AOC AGON Pro 326UD 4K OLED 165Hz Gaming Monitor Review
How Much Does it Cost?
The AOC AGON Pro 326UD is definitely a premium monitor, and it comes with a premium price tag to match. It has an MSRP of £738.95 but typically is on sale for just under £650 despite being new to the market. Likely they adjusted the price from the MSRP to rival competitor products. However, it’s so popular that it sells out the moment stock lands. However, you can check Amazon and OCUK for stock here and here. That’s about £300-500 cheaper than similarly sized Samsung, Gigabyte, LG, and ASUS monitors of similar spec, and the only “downside” appears to be the 165Hz refresh rate vs 240Hz.
Conclusion
This monitor is an absolute beast. AOC has knocked it out of the park with the AGON Pro 326UD. The QD-OLED panel is simply stunning, and the image quality is unlike anything I’ve ever seen on a gaming monitor before. If you’re looking for the best of the best and you’re willing to pay for it, then look no further, because while this monitor is still expensive, it’s an absolute bargain compared to virtually anything else within the 4K OLED sector right now.
Build Quality
The AGON Pro 326UD feels incredibly solid. It’s got a sturdy metal stand with a good range of adjustment, and the overall construction feels very premium. There’s a 2H panel hardness, and a semi-gloss finish, giving it one of the more durable panel coatings for an OLED monitor.
Features
This monitor is packed with features. You’ve got a KVM switch, built-in speakers, RGB lighting on the rear, and a comprehensive set of connectivity options including HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C, AMD FreeSync Premium, on-screen gaming overlays, and plenty more, ticking all the boxes for what a modern PC gamer could possibly want.
OLED Panel
The OLED panel is the real start of the show. Being a QD-OLED, Quantum Dot technology is enhancing the already impressive qualities of OLED. You get the best of both worlds: the deep blacks and flawless contrast that OLED is famous for, plus the vibrant and precise colour control that Quantum Dot has to offer. Plus, it’s a massive 32″ behemoth sporting a glorious 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, which means I see no issues with text fringing as is often found on large OLED panels.
The AGON Pro 326UD also boasts a 165Hz refresh rate, which means super-smooth motion in games. And with a 0.03ms response time, you can say goodbye to motion blur. I’m sure some of you will cry “But the competition has 240Hz!” and well, good for them, even with my RTX 4090 I see pretty much no AAA game maxing that out without taking a carving knife to the graphics quality, so it suits me nicely.
HDR content looks phenomenal on this monitor thanks to VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification. Colours just pop, and the dynamic range is fantastic. PeakHDR mode will push that to about 550 nits too, but honestly, the DisplayHDR mode is plenty and has flawless image quality and detail retention.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: OLED and burn-in. But AOC has you covered. This monitor comes with a bunch of burn-in prevention features, like logo protection, taskbar dimming, pixel orbiting, and pixel refresh. I’ve been using it for a while now with all these features enabled, and I haven’t noticed any issues. Plus it’s backed up with a competitive three-year warranty, so I think burn-in concerns are a thing of the past these days. That being said, I set my taskbar to auto-hide, a blank screen saver after 5 minutes, and set the monitor to sleep after 15 minutes, and that seems to be more than enough to keep things healthy.
Performance
The AGON Pro 326UD absolutely delivers, it’s the best all-around monitor I’ve ever used, honestly. The 165Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time make for an incredibly smooth and responsive experience. No ghosting, no stuttering, no blur. It’s not just about speed. The colour accuracy on this monitor is phenomenal. Games look vibrant and lifelike, with no noticeable colour banding or inaccuracies. HDR performance is exceptional in gaming, but watching a few 4K Blu-Rays was simply jaw-dropping with impressive detail retention in both peak bright and dark sections of the scene. My PS5 detected it as a 4K 120Hz display with VRR, Low Latency and HDR support. So, if you’re a console gamer, this monitor has you covered too.
Should I Buy One?
While the price is high, it’s remarkably more affordable than many rival offerings. You do get a lot for your money and the AGON Pro 326UD is packed with features, has excellent build quality, and offers a phenomenal user experience for daily tasks, media consumption and gaming. While eSports players may splash for the 480Hz monsters that are hitting the market, for me playing some Black Ops 6, Cities Skylines, and Gran Turismo, watching lots of movies, and working at home, this monitor ticks every single box for me, and I suspect it will for most of you reading this too.
