The ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q is one of the most impressive gaming monitors to hit the market.
This 4K, VA panel is equipped with the performance and alongside with its impressive aesthetics that is pleasing to look at.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q is easily one of the best monitors for gaming and also great for creatives that are looking to work their projects with.
If you’re thinking about getting the ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q, let’s dive right into the monitors’ design, performance, and features and what the XG438Q can provide to you.
Specifications
- Display Size: 43-Inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 UHD
- Panel Type: VA
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time:4ms
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Contrast Ratio: 4000:1
- Brightness: 450 cd/m²
- Built-In Speakers: Yes, 2x 10-watts
- Stand Tilt: Yes
- Stand Height Adjustability, Swivel, Pivot: No
- VESA Compatible, 200×200
- Connectivity: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 3x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.0 ports,1x 3.5 mm Audio Jack
- Weight: 45-lbs
Display Design
The design of the ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q is aesthetically pleasing, thanks to its high-quality material, along with its beautiful matte-black color design to the overall frame.
The display looked great alongside its thin-bezel design, and total immersion was no issue.
The stock stand that comes along with the XG438Q is very stable and durable at the same time. Thanks to its three-legged foundation, you’ll have one stabled stand to hold the monitor in place.
During the stand testing phase, there were no wobbles nor movements to the monitor when the monitor was slightly touched or moved, the default stand held the monitor in place and was movement-free, which was awesome.
Also, the XG438Q display doesn’t support any pivoting nor height adjustments, but you’ll be able to adjust the angles just slightly.
If you want more movability, then opting in for a 200x200mm VESA mount will be your solution. Then you’ll be able to maneuver the monitor with complete flexibility and freedom.
In terms of connectivity, you’ll find the connectivity port located in the back of the display. The connections are also hidden away from removal panels, which are fantastic to keep your connectivity from getting damaged.
The connections consist of one DisplayPort 1.2, three HDMI 2.0, two USB 3.0 ports, and one 3.5 mm audio jack to plug in your excellent headphones.
Along with the connectivity, the XG438Q monitor also comes with a remote, which lets you control and change the monitors’ settings from a distance, which is very convenient if you’re within long distances from your monitor.
ASUS also packaged a small projector-camera, which projects and displays the ROG logo symbol onto your desk for aesthetic purposes, you’ll have the option of not having to use this as well.
Also, the XG438Q’s comes with two 10-watt speakers that sound decently well and gets the sound job done. However, you’re almost always better off with a set of a dedicated sound system or a set of excellent headsets such as the Sony WH 1000XM3’s, Bose 700 headphone, or the Beats Solo PRO’s, to name a few.
The OSD panels are located on the rear side of the display and consist of a joystick and four other buttons that you can customize to turn them into hotkeys and also has Game Plus and Game Visuals as options as well.
Thanks to its joystick feature, navigation was very easy to use and made navigating through the settings very convenient to start with. However, using the XG438Q’s remote control was the most convenient one to navigate with the settings.
Performance and Features
The ASUS XG438Q’s measures at 43-inches HDR, with an incredible resolution of 3840 x 2160 UHD, running with a refresh rate of 60Hz and a response time of 4ms.
These settings are great for gamers and also for creatives as well.
The brightness levels measure up to 450 cd/m² with a contrast ratio of 4000:1.
Thanks to its 125% sRGB coverage and its 92% DCI-P3, you’ll be able to experience a wide range of true life-like, bright and vivid colors, making the XG438Q also the best monitor for photographers as well due to its accuracy in colors.
During testing, the XG438Q didn’t have any backlight bleeding nor dead pixels, which is another added plus onto the books of awesomeness.
Also, during 4K, playing games and watching media in this mode was very amazing and didn’t have any issues running games on 4K. However, you may have to turn down your brightness down a bit, due to the monitors’ potent visuals that 4K provides to you.
With the XG438Q’s impressive settings, you’ll have no issues getting fast response time and low latency, thanks to its AU Optronics feature that ASUS has integrated XG438Q’s with, resulting your games and media run super smoother and crisp-like.
And if you’re upgrading from a 60Hz refresh rate 1080p HDTV setting, then you’ll be able to notice right away, a very significant difference in terms of improved performance and speed as well.
In terms of reading text, the text on the XG438Q’s was very crisp and clear, and easy read at 125% scaling.
Due to its 60hz refresh rate and 4ms response time, playing FPS and adventure games were no problem; however, some ghosting were seen and present during fast-paced action scenes.
If you do see ghosting within your games, you can always turn on the overdrive feature that the XG438Q comes along with. You can toggle through the overdrive features, and you’ll notice a little less to no ghosting at all.
With the XG438Q’s settings, the display is some of the best gaming monitors for console gaming as well. And playing the PS4 and the Xbox One through the XG438Q was nothing but pure amazement.
Additionally, the XG438Q is FreeSync 2 enabled, and games running under FreeSync ran super butter-smooth like which was a great experience.
However, the XG438Q’s are not G-Sync certified, so if you do have an Nvidia GPU, you may have to check with Nvidia’s website to see if it’s compatible with the XG438Q’s FreeSync feature.
Overall, the performance did great during gaming and movie sessions. The ghosting and input lag may be present but not to any significant level. You’ll be able to turn on overdrive on as well to solve this issue.
Pros
- Great smooth gameplay and graphics
- Awesome HDR feature
- Comes with remote
Cons
- A bit heavy
- Expensive
Conclusion
The ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q is a beast of an HDR monitor and will take up a bit of a desk room in your area.
Overall, the design built is excellent, with the beautiful aesthetic features and the convenience of the OSD panel and the remote control.
If you’re seeking a huge monitor, with excellent features and performance, and if you do have the abundance of cash, then the ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q display would be the on.
You can also check out some of the best monitors for 2020, or some of the best 144Hz monitors such as the LG 27GL83A-B or the ASUS ROG Strix XG49VQ monitor.
