Corsair Xeneon 32QHD165 Monitor Review

1. Introduction2. Xeneon 32QHD165 Design3. Xeneon 32QHD165 OSD4. Xeneon 32QHD165 Panel Analysis5. System Latency6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

It's not often a company does something truly new or different, but today we have looked at the Xeneon 32QHD165 – the first ever gaming monitor from Corsair.

For their first effort, the company has got a lot of things right. The Xeneon uses a high quality IPS panel for one, with fast response times and very impressive colour accuracy. In fact, once calibrated, the average deltaE of 0.55 is one of the best results we have ever seen.

Corsair has also done a good job at creating a good-looking but easy to use OSD menu system, navigable with a small joystick on the back of the screen. You even get full control over the OSD settings from within Corsair's iCUE software, so long as you connect the monitor to your PC via USB.

All is not rosy for the Xeneon though. The contrast levels are a bit disappointing, while in my view DisplayHDR 400 is simply not worth using. I'd also have liked to see a bit more from the iCUE integration, as it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to go the extra mile and give users some fine-grain control over the monitor.

None of those points would be a real dealbreaker in my opinion, but they become amplified by the fact the Xeneon is £699.99 for UK buyers, or $799 in the US. That's getting into 4K/144Hz territory, or you could get a competing 1440p 240Hz display and still have a fair chunk of change left over.

As it is, the Xeneon 32QHD165 marks a good start from Corsair, but to justify that price tag I’d want to see more from the screen overall – both in terms of more powerful iCUE integration, but also some better features such as HDR1000 with proper local dimming. The Xeneon is definitely still one to consider, but you’d want to get it with a decent discount, as right now it is just too pricey for what is on offer.

The Xeneon is available to pre-order from Overclockers UK for £699.95 HERE.

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Pros

• Good-looking, modern design.
• Very colour accurate out of the box.
• 165Hz with good response times.
• iCUE offers control over the key display settings.
• Easy to use OSD.

Cons

• Expensive for what you get.
• HDR 400 is weak.
• Contrast is on the lower side.

KitGuru says: For a first attempt, there is a lot to like about the Xeneon 32QHD165 and Corsair is clearly on the right track. It is very expensive considering the features on offer, though.

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