AOC CU34G4Z Review (Budget 240Hz Ultrawide)

1. Introduction2. Design3. On-screen Display (OSD)4. Panel Analysis: SDR5. Response Times & Motion Clarity6. Input Latency7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

As far as affordable ultrawide gaming monitors go, I think AOC's CU34G4Z is up there with some of the best I have tested.

That starts with the factory calibration where AOC does not disappoint – colour balance is accurate, gamma is near-flawless, and if you want to clamp the gamut to avoid the panel's native oversaturation, the sRGB mode has been very well configured.

What impresses most, though, is just how good this screen is for gaming. We know that 21:9 ultrawides can offer that extra immersion factor, but cheaper VA screens usually suffer from poorer motion clarity and excessive dark-level smearing. Not so the CU34G4Z, with our BlurBusters UFO pursuit camera tests indicating strong motion clarity at the price – better even than the more expensive iiyama GCB3486WQSCP. Dark-level smearing, while not completely absent, is also kept to a reasonable level, while input latency stays nice and low, too.

Some corners have been cut to achieve this price-point, though, and they include the lack of USB-C or KVM functionality, while I personally find the absence of a joystick to control the OSD a bit frustrating. Brightness hitting 372 nits is generally fine, but some way below AOC's claimed 450 nit figure, so some extra oomph in that department wouldn't go amiss. Lastly, while it does offer a good MBR mode, sadly MBR Sync is lacking, so you have to choose between adaptive sync or increased motion clarity, another slight shame.

Considering the current price of £280, and the fact that this monitor has been under £300 since the start of September, we can certainly look past most of those issues. The bottom line is this is one of the fastest VA panels we have tested, and also one of the most affordable ultrawides I've ever reviewed, making this well worth buying if you want a well-balanced gaming ultrawide.

We found it listed for £280 on Amazon and Currys.

Pros

• Very well priced for a curved, high refresh-rate ultrawide.
• Fast response times for a VA panel, minimising dark-level smearing.
• Motion clarity is also impressive considering the price.
• Good MBR mode (though it doesn't work with adaptive sync).
• sRGB mode delivers very impressive results.
• Wide gamut.
• Factory calibration is solid with basically perfect gamma tracking.
• Contrast exceeds AOC's claims.
• Pair of HDMI 2.1 ports.
• Supports firmware updates.

Cons

• Motion blur reduction mode doesn't work with adaptive sync.
• Brightness, while fine at 373 nits, is below AOC's claimed 450 nit figure.
• Lacks USB-C and KVM support.
• 5-way button control is fiddly.

KitGuru says: There's some room for improvement, but at under £300, the CU34G4Z is a very tempting option for those looking to get into the world of ultrawide gaming.

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