but few scenes in video games and movies have highlights that reach this measurement for long.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
It’s hard to not be impressed by an OLED’s color range. In our tests, the ROG Swift spanned 100% of the sRGB color gamut, 97% of Adobe RGB, and 97% of DCI-P3. Those are superb ratings, and even slightly better than the Adobe RGB rating we recorded on the Alienware AW3225QF (though the difference is within the margin of error). They also outpace the Samsung OLED G9 and the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor, two of our favorite OLED monitors from last year.Color accuracy came up roses, too, as we recorded a Delta E measurement of just 1.5. The higher the Delta E, the more colors tend to stray from their intended hue. A value under 2 is ideal. However, this result is not as low as the Alienware’s Delta E of 0.6.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Our final test measures the contrast ratio, which indicates the difference in luminance between the brightest white and darkest black that a monitor can produce. It makes a difference in perceived picture quality, especially during dark scenes in games. The AW3225QF is rated for a peak contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1, an even higher ratio than the Alienware. But when dealing with OLEDs in particular and contrast ratios that high, it’s hard to tell the differences with your naked eye, and our testing shows the limits even of what our equipment can distinguish meaningfully. We measured a contrast ratio of 245,795:1. That’s still wildly impressive; OLED and mini LED panels can reach dramatically higher contrast ratios than other panel types, at least in theory, due to the nature of the black pixels. For comparison, most IPS panels target contrast ratios of 1,000:1 to 2,000:1, the latter for IPS Black.Media and Game PerformanceFor our final test, we measure response times, arguably the most important metric to serious gamers. We use our HDFury Diva HDMI matrix to measure the monitor’s input lag, and play a handful of games from our library. The results were spectacular: We recorded a nearly imperceptible amount of input lag—less than 1 millisecond (ms), to be exact.As for gameplay, Returnal and Cyberpunk 2077 look gorgeous on the OLED screen, and games like Counter-Strike 2 play as smooth as whipped cream. Even older games look excellent, including Metal Gear Solid, which we played on a connected Sony PlayStation 5. Verdict: We’re Nearing Peak OLED ExcellenceThe Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM so closely rivals the Alienware AW3225QF monitor that the final decision might come down to whether you want a curved monitor or a flat screen, and whether you’re willing to spend $100 more on the Asus to gain features like a virtual KVM and additional RGB lighting.For computers that can handle high frame rates at high resolutions, the ROG Swift is a match made in heaven. Typically, many competition-ready monitors sacrifice resolution for higher refresh rates, so it’s nice to see more monitors conquer this middle ground. The Asus doesn’t reach the refresh-rate peak of monitors like the Alienware 500Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H), but it’s still a top performer in its own right.Overall, the ROG Swift is one of the best OLED monitors you can buy. One final tiebreaker between it and the Alienware could be aesthetics, as the Asus ROG Swift wears an unabashedly gamer vibe, while the Alienware tends more toward future-cool sci-fi. The Asus, in addition, comes with an slightly unwieldy power brick. If we had to choose, these factors would tip us slightly in favor of the Alienware. But the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM is also one of the year’s finest monitors, and it co-earns our Editors’ Choice award alongside Dell’s great panel.
Like What You’re Reading?
Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
