Review: Kogan QLED 49″ Curved 144Hz Monitor – Size does matter

Let me start off by criticizing the Kogan QLED 49” Curved Monitor. The BIGGEST issue you’ll have here is that you will not be able to use any other screen again. We’re talking about a phenomenally high quality device that is almost addicting in nature. The size of screen is referred to as ‘Super Ultrawide’ for a reason… it’s insane. For context, this is how it looks on my very regular sized table;

Potentially my favourite part about having the Kogan QLED 49” in my room is the reaction of friends and family when they first see it.

The conversation normally begins with an expletive, followed by “That is incredible” and I have to agree, it’s a sight to behold. Having used normal sized monitors all of my life and reserving displays of this size to the lounge room, it’s a lot to get used to.

Functionally, I’ve been treating the Kogan QLED 49” as three separate screens in one – often splitting browser windows, videos and games equally across the display. I’ve found that the ability to have three separate windows open at any given time is incredibly useful. You could then pose the question of why not just use three screens? Because look at this thing… it’s beautiful.

For the gamers among us – the Kogan QLED 49” is capable of a 144hz refresh rate, which as we all know can be the difference between being the killer or the killed.

It is worth noting however that while plenty of games were more than happy to accommodate the 3840×1080 resolution, there were a few titles that resorted to stretching the edges in order to fill the space. I’ll make the argument that it’s merely a matter of perspective. In the instance of Minecraft for example, the game will do this;

But in reality, because the display is so wide, your field of view is only THIS range;

Which is to say that the additional space is primarily for either the atmospheric benefit, or otherwise strictly for your peripheral vision. I’ve been using the monitor for over a month now and have yet to be remotely bothered by stretching.

As per the name, the Kogan QLED 49” has a QLED panel that pushes some extremely vibrant colours and has great depth/contrast. If anything, I’ve found myself toning down the brightness and utilizing red-light programs like f.lux as I game into the night – as the screen is just so bright and the colours so dynamic.

Something to be mindful of prior to buying the Kogan QLED 49” is whether or not you have the desk space to accommodate the stand. As per being comically large and moderately heavy, the monitor comes with these quite long legs that you may have to navigate if you’re short on space;

For $1,249, this monitor is INCREDIBLE. However it gets even better – this week due to the Black Friday sales, the Kogan QLED 49” is on sale for $979.99. For anyone looking into the ‘Super Ultrawide’ monitor market, this gem by Kogan has to make the shortlist.

Similar screens we’ve had the pleasure of reviewing here at EFTM retail for anywhere between $1,500 and $3,500 – so to see Kogan with such a phenomenal product at such a reasonable price is a breath of fresh air.