BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor review: a superb ultrawide screen

The BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor has an awful lot going for it, as we'll explain in this review: it's one of the best gaming monitors you can pick up at the moment, and considering its versatility we'd also say it's one of the best ultrawide monitors too.

Here we'll guide you through everything you need to know about this particular device, from the refresh rate to the lighting options around the back. One glance should be enough to tell you if you like its aesthetics, and then it's all about the visual performance.

If you're looking for some help getting the perfect gaming rig set up then this is a great pick for one of the best curved gaming monitors – and we've also got some buying advice for those of you who are looking for the best gaming headsets and the best gaming laptops too.

BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor review: price and availability

If you're taken by what the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz has to offer, then the good news is that it's out and available to buy now. Check the widgets embedded on this page for the latest pricing, but at the time of writing you can pick it up for around £660/$630 online. In the UK, it can be picked up at retailers including Amazon and eBuyer.

BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor review: design and setup

The BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz is a well-designed, stylish and rather large gaming monitor, dominated by its 34-inch curved screen. 

Assembly is relatively straightforward, thankfully, with the base slotting into the stand and the stand slotting into the monitor – you don't need a screwdriver to put it together, and you can just about manage it solo (though an extra pair of hands to help you out is probably advisable).

When it comes to the looks of the monitor stand and the rear casing, it's more functional than flamboyant, with the red accents coming across as a bit of a token effort towards some kind of 'gamer' aesthetic. You could argue that the hardware is a little plain compared with other gaming monitors, but it's all subjective – some people will love the minimal, angular style. 

The bezels around the display are pleasingly thin, with the bottom chin larger to accommodate the speakers.

We do really like the subtle lighting system around the back of this monitor: there are four thin strips of illumination, with a decent selection of colours and effects to choose from. This is controlled with the on-screen menu, which is easy enough to get around via the small joystick underneath the monitor – it's actually one of the more intuitive sets of menus we've come across. You can access features such as volume control, input selection and dual picture settings from here.

The screen rotates and tilts, and the height can be adjusted, but it doesn't swivel around so you can use it in portrait mode (as you would probably expect from a curved monitor like this). In terms of dimensions, you're looking at a size of 795.7  x 530.8 x 269.7mm (with a 1,000R curvature), while the total weight comes in at 9.85kg. 

We like the selection of ports that BenQ has provided here too: there's 2x HDMI 2.0 and 1x DisplayPort 1.4, with a USB hub comprising 1x USB-B and 2x USB-A (at USB 3.0 speeds).

BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor review: features and picture

There's lots to catch the eye of gamers with the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor: a 3,440 x 1,440 pixel resolution, 2ms grey-to-grey response time, a typical brightness of 350 nits, and a peak HDR brightness of 400 nits. With refresh rate, you get a maximum of 144Hz via DisplayPort and 120Hz via HDMI. Add in the 3,000:1 native contrast and the 90 percent P3 colour gamut coverage and it's an impressive piece of kit all round.

Those specs translate to a really top quality picture as well. We tested the monitor with a variety of Windows applications and games, and it passed with flying colours every time. From detailed Excel spreadsheets to the vast open world of Red Dead Redemption 2, the display looked stunning in all scenarios, with no evidence of ghosting or blurring. While creative professionals might need a bit more precision in terms of colour accuracy, that isn't really the audience BenQ is going for here.

The monitor provides a variety of different HDR (high dynamic range) modes that you can cycle between, but we were happy enough with the defaults, even if we appreciate the option to start tweaking settings. When you're ready to sit back at the end of a long day and watch some streaming video, this again is handled with aplomb, with details in the lightest and darkest parts of the frame staying visible. Again, motion is crisp, while the brightness and contrast levels that this VA panel reaches won't disappoint anyone.

A word too for the 2.1 speaker setup – two 2W speakers and a 5W subwoofer – because it's really rather good. Not good enough to replace your wireless Sonos system of course, but good enough for most people's gaming, music and movie needs, with impressive clarity at high levels of volume and lots of subtlety at a low volume too. A 3.5mm headphone jack is included if you'd prefer your audio to be more private and want to use wired headphones. You even get a small and simple remote control in the box, making this even more appealing for entertainment.

BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor review: verdict

While we might have one or two small reservations about the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz gaming monitor – there's no USB-C or HDMI 2.1, as it's just not that high-end – overall it is very much a piece of hardware that deserves to be labelled as one of the best gaming monitors around. Its speedy response rate and refresh times, coupled with excellent brightness, contrast and colour performance, mean that just about every game you load up on this monitor looks fantastic. 

The screen continues to impress even when you move on to other tasks such as browsing the web, watching videos, and editing photos. If the best possible colour accuracy is a priority for you, then you're going to want to look elsewhere – but that doesn't mean that this can't be used for creative tasks, because all those pixels can really help.

Of course it's not going to be the cheapest monitor around, but then you knew that coming in, what with the 34-inches of screen space and the curved form-factor. Prices for these larger, curved gaming monitors are continuing to gradually come down, and for what you're getting in return we'd say that the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz offers excellent value for money. If you can manage to find it on offer while you're browsing around the web, then so much the better.

Also consider

Take a peek at our best gaming monitor list and you'll see that you've got plenty of choice here. Something like the Samsung Odyssey G9 is like a supercharged version of the BenQ EX3410R Mobiuz, because you get even more screen space (and will have to pay more to get hold of it as well). It boasts a resolution of 5120 x 1440 pixels and has a list of specs that show it was designed with gamers in mind.

If you want to make the jump to one of the best 4K monitors, then the LG 27GP950-B is hard to beat. It's smaller than the BenQ model we've reviewed here and doesn't come with integrated speakers, but it is packed with pixels and ports, and offers a 1ms response time that gamers are going to love. It also excels at every other task besides gaming, so consider it if you're after an excellent all-rounder.