Displays & Projectors

Australian tech company espresso Displays focuses on creating high-quality, versatile, and stylish external displays. Its latest product, the espresso Display 15 and Stand+, is a more affordable 1080p (FHD) option for laptop users, mini PC users, and those with gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally.

With the bundle available for $299 USD, the espresso Display 15 features the same high-grade premium aluminum design and robust build of the company's previous products. It also features the latest magnetic Stand+, allowing easy configuration and orientation above or beside a laptop for that on-the-go second-screen experience.

The 15.6-inch LCD screen features a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 300 nits of brightness, 99% SRGB color accuracy, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and two USB-C ports for input and power. The only thing missing, and something that has helped bring the cost down, are the touch-screen features found in other espresso Displays.

ASUS has just launched its new ProArt Display 5K monitor, a new 27-inch 5K (5120 x 2880) panel aimed at professionals, priced at $799. Check it out:

The new ASUS ProArt Display 5K features a 27-inch IPS-based panel with a native 5120 x 2880 resolution, and is factory calibrated and Calman Verified, offering 99% DCI-P3 and 95% Adobe RGB color gamut coverage. ASUS specifies that a Delta <2 color accuracy, which is something high-end monitors need to achieve.

The 27-inch IPS panel has a pixel density of 218 ppi, some 2.6x higher than a regular 27-inch 1080p monitor, thanks to its huge 5K resolution of 5120 x 2880. The ASUS ProArt Display 5K "PA27JCV" features HDR10 support, and is VESA DisplayHDR 500 certified.

Recently, we reported a pretty impressive figure showing that OLED shipments, that is, displays with OLED panel technology, had increased 181% year-over-year in a recent quarter. It's a trend that is set to continue, and for PC and gaming enthusiasts, it makes a lot of sense. From response times to color accuracy to the near-infinite contrast levels that deliver perfect black levels, OLED displays feel like the next level after traditional LED or LCD technology.

One reason for the dramatic shift toward OLED is that production costs have come down, which has seen companies like MSI capture a large portion of the market share with competitive and affordable products. OLED displays in 2024 are also brighter, and long-lasting measures are in place to combat burn-in and overheating.

That said, OLED panel technology is still expensive to produce compared to non-OLED display technology. The manufacturing process, which includes organic materials, is still quite complex. TCL, a company making waves in the display market, plans to improve and make OLED affordable. Inkjet-printed OLED - just like that Canon printer you used to print school reports back in the day.

OLED displays for gaming have been around for several years but have become more prevalent in 2024 thanks to new panel technology, which improves things like overall brightness and text clarity. OLED displays for gaming are also more affordable than ever, with seemingly countless models to choose from.

According to a new report by TrendForce analysts, OLED monitor shipments are expected to reach 1.44 million by the end of 2024, representing a massive 181% year-over-year growth. This includes all OLED displays, not just ones designed for PC gaming, with Samsung and its QD-OLED panels leading the charge.

"QD-OLED monitors are set to dominate the market, driven by Samsung Display's aggressive production ramp-up and multiple brands introducing QD-OLED models," the report writes. "QD-OLED's share of total OLED monitor shipments is expected to rise from 53.5% in 2023 to 73% in 2024."

The new VisionMaster Pro 2 4K Projector is described as a movie theater in a box. That term could describe a range of projectors, including the JMGO N1S Ultra 4K Laser Projector we recently reviewed. However, the VisionMaster Pro 2 from Valerian promises to project a clear image up to 300 inches, which would rival a movie theater.

With IMAX-Enhanced and Filmmaker Modes for watching movies, it also sports gaming. Typically, input lag of latency sits way down the list of a projector's features, but the VisionMaster Pro 2 4K Projector sounds like it's as much for gaming as it is watching movies.

At 1080p with a 240 Hz refresh rate, you're looking at 4ms, which doubles to 8ms at 120 Hz. For 4K 60 FPS gaming, the input latency sits at a respectable 15ms. It is a far cry from OLED, but it is impressive for playing PlayStation 5 on a 100 or 300-inch screen.

We knew it was coming, but now it's officially here: Sony's new INZONE M10 OLED gaming monitor has been unleashed, offering 27 inches of 1440p (2560 x 1440) resolution at a blistering 480Hz.

Sony's new INZONE M10S OLED gaming monitor features a 27-inch OLD panel with a native 2560 x 1440 resolution, insanely smooth 480Hz refresh rate, and a super-low 0.03ms response time. Sony includes "FPS Pro" and "FPS Pro+ " modes, DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification with up to 1300 nits of peak brightness, a custom heatsink, and new DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity.

The new INZONE M10S OLED gaming monitor was designed specifically for gaming tournaments, with Sony including a nifty 24.5-inch mode that reduces the resolution to 1332 x 1332 @ 480Hz, or 1080p 480Hz if you like. The special "FPS Pro+" mode will mimic the characteristics of a TN panel, which is used for competitive gaming.

Sony is expected to unveil a new OLED-based INZONE gaming monitor, with an identical design to its previous INZONE M9 gaming monitor but with an OLED panel.

Sony first introduced its INZONE M9 gaming monitor in 2022, but since then we haven't heard a peep... until a new post on Weibo by a leaker that said Sony is introducing its first OLED INZONE gaming monitor. The new flagship OLED INZONE gaming monitor should look identical to the INZONE M9, but with an OLED panel.

We don't know if it will be a 1440p or 4K display, but given that Sony's 27-inch INZONE M9 gaming monitor features a 4K 144Hz HDR panel, it would be disappointing to not see the new OLED INZONE gaming monitor without 4K and at least 144Hz, so we could expect 4K 240Hz as there are more and more 4K 240Hz OLED gaming monitors popping up from various companies.

Recently, we reviewed the JMGO N1S Ultra 4K Laser Projector, a portable unit with a stylish and robust design that also delivers a vibrant and impressive 4K image. One reason the crisp and bright image impressed so much was the use of a Triple-Color Laser light source via the company's MALC 2.0 Triple Laser Optics technology. Compared to traditional lamp light sources, it's a game changer.

It delivers a brighter overall image, and the image clarity and contrast are enhanced without the usual laser light 'speckle' effect that traditional laser projectors emit. At IFA 2024, JMGO announced expanding its N1S line-up with two new models, the N1S Ultimate 4K and the N1S Pro 4K. As for how the lineup stacks up, the Ultra we reviewed sits between the Pro and the Ultimate, which makes the Ultimate model the new flagship from JMGO.

The Ultimate has a brightness rating of 3500 ANSI Lumens, while the Pro offers 2,400 ANSI Lumens. All three models have a 1600:1 FOFO contrast ratio, 110% BT.2020 gamut coverage, and exceptional color accuracy.

Acer announced on September 4 that it will be expanding its line of Predator gaming monitors with two new 27-inch displays that will come with NVIDIA G-SYNC Pulsar technology.

NVIDIA announced Pulsar at the start of the year, and the new technology is an evolution of the company's G-SYNC technology, a piece of hardware dedicated to improving latency, motion clarity, and reducing motion blur to produce an overall crisper image. Pulsar is an evolution of that and with NVIDIA's partnership with MediaTek, the new technology is coming to MediaTek scales, removing the need for additional hardware.

Moreover, MediaTek is one of the market leaders in monitor scales, meaning the suite of impressive NVIDIA-created technology will be coming to more gaming monitors than ever before. So, what is Pulsar? The new technology is an upgrade to Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and dramatically improves the clarity of fast-moving images, which will benefit gamers who play competitive titles that benefit from high refresh rates.

Corsair has just launched its new XENEON 34-inch QD-OLED ultrawide gaming monitor, the new XENEON 34WQHD240-C, featuring a 3440 x 1440 resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and a price of $1199. Check it out:

The new Corsair XENEON 34WQHD240-C QD-OLED gaming monitor offers vibrant colors, true deep blacks, and boosted brightness for movies, working, and especially gaming. Corsair is using an all-white design on the new QD-OLED gaming monitor, so if you've got a white-themed gaming PC, this is perfect for you.

Corsair is using Samsung's latest 2024 QD-OLED panel, with a 34-inch QD-OLD panel and a native 3440 x 1440 resolution with its 21:9 aspect ratio, and super-smooth 240Hz refresh rate. There's up to 1000 nits of peak brightness and up to 99% DCI-P3 color gamut, DisplayHDR True Black 400 and up to 1,500,000:1 contrast ratio.