I don’t often review Gigabyte monitors, and after spending time with the new MO34WQC2, I was actually quite annoyed that this is the case. Because this 34-inch ultra-wide QD-OLED gaming monitor is great. It packs a 240Hz refresh rate, HDR 400, Adaptive Sync, and a subtle curvature of 1800. All of this fits into the gorgeous QD-OLED panel with a resolution of 3440 x 1440. And yes, before you even ask, it has speakers too.
Watch the Gigabyte MO34WQC2 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor review below
You don’t often see a package this specced out. Of course, you’ll pay a lot of money for all this magic. The Gigabyte MO34WQC2 will set you back around $1,000. In South Africa, there’s no price just yet. While this is quite steep, other competitor brands don’t come in much cheaper. If you match this monitor with other models on the market, you’ll likely pay the same, if not more.
A big sell for this monitor is, of course, the OLED panel, and Gigabyte has taken full advantage of the organic LEDs by implementing a nifty 16:9 resolution mode. When enabled, the OLED turns off the LEDs around the screen space that doesn’t fit into the larger aspect ratio. So it is like having a smaller monitor inside your larger monitor. Handy for consoles and games that don’t support the resolution. The OLED panel also means that instead of the backlight shining in your face around the border of this smaller display, it is turned off and essentially just acts as a really thick frame.
But the OLED doesn’t only help with that mode; it also comes with some impressive specs. This monitor packs a DCI-P3 Colour Gamut of 99%, 10-bit colour depth, and a contrast ratio of 15 million:1. It also comes with the usual perks like excellent viewing angles, true blacks, and ridiculous colour.
The only thing you’ll need to keep in mind is that this monitor does have a glossy screen. Gigabyte has opted for a gloss finish instead of matte here. I kind of like it. The gloss finish handles its reflections well. It does have some noticeable issues with ambient light reflection. This means in bright rooms, the panel might struggle to fight off the reflection caused by light in the area around you and behind you.
From a design perspective, the Gigabyte MO34WQC2 is an okay-looking monitor. It packs an incredibly thin display that curves across the front of the monitor, and even from the side, you can see how thin this panel is. The display is secured with a standing arm and attached to a flat set of feet.
The arm can move the display up by 130mm. It can be swivelled up by 5 degrees, down by 20 degrees, and left and right by 30 degrees. At the lowest point, the monitor is 17cm off the desk, and at the highest point, it is 23cm. It can also be VESA mounted by removing the arm and using supported mounts.
Moving the display is easy and felt fluid. Rotating the panel left and right was seamless, and the high display position really looks cool. The various angles and positions make this monitor quite capable of all environments.
In terms of connectivity, the monitor comes with 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, 1 DisplayPort 1.4, a USB Type-C port with power delivery of up to 18W, 2 USB Type-A 3.1 downstream ports, and 1 USB Type-A 3.1 upstream port. There’s also an earphone and microphone jack. The OSD is then accessed using the nub situated in the middle underneath the panel. You can quickly access four shortcuts and press it in for the full menu. More on that in a bit.
There isn’t much to talk about in terms of the design. There’s no RGB on this monitor, and the display is just plastic around the entire unit. It doesn’t look like its asking price, but it is okay. The magic is really in the front OLED panel anyway. I think if Gigabyte had to brand this under its Aorus label, this would be a bit prettier while also bumping up the asking price.
The OSD is the first thing you’ll likely jump into when you open this display up. There are a number of gaming features that you can take advantage of if you’re keen. Always-on Crosshairs, shadow boosting, super resolution, and AMD FreeSync.
You’ll also find the OLED care features in the OSD. Gigabyte says this monitor uses AI for OLED care, but I don’t see how this is any different from the tried-and-tested OLED cleaning features we have seen for years now. Likely just slapping AI on there for marketing. Gigabyte does offer a 3-year burn-in warranty on the monitor if your display does suffer from it over time.
Performance on the monitor is excellent. The response time of 0.3ms at 240Hz makes this a real joy to use. This also stems into the input lag with 0.5ms in both HDR and SDR. It all feels fantastic to use and looks great in any scenario. The combination of the OLED colour, brightness, and the quick response time creates an experience you don’t often get.
It also handles its motion very well as a result. This was a concern given how OLED monitors do tend to suffer from a bit of blur when it comes to fast-moving objects.
Keep in mind that the higher refresh rate, the better clarity you’ll experience on this display. At 60Hz, for example, clarity on fast objects is slightly reduced. But not as bad as you would get on a standard LCD monitor.
Sub-pixel layout hasn’t changed. The panel in this display is still a first-generation 34-inch curved OLED panel. However, it is still clearer than other OLED panels I have tested. This is thanks to a soft focus system that Gigabyte has implemented on the display that softens the harsh edges of text, which is caused by the OLED panel. Granted, you do still see some green fringe on the text, but it shouldn’t ruin the experience. Text is clear, which is the most important part.
Colour space was good for an OLED gaming monitor. It has 99% DCI-P3, 90% Adobe RGB, and around 80% Rec 2020 colour space. This is ample for gaming and results in a near-perfect HDR experience.
In terms of the brightness, the Gigabyte MO34WQC2 peaks at 250 nits in a 100% window. It is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to OLED gaming monitors on the market. Some monitors might offer slightly higher nits, but they have yet to surpass 270 nits in this regard.
The monitor doesn’t have Automatic Brightness Limitation at all when using it in SDR. It is capped at 250 nits, which means the display won’t dim if you open a full white image and increases when you close it. ABL is quite annoying, so it is nice to see this monitor avoiding it.
Sound on this monitor was good enough for a gaming monitor. I know most monitors don’t pack speakers, so it was a welcome addition here. Personally, I often need speakers just for daily work and casual gaming when I don’t feel like wearing a headset or I am not using my PC plugged into my TV. So this monitor would be perfect for me. I think most gamers would agree that speakers in monitors should become a standard.
The monitor worked great across all platform tests. PS5 utilised it to the best of its abilities, and games looked great. Of course, PC is where this monitor truly shines thanks to its increased colour depth and 240Hz panel. It is a dream display for a PC gamer without a doubt.
With that being said, the Gigabyte MO34WQC2 is a great monitor, but apart from its 240Hz refresh rate, it really doesn’t do much more to stand out from the competition on the market. So you’ll need to ask yourself whether or not the price is worth the 240Hz and if you’re going to fully take advantage of this higher refresh rate.
If 240Hz isn’t your thing, there are better OLEDs out there that are more affordable. It is great to see Gigabyte pushing one of the first 240Hz OLED panels to market, but there’s a specific demographic for that feature. If that is you, then cool. This is a great buy. But if you have your eyes on a 144Hz or 175Hz OLED monitor and it saves a few hundred dollars, you’re essentially getting the same tech there. The brightness doesn’t change, and the colour spaces are identical most of the time.
I personally loved my time with this monitor. Would I use 240Hz? Probably not, but I never complain when a gorgeous OLED monitor finds its way onto my desk for a few weeks.
This Gigabyte MO34WQC2 QD-OLED review is based on a unit sent to us by Gigabyte. Visit the official site here to find out more about the display.
Summary
The Gigabyte MO34WQC2 QD-OLED gaming monitor delivers an exceptional PC gaming experience thanks to its 240Hz panel. However, the feature list on this monitor is much the same as other models on the market. So unless you are ready to take full advantage of this 204Hz, you’re paying a premium for tech you won’t use.
