BenQ EX480UZ monitor.
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BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ

Go big with this pricey OLED 4K 120Hz gaming monitor.

(Image: © Future - Jorge Jimenez)

Our Verdict

The BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ is a solid choice if you want to adopt the large gaming monitor lifestyle. It's got the speed, color, and contrast you want for PC and console gaming. However, its limited ergonomics and high price make it hard to fully recommend over some of its competitors.

For

  • Great color and contrast
  • Excellent response time
  • Good speakers?!?

Against

  • Expensive
  • Poor ergonomic design
  • Unimpressive HDR

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How big is too big for a gaming monitor? Ask a bunch of PC gamers, and the answers will vary. Competitive gamers like 'em small and fast, while immersive gamers tend to go big and colorful. That's why I always found large-format gaming displays so interesting. The BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ wants to give you everything you need from a fancy OLED TV with the sensibilities and features of a gaming monitor. 

The EX480UZ is a massive 48-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor with a refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR10 support. This monster OLED did a great job of making my favorite PC games pop while looking like one of those fancy new TVs. As someone who recently decided to ditch a TV in favor of a big OLED gaming monitor, I'd been interested to see what else was out there. 

The one big difference between these large OLED monitors and TVs is connectivity. While a DisplayPort is excellent for PC gaming, only two HDMI 2.1 ports limit you if you plan to set this up as a television replacement. I'm probably in the minority since I have about half a dozen HDMI devices when you count all the game consoles and streaming gadgets.

So, ideally, I would have liked an extra HDMI port or two. The EX480UZ also has two USB 3.0 ports, a 90W USB Type-C downstream port to charge your devices, a USB Type-B port, and a S/PDIF jack. Not the worst loadout then, and that downstream port meant I could charge the Steam Deck.

BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ specs

Screen size: 48-inch
Resolution: 3,840 x 2160
Brightness: 450 nits peak brightness
Response time: 0.1ms GTG
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Viewing angle: 178° H&V
Contrast ratio: 135000:1
Features: 98.5% DCI-P3, adaptive sync, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB Type-C, 1x USB 3.0, Remote, KVM, HDRI Hotkey, Built-in speaker
Price: $1,799 

The ergonomics of the Mobiuz aren't great as a PC monitor. The legs take up a lot more space than I'd like, so think again if you had the notion of setting this up on a desk unless you have a freakishly large workspace. There's a limited tilt on it, so I can see an issue with finding the most comfortable viewing angle outside of some creative VESA mounting. 

Ideally, you want space between your face and a monitor of this size, but the sheer vastness of the Mobiuz means there's no way to safely push it back without it falling off your desk. A square stand could have given me an extra few inches of usable space. I can only imagine what working a full day using this display so close would make your eyes feel like. I did use it for a few hours to do some writing and gaming, and sitting so close to it gave me issues with text readability, even with text scaling applied. 

You'll often hear the phrase 'amazing picture quality' when talking about OLED monitors, which is true in this case. Additional features like ergonomics and ease of use will set the stellar ones apart from the rest, though, since many of the OLED panels of these larger gaming monitors will more or less be similar in performance. 

Invest in a HDMI switcher if you want more ports.  (Image credit: Future - Jorge Jimenez)

That said, the Mobiuz deserves some praise in the looks department. I recently built myself an RTX 3080-powered gaming PC, so I've been going back to games I thought looked incredible on PC. I can confirm that Spider-Man: Miles Morales looks fantastic on this monitor. Watching Miles thwip around New York City in 4K at 120Hz never gets old, or diving deep into Freelancer mode in Hitman. Though, using that HDR10 mode has been pretty hit or miss on some PC games. I tried Spiderman, Hitman 3, and Gears V, all games with excellent HDR content, which look fine on the Mobiuz. The contrast did feel a little off in Hitman and Gears in darker areas, but it didn't ruin the vibe. 

I also played a few hours of HiFi Rush, Tango Gameworks' quirky and vibrant rhythm action game, which proved to be a nice showcase for the monitor's color range. At moments, it felt like watching a Saturday morning cartoon. If you're an OLED skeptic (some do exist), seeing a game like this in action would definitely make you understand why we are all infatuated with OLED displays.  

At first, I wasn't amazed by the speaker bar at the bottom of the EX480UZ. I thought it seemed distracting, but eventually, it did grow on me. Mainly because it sounds surprisingly good for a gaming monitor speaker. The 2.1-channel speaker with a built-in 10W sub provides a decent enough soundscape and gives the Mobiuz some personality and visual flair—something I wish my Aorus OLED had instead of a dinky pair of legs.

HDR switcher on BenQ EX480UZ monitor.

Switch HDR settings on the fly.  (Image credit: Future - Jorge Jimenez)

The thing that really gave me pause is the price tag. The Mobiuz retails for $1,699 though I have seen it drop down to $1,400 over the last few weeks. If you're comparing it to OLED gaming TVs of that size, LG CG 1 is cheaper at $1300 and often discounted for a lot less than that and offers all the apps and 'TV' features out of the box.

The BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ is yet another large OLED that looks incredible and games amazingly, though it's a little impractical (and expensive) to recommend for most PC gamers. I love the picture quality and speedy response time, but its price and unimpressive HDR keep it from being a great monitor. 

The rise of sizable 1440p, 240Hz OLED gaming monitors, which we've said often feels like the new sweet spot for PC gaming, is becoming more of a thing. With this being another 4K, 120Hz gaming monitor acting as a TV replacement, the whole thing's starting to feel like more of a novelty. This is a shame because I recently became a large OLED display convert. Big 4K OLED gaming monitors will still have a place in homes and offices for weirdos like me, but maybe not for this price. 

The Verdict
BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ

The BenQ Mobiuz EX480UZ is a solid choice if you want to adopt the large gaming monitor lifestyle. It's got the speed, color, and contrast you want for PC and console gaming. However, its limited ergonomics and high price make it hard to fully recommend over some of its competitors.

Jorge Jimenez
Hardware writer, Human Pop-Tart

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web. 

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