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A new monitor is one of those purchases most people tend to make when their old one either packs in or they finally decide they want a bigger one.

Over the years, I have had double-monitor and triple-monitor setups. I’ve toyed with portable monitors as a second screen and even projectors. Much of this has been led by my penchant for driving and flight simulations, where extra screen real estate can be beneficial. But the problem is, with working at the same desk as well, it also has to fit right for my writing needs, so that means dangling stuff at weird angles doesn’t always work for me.

A couple of years ago, when the Samsung G9 came out, I really wanted one but simply couldn’t justify the cost – you can buy a first car for a teenager for that price – trust me, you can. As tech moves forward, though, we see a lot of prices coming down, especially in the TV and monitor spaces. The speed at which new panels are developed is pretty astounding. All this means that tech that was out of the price range of the masses not that long ago is now more than in reach.

So, in this growing landscape of ultrawide monitors, the INNOCN 49Q1R stands out immediately — and not just because of its size. This is a 49-inch monitor aimed directly at users who want a huge, immersive workspace or gaming setup without the eye-watering price tag of some better-known brands. It’s still not exactly cheap, but compared to rivals like Samsung’s Odyssey G9 series, it’s priced pretty well at a good level. The big question is whether it delivers enough quality and performance to make it a worthwhile investment. The answer, after a couple of months of use for me, is a resounding yes, with a few caveats.

Design and Build

Unboxing the 49Q1R – and it is huge when it arrives. It’s not that it is heavy per se, but with the box and secure packing inside, a second pair of hands is useful to get it to its final resting spot. It’s hard not to be impressed, and possibly a little intimidated, by its sheer footprint.

This is a 32:9 aspect ratio display with a resolution of 5120×1440, essentially two 27-inch 1440p monitors fused together by magic with no bezel gap. The curve (1800R) helps make that size manageable on a desk, though it still demands a fair amount of space — you’ll want a deep desk to get the full benefit without craning your neck. I have it on my Flexispot, and I dispensed with the previous monitor arm I was using and went with the included stand for ease – mainly because I couldn’t find an Allen key. This takes up a bit of desk real estate but is decent and allows height and swivel adjustment, and I had no problems getting it exactly where I wanted it.

The build quality is solid enough. It’s not flashy — mostly matte plastic with minimal Innocn branding (while I’m on the subject, doesn’t it need an extra vowel – what do I know?) — but nothing feels cheap or flimsy.

Ports are generous. You’ve got two HDMI 2.1 inputs, one DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C with 90W PD, and several USB-A ports for peripherals. The USB-C charging is a nice touch for laptop users, and it’s good to see full-fat HDMI 2.1 support for console gamers. They, like most monitors, are not the easiest to get to, and with the sense of this thing reaching around the back, it is not as simple as I would love it to be. A little breakout box would be a fabulous addition. I pre-empted future issues by attaching all the cables I might ever need before finishing the setup, but if I ever need to change it, it will be a pain, I know it will.

As you can see in the image below, the screen is also backlit with some ambient lighting. This doesn’t change with what’s on screen and in practice, somewhat weirdly, even in a dark room, I don’t even notice it is on. I discovered it by accident when I was messing around the back a few weeks into this review. I don’t really understand how they are that dim.

Image Quality

This is where things get interesting. The 49Q1R is a low-cost OLED panel, and it delivers the sort of deep contrast you’d expect to pay a lot more for. Blacks are genuinely dark, and there’s decent colour pop out of the box. INNOCN rates it at 95% DCI-P3 coverage, and while we didn’t run lab-grade tests because nobody but the dorks really cares, it looks stunning in games that truly support the 32:9 aspect ratio on offer here.

The amazing Blade-Runner-esque city builder Distopika, which you haven’t heard of but you need to buy on Steam immediately, is mind-blowingly beautiful spread across all 49 inches of screen.

Having said that, I’ll be honest, the HDR setting didn’t do it for me. It seemed to wash things out, and I much preferred the 49Q1R’s normal settings. Still, HDR support is there, and in practice, it makes a subtle difference in well-lit scenes and games — just don’t expect OLED-style contrast or blooming-free highlights because you won’t get them. Corners have had to be cut somewhere for the price, and this is an example of that, perhaps.

Productivity and Workflow

For work, this monitor is a dream. The pixel density is the same as a 27-inch 1440p monitor, so text remains crisp, and you’ve got acres of horizontal space for multiple windows. Whether you’re video editing, coding, or juggling multiple browser tabs, the workflow advantage is immediate. I have Windows tracking analytics, Google Docs, Discord, and Plexamp up and running with plenty of space to spare. Windows 11 is much better equipped for snapping your windows into place where you want them these days, so fiddly resizing is a thing of the past.

The panel also supports Picture-in-Picture mode, which effectively turns it into two separate displays. This is genuinely useful if you’re working across two machines, like a desktop and a laptop — you can keep both onscreen at once without any external switchers. You might think who does that, but I did and had a Raspberry Pi 5 in one window and my main PC in the other.

One minor gripe: while the on-screen display is functional, the controls (located underneath the bezel) can be fiddly to use. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s one area where more premium monitors offer a smoother experience. You are restricted to a single button, which takes you into the menu. You will mostly use it for on/off, but if you are messing around with PiP or input modes, it can occasionally frustrate.

Gaming Performance

The 49Q1R supports up to 144Hz refresh rate with Adaptive Sync, and gaming on this thing is undeniably immersive. The wide field of view in racing sims and FPS titles feels genuinely next-gen, and you get the smoothness benefits of high refresh, assuming your GPU can handle pushing 5120×1440 at those frame rates.

Input lag is low, and response times are decent, if not blistering. This isn’t a monitor aimed at esports pros, but for most gamers, me included, it’s plenty fast enough. There is a bit of smearing in dark transitions, but my eyes are so bad these days I barely notice — but nothing that ruins the experience.

If you’re on a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you’ll want to double-check game support for ultrawide resolutions. Most console titles will fall back to 16:9 and leave black bars on the sides. PC gamers, meanwhile, will get the full benefit in titles that support 32:9, which not all do. When you find something that does it well, though, you will want to show off your new toy, and settings for 32:9 are becoming more readily available out of the box. This is more of a monitor you will be interested if you game on a PC though.

Verdict

The INNOCN 49Q1R gets such a lot right it still makes me smile. It offers a massive ultrawide experience with strong contrast, good colour accuracy, and solid gaming credentials — all at a price that undercuts the big names in the space by several hundred of your local dubloons. It’s also on sale at the moment in this iteration. You can pick one up for $799 or £586 directly from the manufacturer.

It’s not perfect: HDR is limited, occasional smearing is present, and the physical footprint may be a challenge for smaller desks. But for the price, it’s madness. In the arena of new screens, you shouldn’t be afraid of going with a brand you may never have heard of. You are paying a premium for certain name tags, and, if funds are more limited, or you are simply more frugal with your cash but still want a close approximation of what you get from a Samsung, the INNOCN 49Q1R is highly recommended.

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