Acer Predator Z35P Available for Order: Curved 35″ with 3440×1440@120 Hz and G-Sync

Acer has quietly launched yet another curved ultra-wide Predator display for gamers seeking a large diagonal, a high resolution and an ultra-high refresh rate. The Predator Z35P resembles its predecessor launched a couple of years ago, but has a higher resolution and a better contrast ratio. The new monitor is available for pre-orders now.

Acer’s Predator Z35 was one of the first large ultra-wide curved displays featuring a very high refresh rate when it was introduced in mid-2015. Its large dimensions, along with a 144-200 Hz refresh rate, and accompanied by NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology, made it well known among demanding gamers – but its resolution of 2560×1080 was not high enough. The relatively low resolution was justified by the fact that in 2015 only ultra-high-end graphics cards could hit 200 fps in demanding titles at 2560×1080. In the mean time, graphics cards have come a long way in two years and it is time for Acer’s large curved ultra-wide monitor to get a resolution upgrade.

The new Acer Predator Z35P is based on a 35” VA panel offering a 3440×1440 resolution (2.39:1 aspect ratio), a maximum brightness of 300 nits, a 2500:1 contrast ratio, a 100 Hz refresh rate, 178°/178° viewing angles, a 4 ms response time, and 1800R curvature. According to TFT Central, the refresh rate of the panel can be overclocked from 100 Hz to 120 Hz, which is not as high as the 200 Hz possible on the original Z35, but which is well beyond what non-gaming monitors can offer.

When it comes to connectivity, the Acer Predator Z35P monitor has one HDMI 1.4 port, a DisplayPort 1.2 port, four USB Type-A headers (with one USB-B input) and a 3.5-mm audio jack to drive two 9 W integrated speakers.

The new Predator Z35P does not seem to have many rivals on the market that can offer a similar combination of features: dimensions (35″), resolution (3440×1440), curvature, a very high refresh rate (up to 120 Hz), G-Sync support and so on. In fact, there are only two of them: the AOC Agon AG352UCG as well as the HP Omen X, if we do not consider slightly smaller 34″-class ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q and Acer Predator X34 (this one uses an IPS panel with 60 Hz, but it is overclockable to 100 Hz).

The Acer Predator Z35P is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks for $1099.99. Amazon is taking pre-orders on the display with ETA in one to three weeks.

Gallery: Acer Predator Z35P

Related Reading:

• AOC Expands AGON Family with Curved AG322QCX and AG272FCX 144 Hz Displays
• NEC Goes for a Curved Display, Launches 3440×1440 MultiSync EX341R Monitors
• Acer Announces Predator X27 Monitor: 4K@144 Hz with DCI-P3, HDR10, & G-Sync
• Acer Predator Z271UV Gaming Monitor: 1440p, 144-165Hz, G-Sync, Eye Tracking
• Acer Introduces A Pair Of Predator Gaming Displays
• Acer Launches Curved XR382CQK Display: 37.5-inch, 3840×1600, FreeSync, & USB-C

AOC Releases the I1659FWUX: a 15.6-inch 1080P Portable USB Monitor

AOC have just introduced a new high definition 15.6-inch portable USB monitor for those who need more screen real estate than their laptop can provide without worrying too much about having the right display connector. USB monitors are popular for users when giving presentations, or for multi-window work.

Labelled as the I1659FWUX, this 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a conventional refresh rate of 60Hz. It features an IPS panel with a matte anti-glare coating, a brightness of 220 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of 700:1, and a 25ms response time. The viewing angles are listed as 160° (CR>10) horizontal and 160° (CR>10) vertical. The “CR>10” part means that you can view 160° of the screen while retaining a contrast ratio of at least 10:1. Those viewing angles don’t sound great for an IPS display, but given the specific metric that AOC is using it’s hard to accurately judge it compared to other monitors.

The entire enclosure is made of a glossy piano black plastic (which may attract fingerprints), while the panel itself is framed by a half-inch bezel on all sides. Integrated into the enclosure is a foldable silver stand that can rotate the display into either portrait or landscape mode and there is an auto-rotation feature built-in. While the monitor is portable in the literal sense, the I1659FWUX is 35.5mm (1.4-inch) thick and weighs 1.2 kg, so it is no compact featherweight product. Thankfully, a protective carrying case is included, so that will help when it to comes to travelling with the display. You’re essentially carrying another laptop, in other words.

One of the key selling points of this monitor – portability aside – is that it receives both data and power via a single USB 3.0 cable, which means no additional bulky power adapter to carry. Power consumption is listed at 0.5W standby and 8W typical, so probably you won’t be able to power it with just a single USB 3.0 port – most can’t deliver more than 4.5W – but the included Y cable splits the load across two USB ports. Once the cable is plugged in, installation requires drivers and DisplayLink software that is compatible with both macOS and Windows.

It should be noted that while AOC already has a similar product with a very similar model name (E1659FWUX). This previous model features a TN panel which is brighter and has a lower response time, but worse contrast and viewing angles than this newer IPS version.

The AOC I1659FWUX is available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $149.90 USD with a stated in-stock date of May 13th.

Gallery: I1659FWUX

Related Reading

• AOC Expands AGON Family with Curved AG322QCX and AG272FCX 144 Hz Displays
• The AOC Q2781PS Announced: ‘Frameless’ Rose Gold 27″ QHD with Swarovski Crystals
• AOC Announces the AGON AG352UCG 21:9 Curved Display: 35″ 3440×1440, 100Hz with G-Sync
• Razer Reveals Their Triple Monitor Gaming Laptop Concept: Project Valerie

Acer ProDesigner BM320 32-inch 4K Monitor Launched: dE < 1 Guaranteed

While gaming monitors like the Predator X27 and Z271UV tend to get the most attention, there is still a significant market for work-oriented monitors that boast accurate color reproduction and a large work area. Those are two criteria that the new Acer ProDesigner BM320 has been designed to meet.

This 32-inch display has a native UHD resolution of 3840 x 2160 with a standard refresh rate of 60 Hz. It features an IPS panel with anti-glare coating, a peak brightness of 350 nits, wide viewing angles of 178°/178, and a 5ms response time. Contrast is listed as a comical marketing speak 100,000,000:1, which is the Acer Adaptive Contrast Management (ACM) figure.

Color reproduction and wide color gamut support is a key feature of this model, and it expands its range to include 100% of Adobe RGB, 100% of sRGB (plus 100% of Rec. 709), and 90% of DCI-P3 coverage. There is no explicit mention of a 10-bit panel, but support for 10-bit color is touted as a feature. The ProDesigner BM320 also comes factory calibrated and tested to ensure a DeltaE of 1.0 or less, which is near perfect color accuracy and better than almost all other claims of per-unit factory calibration, which typically gives dE < 3. Professionals will also have access to 6-axis color adjustment settings to create custom color profiles or simply to update the calibration as the monitor ages.

Given its professional positioning, the BM320 ships with Acer’s highly adjustable ErgoStand. The stand can tilt the display between -5 to 25 degrees, swivel +/- 45 degrees, pivot +/- 90 degrees, and provide height adjustments of up to 5.9 inches (150mm). The 90° of swivel rotation should not be overlooked since that means the display can be rotated into a vertical orientation. The ZeroFrame design results in this model having very thin screen bezels on three sides, which should help create near seamless multiple monitor setups.

Connectivity is listed as DVI, DisplayPort 1.2, Mini DisplayPort, and HDMI 2.0 video outputs. There is also a five port USB 3.0 hub (1 up, 4 down) and two integrated 2W stereo speakers.

The Acer ProDesigner BM320 is available now in the United States with an MSRP of $1299 and a three-year warranty. That is a high price tag for gaming enthusiasts, but not outside of the norm for a display aimed at creative professionals.

Gallery: Acer ProDesigner BM320 32-inch 4K Monitor Launched: dE

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