The Innocn 49Q1S is a 49in 5120×1440 240Hz ultrawide curved gaming monitor based on a QD-OLED panel with a high contrast ratio, DCI-93 99% colour gamut, a 0.03ms grey to grey response time, Variable Refresh Rate and HDR 400 support. It also includes 2.1 22w speakers and integrated microphones.

We’ve tested the latest best business monitors but finding key specs on the Innocn 49Q1S proved difficult. I can only assume that the 49Q1S is such a new display that Innocn themselves have yet to update their website as it is nowhere to be found.

The known key specs are:

Screen Size: 49in

Resolution: 5,120 x 1,440

Aspect Ratio: 32:9

Max Refresh Rate: 240Hz

Screen Curvature: 1800R

HDR: HDR400

Response Time: 0.03ms (GTG)

Colour Gamut: DCI-93 99% 

Speakers: 2.1 stereo speaks with 22W

Microphone Array

Innocn 49Q1S: Packaging & assembly

The monitor came in a gargantuan box measuring some 130cm x 29cm x 48cm (length, width and height) weighing in around 14.5kgs. Once opened the box revealed a large polystyrene foam shell taking up the entirety of the box. 

The polystyrene foam came in two parts encapsulating the monitor with the legs, stand and cables placed externally. Other than the stand and UK plug to IEC C13 power cable, the additional extras included are, a HDMI Cable, DisplayPort Cable, USB C to USB C cable and a USB 3.0 A to USB 3.0 B cable. Also provided were four large standoffs for VESA mounts.

The 49Q1S only came with a quick start manual in several languages, essentially a page of A3, on how to put the display together and what could be plugged where, it wasn’t very in depth. It goes into no detail about the OSD menus other than the joystick directions, specs or basic troubleshooting, in one place the so-called manual is also misleading, more on that later.

The vertical stand and its V shaped legs are put together simply by slotting the vertical mount to the legs and then using the thumbscrew to tighten it down. The stand has a small cable tidy hook on the back in red and towards the top is a concealed hook for headsets or headphones. Once the stand was assembled, it was simply snapped into place on the back of the monitor.

The vertical stand allowed the usual movements of tilt and swivel. Height adjustments allowed the top of the display to be as low as 45cm to as high as 57cm from the desktop, with the stand attached the overall display was 36cm deep and 120cm wide, so ensure you have a large enough desk to accommodate the display.

On the back can also be found some RGB coloured lighting to add some gaming credentials. These are not configurable and just cycle through a series of colors. They can be switched on or off via the OSD and frankly I quickly forget they were even there.

Innocn 49Q1S: Connectivity

As you can see from the photos, I have mounted the display on a basic desk arm using the 100x100mm VESA mounts, Innocn has provided these large standoffs to assist with VESA mounting as the screw holes are quite deep but I managed fine without them. 

Connectivity wise the 49Q1S does not fall short on and comes with:

2 x DisplayPort 1.4 

1 x HDMI 2.1

1 x USB-C 90W

2 x USB-A (at USB 3.0 standard)

1 x USB-B (at USB 3.0 standard)

1 x RJ45 (100Mb)

1 x 3.5MM Audio Jack

The DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C ports are all capable of receiving and delivering the full 240Hz from several sources.

Innocn 49Q1S: Performance

With a resolution of 5120×1440 at 49in with a 1800R curve, the monitor would be reminiscent of having two 27in displays side by side.

The outlay means you now have a large screen where you can display several windows, all at the same time with each one still maintaining usability. You could for example be writing an article or essay on one side of the screen whilst having reference material on the other at the same time. Windows 11 has large screen support, letting you easily snap windows in place.

As previously mentioned, the Innocn 49Q1S improves over the 49C1R in several fields. This is mostly helped by the fact that the panel went from a standard VA Panel to a QD-OLED panel. The QD-OLED in turn means darker blacks, brighter screen with more vibrancy in colors when viewing content. The screen finish is a glossy type which does reflect light, I suspect that this may hinder some depending on the lighting of the room you intend to use it in. The high 99% DCI-P3 color space coverage also gives it utility in the field of best monitors for video editing.

The HDR400 coupled with QD-OLED means blacks are truly inky black. Greens, reds, blues and yellows were also tested and it was noted the entire screen was even on all colors and no dead or stuck pixels. Colors appeared accurate, Innocn also provides calibration certificates for the display with serial numbers to show that the display was indeed calibrated using a Konica Minolta CA-410 Display Colour Analyser.

Innocn 49Q1S: Useability

There is a single blue light illuminated joystick like button beneath the bottom of the microphone array for navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. 

There are the standard settings of brightness, contrast, color temperature, picture modes, gaming modes etc.), the Innocn 49Q1S also supports Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture modes, allowing you to display two sources on the screen simultaneously. There are a few gaming-centered features such as having an onscreen crosshair displayed as well as Adaptive Refresh Rates.

I used the 49Q1S as any normal person would, using the display for work, general browsing, gaming and watching films. For work, the 49Q1S large real estate was useful for being able to display several windows at once as previously mentioned. General browsing was at times a bit too intense with such a wide field of view, I found it easier to put Chrome to one side of the screen and read articles from there. 

Gaming had no issues, I tested the display playing both Helldivers 2 and Horizon Forbidden West, two games which are PS5 console ports, so more modern PC games should have no issue. The only use case that did have an issue was watching content, Amazon Prime (here seen is Fallout) has two large black bars on either side, as did Netflix

YouTube was the same though this was content dependent. In this example I am viewing a video in the 2160p mode  

The 49Q1S has a claimed 2.1 Stereo speaker set up with 22W of power, I listened to the speakers over a day or so using a variety of music, films, games and other genres. Whilst they will do in a pinch, I would not recommend them over dedicated speakers. I noted some audio distortion and audio lacking punch. My aging Creative Gigaworks T40 with only 16W in a 2.0 configuration sounded far better.

The Innocn 49Q1S has an integrated microphone array below the bottom bezel of the display, it is essentially two microphones working in tandem to provide recorded audio and appears to be geared towards voice. I tested the microphone against a similar array from a Creative X7 DAC placing my mouth about approximately 18 inches from both the X7 and 49Q1S.

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the microphone, it performed very well against the X7 where I could hear a slight background hum, none was heard through the Innocn. The voice audio was clear, crisp, loud enough to understand but not so loud to distort, if you had no other high-end microphone and needed to do a Teams or Zoom meeting, this microphone would work very well. 

Innocn 49Q1S: KVM

One feature not mentioned by the manual or any documentation was the KVM or docking feature of the display. I did as the quick start guide told me, hooking up my usual mouse and keyboard to the monitor using the 2 x USB-A connectors and plugging in the RJ45 cable into my switch. I then connected my main PC to the USB-B port and the one of the DisplayPorts. I turned on my PC and it worked flawlessly. Mouse and keyboard were detected and worked without a hitch, I noted that the Ethernet from the monitor showed connected and as expected at the 100Mb speed, so far so good.

The aforementioned quick start guide is misleading as it only shows a smart phone being connected to the USB-C port. I was surprised that it, from the manual, made no mention of using the 49Q1S as a dock for portable computers. 

Experimenting, I initially used a generic brand USB-C to USB-C cable to connect a business-orientated Lenovo ThinkPad X13 capable of display, mouse, keyboard and ethernet via USB-C, however nothing came up on the display. I then used the Innocn supplied cable, the laptop immediately detected the display, mouse, keyboard and network switch. As an added benefit, the laptop was also charging as well. I also tried plugging in a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and enabling Samsung Dex, whilst it worked fine, I needed to adjust some of the settings in the 49Q1S so that text was sharp, but this did mean black bars on either side. 

It would mean that you could have the display set up in an office or studio like environment, with attached ethernet, mouse and keyboard. You could then supply your staff with company laptops or even encourage Bring Your Own, plug this in via USB-C and are good to go with just one cable. An alternative would be to have two workstations connected to the display sharing a common mouse and keyboard. An incredibly useful feature in this day and age of mobile computing and hot desking, which could have been missed by the casual end user.

All seemed to be going well until I stumbled across an odd anomaly. With my mouse and keyboard connected to the 49Q1S, I left my PC long enough that it put the display to sleep. This in turn disconnected the mouse and keyboard meaning I could not wake the PC by tapping a few keys or moving the mouse. Jiggling the joystick gave me a very small window in order to wake the PC tapping the keyboard but this wasn’t always guaranteed. An unfortunate oversight despite other monitors overcoming this.

Innocn 49Q1S: Final verdict

Overall, the Innocn 49Q1S boasts some very high-end features and specs aimed to be a jack of all trades in the best ultrawide monitor space, of which it does most of them well. The calibrated QD-OLED means a sharp, crisp and well contrasted display, useful for a wide variety of tasks.

The sheer number of connectors allows end users the flexibility to use several consoles or workstations with the 49Q1S as well as peripherals. I do wish they gave an additional USB-A connector on the back.

The downside are that there is a lack of support or exact specs on the 49Q1S as they can’t be found on the Innocn website and documentation is non-existent save for a quick start guide which isn’t clear on the capabilities of the 49Q1S which means some users may not even be aware of what they are leaving behind.

The speakers are lacking though the microphone pleasantly surprised us for being clear and noise-canceling.

Should I buy the Innocn 49Q1S?

For more monitor reviews, we tested the best 5K and 8K monitors you can get right now.  

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What's the ultimate productivity monitor form factor? 32-inch 4K? Nice, but arguably a little constraining when it comes to running lots of app windows side by side. 34-inch ultrawide, then? Maybe, but the pixel density isn't great. The same goes for one of those 49-inch 32:9 aspect beasts. No, what you want is the new Philips 40B1U6903CH, all 40 inches and five thousand pixels of it.

That's five thousand pixels in just the horizontal, of course. This is a 5K2K panel, so that's 5,120 by 2,160 pixels for a grand total of 11 million pixels overall. Phew. To put that into context, this is really a 32-inch 4K monitor with some extra width. The pixel density is exactly the same, but the panel aspect is extended here from 16:9 to 21:9.

The immediate upshot is that where a 16:9 32-incher is most comfortable with two app windows side by side, you can make the jump to three with this Philips while maintaining the same crispy fonts and image detail. 

Having tested many of the best 5K and 8K monitors and best business monitors, we can safely say this is a pretty large display. So ergonomics do come into the, well, picture in a manner that arguably doesn't quite apply to a conventional 32-inch 4K monitor.

More on that in a moment. Size and resolution aside, this very much a productivity panel. So there's no high refresh or true HDR sizzle, but there is lots of connectivity. Time to find out more.

Philips 40B1U6903CH: Design & features

• Sober-suited but well-built
• Connectivity includes Thunderbolt 4 and KVM switch 
• It's big and needs plenty of desk space 

The Philips 40B1U6903CH is an out-and-out productivity panel. And that's just fine by us. It's very much all business when it comes to the design and aesthetic. But it's well built and about as ergonomic as a display this big can be. 

That includes a headphone hook on  the left of the panel and an integrated pop-up 5MP webcam up top. The latter supports Windows Hello facial recognition, which is a nice touch. Then there's the Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C interface which supports 40Gbps, plus up to 90W of power delivery for single-cable connectivity to a laptop.

There's a second Thunderbolt 4 port, too, which enables multi-monitor daisy-chaining. All that combined with the built-in KVM switch - so no need to worry about best KVM Switches deals - will really help with minimising cable clutter. At 40 inches, of course, this is still a beast of a monitor for which you'll require plenty of desk space. For some, the sheer size will simply be too much. But all those features will help you integrate the Philips 40B1U6903CH neatly into your workspace.

The panel also has a gentle 2500R curve, which is generally desirable on an ultrawide monitor this big. It means that you're not viewing the extremities of the panel at too oblique an angle. The only arguable ergonomic snafu is that the audio-out port is located on the side of the panel. That's fine for headphones, but less optimal for long-term usage connected to some desktop speakers.

Philips 40B1U6903CH: Performance

• Huge size with sharp pixel density 
• Nice IPS panel but not high fidelity 
• Limited HDR capability 

For pure image quality, this is a fairly middling IPS monitor. While the panel will process an HDR10 signal, there's no true HDR support or local dimming and the brightness tops out at 300 nits. Similarly, the refresh rate tops out at 75Hz and the response is rated at 4ms.

Philips doesn't quote DCI-P3 colour coverage, so it likely isn't anything special. This isn't a monitor pitched at professional content creation like video or image editing. The lack of true HDR support won't matter for most all-round computing tasks, but the mere 300 nits brightness could be more of an issue. It's plenty for most working environments. But if you like a really bright and punchy panel and especially if you use your PC in a location with lots of ambient light, 300 nits could be marginal. Were this a gaming monitor, those shortcomings would be more of an issue. As it is, they're something to be aware of regarding your needs and workflows.

The main benefit here, then, is all those pixels from the 40-inch, 5,120 by 2,160 resolution panel. If what you've been waiting for is a large format ultrawide monitor that doesn't compromise on pixel density, well, this is it. Fonts are just as crisp and sharp as a 32-inch 4K panel and there's just oodles of both working space and image detail.

These days, Windows does a much better job of handling a panel like this in terms of the DPI settings. For most users, setting the scaling to 125% is probably a nice compromise between working space and legibility. Texts and icons are a bit teensy weensy when the scaling is set to 100%.

Moreover, this is a fantastic display for getting stuff done. The combination of huge working space with the sharpness and precision of the 5K2K resolution is a bit of a revelation. A "regular" 32-inch 4K monitor feels very limiting by comparison.

This monitor can work well with Macs, too. The catch involves the way MacOS does scaling. Without getting into the weeds over the details, to get the best results, you'll need a Mac with one of the M Pro, Max or Ultra chips. The base M chips can drive this monitor at full native. However, they have more limited support for scaling options while maintaining high-DPI Retina functionality. In really simple terms, this display is one of the best monitors for MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro, but less so with the MacBook Air and Mac mini. 

Philips 40B1U6903CH: Final verdict

No question, the Philips 40B1U6903CH comes with a few caveats. There's no high refresh, almost no HDR support, not a huge amount of pure backlight power. The IPS panel isn't terribly high fidelity, either, so serious content creation pros will need to look elsewhere. The ergonomics won't suit everyone, either, this is a very large display, and the high resolution is a little problematic with low-end Apple Mac computers.

But if what you want is image precision, in terms of high pixel density, on a much larger scale, this monitor is a revelation. Even a 32-inch 4K monitor feels limited and constraining by comparison.

You also get a really strong feature set with excellent connectivity that includes Thunderbolt 4 and a KVM switch. The integrated webcam with Windows Hello facial recognition is welcome, too. All of which means that for a certain kind of all-purpose precision productivity computing on a really epic scale, this monitor is about as appealing as it gets.

All of which means that the main sticking point will be pricing. You can get a very nice 4K 32-inch productivity panel for less than one third the cost of this monitor. So, it's a huge premium for the ultrawide experience. But then in terms of size and pixel density, this is ultimately an extremely high-end option. And that's always going to cost.

Pair the Philips 40B1U6903CH monitor with the best business computers - tested, reviewed, and rated by us 

Laptops come in nearly all shapes and sizes. However, there is an upper realistic limit to screen size. Which is where the best portable monitors fit in. 

The new Asus Zenscreen MB249C is an example on the larger side of portable screens. At 24 inches, it's much bigger than any laptop display. But, in theory at least, this portable monitor gives you the option of something bigger on the move. Obviously at 24 inches and 2.8kg, this isn't something you're going to slip into your shoulder bag. But with its integrated kickstand, speakers and USB-C with 60W of power delivery, you could leave your laptop charger behind and pack this screen instead.

The idea isn't so much pulling this screen out at a coffee shop or the airport. Moreover, it gives you a reasonably portable way of achieving a more ergonomic desktop monitor experience at multiple locations.

The Asus Zenscreen MB249C also comes with a C-clamp stand that provides a more permanent desk setup but also sports a quick-release mechanism, plus a frame kit that allows the screen to be hung from the top of office partitions. A little niche, perhaps, but this monitor certainly gives you lots of install options.

If there is a catch it's that it's limited to 1080p resolution and 75Hz refresh. Given the panel size, that's perhaps not a huge surprise. But a higher resolution would have been an interesting way of achieving a premium computing experience on the move. As it is, the pixel density is very low, albeit the panel sports IPS technology, which bodes well for other aspects of image quality. 

Asus Zenscreen MB249C: Design & features

• Lots of installation options 
• Slim bezels 
• Not actually all that portable 

The Asus Zenscreen MB249C's 24-inch panel is both a blessing and a curse. The upside is that you get far more screen real estate than any laptop. The downside is that it's not actually all that portable.

The built-in kickstand does mean that the overall unit, which measures 53.93 by 34.63 by 2.36 centimetres, is fairly slim. The slim bezels on three sides of the panel keep the proportions in check, too. But it's not all that much smaller than a conventional monitor with the clip-in stand removed. At 2.8kg, it's not exactly ultra-light, either, though it is certainly lighter than most conventional monitors of a similar size.

Still, put it this way. It's a pretty narrow use case where you'd be happy to take this monitor with you, but for those that do, this display is reasonably well thought out.

The kickstand on the rear doubles as a carry handle and the USB-C input has 60W of power delivery. So, you can leave your laptop charger behind and power it from the MB249C. There's also an HDMI input, so connecting to most device types shouldn't be a problem.

In terms of other more permanent and semi-permanent installation options, included in the box is a C-clamp arm with a pivot arm for fixing the screen to a desk. It adjusts for not only tilt, swivel and rotation into portrait mode, but also up to 144mm of extension.

So, you could have that as your daily setup, and then pull the screen off from the quick-release attachment and use the kickstand on the move. There's also a frame that allows it to be hung from the top of office partition walls and offers 150mm of height adjustment.

Asus Zenscreen MB249C: Performance

• Low pixel density
• No HDR support
• Terrible speakers

A few years ago, the specifications and performance of this display would have been unremarkable. Here in 2024, it all feels a little dated. 

The Asus Zenscreen MB249C runs what would have been a perfectly adequate 24-inch panel. It's IPS, so the colours are pretty accurate and the viewing angles are good. It's actually reasonably bright, too, and in that regard far exceeds the lowly expectations set by the very modest 250 nit specification.

There's no HDR support at all, however, and the refresh rate tops out at 75Hz. There is adaptive refresh support, but the low refresh rate and mere 5ms response are hardly the stuff of gaming joy. That's tolerable for many productivity applications, of course, but it's also all pretty low spec by today's standards.

More of a problem is the poor pixel density. The native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 on a 24-inch panel makes for pretty big, blocky pixels. That makes for pretty rough looking fonts and icons, and generally not a lot of image detail. It also means that you've got no more usable desktop real estate than most laptops. If anything, you might have less, depending on how you have your scaling set up.

Moreover, this monitor would be so much more appealing with a higher resolution of at least 2,560 by 1,600. You'd have nicer, sharper fonts plus the option of more working space. As it is, the experience feels a little low rent and dated. You'd really have to want the portability aspect an awful lot to put up with it.

As for the built-in speakers, they're absolutely awful, with a harsh and thin tone, plus little volume on offer. Even a budget laptop will have as good or better speakers, and something like a MacBook Air let alone a MacBook Pro is on another level for audio quality. In truth, the speakers would have been better left out, they're borderline useless.

Asus Zenscreen MB249C: Final verdict

This is not a terrible monitor. It's well calibrated and offers reasonable image quality from its IPS panel. However, the low pixel density makes for a dated viewing experience, with rough looking fonts. It also means that you're not getting much desktop working space, which surely defeats the whole object of lugging around what isn't a hugely portable device—namely to give you that extra space. The audio quality from the speakers is horrendous, too.

There are some nice features. The C-clamp with pivot arm is a welcome extra. The USB-C with 60W of power delivery also means you won't need to bring your laptop's power supply with you.

But overall, the limited portability and poor pixel density combine to compromise the appeal and utility of the Asus Zenscreen MB249C fairly comprehensively. It's just not a product that will make sense save for a very limited set of niche use cases.

For more screen recommendations, we reviewed the best business monitors