Forget 49-inch wide monitors and OLED TVs. At least it looks that way on paper; Corsair's new 32-inch Xeneon gaming panel has a full 4K pixel grid, runs at 144Hz, and supports HDR with local dimming. This checks so many boxes.

Looking a little closer, the 32UHD144 is not as slam-dunk as it initially appears, especially when it comes to HDR support. But let's hold off on that thought while we check out the finer details.

As one would expect from Corsair in this market, it uses an IPS panel, which Corsair rates as having an MPRT (Motion Picture Response Time) of 1 ms, theoretically 1 on the more demanding GTG (Grey-to-Grey) metrics It is not as fast as the fastest IPS monitors, which claim 1 ms. However, there could be a trick in the response claim, and we will see what it is.

The 32" panel is 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and operates at up to 144 Hz. Incidentally, this refresh can be achieved with all three input options: DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB Type-C operating in DisplayPort Alt mode. In other words, the connectivity options are well covered. Incidentally, this USB interface supports power delivery, allowing the laptop to be charged while driving the display. However, the power supplied is only 15W, which is not enough for even a moderate gaming laptop.

Returning to the panel, SDR brightness is 400 nits and HDR is 600 nits, the latter required for the screen's DisplayHDR 600 certification; HDR 600, of course, also requires some local dimming. Unfortunately, Corsair uses the most basic local dimming: 16 edge-lit zones. This does not bode well for the HDR experience, given that it is a traditional IPS monitor with a panel-specific contrast of only 1,000:1.

As for panel quality, there is clearly good news thanks to the use of fidelity-enhancing quantum dot technology to enhance the backlight. The result is a truly wide color gamut coverage of 100% of Adobe RGB and 98% of the demanding DCI-P3 digital cinema color gamut. Fantastic. Rounding out the image-related specifications is AMD FreeSync Premium support and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility.

The Xeneon's extensive physical attributes have been tested and come with Corsair's familiar stand. This is a massive one with an elaborate metal base. There is no doubt about its quality, but it is not the most ergonomic solution and uses a lot of desk space.

As it happens, the stand is actually optional. The price in the US is $999 with the stand and $899 without. In the UK, the price with the stand is £899, but there is no price without the stand at the moment. Without the stand, the chassis is compatible with standard 100x100mm VESA mounts.

In any case, the included stand offers a wide range of height, tilt, and swivel adjustments, as well as good cable management. Overall, the screen has slim bezels on three sides of the display, and while it is a reasonably modern design, it is probably not a screen you would purchase for aesthetic reasons.

More important, however, is whether one would rather buy it for the image quality and gaming experience; the ability to adjust brightness with all color gamut presets, including sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3, is nice. The factory calibration is a bit on the warm side, but since it can be calibrated right out of the box, only serious content creators will need to adjust the color balance.

When it comes to SDR performance, you'll find that pixel response is fast enough if you dive into your favorite game; Corsair offers three user-configurable overdrive and dynamic settings in the OSD menu to accelerate pixel response The following is a list of the settings.

Some overshoot and reverse ghosting is visible at both the dynamic and conventional fastest settings. However, switching the overdrive back from "fastest" to "fast" produces a truly nimble response with no obvious ugliness; add the glorious detail of the 4K pixel grid and 144Hz refresh, and it's one heck of a gaming experience. I loved it.

Of course, to get the most out of your 4K monitor, you'll need one hell of a graphics card, as ever. At the very least, you'll need an Nvidia RTX 3080, and hopefully true 4K graphics performance will become a bit more accessible when AMD and Nvidia's next-generation GPUs arrive later this year. Realistically, however, it will be several more years before 4K PC gaming becomes a mainstream reality.

Less impressive is the Xeneon's off-angle contrast. When viewed from any angle other than directly in front of the viewer, the inherent brilliance of the IPS panel is a bit too strong. But the real weakness of this monitor is its HDR performance: the 16 edge-lit local dimming zones are really pointless fudging and do not provide a true HDR experience. In games like Cyberpunk 2077, the Xeneon will probably look a bit more vibrant in HDR than in SDR. However, it doesn't have much of an effect.

Still, SDR content looks good with the panel in HDR mode, so at least you have the option of leaving it in HDR and dipping in and out depending on the content. panels with SDR content basically broken in HDR mode, terribly cumbersome and surprisingly common.

So what can we make of Corsair's latest 4K monitors? At the risk of contradicting myself, this monitor's biggest challenge is to appeal to itself against the likes of 120Hz 4K OLED TVs. It is feasible for the same amount of money as this complete monitor, which seems to have far more screen for the money.

Certainly, OLED TVs have their drawbacks. But at the same time, the HDR performance of OLED panels is on another level, and the pixel response is far superior.

Indeed, the pricing of the Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 is not unusual when compared to comparable PC monitors. However, we believe that the overall market for this class of display is overpriced. Either that, or they need to upgrade their HDR game. It's either one of those things. As it stands, this is a very nice 4K high refresh SDR monitor, but not a true HDR panel; is it really too much to ask for true HDR at around $1,000?