Gaming monitors are getting better every day, and at the forefront of the PC screen revolution is Asus, who have just announced a pair of brand new WOLED ROG Strix displays that feature fancy TrueBlack Glossy film. Take that, bright room reflections.
Here’s information on TrueBlack technology directly from Asus:
“Developed exclusively for ROG, the TrueBlack Glossy film pairs a zero-haze optical layer with an advanced anti-reflective stack, resulting in a 38% drop in ambient reflections versus previous-generation glossy WOLED panels. This keeps black hues truly black, even under fluorescent lights or studio spotlights, and helps prevent eye strain even after prolonged viewing. Additionally, the ASUS Clear Pixel Edge algorithm removes red-green fringing on text and fine lines, so spreadsheets, lines of code, and creative timelines appear pin-sharp.”
The new display lineup includes two distinct models: XG32UCWMG and XG32UCWG (you can tell engineers named these damn things, bless their sterile hearts). Both panels clock in at 32 inches in diagonal measurement and tout 4K resolution (3840 x 2160), but they differ respectively in what Asus is calling its Dual-Mode.
With the simple press of an on-screen button, the XG32UCWMG can switch into an FHD (1920 x 1080) option at an eye-searing 480Hz, while the XG32UCWG can switch into the same resolution but at a lesser, though still very impressive, 330Hz refresh rate. Essentially, you’ll be able to toggle between high-fidelity performance and esports insanity on the fly. What a beautiful thing.
Both monitors will offer two HDMI 2.1 ports, although I’d prefer at least three, because I tend to keep many gaming consoles (PS5, Xbox, Switch, something retro) hooked up to these sorts of displays, which is in addition to my PC. Then you’ve got a single DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C with 15-watt power delivery, a handy USB hub and a headphone jack. The latter comes in handy when connecting external speakers that can grab audio from all your HDMI and DisplayPort sources, as these screens don’t seem primed to ship with on-board sound capabilities.
I’ve been testing out one of Asus’ previous OLED gaming displays for a few months now, the PG32UCDM, and that’s specifically a QD-OLED, not a WOLED. It can run up to 240Hz and also sports a glossy, anti-reflective display, though not this newfangled TrueBlack Glossy. But while it looks fantastic and performs like a dream, the screen does scratch quite easily, so I’m curious to see how this improved TrueBlack film holds up over time. When you go from matte to gloss, you absolutely lose some durability, though it can absolutely be worth the compromise.
Asus is also saying that these displays will ship with plenty of anti-burn-in tools to keep the panels healthy through extended use. For example, the PG32UCDM I’ve been using occasionally prompts me to run its screen-cleaning utility, which takes all of a few minutes at most, and then I’m off to the races again. I’ve yet to see any noticeable burn-in on that particular display, so in terms of pixel maintenance, I have high hopes for these new Asus products.
The upgraded 4K WOLED (the ‘w’ stands for white, referring to a particular kind of light source) Asus monitors have me quite intrigued, for sure, and it looks like we’ll get more info at Computex 2025, which starts on May 19. Maybe then we’ll get exact prices for these devices, as well as a solid release date.
