Asus rog strix xg438q review in Spanish (full analysis)

Asus ROG Strix XG438Q is the large format gaming monitor that Asus presents to us for all those players who do not settle for anything. Because the more the better, right? A 43-inch monitor with 4K resolution attention, ¡120 Hz¡ with DisplayHDR 600 and AMD FreeSync 2 HDR. Some features that can make long teeth more than one, the only concern of those who buy it is getting more than 60 Hz from 4K with its GPU.

We have had the opportunity to thoroughly analyze this monster thanks to the trust that Asus always places in Professional Review, a partner with whom we are delighted to work at the best level.

Asus ROG Strix XG438Q technical features

Unboxing

It could not be otherwise, and the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q monitor has come to us mounted on a cart pushed by a delivery man in a compact box 1 meter long by 72 cm high. All of it made of thick cardboard and with an exquisite display in design as only ROG Strix products have.

Beware of the data, because this time we will have to remove four plastic brackets that hold the box lid at the bottom and on both sides. In this way, we managed to remove practically the entire box to free the two huge molds of expanded polystyrene cork that keep the monitor and its various accessories safe.

The bundle consists of the following elements:

• Asus ROG Strix XG438Q Monitor Power Cable External Power Supply DisplayPort CableUSB 3.1 Gen1 Type-B Cable Remote Controller Asus AURA Sync Projector and Mounting ScrewInstruction Manual and Warranty Card

Well, it would be, the truth is that we have quite a few elements, some of them peculiar like that projector that seems more like a spy video camera and that we will see a little later.

By the way, the remote control of the monitor does not include the two batteries you need, it is not a drama, but we believe that, for 1200 euros, a couple of batteries included would boost our morale even more.

Overcome the tragedy, the monitor comes fully assembled, and we just have to remove the padded polyethylene bag to enjoy it.

Exterior design

If anything stands out about this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q monitor, it is its overwhelming size. Okay, we find monitors of up to 65 inches, and larger SmartTVs, but they are quite large dimensions for a monitor that a priori will be located on a desktop. The gaming experience with it is simply spectacular, especially for racing simulators and open world games.

Focusing on design, it does not have much to contribute either, since being so enormous, its ergonomics and base are reduced to the minimum expression in its complexity. Important detail will be that the monitor comes fully assembled from the factory. Asus has taken into account the possible scenario in which we take the screen and when trying to mount it on its base, it falls, so it has minimized unnecessary risks. And it is that the dimensions are almost 1 m long, 63 cm high and 24 cm deep with included base, with a weight that amounts to 15.3 Kg.

The entire panel has a high-level anti-glare finish as Asus always uses on its monitors. In addition, the frames are very successful for the size at hand, with only 15 mm at the top and sides, and 22 mm at the bottom. All of them are made of hard, matte and slightly rough plastic, with internal and external chamfering.

The design of the base causes in this case the legs to protrude from the plane of the screen. It is not ideal, but we understand that this design has been made with stability and maximum security in support in mind.

It didn't take long for us to turn this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q around to see what we have in the back area. Let's focus on its base, one that is built entirely of metal with a very wide open V-leg configuration. The monitor support is based on two arms fixed by 4 Allen screws whose key is included in the cover of the port area.

But these feet are not fixed directly on the monitor, but on two mechanisms that allow us to move the vertical orientation of the screen 10 ⁰ forward, and 5 ⁰ degrees back. We only have this mobility, no turning and nothing to go up and down. The stability of the monitor is phenomenal, and the system practically eliminates the wobbles. In addition, the monitor is compatible with VESA 100 x 100 mm brackets for wall mounting.

Well, in the central area we have a small hole whose utility is to install the included projector. This is capable of projecting the Asus logo towards the base of the desktop, as the brand's gaming monitors usually do.

The rest of the rear area, has a high quality hard plastic cover and with a lot of serigraphy throughout. We do not have the power supply integrated in the panel, so there has also been no need for an active cooling system in it.

Another interesting detail is that we have a plastic cover that covers the entire connection port area of the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q. In it, a shy hole has been left to allow us to remove the cables that have been connected to the monitor. The side area itself is completely uncovered to free the USB ports.

Connection ports

Taking advantage of that we are in the area, we are going to see what ports we have in the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q. They are divided into two zones, one lateral:

• 3.5 mm jack for audio 3.5 jack for microphone 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-B for data upload and download 1x HDMI 2.0

And another lower one that has:

• 2x HDMI 2.01x DisplayPort 1.4Micro USBJack power input

Let's take a look at these ports. We see that it is a very complete configuration, although ports in their latest versions. The DisplayPort will always be the favorite, since it supports 4K @ 120 Hz resolutions. On the other hand, the HDMI ports, of which we have three, support 4K @ 60 Hz, so we will not get the maximum available benefits.

The USB-B you will already know from other reviews that it is the port that will allow us to interact with the monitor from the operating system through the Asus DisplayWidget application. And of course it is the one that activates the transfer of data between flash drives or peripherals and our PC via USB.

Finally we find a Micro-USB that we will use to connect the included Asus AURA projector.

Asus AURA Sync projector

Let's take a brief look at the element in charge of providing gaming lighting for the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q monitor. This time it is not the monitor that includes the back lighting, but it has been separated through a small projector that will be connected to it. For it to work, we will have to activate Asus AURA Sync from the OSD panel.

We only have the logo model available, which will be projected with perfect RGB lighting and typical Asus animations. It is a nice touch, although perhaps in this great monitor it would have been a good idea to integrate backlighting in its entire frame to make the ambient effect.

Display and features

We leave the design behind and focus on the pure performance of this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q monitor, which we have a lot to comment on. Starting with the basic features, we have a huge 43-inch panel with 4K resolution (3840x2160p) in 16: 9 format. This is a panel with VA technology as could be expected in the Asus ROG range. With it we can obtain a fairly high contrast of 4, 000: 1 and a brightness of 400 cd / m ² (nits) in it at maximum and HDR disabled.

As for gaming benefits, we have very good news since it will offer us a refresh rate of no less than 120 Hz at 4K, although few will be the graphics cards that support these large refresh rates and at this resolution, but well, in 2K we do have more cases. The response speed of this panel is not the fastest, since it stays at 4 ms GTG, which is not bad for its size, either. And of course, with such features you could not miss the AMD FreeSync 2 HDR technology compatible with G-Sync to get the maximum fluidity from the equipment.

Other notable technologies that Asus always puts in its gaming monitors are the Flicker Free to reduce flicker or GamePlus, which gives us those options of FPS counter, stopwatch, custom crosshairs or multi-monitor alignment. Nor should we forget about GameVisual, with 8 gaming-oriented image modes, GameFast, to reduce LAG in response, and TÜV Rheinland quality certification.

This time we have DisplayHDR 600 certification, that is, with sustained peaks of brightness of 600 nits. Being a panel with 10-bit color depth, it supports HDR10, although it is important to keep in mind certain limits. Since we are at the limit of DisplayPort 1.4 support, we can obtain those 120 Hz by setting the depth to 8 bits, since with 10 bits we will be limited to 60 Hz. To use HDR10, we will also have to limit the frequency to 60 Hz, or use 8 bits to take advantage of 120 Hz. For practical purposes, there is not much difference between 8-bit and 10-bit HDR.

These features are very good for both gaming and design, since having a 10-bit panel will greatly facilitate the support for color spaces. Asus ensures that 90% DCI-P3 is met , which we will see later during calibration. Regarding the Delta E, we do not have any information, nor does it include a monitor calibration report. Finally, the viewing angles of this VA panel go up to 178 degrees both vertically and horizontally.

Pretty good sound system

We still have a fairly important detail in this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q monitor, and that is that we have integrated a sound system with two 10W Sonic Master speakers. And to be honest, we didn't expect it to sound that good, with quite loud volume and very good distortion-free bass depth. Practically like televisions, even a little better, so we are more than satisfied.

Calibration and color proofing

We now turn to see the calibration of this monitor and its real image characteristics. We are going to use the ColorMunki Display colorimeter in combination with the DisplayCAL and HCFR programs, the first one to run a final calibration and the second to capture some data about the monitor calibration.

This time we will focus on seeing how it behaves in the sRGB and DCI-P3 spaces, in addition to bringing out brightness, uniformity and contrast.

Brightness and Contrast

Precisely we will start with the brightness and contrast of the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q this time captured with the HDR mode disabled and the brightness raised to the maximum.

Measurements	Contrast	Gamma value	Color temperature	Black level
@ 100% gloss	4081: 1	2.11	6485K	0.1124 cd / m 2

This is the data from the DisplayCAL 3 non-calibrated display report. As we expected from Asus, the results of its panel are always an extension of the specifications. We have for example the contrast that is just promised and even being surpassed by little.

The gamma value is 2.11, very close to 2.2, which would be the standard in its calibration. Similarly, the color temperature is also close to the ideal white point of 6500K. We can only miss a greater depth in the black color, which is usually a little worse in VA panels than in IPS, we must also take into account that the higher the brightness, the more luminance the black will have.

Due to the huge dimensions of the monitor, we have opted for a 5 × 3 grid to see uniformity. Let's go again that the panel meets its specifications, showing us a sustained brightness of 400 nits or more throughout it. The best records are obtained in the central area, and a little further away we see them in the corners and bottom.

The values ​​shown below have been taken with a brightness of 26% equal to 200 nits, where the best adjustment has been obtained for graphics and Delta E. Likewise, the factory contrast is 80%, and the gamma value of 2.2. The Delta E value has been measured with the CIE2000 formula, and represents the distance between a reference color palette and the real ones displayed by the monitor.

SRGB space

By using both programs, we achieved very good results, especially in terms of adjusting the curves that the program considers ideal for sRGB. The only one that is a little below the ideal is the Gamma that, as we have seen before, does not reach the desired 2.2, remaining at 2.1 maximum. In this sense, a small calibration could be useful to see if we improve this.

Regarding the Delta E calibration, we have an average value of 2.31, with a maximum of 7.41. As usual, the Delta in the grays is quite good, and a little distant in the rest.

DCI-P3 space

This time the Gamma value that we have obtained will be phenomenal for us, since now the curve does fit much better to the ideal that this color space has. Likewise, the bank point is located at 6500K in practically all captures and RGB levels in perfect sync with its almost overlapping graphics, thus demonstrating a perfect balance.

The Delta E in this case is quite similar to the previous one, although the colors are generally a little further from the reference colors. In any case, this VA panel offers us great performance and excellent fit, although it is not at the level of, for example, the ROG Swift PG35VQ also VA although it is much more expensive.

Final calibration

Delta E DCI-P3 corrected

Delta E sRGB corrected

We finish with a calibration using DisplayCAL at a brightness of 200 nits and the rest of the monitor settings as they come from the factory. The color depth used is 8 bits to take advantage of 120 Hz.

This time we have achieved perfect profiling in this unit, and the results give us values ​​of almost 100% sRGB and very close to the 90% DCI-P3 promised. In the case of Adobe RGB we are slightly below what a designer would need.

User experience

As usual I am going to tell you a little about my feelings during the days that I have used this monitor.

Multimedia and video

If we buy this monitor, it is to fully enjoy movies in 4K resolution. Without a doubt we are going to get an excellent 2K or Full HD experience due to the panel's features, although being so large, the pixel pitch is not as good, having lower inch densities. How is this noticeable? Well, for example if we see a Full HD movie very close to the screen, or if we are not precisely using its native resolution.

On the other hand, having HDR 600 is excellent news, since it would only be surpassed by the 1000 standard, which for example has the recently tested Asus PA32UCX. In this sense we should only take into account that DisplayPort supports HDR 10 and we limit the frequency to 60Hz. I do not recommend using HDMI, because it does not support 120 Hz in any case.

Gaming

Being a ROG, it is a monitor designed to play, and we quickly noticed this with its 120 Hz frequency and its gaming technologies such as GameFast or GamePlus that we have previously mentioned. They are simply the same as those of other monitors, and with the same functionalities.

We can consider that for e-sport players it will be best to opt for a smaller panel and with a better response time, since in this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q it is 4 ms. A large screen extension is good for widening the viewing range, but we should be constantly shaking our heads from side to side, so it's counterproductive. We must have perspective, and know that, although there are no graphics that achieve 120 Hz in 4K, they do in 2K and of course in Full HD.

In general, I can say that it is a different monitor, especially for its size, and aimed at players who want to enjoy maximum immersion, if they prefer to play at close distances, or to play in competitive games with control at farther distances. In the first case, where it shows best what I say is in driving simulators and games in which there is a high density of information. And in the second case, as you already know, puzzle games, soccer, basketball, etc.

Design

For design, I'd rather opt for a 32-inch or 35-inch ultra-panoramic. Having such a huge monitor means that we have to constantly move our heads, which makes work more difficult and increases fatigue.

The calibration is very good despite being a VA, but for a professional design it is better to opt for an IPS monitor.

Also, something that usually happens with 43-inch panels of this type is that the representation of text and details is not too good. In general it is not as comfortable to read text as it would suggest to be on such a large screen, in fact, the edges of the letters make them slightly distort the view. Perhaps it is the only downside that we can get out of this monitor.

Asus DisplayWidget management software

The Asus ROG Strix XG438Q supports management through software as another means to customize a large number of options. Basically it is an extension of the OSD menu although represented with much more order and grace.

For example, the first tab, where we see all the GameVisual and GamePlus options on a single screen to activate them as we see fit. In the third tab we have something very interesting that also complements the PIP and PBP modes, such as the possibility of dividing the screen into several regions. This is very useful for screens as big as these.

OSD panel

And then we will have the OSD panel, which we can access with the buttons and the joystick located in the lower right corner of the monitor. Or also from our remote control without batteries that is included in the bundle.

This time the Asus ROG Strix XG438Q has four buttons plus the navigation and selection joystick. On the side edge we are shown a legend of the options that we will open with each button. With the Joystick we open the main menu, with the 2nd button we close everything, the 3rd activates the port selector and the 4th the GameVisual options. The last button of course is to turn off the monitor.

Regarding the OSD , it is as simple, intuitive and complete as ever. We have the options already mentioned in all Asus Reviews and perfectly divided into 8 sections. For this case we do not have 6-axis profiling as design monitors, and the HDR can be activated directly from the same OSD, just like FreeSync.

Final words and conclusion about Asus ROG Strix XG438Q

Another one that is added to the collection of exclusive beasts intended only for the most demanding public. Asus is not foolish with its monitors and manufactures them with the highest quality. Demonstration of them is having panels that not only meet their specifications, but even exceed them, for example, in gloss, contrast, and color spaces.

The first demonstration of power comes with no less than 43 inches running at 120 Hz in 4K, who gives more? Maximum fluency at cinema size in all available resolutions to play with FreeSync 2 and DisplayHDR 600 to our delight. Of course, use DisplayPort because HDMI only reaches 60 FPS.

The truth is that the experience of playing something so big is worth it, as well as watching multimedia content on it. The factory calibration is also very correct, the Asus VA panels are quite good in this regard, and we would only need to complete the circle with a response of 1 ms.

Visit our updated guide to the best PC monitors on the market

The design is more or less what we could expect, a fixed base that takes up a lot and allows us hardly any movement. The frames are quite optimized overall and the viewing angles are at the level of an IPS panel. Although the projector that is included, the truth is that it does not serve much.

In general it is a fairly round product that we have here, even the sound quality has been taken care of and includes a 10W dual speaker system that sounds surprisingly good. Curiously, the 43-inch panels are the weakest in the representation of text and fine lines, something that is also appreciated in this one.

Finally we have to talk about availability and price, this Asus ROG Strix XG438Q model is already available for sale in Spain for a price of 1, 249 euros. It is a highly expected figure for a 4K 120 Hz and this size, but its price rises quite precisely for its refreshment, since those of 60 FPS are usually cheaper and the Ultra Wide around 1000. In any case, we see it as a recommended product, since few cons can be removed.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
4K A 120 HZ	- THE TEXT REPRESENTATION STILL LOOSES
43 INCHES WITH EXCELLENT PANEL GO AND CALIBRATED	- THE 120 HZ RISES THE PRICE ENOUGH
HAS HDR 600 AND FREESYNC 2
HIGH LEVEL OF SOUND
WELL DESIGNED AND VERY STABLE SUPPORT

The Professional Review team awards you the Platinum Medal and Recommended Product:

Asus ROG Strix XG438Q

DESIGN - 85%

PANEL - 91%

CALIBRATION - 88%

BASE - 90%

MENU OSD - 93%

GAMES - 94%

PRICE - 88%

90%