We spent a week with this bendable gaming monitor and it's awesome

Corsair’s Xeneon Flex is unlike any other curved monitor we've seen before.
By RJ Andersen  on 
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55-inch curved monitor with screen turned off
Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable
4.8/5
Corsair Xeneon Flex
Its $2,000 price tag keeps it from being a purchase for everyone, but the Corsair Xeneon Flex is one of the most stunning monitors we've ever seen.
Mashable Score 4.8
Wow Factor 5
User Friendliness 4.8
Performance 5
Bang for the Buck 4.2
The Good
  • Incredible contrast ratio and color accuracy
  • Blazing fast 240 Hz refresh rate
  • Ultra-wide 4K resolution gives mind-blowing detail
  • High-quality aluminum stand
The Bad
  • Default color profile is off, too cold for out-of-the-box
  • Pricey

A Mashable Choice Award is a badge of honor, reserved for the absolute best stuff we’ve tested and loved.

When I set out to review Corsair’s Xeneon Flex, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve used curved monitors before, but the ability to transition from flat to flex and back? That had me intrigued, but — as someone who is relatively new to the world of external monitors — I wasn’t convinced that the novelty of having a monitor that could flex to an 800r radius would make the $1,999 price tag worth it. 

First impressions of the Corsair Xeneon Flex 

Straight away, this monitor blew me away. I expected to hook it up, play with the curve a bit, run a couple of videos through it, and try pushing the frame rate. But when I plugged it into my gaming PC for the first time and saw the panel light up, I was completely floored.

hand grabbing monitor handle to bend the screen
Look at that curve. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable

For context, I’ve seen a lot of good-looking 4K OLED displays in the past, but the Xeneon Flex boasts an unreal 1.5M to 1 contrast ratio. I’ve never seen anything like it in person, and the colors are so incredibly vibrant that pairing it with the ultra-wide 4K resolution almost plays tricks on your brain. When the image is still, the Xeneon Flex stops reading “monitor” to me and instead reads “high-quality print” due to the cleanliness of the lines, the vibrancy of the colors, and the high pixel density. When the video begins again, my brain almost takes a second to recalibrate, making the entire thing a phenomenal experience. 

What I love about the Corsair Xeneon Flex monitor

There’s so much to love about Corsair’s Xeneon Flex. In person, these colors are unlike any monitor I’ve seen before. They are vibrant, they are accurate, and they have an extremely deep contrast ratio. I could definitely see folks doing design work or editing videos professionally on a monitor like this, but I’d almost be worried that reality would pale in comparison. 

side by side of game on curved monitor and flat monitor
Games look incredible wether the monitor is curved or flat. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable

The 240 Hz refresh rate creates a buttery smooth experience, so much so that I even had trouble pushing my gaming rig this hard — even on my Nvidia RTX 3090. For games that require fast reaction times, this monitor should never be a bottleneck.

Plus, the 45-inch wraparound curve puts you inside your favorite games, but snapping it back to its flat orientation gives you an attractive, minimal monitor that’s great for viewing movies in 4K. I loved locking the monitor into its 800r curved orientation to play through a few video games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Hitman 3, both beautiful games, but this monitor took those visuals to a new level. 

wide monitor in flat position with screen turned off
This monitor looks sleek and the 45-inch screen is insanely impressive. Credit: RJ Andersen / Mashable

What I don’t love about this monitor

Honestly, there’s not much I can criticize here. Curving this monitor for the first time was stressful, and every instinct in my body screamed, “No, don’t break the expensive monitor!” However, once I figured out the right amount of force needed — and that adding a hand to the base to stabilize helps make flexing the monitor easier — that became a non-issue. 

I will say that the default color profile on the Flex is odd. It’s too cool and everything has a bluish hue to it. However, when I pulled up the image settings and just reset the RGB values to 100 (the raw, full panel power) the image was great. It surprised me but the panel itself was perfectly tuned out of the box, and I’m unsure why Corsair felt the need to change this.

Is it worth the price?

It’s impossible for me to recommend a monitor this expensive for the average consumer, so if you’re just watching movies, casually gaming, or checking emails, you’ll probably want to skip this one and opt for something with a lower price tag and a less intense refresh rate.

That being said, if you’re a hardcore monitor enthusiast — or a gamer who really values a perfect, vibrant, and insanely gorgeous display — Corsair’s Xeneon Flex is the full package, so much so that I’m currently trying to figure out how to save up for one myself.

How we tested

I discovered the Xeneon Flex while researching curved monitors, especially those with tight curvatures or interesting features. The Flex satisfied both of those criteria, so I plugged it into my primary media PC (powered by an Nvidia RTX 3090) and tried to push it to its limit for a week. 

Some other factors I’ve taken into account:

  • Appearance: The minimal, well-machined aluminum chassis for this monitor is gorgeous. Nothing to complain about here.

  • Display Quality: This is the best display panel I’ve seen yet. The 4K ultra-wide, ultra-high contrast display with a blazing fast refresh rate... I'm not sure how Corsair could have done better. And considering it’s 45 inches across, I really can’t say enough about how big and beautiful this monitor is. 

  • Price Point: Compared to other 45-inch 4K WQHD monitors, Corsair is firmly on the high end of the market at $1,999, but given how feature-packed this monitor is the luxury price tag is understandable. 

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