Foldable displays felt like a dream just 3-4 years ago, but after Samsung dropped the first actual consumer foldables in the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, it feels like the floodgates have well and truly opened in terms of what’s possible in the bendable space, and that’s never felt truer than my time with the Corsair Xeneon Flex OLED monitor.
Let’s get the fun part out of the way. The Corsair Xeneon Flex contains a 45-inch LG OLED monitor that (you might have already guessed it), can bend. Using a handle on each side, each side of the monitor can freely go from flat, to an 800R curve. Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times I flipped back and forth, just in pure disbelief that not only did it work as expected, I started to see the benefit of both modes.
Now, obviously I was pretty cautious even after dozens of times flipping back and forth, just purely because I’ve always been taught to show extra care with OLED displays. As far as the actual bending mechanic goes, the monitor will make an audible click when it’s reached that 800R curve, or back in its flat position, and to be honest, I definitely took a bit of extra care, just because this is the only prototype unit in Australia, but I really didn’t ever feel like the monitor was going to break.
Whilst the bending mechanic felt surprisingly durable, the only small criticism is in the fact that obviously bending a 45-inch monitor comes with a certain amount of weight, which often either made the monitor tilt down or up, or just provided a bit more of movement on the stand than I would have liked, but honestly, unless you’re literally bending back and forth several times an hour, it’s totally fine.
@shannongrixti The Corsair Xeneon Flex is a fully bendable monitor. #tech #monitor #gamingmonitor #techtok #foldable #xeneonflex
Behind the features that I’m sure some might see as a gimmick, is not only a really good monitor, but honestly probably my favourite ultra-wide monitor that I’ve ever used. Let’s talk about inputs because not only is there a great amount here, but I really like what Corsair has done with placement.
On the back, there’s 2x HDMI 2.1 ports, 1x DP 1.4 port, 1 x USB-C DP port (that was able to charge my MacBook Air M2 using 30w of charge as well as provide full 1440p signal), as well as 2 x USB type-A). What Corsair have also cleverly done is put some of the USB hub ports on the front, so you’ve got 2 x USB type-A ports as well as easy access to the input button, power button and controller. I’ve always hated monitors with hard to reach buttons on the back of the display, and this cleverly builds them into the front of the stand.
Now, I know that a lot of people are going to struggle to see past the bendable element of this monitor, but whether you’re wanting to use the monitor in flat, curved or both, this is just a really damn good monitor. I’ve always loved ultrawide monitors for gaming, but those such as the Alienware 34″ QD-OLED monitor were just a little bit too small for my liking when it comes to productivity, and the Xeneon Flex felt absolutely perfect. When in its 800R curved position, it fit my field of vision perfectly, letting me have a huge amount of windows on screen (which I often do) without feeling cramped or like I needed a second monitor. When it the flat position, it did tend to feel a little on the wide side, but that’s why the bending element is so great.
This is a 1440P OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It features an anti-reflective LG OLED panel, so it’s absolutely gorgeous in terms of vibrancy and blacks appearing inky, and the 240Hz refresh rate also means that you’ll be zipping around the screen (even if you’ll likely need an RTX 4080 to take advantage of it). I did notice when on whiter screens (likely due to brightness limited tech in OLEDs), that the brightness did leave a little bit desired, but this was less of a case with gaming.
Coming from a 4K monitor, the pixel density at this size at 3440 x 1440, did leave a little bit to be desired, especially in this price range, and if I could choose between being able to flex the display or that increase in pixel density, I think I would choose the latter. It wasn’t unusable by any stretch, but it was at the point where it was noticeable when I first started using it.
Honestly though, when reviewing tech, I always tend to think about how I can see something fitting into my everyday lifestyle, and given I spend a lot of time behind a computer, I’m generally fairly good at working out very quickly whether I like something or not, and as I write this review on this very monitor, I feel like it’s actually made me more productive and I’m dreading going back to my regular setup, so that’s saying something.
Obviously playing games such as Forza Horizon 5 or Marvel’s Spider-Man are just an absolute joy on this display too. Again, I felt I needed to play in curved to really make the most of it, but I can totally see how if somebody has this monitor in their bedroom, and want to watch a movie in bed, then flexing either one side to angle towards you or having it in flat would be something you’d want to consider.
The Corsair Xeneon Flex is set to launch in Australia in February with an RRP of $3,799 AUD.
