BenQ this week introduced its new display aimed specifically at professional gamers. The new monitor belongs to the ZOWIE family of BenQ’s products designed for e-Sports and features Full-HD (1920x1080) resolution as well as a refresh rate as high as 240 Hz. In addition to support for ultra-high refresh rates, the display also has other features developed specifically for gamers.

The BenQ ZOWIE XL2540 monitor has a 24.5” TN panel with a typical resolution for this size (1920×1080), support for 16.7 million (6-bit + FRC) colors as well as a typical contrast ratio for mainstream screens (1000:1). The monitor stands out when it comes to its brightness - 400 cd/m2 (400 nits) is a bit higher compared to what we usually see on TN-based devices and a refresh rate of 240 Hz to ensure as fast gameplay as possible. It is noteworthy that despite positioning, the ZOWIE ZL2540 does not support any dynamic refresh rate technology (either G-Sync, FreeSync or Adaptive-Sync). 

When it comes to connectivity, the ZOWIE XL2540 excels many products on the market as it can use DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI and DVI-DL (naturally, DVI does not support 240 Hz refresh rate) to connect to host PCs (nowadays many monitors are only equipped with DP and HDMI inputs). Also, it has a three-port USB hub. The display also has a built-in 55 W power supply.

BenQ ZOWIE XL2540
  ZOWIE XL2540
Panel 24.5" TN
Native Resolution 1920 × 1080
Maximum Refresh Rate 240 Hz
Response Time 1 ms (gray-to-gray)
Brightness 400 cd/m²
Contrast 1000:1
Viewing Angles 160°/160° horizontal/vertical
Inputs 1 × DP 1.2
1 × HDMI 2.0
1 × DVI-D DL
USB Hub 3-port USB hub
Audio audio in/out ports
Power Consumption Typical unknown
Maximum 55 W

In addition to ultra-high refresh rates as well as improved brightness, the ZOWIE XL2540 supports several features specifically for e-Sports professionals: the Black eQualizer that increases brightness of dark areas without oversaturating the bright areas, an option to quickly increase color vibrancies, a special external controller to rapidly activate different settings and profiles as well as a light-shielding hood (which BenQ calls a way to help gamers to focus on their games).

The manufacturer does not announce pricing as well as availability timeframe for its ZOWIE XL2540 just yet. The only thing that BenQ tells us at the moment is that the display will be demonstrated at trade shows from late November. Since BenQ does not produce its own panels, the ETA of the ZOWIE XL2540 depends completely on the company’s suppliers. Moreover, when the panels are available, the display will have to compete against similar products by other makers, such as the ASUS PG258Q (which has G-Sync) which has similar specifications, perhaps indicating it is the same panel.

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Source: BenQ

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  • Dr_Orgo - Thursday, November 10, 2016 - link

    Seems just about perfect for professional eSports (MOBAs, FPS, and RTS). All the big eSports can hit 240 Hz easily making screen tearing a non-issue. 1080p TN panel is also fine.

    The Zowie brand is know for making gaming mice. Korean SC2 and broodwar pros are known for using the Zowie mico. I have a gaming mouse pad from them that's also quite nice. I had heard of Zowie significantly early than BenQ.
  • SantaAna12 - Sunday, November 13, 2016 - link

    I have used Logitech, Razer and Zowie. I currently "party" with Zowie. I find it a step above Razer, and Logitech a distant third.
  • SandroHaag - Saturday, November 12, 2016 - link

    Der Zowie XL2540 integriert ein 24,5 Zoll großes Full-HD-Panel in TN-Technologie. Er soll bis zu 400 cd/m² hell sein und einen Kontrast von 1000:1 sowie eine Grau-zu-Grau-Reaktionszeit von einer Millisekunde aufweisen. Neben DVI-DL bietet er zwei HDMI-Anschlüsse, DisplayPort 1.2 sowie Kopfhörer- und Mikrofonbuchsen. Über eine abgesetzte Bedieneinheit namens S-Switch lassen sich drei verschiedene Profile für Games oder andere Nutzungen aufrufen.

    https://gear2game.ch/zowie-xl2540-62-23-cm-24-5-zo...
  • blzd - Sunday, November 13, 2016 - link

    Be interesting to see how much of a visual difference this offers versus 120Hz.
  • Lolimaster - Monday, November 14, 2016 - link

    Not much, the only reason for high Hz LCD/OLED monitor is to address their sample&hold way of handiling frames, which is why a 85-100Hz CRT feels so much smoother since the frames are constantly refreshing.

    In fact. the final goal should be 480Hz to make them CRT-like in ghosting effect.

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