I just tested the strangest OLED gaming monitor of the year
The Corsair Xeneon Flex ($1,999, $1,599 on sale) is one of the strangest gaming monitors I’ve ever tested. While the idea of a bendable monitor sounds interesting on paper, the results — at least with this product — don’t work so well in real life.
My full Corsair Xeneon Flex review is coming soon, but I wanted to share some initial thoughts on this weird bendable monitor. Not to spoil my review, but the bendability aspect mars what would have otherwise been one of the best gaming monitors and best curved monitors. If you’re into novel tech, then you might appreciate the Flex’s quirky gimmick. If not, you’re better off buying a traditional pre-bent, excuse me, curved monitor.
Weird flex, but ok
The Xeneon Flex has retractable handles on either side of its display which you use to bend the display. Trying to slide the handles out of the monitor is a precursor to what you’ll experience bending it. In short, it’s cumbersome.
You need to press and hold a button on the handles to slide them in and out. While pulling the handles out is easy, sliding them back in requires a decent amount of force… even if you’re strong. The handles are slightly bent, which likely accounts for why they’re so difficult to reinsert into the monitor’s sides. But as I said, this is a precursor to what’s to come.
As I’ll go over in my final review, the Xeneon Flex’s signature bendability feature doesn’t work as well as expected. That’s because you need to hold the monitor down on the table while bending it to prevent the whole thing from falling toward you.
How do you know you’ve reached the display’s maximum 800R curvature? You have to listen for a click… which eerily sounds like you’ve broken the monitor. Returning the monitor to its original position is just as awkward (and scary) as bending it forward because it's too easy to shove the entire device back.
The fact that colleagues in our office had the same problems meant it wasn’t a user error on my part. Bending this monitor is weird!
A solid monitor, despite the gimmick
The Xeneon Flex’s bendability aspect is the main draw. But when you take that away, you’re left with a solid gaming monitor for playing the best PC games.
I’m a fan of this ultrawide 45-inch OLED display with its smooth 240Hz refresh rate and fast 0.03ms response time. Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077 took advantage of the Xeneon Flex’s performance, but they also looked phenomenal thanks to the vibrant colors and deep contrasts between dark and light elements. Though its basic display modes don’t get overly bright, HDR mode does.
When it comes to picture quality and performance, the Xeneon Flex doesn’t disappoint.
A noble but flawed idea
I respect any tech manufacturer that tries something unique. To that end, I applaud Corsair for creating a monitor you can bend. However, the LG OLED Flex — which automatically bends and unbends with the touch of a button — offers a far more elegant solution. Sure, it costs $1,000 more than the already expensive $1,999 Xenon Flex — but LG’s monitor won’t give you a mild anxiety attack like the Xeneon Flex will.
Stay tuned for my full review of the Corsair Xeneon Flex…the strangest gaming monitor of 2023.
