Today at Acer’s annual Next@Acer global event (all-digital, of course), the tech giant pulled back the proverbial curtain on three new, big Predator-branded monitors. Each of them should give gamers across the spectrum something to look forward to in its own way.
Acer Predator CG437K S: Simply Big Stuff
First up is an update to one of the fastest-growing segments of the market: HDMI 2.1-enabled gaming monitors, in this case the Acer Predator CG437K S. As a 42.5-inch 4K HDR1000 whopper of a screen with a 144Hz variable refresh rate, this new display ticks off all the boxes for high-refresh-rate gaming with consoles and PCs alike.
HDMI 2.1 is the big draw here, as detailed in our primer on why HDMI 2.1 matters. The 2.1 spec is necessary to achieve high refresh rates, such as 120Hz, at 4K resolution, and it also allows for HDR at these rates.
The Predator CG437K is the furthest out, in terms of release date, of this trio. According to Acer, it will go on sale in November of this year for $1,799.99.
Acer Predator X38 S: What’s UWQHD+?
Next up is a new addition to the ultra-wide gaming-panel market (an area Acer excels in, according to our review of the Acer Predator X34), the Predator X38 S.
Featuring a 37.5-inch 2300R curved HDR600 display, this latest ultrawide is any immersive gamer’s dream, featuring Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate active sync, support for Nvidia’s built-in Reflex Latency Analyzer (to gauge response timing between panel and mouse click), and an unusual, boosted native resolution of 3,800 by 1,600 pixels. Most displays in this category (and of this general shape and size class) have been a maximum of 3,440 by 1,440 pixels up until now. This panel’s unusual resolution, which Acer dubs “UWQHD+,” is the first such instance of it we have seen.
The Predator X38 S should hit shelves in September at $1,999.99.
Acer Predator X28: All About the Eyes
Last up is the Predator X28, a new high-refresh 4K option that boosts the former refresh limit (144Hz) just a tad, now offering a 155Hz max refresh with a 1ms gray-to-gray response time.
For anyone who doesn’t want to sacrifice performance at 4K resolution, this new option will lead the pack in specs to round out Acer’s stable of gaming monitors releasing this year. The standout feature here is a bit of a surprise for a gaming panel, though, with a Delta E color-fidelity rating of less than 1. This low a rating (lower is better) is typically reserved for monitors specially designed for content-creation pros and prosumers.
The Predator X28 should go on sale in North America starting in August, and it will retail for $1,299.99. More on this elite trio of gamer-aspirational panels as we get samples in to test!
