ASUS at CES 2014: ROG 27” 1440p 120Hz G-Sync Monitor, Tablets, Smartphones, and a new Transformer Book
by Ian Cutress on January 6, 2014 3:30 PM ESTThis year at the Consumer Electronics Show, ASUS are attacking mobile in more ways than one. We have bodies/editors on the ground to get hands on with all the equipment on display, but ASUS provided a few apt press releases in advance for us. They include the PadFone Mini, the Transformer Book Duet TD300, the ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5, ZenFone 6, the VivoTab Note 8, the Padfone X and the ROG 27” Gaming Monitor, all with specifications, images, details and for a few, release date and pricing.
New at CES: The ROG SWIFT PG278Q – a 27” 1400p 120Hz Monitor for $800 with G-SYNC
Several months ago I was looking at new monitors, deciding whether I wanted a 1440p or 120 Hz panel. No one panel I could find would offer both, but ASUS have jumped that barrier today by announcing the ROG SWIFT PG278Q, fully equipped with G-SYNC.
The PG278Q, along with the 2560x1440 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time and G-SYNC, also comes with ASUS GamePlus, an OSD overlay that puts crosshairs and a timer function on the monitor display, allowing users to hone their skills (or aid in various gameplay environments). The monitor has a single DP1.2 port for native WQHD, dual USB 3.0 ports and VESA wall mount capability, along with a 6mm bezel to minimize overlap in multi-monitor setups.
Pricing should start at $799, with availability in APAC, EU and NA markets in early Q2.
New at CES: The PadFone X on AT&T
ASUS have partnered with AT&T for their PadFone X – an LTE enabled 5” 1080p smartphone that slots into a 9” 1080p tablet when docked. The PadFone X will come shipped with Android 4.4, and is designed to be a top premium product, using brushed metal frame and soft-touch back cover as well as supporting VoLTE and NFC along with Isis Mobile Wallet.
Much like the other PadFones, one of the good things about the design is the tablet offers that extended battery – the dock for the PadFoneX will also charge the phone battery while it is in use.
Pricing and availability should be announced later today.
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chizow - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
Yeah 1440P IPS started at $800 a few years ago, only in the last few years with the cheap Korean panels has this dropped substantially. Like anything, new tech introduces a price spike, there's a lot to like on this panel but I still want to see if there's LightBoost and 3D Vision included.Sabresiberian - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
I don't know why people are stuck on $800 being an average price for a consumer grade 1440p 27" IPS monitor these days, it simply isn't true -http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Sub...
The ONLY justification for this monitor being $800 is that so many of you are still living in yesteryear's prices. Asus could make a nice profit selling it for $600. And, they would get more buyers, so I don't think they will actually make more money selling it for the higher price. (That being said, it isn't uncommon to release a product at a relatively high price and then bring it down, so that may be their plan.)
Sabresiberian - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
What I meant by "selling it for $600" is selling it at a retail price point of $600. Obviously they would actually sell it to a distributor like Newegg or Amazon for less than the retail price. :)Sabresiberian - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
There is no technical reason for it to be a TN panel. There is no technical reason it should cost $800 either. Both in one offering would be is just outrageous, and would knock my opinion of Asus and ROG down several notches. PLS is basically Samsung's IPS, so no reason for it to be one and not the other either (unless Asus just prefers to deal with Samsung over LG).There certainly is no technical reason to use VA either, and IPS is a more responsive technology, so I would also be surprised if it were VA. Not sure what AU Optronics is doing with their MVA solutions, but Samsung appears to be moving away from VA (PVA).
Tha Blob - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
This monitor is using a TN pannels. IPS simply can not switch fast enough to go above 60htz without making the picture look like garbage. ATM TN pannels offer the best price/performance. As nice looking as IPS pannels are they are not the best for gaming and are certainly not responsive enough to handle 120+htz.Sancus - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
I don't think it's even (currently) possible to make a 120hz IPS monitor. *Some* of the korean 27" panels will accept a 120hz signal, but none of them will reproduce it as well as a TN 120hz. The pixels just transition too slowly.That said, manufacturers should really be looking to VA for these kinds of monitors, not just continue the TN crap -- Something like the Eizo FG2421 with it's *amazing* black levels(which are more important than color accuracy for media viewing and gaming, I would argue) at 2560x1440 is what we want.
althaz - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
This *VA panels are better for gaming and video playback, IMO. IPS/PLS monitors have worse contrast and are slower (but I still have one for graphics work).r3loaded - Monday, January 6, 2014 - link
I've never seen a 2560x1440 TN panel out in the wild and I doubt a panel manufacturer would make one for a niche monitor. So I'm still hopeful that it won't be TN.Tha Blob - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
No mate it is a TN pannel. Altough Asus have stated that it will be a premium TN pannel.Tha Blob - Tuesday, January 7, 2014 - link
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