TweakTown's Rating: 88%
The Bottom Line
Acer's X39 is a gaming monitor that is aimed at someone that doesn't want a 32:9 super-ultrawide, but wants an ultrawide as big as possible. The X39 is a niche gaming monitor, and comes with a pretty hefty price tag, but it could be exactly what someone needs to complete a setup for certain games.
Pros
Immersive
In-game performance
Intuitive USB-C charging
Aesthetics
Cons
Pixel density
Text fringing
Aggressive curvature
Should you buy it?
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Introduction & Specification Details and Close-up
One of Acer's latest OLED offerings is a 39-inch, 240Hz refresh rate behemoth ultrawide gaming monitor designed for gamers who want a different level of immersion.
A quick look at the Acer Predator X39 39-inch 1440p Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
I have been a big fan of 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitors for many years now, but X39 is the first 39-inch ultrawide gaming monitor I have used, and initial impressions are that Acer's design of the X39 is very ambitious. The X39 has an 800R curvature, which means panel's curve is quite severe, which would typically mean viewing angles of the monitor would be limited. However, this isn't the case.
Acer has packed the X39 full of juicy specifications, such as support for up to 240Hz, a rapid 0.01ms response time, a broad DCI-P3 99% color gamut, 90W PD charging, and more, all across a 3440 x 1440p (WQHD) resolution. The X39 is aimed at gamers and intended to provide a level of immersion between a 34-inch ultrawide and the super ultrawide gaming monitors at the ridiculous 32:9 aspect ratio (Predator X49).
Specifications
Item Details
Model X39
Size 39-inch
Resolution 3440 x 1440
Panel Type OLED
Refresh Rate 240Hz
Aspect Ratio 21:09
Brightness 275 cd/m2
Speakers Yes
Response Time 0.01ms
HDR HDR TrueBlack
Video Ports x2 HDMI 2.1 ports, 2x DisplayPort 1.4
USB Ports 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C 90W), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-B), 3x USB 3.2 (Type-A)
Audio Ports 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
VESA Mounting Yes
Weight 10kg
Height Adjustment Yes
Warranty 3 years
Close-up
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VIEW GALLERY - 22 IMAGES
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Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 25Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 26
Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 27Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 28
Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 29Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 30
Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 31Acer Predator X39 Monitor Review - 39-inch 1440p 240Hz Ultrawide Gaming for $1200 32
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Photo of the Acer Predator X39 Monitor
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Design
Acer unveiled its new selection of OLED gaming monitor offerings at the start of the year, and in its announcement, it revealed that the 34-inch variant (X34) features the same specifications as the X39 - the only difference being the size. Presumably, this means the X34 has the same shell and IO offerings as the X39, which means this information may be helpful for those prospecting the idea of picking up the smaller variant over the larger one.
As for the X39, Acer has made this monitor feel very premium, as the build quality feels fantastic in the hand. The hard outer plastic shell feels very high quality and strong, and a testament to that and the overall build quality is the complete lack of creaks and cracking when the monitor is slightly flexed or rattled. Keeping to the physical side of the X39, Acer has opted for a very minimal aesthetic that doesn't feature any LED backlights displaying branding. If you are a fan of minimal, Acer's line-up of OLED gaming monitors will definitely be up your alley as it appears they all feature a similar design.
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The back of the X39 is mostly hard plastic, but it does feature a brushed plastic accent running through the left side of the plastic that houses all of the components powering the monitor. On the right side of this housing is a plastic shell that is designed to be rough. This is quite nice to touch and adds to the overall minimal and covert-gamer aesthetic. Keeping to the back of the monitor, we have the X39's IO.
Acer has really put a lot of work into offering gamers as much connectivity as possible with the X39, as it has an in-built KVM switch that pairs perfectly with the x2 HDMI 2.1 ports, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, and a collection of USB options. The X39 has a 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C upstream 90W with DP Alt Mode), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-C downstream), 1x USB 3.2 (Type-B upstream), and 3x USB 3.2 (Type-A downstream).
Acer has opted for a forked-feet stand, which I'm not too fond of in general as they always run the risk of being a hazard for gamers that play games at a low sensitivity and require a lot of mousepad real estate. However, the feet on the X39 don't protrude out too far, which is great to see, as this can be a real problem with some monitors. Keeping to the stand, it feels very high quality in the hand and is sturdy. The stand has also maintained the same minimal aesthetic design as the back of the monitor, but it is the only part of the monitor that features the Predator brand logo, which is located at its base.
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Overall, Acer has done a great job at making the X39 feel like a very premium, extremely well-built gaming monitor. The lack of a "gamery" aesthetic with no LEDs, a slick all-black design, and an array of connectivity options stack up some points for the X39 in the design department.
Panel Breakdown
OLED panels are the cream of the crop when it comes to gaming monitors, and there isn't any wonder, as their incredibly deep blacks, effectively limitless contrast ratio, impressively quick response times, and fantastic image clarity are all specifications that benefit gamers immensely. But what does all that look like spread across 39-inches?
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Unfortunately, at the resolution of 3440 x 1440, it feels slightly like the picture is lacking some overall clarity, and I can chalk this up to the limited Pixel Density, or Pixel Per Inch (PPI). The X39 has 95 PPI, and the PPI of a 27-inch 1920 x 1080 gaming monitor is 82 PPI. While there is a difference between those two numbers, visually, they're quite comparable. For those wondering, the best viewing experiences are between 110 PPI and 140 PPI, which means the X39 falls horribly short of the mark.
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The lack of pixel density means some problems with OLED panels begin to rear their head. Text fringing is a real problem with older generations of OLED panels and was a particular issue with Samsung's first and second-generation QD-OLED panels, but it was later 95% squashed with the current third-generation QD-OLED panels. The X39 uses LG's latest WOLED panel, which uses a different subpixel layout than QD-OLED panels. Unfortunately for LG, the text fringing problem hasn't been fixed, so I recommend QD-OLED panels for those who wish to flex between gaming and word-processing tasks.
WOLED panels, in general, are slightly behind Samsung's QD-OLED panels when it comes to text fringing, which leads me to warn potential buyers of possible eye discomfort if they are planning on using the X39 for both gaming and word processing. Given the ultrawide nature of the X39 and the benefits of the 21:9 aspect ratio when it comes to web browsing, excel work, and video/photo editing, combined with the $1,499 price tag, I would guess that a potential buyer of the X39 would want it to be multi-purpose (good for gaming and other activities). Unfortunately, that just isn't the case here. The X39's low PPI combined with the WOLED panel text fringing problems makes text appear fuzzy and difficult to read.
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The X39 has a nice, easy, straightforward OSD menu options that can be navigated through the multi-directional joystick located underneath the center of the monitor. While there isn't a tonne of customization options everything that you would need to a do a quick or general calibration is front and center.
A proponent of OLED gaming monitors is the company's proprietary software that maintains a healthy OLED panel. This software that is baked into many OLED gaming monitors on the market has a variety of different names, but all are designed to reduce the likelihood of burn-in occurring. It's advised to follow the guidance of the monitor and initiate any OLED pixel cleaning when prompted. As for the X39, every four hours, I was prompted to initiate the pixel cleaning. Following these procedures will prolong the life of the OLED panel; hence, it is recommended that they be carried out periodically.
Performance
Gaming on the X39 was quite an experience, and in games that had native support for 21:9, the X39 shone the most, providing a considerable level of immersion. As with all of my gaming monitor reviews, I test the monitor under the spotlight in a variety of games to determine what type of game it best performs in. I tested the X39 on the following titles: Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, God of War, Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM Eternal, Black Myth Wukong, Age of Empires IV, and Age of Mythology: Retold.
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It's great to see games launching with baked-in support for the 21:9 aspect ratio, as native support for this aspect ratio means I can recommend ultrawide monitors more frequently. For many years, the ultrawide form factor was held back by the lack of games that supported it, and while most games still technically worked, they would use workarounds such as stretching the in-game image out to 21:6 from 16:9. This workaround is probably the most common, but can result in a disorientating effect for the user. However, more games are baking in native support for 21:9, and the X39 did provide an incredible experience in any game that came with that support.
Titles that particularly shone were Age of Empires IV, Age of Mythology: Retold, Black Myth Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, and Overwatch 2. In all of the aforementioned titles, the X39 showcased an impeccable level of color, image clarity, smoothness, and crispness. The OLED panel provided deep blacks through its ability to completely switch off a pixel, resulting in rich, vibrant, and popping contrast between colors. These points were applicable for every title that I tested on X39 and are pretty standard for the general performance of all OLED gaming monitors.
So, what type of gamer would benefit the most from the X39? After completing my testing routine, I concluded that a gamer looking to get the most out of this monitor would need to make sure the games they play the most natively support the 21:9 aspect ratio. Titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch 2, and DOOM Eternal are perfect examples of fully taking advantage of the size of the X39. Moreover, I believe the X39 would be perfectly utilized by racing game fans as most of these titles come with 21:9 support. More specifically, if the gamer already had a racing simulator, the X39 would be a much-welcomed addition if they upgraded from a standard 16:9 or curved 16:9 monitor.
Final Thoughts
So, should you purchase the Predator X39? Someone considering buying the X39 should fit the following description of a gamer.
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This gamer would be big into immersive experiences that don't entirely revolve around first-person-shooter titles, as not a wide variety of FPS titles natively support the 21:9 aspect ratio. A perfect buyer of this monitor will be flexing between a few different titles with native support for the aspect ratio but can also take advantage of the 240Hz refresh rate as much as possible. Moreover, the X39 would be a perfect gaming monitor for someone looking to complete their racing simulator setup or is looking to upgrade the racing sim setup from a 16:9 gaming monitor to a large ultrawide - without having to go 32:9.
I can't recommend the X39 for a gamer looking to flex between incredible immersion and word-processing tasks due to text-fringing problems. I believe that there are better options on the market for the same money and better quality if this is the route a buyer wants to take. Overall, the Predator X39 is a very niche gaming monitor that has a hefty price tag, but for a specific type of gamer who is after a big ultrawide with a crazy high refresh rate, the X39 could be the last piece of the puzzle to complete their dream gaming setup.