CES 2022 monitor roundup: New 360Hz 1440p gaming monitors unveiled

27-inch 1440p 360Hz esports monitors to arrive this 2022

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CES 2022 officially drew to a close on Saturday, January 8, teasing both physical and virtual attendees with a tonne of new tech that is sure to spark excitement within the gaming community. Despite the event being hosted in its usual Las Vegas venue this year, COVID still forced many of the industry’s leading brands to attend in a virtual fashion.

That said, big news regarding the future of gaming tech was still broadcast to the masses – with exciting breakthroughs being announced within the display space.

Alongside a slew of new OLED-based panels, big brands will also be releasing high-performance 27-inch 1440p 300hz+ panels in 2022. That’s right, high-speed refresh rates will now be available to the 1440p space – combining esports-level speeds with crisp image quality.

In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at all the latest gaming monitor announcements from CES 2022. We’ll be rounding up the biggest monitor unveilings from the event, including specifications, release dates, and pricing – if available.

Best new gaming monitors from CES 2022

While official announcements were few and far between at this year’s global press conference, a variety of keynote speeches did offer some exciting sneak peeks of what’s to be expected from the future of gaming monitor technology.

Unlike last year – which focused more heavily on the latest HDMI 2.1 interface – the latest 2022 gaming monitor offerings look much more exciting. Whether you’re a hardcore esports player or someone looking for a new all-round panel that’s futureproofed, this year’s new arrivals will surely ignite your purchasing tastebuds.

Here’s the best of the bunch from this year’s CES 2022 conference.

ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQN

The first of two monitors which were previewed from ASUS was the ROG Swift PG27AQN – a 1440p “ultrafast IPS” 360Hz gaming monitor. Alongside other monitors in this guide, the PG27AQN will be one of the first panels to bring a 360Hz refresh rate to the 1440p resolution.

The 27-inch IPS panel will feature a plethora of additional specifications geared towards high-end esports gaming, including a new ‘ultrafast IPS’ technology (built around three core innovations), dual-layer voltage, and NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate. In a press brief, ASUS went on to say that this monitor would be the fastest they’ve ever created – with response times crushing screen artifacts like ghosting and smearing. Very exciting.

ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQXE

The second panel unveiled by the global gaming brand was its new PG32UQXE – a refreshed version of last year’s hugely impressive (and extremely expensive) PG32UQX – a high-end 4K mini-LED 144Hz gaming panel.

While the new panel will maintain many of the original features and specifications, there are some exciting additions that should improve the overall functionality and performance of this panel.

Firstly, the PG32UQXE will offer up an increased refresh rate of 165Hz (via overclock) alongside NVIDIA’s Reflex Latency Analyzer. The new performance-tailored feature will allow gamers to record the input lag between mouseclick and action on the screen – explained in NVIDIA’s keynote speech.

Additionally, the PG32UQXE will also offer a brand new ‘Adaptive mini-LED (AmLED) panel which should help reduce the chances of burn-in and luminance decay over time.

The new variant will also feature a reduction in local dimming zones (1,152 to 576) and peak brightness too – now offering 1000 nits compared to the 1400 luminance roof of the 2021 model.

Acer Predator X32/X32 FP

Despite the Acer Predator X32 being officially announced at CES 2020, it still hasn’t come to fruition yet. That said, this year’s CES has offered additional information regarding the new panel, including release dates and pricing.

As far as specifications go, the X32 will deliver a 4K AU Optronics panel that features a 160Hz refresh rate, VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification, 99% Adobe RGB coverage, and mini-LED backlight technology – albeit with a reduction on the originally expected 1152 local dimming zones.

The new high-end gaming monitor looks set to hit shelves in North America in Q3 2022 and will start at around $1,999 – not too bad considering the price of ASUS’s similarly specced PG32UQX.

ViewSonic Elite XG272G-2K

Moving back to the esports space, ViewSonic look set to release a new high-performance 300Hz 1440p panel sometime this year. The XG272G-2K will offer all the bells and whistles you could want to take your gameplay to the next level, including blistering speeds and stunning colors – thanks to a new panel technology which the brand are calling ‘Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) display technology’.

The new panel will feature support for NVIDIA G-Sync Ultimate and Reflex Latency Analyzer, allowing gamers to constantly monitor the input lag they experience between mouse and monitor. Additionally, the panel will also deliver a rapid 1ms G2G response time for the smoothest transitions no matter how fast things are moving.

According to reports, the XG272G-2K will also feature mini-LED backlight technology (576 dimming zones) and VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification.

AOC AGON Pro AG274QGM

AOC’s AGON department has also vouched to bring us a new lineup of high-speed panels – the first of which is being coined the AGON Pro AG274QGM. The new panel will feature a similar set of specs found in the XG272G-2K, including a 300Hz refresh rate, 1440p screen resolution, 27-inch screen size, and mini-LED backlight technology.

The new flagship 1440p panel from AOC will also feature a dedicated NVIDIA G-Sync hardware module, certified for G-Sync Ultimate, and the latest Reflex Latency Analyzer technology.

MSI MEG 271Q

To make things even more competitive, MSI has also thrown its two cents into the 300Hz 1440p space. The latest panel from MSI will feature the very same 27-inch, 300Hz, 1440p specs as the AOC and ViewSonic offerings above. Furthermore, mini-LED backlight, G-Sync Ultimate, and Reflex Latency Analyzer technologies are expected.

Additional features will include a dual-format 25″ 1080p mode, esports vibrance, and VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification – as seen in most other offerings in this guide.

OLED gaming monitors from CES 2022:

Acer Predator CG48

It wasn’t all about high-speed 1440p monitors at this year’s CES 2022. Console gamers will be pleased to hear that big brands within the space will be releasing a slew of OLED-based displays geared towards the large-screen gaming experience.

The first of several 2022 releases look set to be the Acer Predator CG48 – a 48-inch 120Hz OLED panel tailored towards both console and PC usage. Specs include a UHD 4K screen resolution, large 48-inch panel, HDMI 2.1 ports, and a 120hz/138hz refresh rate (depending on what device you plan to use).

Alongside this, gamers can also expect a wide 135,000:1 contrast ratio and 98% DCI-P3 gamut coverage.

ASUS ROG Swift PG42UQ (42 and 48inch variants)

ASUS also announced two new OLED-based displays that are specifically tailored towards desktop usage. The new displays will arrive in two size variants (42″ and 48″), with the former being classed as the ‘World’s first 42″ OLED gaming monitor’.

The new 48″ variant from ASUS looks set to go toe-to-toe with LG’s imminent C2 model, offering up a 120Hz refresh rate, 0.1ms G2G response times, and wide 98% DCI-P3 gamut coverage. Each panel will also feature 10-bit color, ‘premium cooling via a custom heatsink’, and excellent peak brightness. ASUS will be launching a Micro-texture coating (instead of a traditional glossy option) which, according to the ASUS press release, should offer a happy medium between glossy and anti-glare.

“The glossy surfaces of typical OLED TVs might increase their appeal in the showroom, but their reflective surfaces can cause distractions when they’re used as a desktop monitor. ROG Swift OLED monitors feature a Micro-texture coating that shows less glare than other options. This allows these displays to offer more accurate colors and less on-screen distraction in the heat of battle, creating a better viewing experience.“

Samsung Odyssey Ark

Lastly, we have the weird and wonderful Samsung Odyssey Ark – a 55-inch 4K gaming display that can be used in both landscape and portrait orientations. The Samsung was unveiled during CES 2022 and shocked fans with its weird aesthetic take on gaming displays.

Samsung’s latest project will make use of a 55-inch Quantum Dot Mini LED display that features a 4K UHD screen resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio – making the new display feel more like a warped TV than a gaming monitor.

There isn’t a tonne of available information on this new panel, so stay tuned for any updates on its imminent arrival.

What is Mini-LED backlight technology?

One thing’s for true, the new monitors of 2022 look set to impress on all fronts. However, there are some new technologies being incorporated that could confuse some technophobes. For example, the term Mini-LED has cropped up several times with no true explanation of what it is.

A Mini-LED backlight is very similar to a conventional LED backlight, sitting directly behind an LCD substrate and shining light through a non self-illuminated layer to produce images on a screen. See image below

Unlike a normal LED backlight, a Mini-LED backlight is made up of more LED diodes (that’s where the ‘mini’ comes in). Thanks to the smaller design of the LED diodes in Mini-LED backlight tech, display manufacturers can deliver better local dimming, greater peak brightness, and more realistic HDR content.

Will faster refresh rates make that much of a difference?

Short answer, yes. Having a quicker refresh rate ensures that information is delivered to you as quickly as possible. When you plan games that feature fast-moving images (like COD, CS:GO, PUBG, Fortnite), you want to have the most up-to-date information on your screen. If not, you will likely run the risk of shooting something that isn’t actually there.

Granted, model panels are incredibly quick so the difference is almost undetectable by the human eye. However, when run under precise measuring tools, the levels of accuracy are clear to see.

So, I’m sure we can all agree that 2022 looks set to excite the gaming community. While not a lot of information is available regarding pricing and release dates, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see new arrivals hit shelves. We’ve already had the pleasure of testing the ASUS PG32UQX (a monitor that utilizes Mini-LED technology), so there’s nothing stopping manufacturers distributing these panels in the next 12 months – apart from COVID and the huge shortage in, well, everything.

All said, this year’s CES 2022 was exciting, to say the least. We’ll be keeping bang up to date with any new announcements made from the products highlighted in this article, so feel free to revisit us for the latest updates and news.