Asus announces 31.5-inch 4K Ultra HD monitor [Updated]

What kind of screen resolution does the display you’re reading this on boast? If it’s modern, then chances are its got a pretty impressive pixels-per-square-inch ratio. But before you go bragging about how lush your screen is, you might want to take a look at what Asus plans to unveil at the upcoming Computex event in Taiwan. If you thought you were wide-eyed when companies like Apple and Samsung unveiled their crazy high-resolution AMOLED screens, then you might want to buckle up.

According to PCWorld, the Asus PQ321 LCD display is already pretty monstrous at a hefty 31.5-inches in screen size, but that diagonal measurement pales in comparison to its intense 4K Ultra HD screen resolution. The company reported that it made use of Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) as the binding agent on its LCD screen, rather than a traditional silicone mix. This allowed developers to force much smaller pixels onto the display. For all you tech-heads out there, the maximum resolution on this product will run at 3840 x 2160.

Ultra-realism is just one step closer to becoming an ultra-reality with this impressive resolution. But the PQ321 doesn’t stop there. The monitor also features a nifty tilt feature, which will allow you to move the viewing angle along a 176-degree arc. You’ll also get access to a DisplayPort, built-in 2W stereo speakers, and two HDMI inputs. This isn’t just another monitor hastily tossed together in an attempt to cash in on the high-resolution craze. Asus is promising that the PQ321 is a quality-driven product, well-built and made from heavy professional-grade materials. It all sounds like a visual dream and it looks sleek to boot.

Just remember that with great power comes great hardware. If you plan on running some visually intensive games at the maximum resolution for this screen, you’re going to need to pack a powerful punch, specifically in the video card department. For now, it’s probably better just to watch movies and browse the Web on this bad boy – that is, unless you want to shell out the $2,000 for a machine capable of playing the high-end graphics that are able to push this screen to its full capacity. The 31.5-inch ASUS monitor can be had for a whopping $3799. The display should ship sometime this month (June).

Asus also announced a “big brother” to it’s 31.5-inch creation. Look for a much larger, much sleeker, 39-inch 4K resolution display to hit stores sometime in Q3. We don’t know a price for this behemoth just yet, but you can expect it to be considerably higher than its smaller counterpart.

Photo via Engadget

[Updated at 9:40 a.m. PST on 6/4/13: Included information about 39-inch version.]

Originally published at 12:51 p.m. PST on 5/31/13

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