INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Getting the best graphics or sound cards matters very little if you don't pair them with the best monitor and speakers and well, this is something I've seen happen more times than I can possibly count. Of course, the "best" varies from person to person so for example when it comes to monitors, I tend to sacrifice refresh rates for larger screens (and higher resolutions) whereas others (serious gamers primarily) sacrifice screen size for refresh rates. Nowadays however one doesn't really need to sacrifice one for the other and the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design QD-OLED Gaming Monitor by AOC is a clear example of that.

    Founded in 1967, AOC is a globally leading monitor and IT accessories brand and a subsidiary of TPV Technology Limited, the world’s largest LCD manufacturer. AOC offers one of the strongest portfolios of high-performance gaming monitors in the world and a complete ecosystem of gaming accessories grouped into three categories: AOC Gaming for core gamers, AGON for competitive gamers, and AGON PRO for Esports enthusiasts and professional Esports players. Since 2020 AOC has been one of the leading gaming monitor brands and a top choice of gamers worldwide.

    According to AOC the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design QD-OLED Gaming Monitor takes its design cues from the exclusive 1972 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa edition something which should draw in fans of the brand (also why it won the iF Design and Red Dot Awards when launched in late 2023). Hardware-wise the PD49 is even more impressive, it's an 32:9 super ultra-wide 48.9-inch (124cm diagonal) curved (1800R curvature) model based on an 10bit QD-OLED panel (Samsung) which sports a resolution of 5120x1440p (dual QHD/108.5ppi density) with 240Hz refresh rate, 178 degrees viewing angles (horizontal/vertical), 0.03ms response time, 144,4% sRGB and 98,1% Adobe RGB color gamut, 1.500.000:1 static contrast ratio (80.000.000:1 dynamic), support for HDR10, HDR10+ and DisplayHDR400 True Black and 250-1000cd/m2 brightness (standard/peak). It's also equipped with two 8W DTS sound compatible speakers (5 EQ adjustments), Light FX RGB LEDs (13 modes, 5 patterns), built-in KVM switch and USB hub, anti-reflection coating (2H) for optimal viewing results, adjustable stand (height/tilt/swivel) and several technologies like Crosshair (fixed screen crosshair), ShadowBoost (boosts brightness in low light areas), frame counter (fps display), Smart Sniper (zooms in part of the screen), Adaptive Sync (G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro compatible), low input lag, PIP/PBP (picture in picture, picture by picture), flicker-free, low blue light filter. In terms of available connectors, the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design sports two HDMI v2.1 ports, single DisplayPort v1.4 port, 2.5G RJ45 LAN port, USB-C PD 90W port, USB-B host port, four USB 3.2 ports and a 3.5mm audio out. Finally, as for warranty AOC covers the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design QD-OLED Gaming Monitor with a 3-year limited warranty (burn-in cover included).

 

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AOC uses a large black box to ship the AGON PRO PD49 the front of which has a product picture, some of its main features and the iF Design and Red Dot Awards.

 

 

At the rear we find the same product picture, this time however only that.

 

 

Packing is nothing short of excellent, as a matter of fact I've yet to see a monitor packed this good (the top foam piece is massive).

 

 

As expected, the entire bundled is wrapped inside synthetic covers as seen above.

 

 

Aside the screen and its stand inside the box AOC has also placed 4 power cords (EU/USA/AU/UK), USB-B to USB-A host cable, USB-C to USB-C cable, DP cable, HDMI cable, USB flash drive (AOC software inside), compact Philips screwdriver, 4 mounting screws (for the stand), two energy efficiency papers, factory calibration paper, proper removal paper and the quick start guide.

 

 

 

THE AGON PRO PD49 PORSCHE DESIGN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring roughly 1.2 meters in length and 34cm in height the PD49 is among the largest QD-OLED monitors available today.

 

 

At the rear we find a radiator grille like design and well, it does make the PD49 stand out even with the protection film on.

 

 

The stand (partially designed after a racing wheel) attaches at the center and as you can see there are also VESA 100 screws present (obviously you'll be needing an adapter for bracket/wall mounting).

 

 

Unlike other screens with clip-on stands this one requires 4 screws.

 

 

Again, the PD49 is a massive screen that should be ideal especially for gaming.

 

 

The Porsche Design logo stands out as expected.

 

 

The AGON PRO PD49 is not only massive, it also looks great.

 

 

Worth mentioning is that the original design of the PD49 also included an 5MP webcam placed on top something which unfortunately didn't make it to the final product (marketing material).

 

 

With a thickness of just 10mm the top and sides are almost bezel less.

 

 

The bottom bezel on the other hand is roughly 21mm in thickness.

 

 

At its lowest the screen sits just 70mm from your desk.

 

 

Highest point from the desk is 205mm.

 

 

Instead of multiple buttons AOC has placed a joystick just under the Porsche Design logo (not the most convenient control I've ever used).

 

 

Turning the screen around we find the two RGB areas (Porsche Design and AGON logos) and the aluminum stand which allows the end user to route cables internally.

 

 

The serial number, factory rollout date and other information on the screen and the manufacturer are located on a sticker at the rear.

 

 

At the rear we also find the power port (left side) and all available connectors including 2 HDMI v2.1 ports, DP v1.4 port, USB-C PD 90W port, 3.5mm headphones jack, USB-B host port,  2.5G LAN port and 4 USB 3.2 ports.

 

 

There's also a Kensington lock on the far rear right of the screen (also two round rubber arrows on each side which I don't know what they are meant for).

 

 

The stand of the PD49 can tilt (3 degrees forward, 13 degrees backwards) and swivel (20 degrees on each side).

 

 

If you have your screen up against the wall you may not be able to see the rear RGB LEDs, but they do look nice.

 

AGON PRO PD49 MENUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pressing the joystick right under the Porsche Design logo pops up the OSD on the right side of the screen (8 tabs total).

 

 

From the game tab you can access one of the 5 available game modes and adjust various gaming related features like ShadowBoost, G-Sync and refresh rates (for when used with consoles).

 

 

You can adjust contrast, brightness, eco modes and gamma from the luminance tab.

 

 

HDR, PiP, PbyP and others can be controlled from the image setup tab.

 

 

Inside the color setup tab, you'll find settings for low blue light, color temp and color gamut.

 

 

The audio tab is self-explanatory but what stands out is the 5 available EQ adjustments.

 

 

Whether you decide to have the rear RGB LEDs turned or or not you'll have to access the Light FX tab.

 

 

Most things related to the QD-OLED panel and its maintenance are available inside the Extra tab.

 

 

Strangely enough from inside the OSD tab you can also adjust the USB ports of the screen and not just language and OSD position and transparency.

 

G-MENU SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AOC has two available pieces of software for use with the PD49, G-Menu and I-Menu (G-Menu is what most people will use since it has more vibrant colors).

The G-Menu software can be used with other AOC peripherals as well which is why you see that selection when you launch it.

 

 

My PD49 arrived with firmware version 2.02 installed so once I launched the software it asked to install version 2.03.

 

 

The software includes everything in the OSD and then some as you can all see from the above pictures.

 

 

 

I-MENU SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The I-menu seems to be targeted towards professionals rather than gamers, thus its design doesn't stand out as much.

As far as I can tell the I-menu is a slimmed down version of the G-Menu which almost includes most settings, even firmware update for the screen (also a couple of extra like Clear Vision).

 

VIEWING ANGLES / PICTURE QUALITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OLED and QD-OLED screens are renowned for their vibrant colors and crisp details and the PD49 delivers on just that (also zero ghosting while playing, as expected by such a monitor). As always a short clip showcasing picture/video quality is available both on YouTube and TikTok.

 

 

Viewing angles are also perfect as you can certainly see from the above pictures so no problems here either.

 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATACOLOR SPYDER PRO MEASUREMENTS

By using the Spyder Pro (2024) Colorimeter by Datacolor I measure both the color gamut (SRGB and Adobe) and the brightness levels of the monitor at hand.

 

 

Here you can see results for Color and Luminance Screen Uniformity (instead of just listing results at 100% brightness I’m listing all of them - 50/67/83/100%).

 

 

Datacolor rates monitors based on their overall results, so it was decided to include this chart as well.

 

POWER CONSUMPTION

 

Power consumption may not be what most people look for when out to get a brand new monitor but at the end of the day it's still an important factor, so I do hope this is of interest to some of you.

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Having seen everything I have since the late 80's in the electronics industry I'm not easily impressed and well, the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design did just that. Yes, I may not be a huge fan of the 32:9 super ultra-wide screen format (always found it to be way too "thin") and the PD49 is not among the latest models to get released (was announced in December 2023) but it’s clearly the best gaming model to arrive in the lab, at least to date. Colors are vibrant and accurate, image is crisp and its 240Hz refresh rate ensures you won’t encounter ghosting while playing (as long as your card can support it). This is also why I was surprised to see that the 49M2C8900L produced slightly better results with the Datacolor Spyder Pro device (it’s a bit newer however, announced in May 2024). Numbers aside however the AOC AGON PRO PD49 is the clear winner when it comes to build quality and features and well, that would be my number 1 choice if I was out looking purely for a gaming monitor. As I mentioned earlier it’s a shame that the original 5MP web camera never made it to the final product, it would have been very useful for games that support face tracking and well, it looked a lot nicer than having an 3^rd party web camera mounted. Finally, I feel I need to point out that the 16W stereo speakers (2x8W) did better than expected and I honestly didn’t feel the need to change to larger speakers (although they would sound better).

    The sole issue with the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design QD-OLED Gaming Monitor by AOC is availability and after almost 18 months in the Global market it’s far from great. You can still find it for around USD1400 inside the USA and for around 1600Euros inside the EU but availability as of now is limited. Still, if you can actually come across one, price is of no concern and you’re looking for one of the best 49” 32:9 super ultra-wide gaming monitors currently the AGON PRO PD49 Porsche Design is it and that’s why it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 5120x1440p Dual QHD Resolution
- 240Hz Refresh Rate
- QD OLED (Samsung)
- Impressive Image Quality
- Features (Adaptive Sync / PIP / PBP / HDR10 / HDR10+ / HDR400 True Black)
- Design (iF Design & Red Dot Awards)
- LightFX RGB Lights
- 0.03ms GTG Response Time
- Stereo Audio Speakers (16W / DTS)
- Stand Features (Tilt / Swivel / Height Adjustment)
- Built In KVM / USB Hub
- Available Connectors (2xHDMI v2.1 / DisplayPort v1.4 / USBC PD 90W / 2.5G LAN / 3.5mm Mini Jack)
- 3 Year Limited Warranty (Burn In Included)

CONS

- Power Consumption
- Overall Availability
- Price (For Some)