I've been pining after a really nice second monitor to replace a pretty mediocre one for about a month but part of me thinks I may just be better off with one huge curved screen to rule them all do my daily work and gaming on. With over $200 off, Innocn might just have the best-priced choice out of its price range.
Over at Amazon right now, you can get the Innocn 49Q1R for $800, which is $200 cheaper than its retail price of $1,000. It has many standout features so let's start at the top of the list. This thing has an OLED panel capable of 5120 x 1440 resolution. OLED screens provide their own backlight, as opposed to LED, which makes them a more expensive bit of tech but also gives deeper blacks and a sharper contrast between colors.
This, paired with the panel being 5120 x 1440p means it should look crisp and sharp. With a refresh rate of 144 Hz and a super-fast 0.03 ms response time, it should also be plenty snappy for gaming.
The 1800R curvature of the screen will help the whole screen feel a bit more immersive, which combines with the major selling point: Ultrawide monitor allows you to cram more things on screen which is not only great for productivity but gives a new dimension to games you play. RPGs with strategy elements Like Baldur's Gate 3 and 4X games like Civilization 6 work particularly well, as they give you more information to look at, but so do first-person shooters like Cyberpunk2077.
The one major thing you have to watch out for with ultrawides is some games (especially older ones) don't always support the unique aspect ratio. There are programs like Flawless Widescreen, which are designed to run older titles, but it's still something you have to consider in a monitor like this.
Though we haven't tested this specific monitor, Dave's Innocn 40C1R Ultrawide review rates the value of its panel, as well as the big screen, and Type-C input. It needed a little customizing out of the box to get the best picture and has "questionable chassis quality" but otherwise looks great.
At 250 nits of brightness, this screen won't be hugely bright but will perform adequately in most forms of lighting. Maybe you'll have a bit of trouble with it facing a window on a sunny day but I can't think of any reasonable reason to do so.
If you don't care about your monitor being ultrawide or curved, you can get a good deal on a 4K monitor in the Gigabyte M28U at just $400 but you pay more for the two former attributes and may not even have the rig to really justify a 4K panel. Ultimately, though the price of this Innocn is solid, it's still enthusiast pricing and worth noting before you buy.
However, if this sounds like your thing, and you're looking for a real wide boy to slap on your desk, this maximises price to quality to a degree that is worth paying attention to. I've been thinking of making the switch and this price point is mighty tempting. I can finally fit the entire Baldur's Gate 3 party on a single screen.
