AOC Q29630 29" UltraWide IPS LED Monitor Review

Ask any person who owns a dual-monitor setup and they'll all tell you they couldn't fathom going back to a single display. Maybe you're one of those people, and if so, you know exactly the feeling we're talking about. But what if you could enjoy all the benefits of a dual-monitor configuration from a single monitor? Would you be game to reclaiming some desk space by trading in two panels for a single display?

AOC aims to answer that question with its new 29-inch Q2963PM display. Armed with an UltraWide In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel, this LED-backlit monitor boasts a 2560x1080 resolution with 21:9 aspect ratio, providing viewers with an extra long panoramic view. It's a cinematic screen, and with features like picture-in-picture (PIP) and picture-by-picture (PBP) built-in, workcaholics can multitask the night away from multiple video sources with plenty of horizontal real estate to play with.


The funky aspect ratio limits the appeal of the Q2963PM to gamers, though if developers were to jump on board, a 21:9 monitor could offer a new level of immersion. For now, however, power users and multitaskers are the true beneficiaries. It's true that some of the same benefits can be found on 30-inch monitors rocking 2560x1600 panels, but most will run you at least twice as much as AOC's 29-inch display, which retails for $500 MSRP (around $400 street). They're also quite a bit bigger, which we'll get to later on in this review. For now, let's digest the system specs and see where this panel falls in the grand scheme of things.

AOC 29-inch Q2963M UltraWide IPS LED Monitor Specifications & Features

Display Size	29" UltraWide
Resolution	2560 x 1080
Aspect Ratio	21:9
Brightness	300 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	50,000,000:1
Response Time	6ms
Viewing Angle	178° vertical / 178° horizontal
Display Type	IPS (In-Plane Switching)
Connectors	VGA; DVI-D with HDCP; HDMI (MHL); DisplayPort; PC audio in; Headphone out
Power Consumption	45W (Typical); <0.5W (Standby)
Speakers	2 x 3W speakers
Stand	Tilt (-5 degrees to +20 degrees)
I/O Ports	N/A
Dimensions (with stand)	714 mm x 388 mm x 214 mm (HxWxD) / 28.1 inches x 15.3 inches x 8.4 inches
Weight	6.9 kg / 15.2 lbs
Included Accessories	Power adapter; power cord; VGA cable; HDMI cable; audio cable; media (includes drivers, AOC software, user's manual, and warranty)
Warranty	3 years limited (panel 1 year, parts and labor 3 years)
Price	$500 MSRP; $400 street

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On paper, this is a feature-rich display with a variety of ports to accommodate a wide range of systems. As we touched on earlier, you can connect multiple systems to the Q2963PM and, if desired, split the screen among two inputs. Going in a completely different direction, you can also use the DisplayPort connection to daisy chain several monitors to your system.

Flexibility is the name of the game here, and at a glance, AOC seems to have all of its ducks in a row. There's even a Mobile High Definition Link (MHL), so if you're stuck working late, you can connect and charge your phone, even as you stream videos from it.