Mateo Lowe leads the Best Picks desk of TheTweaks. All the buying guides, ranked lists and gift suggestions on this website pass through his hands. He is in an editorial position that requires editorial judgment and Mateo has this. He worked seven years in retail consultancy and product research before joining the team, advising brands on the real-life purchasing decision-making process of consumers. He was a natural fit because that background made him a good fit to work at a job as he is helping readers to spend their money wisely.
Quick Verdict
Best Overall: ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM 4K gaming, creators, and productivity in one panel.
Best 27-inch: ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, Desks that can’t fit a 32-inch panel, sharper text density.
Best Ultrawide: ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM, Sim racing, immersive single-player, wide-format productivity.
Best Hybrid Gaming: ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG, Esports players who also want 4K for everything else.
Best Office Monitor: ASUS BE249QFK, Budget-conscious buyers, remote work, all day text use.
We spent three weeks testing the monitors and living with them on our desks instead of unboxing them over the weekend. This difference is essential. Every best ASUS monitor comparison you can find online is based on the press kits and one night of testing. The maximum they will give you is peak brightness and refresh rate and nothing else. But we tested these best monitors for 14 days, not for 1. So this report gives you everything the monitors are really like after the first week, what temperatures the panel reaches after 3 hours of gaming, what happens when you switch to the meeting on your laptop via USB-C and it suddenly drops the connection in the middle of the discussion, what annoys you at 11 PM when the monitor cleans the pixels, etc.
We also measured some parameters that are usually overlooked, such as idle and HDR power draw over the period of several hours, time to boot, coil whine, flickering, ambient reflections, power of reflections in three different lighting conditions, necessary desk space, and expected lifespan and long term reliability. Every monitor on the list was tested with the same setup on the same desk.
How We Tested
Each of these monitors was used for at least 3 hours continuously for measuring the heat buildup, passed through the 30 to 60 minute sustained HDR sessions for measuring the brightness decay and ABL behavior, and was living with us on the desk for 14 days.
The hardware we used for this testing consisted of an RTX 5080 PC desktop, PS5, Xbox Series X, MacBook Pro M5 for USB-C and clamshell testing, Datacolor Spyder X for color and uniformity, infrared thermometer for measuring the panel temperature, plugin power meter for measuring the draw, lux meter for measuring ambient light, and a decibel meter for measuring fan and coil noise. We didn’t put the numbers from all these instruments on the table. Instead, we added every reading of every meter to the corresponding section of the review, where this information would be relevant. Panel temperature right next to the heat section, decibel readings near the noise section, etc.
Image: ASUS OLED PG32UCDM – Mateo Lowe / TheTweaks
The ASUS PG32UCDM is the monitor we kept testing even after getting the review units for the other monitors. It is 32 inch 4K QD-OLED with 240Hz refresh rate, and after two weeks of testing, it definitely earns the title of the “best overall”.
After 3 hours of gaming on the RTX 5080, the infrared thermometer showed the warm temperature of the rear panel stabilized around 39°C after three hours, but it was never hot enough and we did not notice any thermal throttling of the brightness or color of the screen. The plugin power meter measured the idle power of the monitor to be around 38W. HDR gaming increased it to the value of 95W on the 30th minute and 91W on the 60th minute because of ABL mild activation.
We tested the ASUS PG32UCDM with various desk setups and discovered that it requires a desk depth of 70cm at minimum. Given the optimal viewing distance of 90 to 100cm for a 32 inch 4K screen, a shorter desk would make you sit too close. The monitor is compatible with the standard VESA mounting 100×100mm mount and when we replaced the default stand with the gas spring monitor arm, we got more desk space for our peripherals.
This panel was tested under three lighting conditions with the help of a lux meter to make sure that the light intensity is equal during all tests. The glossy coating of the panel is extremely annoying under the direct morning sunlight, which passes through the window, glare is visible and you will need to put blinds or to move the desk. Under the normal indoor lighting conditions, reflections are visible but are not distracting during regular usage. In a dark room for night gaming, the glossy coating is not a problem.
The joystick of the OSD is decently fast and responsive, and the input menu structure is easily accessible. Switching between PC, MacBook, and PS5 was instant and KVM did not drop any connection in two weeks of regular use.
Using the MacBook Pro M5, reconnecting after unplugging and replugging took about 2 seconds. The clamshell mode, lid closed, the laptop works only on an external display, worked fine during the whole testing process, providing stable 90W charge even during the sustained video exporting. We did not experience any problems with the compatibility of this connection and docking station. Occasionally, we had to manually toggle Windows HDR on and off to restore the correct colors after waking the monitor from sleep, not a frequent action but not a one time thing as well.
What you will notice after two weeks: the pixel cleaning routine starts every 4 hours and lasts for a few minutes. Holding a decibel meter at the distance of 50cm, we could not hear anything from fans and coils even during the HDR load and was very quiet.
Who should buy it? For anyone who wants a monitor that would be able to do the job in 4K resolution without any compromises, gaming, productivity, creation and who has a deep enough desk to sit comfortably far from a 32 inch panel.
Who should skip it? The buyers with bright and window facing desks, which cannot block the glare or the ones with too shallow desks.
Pros of ASUS PG32UCDM:
No major weak points across gaming, creation or productivity use.
KVM and USB-C charging are rock solid.
Very quiet under all testing conditions.
Cons of ASUS PG32UCDM:
The glossy coating is problematic in the direct morning sunlight.
Occasionally, HDR toggle is needed after waking from sleep.
Image: ASUS OLED PG27UCDM – Mateo Lowe / TheTweaks
While the ASUS PG32UCDM is the all rounder, the ASUS PG27UCDM is the model for those with limited desk space or eyes that want a higher pixel density. Both the same resolution and a 27 inch panel means text is sharper and PPI that actually competes with a good IPS panel when it comes to text readability.
This is the easiest OLED in the lineup to fit into a smaller desk setup. We would easily fit it on a 60cm deep desk with a viewing distance of 70 to 80cm. Has standard 100x100mm VESA mount and smaller stand compared to 32 inch panels, making it better for sharing desk space than the 32 inch models.
The infrared thermometer gave this as the coolest OLED in the lineup after 3 hours and the power meter noted the lowest idle draw in the OLED group at 32W. During the 60 minute HDR test, ABL activity was the mildest in all OLEDs tested, the brightness stayed consistently brighter compared to the other models.
This OLED behaves in the same way as others during the lux-meter controlled test. Direct sunlight is distracting, office lights are manageable and gaming during nighttime is fine. The smaller size of the panel means that there is less reflective surface area which means the sunlight glare problem is somewhat reduced in practice compared to the 32 inch model.
This OLED has the fastest wake from sleep of all OLEDs at around 5 seconds. Also, the HDR toggle problem after waking from sleep during the testing period wasn’t present in this model. Using the MacBook Pro M5 laptop, reconnect speed was about 2 seconds, clamshell was stable and 90W charging performed well in high workload.
The PG27UCDM shines in this category, text clarity was the best of all monitors tested, thanks to the increased pixel density.
What you’ll notice after two weeks of use: Decibel meter rated fan and coil noise as very quiet, just like the PG32UCDM. Pixel refresh timing interruption is identical to the bigger model.
Who should buy it: Anyone who codes, writes or works in spreadsheets all day and doesn’t want to sacrifice OLED contrast and colors for it and anyone whose desk can’t accommodate a 32 inch panel.
Who should skip it: Anyone buying purely for gaming immersion, additional screen space and field of view of the ultrawide will be more important in that case.
Pros of ASUS PG27UCDM:
Best text clarity of any monitor tested, OLED included.
Coolest and most power efficient OLED in the lineup.
Fits comfortably on smaller desks without compromising 4K resolution.
Cons of ASUS PG27UCDM:
Less immersive for gaming compared to the 32 inch version.
Still has OLED’s glossy coating ambient reflection problem, just slightly less.
Pixel refresh interruption is identical to the larger models.
Image: ASUS OLED PG34WCDM – Mateo Lowe / TheTweaks
This OLED trades vertical resolution for horizontal and is an easy recommendation for anyone whose primary use case is sim racing, flight simulators or any game where peripheral vision is important. Also a good productivity monitor for those who tile three windows horizontally.
The infrared thermometer recorded the curved ultrawide panel as the warmest OLED in the lineup after 3 hours, probably because of the larger surface area and curve affecting airflow around the rear vents. During the 60 minute HDR test, ABL activity was the most noticeable of the OLED models tested, dimming when watching a lot of bright HDR films, worth noting if you play a lot of HDR movies on this specific model.
ASUS PG34WCDM is the monitor we found the desk depth is actually a requirement rather than a nice to have. We wouldn’t put this monitor on anything shorter than 80cm with a recommended viewing distance of 80 to 90cm due to the curve being made for wrapping around your peripheral vision at this distance. Standard 100x100mm VESA mount but due to the curve and weight, a dedicated arm rated for Ultrawides and curved panels is recommended.
Under the same luxmeter controlled conditions, the curve does help in one particular way, off-axis reflections such as the window on the side of your desk are bent away more than flat monitors. The sunlight is still distracting and the indoor lights behave in the same way as other OLEDs.
A decibel meter recorded faint coil whine during sustained high HDR content noticeable but not distracting at our 50cm measuring distance. Wake from sleep occasionally rearranges open windows on the ultrawide panel which is an occasional annoyance during multitasking.
Using the MacBook Pro M5 laptop, reconnecting speed was the slowest in the group at about 3 seconds and we tested for around 6 reconnect. But it is still very fast in absolute terms. Clamshell and charging was performing at the same level as other models in the lineup.
Text clarity was the worst of the three OLED panels due to the curve and aspect ratio making the edge text harder to read unless the windows are centered. Additional width compensates the problem when splitting the windows for productivity.
What you’ll notice after two weeks of use: The curve requires several days to get used to if you haven’t seen an ultrawide monitor before. The immersion in sim racing and flight simulators is unmatched by any other monitor in the lineup.
Who should buy it: Sim racing enthusiasts, flight simulator enthusiasts and anyone who benefits from horizontal screen real estate over another monitor.
Who should skip it: Anyone with a shallow desk, anyone sensitive to coil whining in a silent room and buyers who care about sharp text for work, PG27UCDM would suit them better.
Pros of ASUS PG34WCDM:
Unbeatable immersion for sim racing, flight simulators and cinematic games.
Good productivity upgrade for multi window workflows.
Curve reduces off-axis reflections compared to flat panels.
Cons of ASUS PG34WCDM:
Faint coil whine under sustained HDR load.
Warmest, draws the most power and has the most aggressive ABL of the group.
Requires deep desk and dedicated ultrawide rated arm.
Scoreboard of ASUS PG34WCDM:
Testing Category
Score (Out of 5)
Heat Management
3.5 / 5
Power Efficiency
3.3 / 5
Boot/Wake Speed & Sleep Reliability
3.3 / 5
KVM / Input Switching
5.0 / 5
USB-C Stability
4.0 / 5
Text Clarity
4.0 / 5
HDR Consistency (60 min)
3.5 / 5
Ambient Reflection Handling
3.5 / 5
Noise (Fan/Coil Whine)
4.0 / 5
Long-Term Reliability
4.0 / 5
Overall Score
3.8 / 5
4. ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG: Best Hybrid Gaming Monitor
Image: ASUS OLED XG32UCWMG – Mateo Lowe / TheTweaks
ASUS XG32UCWMG is for those who can’t choose between a 4K creator monitor and 480hz esport monitor. This is capable of both. Flipping a switch, it switches to 1080p 480hz for competitive games, then flipping it back to 4k 240hz for everything else.
Our testing showed that this monitor is the warmest OLED in the 32 inch group, probably due to additional work from the dual mode technology. ABL activity during the 60 minute HDR test is noticeable but not as aggressive as on ultrawide.
This monitor should be treated the same as the standard PG32UCDM for desk planning, at least 70cm depth, comfortable viewing distance around 90-100cm and standard 100x100mm VESA mount. An arm capable of holding this panel’s weight is worth investing due to higher weight.
Same glossy coating behavior of the other 32 inch OLEDs in the lux meter controlled conditions, distracting in direct sunlight, manageable indoors, no issue at night.
The dual mode switch itself is quite fast, a couple of seconds and doesn’t require reboot. KVM and normal input switching were as fast and reliable as the rest of the lineup. Wake from sleep was reliable without HDR or window rearrangement issues. With the MacBook Pro M5, reconnect speed, clamshell and 90W charging worked just as the PG32UCDM, no problems reported.
While in native 4k mode, text clarity is similar to the PG32UCDM which is good, but not class leading. The real value of this monitor is not in the creator’s work but in not having to choose between two monitors for esports and regular 4k games.
What you’ll notice after two weeks of use: If you’re not using this feature regularly, the dual mode feature becomes a novelty. Decibel meter rated fan noise as noticeable instead of very quiet, audible during sustained 480hz load at our 50cm measuring point, although not distracting with headphones.
Who should buy it: Players who split their time between competitive esports and AAA or creator games and don’t want to run two monitors to cover both uses.
Who should skip it: If you use only one of the modes, pure esports or pure 4k games, then a dedicated monitor like the PG32UCDM will do just as well for less complexity.
Pros of ASUS XG32UCWMG:
Only monitor here that is capable of both esports and AAA or creator use.
Dual mode is fast and doesn’t require reboot.
Reliable wake from sleep, no HDR toggling needed.
Cons of ASUS XG32UCWMG:
Warmest running OLED among the 32 inch monitors.
Dual mode switch blacks out the screen momentarily.
Noticeably louder fan during 480hz load than other models.
While most best ASUS monitor roundups overlook office monitors, we found the BE249QFK to be a great working monitor after experiencing it firsthand. Not everyone requires a 4K OLED, though, as many only need a reliable display for their spreadsheets, documents, e-mails, and video conferencing. It is here that BE249QFK shines with great value.
Our infrared thermometer was able to detect very little heat build up after more than 3 hours of office activity. The chassis remained only slightly hot during the session. We measured its power consumption to be about 14W on our power meter, a very low figure for this set.
The small 23.8 inch dimension makes this the most convenient ASUS screen in the range to be used on nearly any desk. Even a desk that was as deep as 50cm provided a comfortable arrangement, and a distance of 60–70cm was ideal for viewing during testing. It fits a standard 100x100mm VESA mount, and due to its lightweight design, even a non premium single arm monitor mount was able to handle it with no stability problems. Because of their matte coating, they do provide some reflection. They have a matte finish and they reflect slightly.
The BE249QFK features a matte anti glare IPS panel, whereas ASUS gaming monitors come with OLED panels. The coating performed very well in our tests for controlled lights, providing a good diffusion of reflections from overhead office lights and windows. We never found ourselves changing the angle of the monitor to avoid glare, because it really worked well in bright work environments.
The 100Hz refresh rate provided a smoother experience of everyday work compared to standard 60Hz office monitors. It was easier to scroll through long spreadsheets, web pages and documents, and the monitor started up in about 2 seconds and awakened instantly from sleep each time. It’s also an IPS display which means there’s no OLED pixel-refresh routine to interrupt your workflow.
This model is not compatible with USB-C, laptop owners will have to use different cables for video and charging. While the HDMIs and DisplayPorts stayed reliable during tests, those wishing to get a single-cable laptop setup will find one of ASUS’s USB-C equipped business displays to be a better option.
Text looked neat and readable for office use, during full work days. The standard RGB IPS subpixel design also enabled crisp fonts, free of color fringing, making it ideal for document viewing, coding, spreadsheets and web browsing. It’s not a powerful color grading or HDR maker, but it was a very good productivity monitor, and it has got the fundamentals extremely right.
What you’ll notice after two weeks of use: At low brightness levels, we detected PWM flicker, potentially noticeable by eye-sensitive users during dim office lighting. The monitor doesn’t have any meaningful HDR, and decibel meter rated fan and coil noise as very quiet during testing. It doesn’t bother you during usage.
Who should buy it: Remote workers, office setups, people looking for a reliable, low power display for spreadsheets, documents and video calls without any gaming ambition.
Who should skip it: People who want HDR gaming, USB-C laptop charging, KVM switch, this monitor isn’t meant for such use cases and any OLED above will perform much better.
Pros of ASUS BE249QFK:
Lowest power consumption and coolest-running monitor in the lineup.
Best ambient-light handling of any monitor tested, due to lack of glossy coating.
No pixel-refresh interruptions and OLED maintenance to bother with.
Cons of ASUS BE249QFK:
No KVM switch or USB-C charging.
PWM flickers at low brightness.
Not meant for gaming or HDR content.
Scoreboard of ASUS BE249QFK:
Testing Category
Score (Out of 5)
Heat Management
5.0 / 5
Power Efficiency
5.0 / 5
Boot/Wake Speed & Sleep Reliability
4.8 / 5
KVM / Input Switching
N/A
USB-C Stability
N/A
Text Clarity
3.8 / 5
HDR Consistency
N/A
Ambient Reflection Handling
4.5 / 5
Noise
5.0 / 5
Final Verdict:
The PG32UCDM is the safest choice for most of the people who want one monitor that does everything well. provided that your desk is 70cm or more deep and it doesn’t face sunlight. If your desk is smaller, go to 27 inches PG27UCDM, you’re sensitive to reflections or care more about text sharpness than immersion. Ultrawide PG34WCDM if sim racing or flight simulators are your reasons for the upgrade and you have the desk depth for it.
The XG32UCWMG is useful only if you’re swapping between esports and AAA games frequently enough to utilize dual mode features. And if you don’t care about gaming at all, just save money and get the BE249QFK, it’s the only monitor in this lineup that disappears into the background of your workday without demanding any attention and the only one without any long term burn-in risk at all.
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM is the best choice for MacBook users. It delivered stable 90W USB-C charging, reliable clamshell mode, fast reconnection, and the sharpest text for everyday productivity.
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM pairs best with the PS5 thanks to its 32-inch 4K OLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate, instant input switching, and immersive HDR performance during extended gaming sessions.
The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM produced the sharpest text in our testing. Its 27-inch 4K panel offers higher pixel density, making documents, spreadsheets, coding, and web browsing noticeably clearer than the larger OLED models.
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Be respectful and constructive. Have a question or feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at contact@thetweaks.com