This brilliant curved monitor I've been testing is great for gamers and creatives, and it's... designed by Porsche?

The AOC AGON PD34 is perhaps the fanciest AOC monitor I've ever used. A brand more commonly known for competitive esports screens and peripherals, often at prices easily accessible to the mass proletariat, the AOC AGON PD34 is one of the industry leader's reminders that they know exactly what they're doing when it comes to tech expertise and design flair when the occasion calls for it.

We have taken a big liking to AOC's sister brand, the Philips Evnia monitors, in many of the ultrawide and curved categories among the best monitors for photo editing, graphic design and video editing, but after my time with the Porsche-branded AGON, that stranglehold may be loosening...

AOC AGON PD34: Key Specifications

Design and build

• Subtle Porsche Design touches all over
• Striking back and base design

The AOC AGON PD34 lets you know that it's not like most other monitors before it's even unpacked. Arriving in a box that could eat most other monitor boxes for breakfast, it told me this test wasn't going to be a subtle, unassuming experience.

Once unpacked, with the base attached via the VESA slot on the back and carefully set up on the table (you may need help with the unboxing due to the sheer bulk of the box and protective polystyrene casing around the screen, just to forewarn you), it's clear the boffins at AOC don't want you to miss what you're looking, as the PORSCHE DESIGN brand is emblazoned in silver letters across the bottom bezel.

The back is a second area of flash touches, with both an AOC logo and a PD logo lit up on all the colours of the rainbow (and about a million more), along with diffuser-like slats across the entire back (for... air resistance? anyway).

The base is a silver V-shaped piece of metal that further envokes the curvy shape of a Porsche sports car (and the embracing notch of which is a great place to pop your headphones/earbuds/extra peripherals when not in use).

As is the case for most curved monitors, the stand is not fully adjustable, offering only height and sideways adjustments, while swivelling it to a portrait orientation is not possible. The stand has a clever little cable tidy on the back, too, which comes in handy for messy people like me.

With a three-side frameless bezel design, the casing is mostly black, a mixture of metal and plastic, with a matte finish, and the total weight of the thing, stand and all, is a substantial but not overwhelming 9.1 kilograms. It feels and looks like a premium monitor, and that's before we even get to the shiny panel thing on the front...

Design score: 4.5/5

Features

• Great WQHD OLED panel on the front, good selection of ports on the back
• Fiddly OSD, but effective OLED care program on board
• Impressive colour accuracy

The screen itself is the main feature here. At 34 inches wide with a 3440x1440 WQHD resolution (Wide Quad High Definition in medical terms), the curvature on the AOC AGON PD34 is a relatively gentle 1800R, meaning a circle of these monitors side-by-side would have a radius of 1800mm (1.8 metres). That's much less of a pronounced curve than many gaming monitors, which you'll find with a curvature of up to 800R, so the edge distortion here doesn't automatically preclude it from consideration for photo editors or other accuracy-obsessed creatives.

There are several preset screen modes included within the OSD (which is operated by a joystick-like control on the bottom of the screen that will drive at least 18% of users to thoughts of murder before they learn which direction does what) aimed at gamers, including RTS, FPS, Racing, Gamer 1 and Gamer 2 modes. All are customisable, good news if you want to have special preset features for sRGB or Adobe RGB workspaces.

Speaking of those, the colour accuracy of the screen is predictably great for a premium OLED display. With a measured accuracy of 97.4% Adobe RGB, 99% DCI-P3 and a 112% sRGB colour gamut, it can handle pretty much any colourful creative project you can throw at it. Additionally, due to the resolution and width, I could always work on images and videos in their entirety, far enough from the edges, to never have to worry about edge distortion affecting my work.

Additionally, claims of a max spot brightness of 1000 nits and overall brightness of 400 nits are mostly founded in truth, with my colourimeter measuring 996 nits of max local brightness, and 402 nits of overall brightness in HDR mode.

There's also a Kensington lock included here, good for people who want that extra bit of security, for example if they're working in shared spaces.

What it does require, though, is a lot of space, because this is a big, chonky unit. Even on my generously sized desk, it partly blocked my computer speakers and the large stand, as pretty as it is, does limit the scope for adjusting your workspace too much. It is something to keep in mind if you're limited for space, as I felt this screen was a little fiddlier to fit comfortably in my homeworking space than the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 I reviewed a little while back, which has a slightly more slimline cabinet and stand.

As long as you do have that space to spare, though, you'll undoubtedly find the monitor as much of a delight as I have in my extended time with it.

Features and performance score: 4.5/5

AOC AGON PD34: Price

• Cheaper than the Apple Studio Display 
• Fantastic value for money

The AOC AGON PD34 is priced at £1,300 for US buyers and £1,049 for UK buyers, but as of writing this, UK bargain hunters can find it discounted to £699 on Box. Seeing as you can find several other monitors with the same or similar specs for as little as £/$500, it's clear that you're paying a hefty premium for the prestige branding included here, but if you're happy to do that, you'll get a monitor that works just as well as advertised, and is equally adept at gaming and creative heavy lifting.

Value score: 3/5

Scorecard

Who's it for?

• Gamers and creatives who want a bit of flash on their desk

Buy it if...

• You want a curved gaming monitor that lends itself to creative work
• You need 240Hz refresh rate
• You can't afford a real Porsche

Don't buy it if...

• You want a cheaper monitor with the same internal specs
• You can't abide any curvature in your work
• You have a small desk