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48-inch Innocn 48Q1V 4K gaming monitor on sale for US$1125, utilizes OLED panel from LG for 98 percent DCI-P3 colors

48-inch Innocn 48Q1V 4K gaming monitor on sale for US$1125, utilizes OLED panel from LG for 98 percent DCI-P3 colors
48-inch Innocn 48Q1V 4K gaming monitor on sale for US$1125, utilizes OLED panel from LG for 98 percent DCI-P3 colors
LG arguably makes some of the best OLED smart TVs in the market. Even if you haven't heard of Innocn, their latest 48-inch monitor sources LG for the underlying OLED panel to give a very similar viewing experience.

Amazon is now selling the 48-inch Innocn 4K 48Q1V monitor for $150 USD off the original sale price of $1275. The monitor is notable for sporting an OLED panel from LG who makes some of the best-selling OLED TVs worldwide including the C1 and C2 series. Innocn has sent us a sample of the 48Q1V for our honest impressions.

The 48Q1V is easy to setup as it only comes in two major parts: the base and the monitor. The base attaches to the monitor arm via a set of large screws on the bottom. Setup is not all that different from a smaller monitor in this manner, but you'll probably want a second person to help lift and rotate the unit as needed. We do appreciate that the PSU is integrated onto the monitor and so there is no unsightly external power brick.

Firm metal base or stand
Firm metal base or stand
Base has rubber feet on bottom plus three holes for screws
Base has rubber feet on bottom plus three holes for screws
The strip of RGB LEDs can be seen down the rear sides of the monitor. They can be disabled if desired
The strip of RGB LEDs can be seen down the rear sides of the monitor. They can be disabled if desired
Bottom of the arm on the monitor attaches to the base
Bottom of the arm on the monitor attaches to the base
Only a power cord is required; there is no special power brick
Only a power cord is required; there is no special power brick
All ports are on the left side of the monitor when looking at it from the front
All ports are on the left side of the monitor when looking at it from the front

Once the monitor is upright, the arm allows for just minor adjustments including forward and backward tilting of only 5 degrees and 10 degrees, respectively. For anything more, you're going to have to use the included 200 x 200 VESA bracket.

The monitor supports resolutions and refresh rates of up to 3840 x 2160 and 138 Hz, respectively, via DisplayPort and all three of its HDMI ports. In our tests, however, we're only able to reach a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz when connecting our Razer Blade 16 via USB-C or HDMI. 138 Hz mode may be possible, but make sure your source and cable support it.

There is a long list of supported auxiliary features including FreeSync Premium, USB-C Power Delivery of up to 65 W, RGB LEDs, and split screen between different sources. USB-C PD and split screen are particularly handy as we would always have a connected and powered Chromebook as a secondary source for any emails or videos. G-Sync, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Android Cast are not supported, however. You'll have to supply your own Smart TV features as well if you intend to use the monitor for streaming.

Grilles along the rear to dissipate heat
Grilles along the rear to dissipate heat
Hole on the bottom of the arm for cable management
Hole on the bottom of the arm for cable management
Innocn logo sits on the perforated section where the speakers are located
Innocn logo sits on the perforated section where the speakers are located
Retail box includes DisplayPort cable, HDMI 2.1 cable, USB-C to USB-C cable, screws, batteries, remote control, screwdriver, and power cord
Retail box includes DisplayPort cable, HDMI 2.1 cable, USB-C to USB-C cable, screws, batteries, remote control, screwdriver, and power cord
Tactile physical buttons along the bottom left corner of the display
Tactile physical buttons along the bottom left corner of the display

The first thing we check when turning on any monitor is the OSD or onscreen display. Unfortunately, this is a weak point for the 48Q1V. The menu is carried over from the smaller 27-inch Innocn 27M2U, but it takes no advantage of the larger screen size. Thus, the vast options and small text are squished into a tiny menu at the corner of the screen. There are too many submenus to navigate and so even simple changes are a pain to get through. Adjusting the RGB LEDs, for example, is slow and unintuitive. This is definitely something the manufacturer can improve upon for future models.

Another annoyance relates to the slow switching between different video sources. Switching between the Nintendo Switch and the Razer Blade 16, for example, can take upwards of 10 seconds each time. The long wait would occur when the display is turned on as well. It's easy to think that the display may have crashed or froze because of the completely blank screen when switching between different video sources.

vs. sRGB standard
vs. sRGB standard
vs. P3 standard
vs. P3 standard
Grayscale (vs. sRGB)
Grayscale (vs. sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (vs. sRGB)
Saturation Sweeps (vs. sRGB)
ColorChecker (vs. sRGB)
ColorChecker (vs. sRGB)
Wide OLED viewing angles
Wide OLED viewing angles

Keep in mind that the remote must be pointed towards the bottom left corner of the monitor where the IR receiver is located. Otherwise, inputs tend to not register. The buttons on the remote do not have a backlight.

Fortunately, the most important aspect of the 48Q1V impresses: picture quality. Innocn advertises 100% sRGB and 98.5% DCI-P3 coverage which we can confirm with our own X-Rite colorimeter measurements. By default, the display is set to sRGB mode and the panel comes pre-calibrated for this specific profile. Gamma is excellent out-of-the-box at 2.2, but color temperature is slightly too cool at 7234 leading to a slightly higher grayscale deltaE average of 4.0. Average color deltaE is still very good at 2.29 nonetheless.

Innocn 48Q1V 48-inch 4K OLED
x,
Vissles Monitor 15.6
1920x1080, 15.60
Ananta 17.3-inch Touchscreen Portable Monitor
RTK3B3A, , 1920x1080, 17.30
Innocn 27M2U 27-inch monitor
3840x2160, 27.00
Innocn 27C1U Monitor
3840x2160, 27.00
Display
-43%
-10%
-4%
-2%
Display P3 Coverage
95.9
47.33
-51%
78.8
-18%
88.6
-8%
82.6
-14%
sRGB Coverage
100
66.4
-34%
100
0%
99.8
0%
99.7
0%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
87.6
48.6
-45%
77.6
-11%
83.7
-4%
94.5
8%
Response Times
-4796%
9071%
12045%
-5284%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
0.4 ?(0.2, 0.2)
41.2 ?(22.8, 18.4)
-10200%
38.4 ?(20, 18.4)
-9500%
13.2 ?(6.6, 6.6)
-3200%
30.8 ?(15.6, 15.2)
-7600%
Response Time Black / White *
0.6 ?(0.3, 0.3)
35.2 ?(22.4, 12.8)
-5767%
26.8 ?(18, 8.8)
-4367%
16 ?(8, 8)
-2567%
18.4 ?(10, 8.4)
-2967%
PWM Frequency
59.52 ?(100)
1000 ?(99)
1580%
24510 ?(20)
41079%
25000 ?(100)
41903%
Screen
-32%
17%
152%
105%
Brightness middle
102.5
248.1
142%
244.6
139%
585.6
471%
425.8
315%
Brightness
103
237
130%
231
124%
595
478%
395
283%
Brightness Distribution
92
91
-1%
88
-4%
94
2%
86
-7%
Black Level *
0.28
0.27
0.48
0.46
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.29
6.85
-199%
3.7
-62%
3.69
-61%
2.13
7%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.57
20.8
-217%
9.36
-42%
5.59
15%
8.45
-29%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4
5.8
-45%
6.1
-53%
3.8
5%
1.5
62%
Gamma
2.2 100%
2.34 94%
2.24 98%
2.32 95%
2.28 96%
CCT
7234 90%
6402 102%
8089 80%
6946 94%
6620 98%
Contrast
886
906
1220
926
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
5.69
3.08
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
42.8
69.8
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
65.8
100
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-1624% / -1226%
3026% / 2274%
4064% / 3086%
-1727% / -904%

* ... smaller is better

Very slight flickering of 59 Hz is detectable on most brightness levels
Very slight flickering of 59 Hz is detectable on most brightness levels
Extremely fast black-white response times
Extremely fast black-white response times
Extremely fast gray-gray response times
Extremely fast gray-gray response times

The maximum brightness setting is about 103 nits according to our colorimeter which is close to the advertised 108 nits when the entire screen is displaying white. However, shrinking the white spot to a small square in the center would automatically raise the brightness to about 160 nits and this would occur even if dynamic brightness is turned off. If "Highlight" mode is turned on, then the maximum brightness can reach 330 nits for regular content sources. Proper HDR10 content can induce a brightness of 720 nits according to the manufacturer. Though we didn't have any issues with the screen being too dim or too bright, some more straightforward brightness controls would have been more user-friendly.

It's not abnormal for many OLED panels to flicker when set to lower brightness levels. Innocn says that the 48Q1V is flicker-free and we can mostly confirm this claim with our own oscilloscope. We can observe a pulse-width modulation of 59 Hz on most brightness settings, but it is very minimal and essentially imperceptible. Black-white and gray-gray response times are also well under 1 ms each as is typical of OLED.

RGBW subpixels similar to the LG C1 or C2. RGBW is not ideal for monitors as RGB is preferred. The extra white pixel improves brightness where needed
RGBW subpixels similar to the LG C1 or C2. RGBW is not ideal for monitors as RGB is preferred. The extra white pixel improves brightness where needed
Temperature map shows a hot spot near the center left of the screen
Temperature map shows a hot spot near the center left of the screen

Audio quality is better than expected since integrated TV speakers tend to be underwhelming. The 2.1 speakers (1x20 W bass, 2x10 W mid) are relatively loud at 86 dB(A) maximum with no noticeable static or major distortions. Our pink noise graph shows balance could have been better at higher frequencies.

Our experience with the 48Q1V is overwhelmingly positive especially in regard to the quality of the display and overall aesthetics. The small menu could certainly use a revamp to be speedier, larger, and easier to navigate. The retail price is high but otherwise competitive with many higher-end smart TVs like the 48-inch LG C2 which currently retails for $1100 USD.

Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
Very small and crowded OSD relative to the large screen size
Very small and crowded OSD relative to the large screen size
Power consumption can be as low as 36 W on the minimum brightness setting to 79 W when on the maximum brightness setting. However, this can go much higher when displaying all white during HDR playback
Power consumption can be as low as 36 W on the minimum brightness setting to 79 W when on the maximum brightness setting. However, this can go much higher when displaying all white during HDR playback
Pros Cons
Attractive design with thin bezels Settings menu is too small
>98% DCI-P3 colors Switching between different video sources is very slow
LG 4K OLED panel No Bluetooth, G-Sync, or Wi-Fi capabilities
Decent integrated speakers RGBW better for gaming and HDR playback rather than text and browsing

Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2023 02 > 48-inch Innocn 48Q1V 4K gaming monitor on sale for US$1125, utilizes OLED panel from LG for 98 percent DCI-P3 colors
Allen Ngo, 2023-02-25 (Update: 2023-02-28)