Predator CG48: The OLED Behemoth

Edmund_McGowan · February 22

Prepare to question reality when you experience your favorite game, TV show, or movie through the majesty of the OLED Acer Predator CG48 monitor. This TV screen size OLED monitor is, as the title suggests, an OLED behemoth, so find the space for the CG48, and take part in the OLED revolution. While there are currently a few different display technology monitor types out there (-don’t worry, we’ll get to those in a minute), OLED offers superior picture quality. Simply put, if you want the most immersive, true to life 4k gaming experience that's sure to blow you away, then check out the Predator CG48. Read on to discover all you need to know about OLED, why OLED gaming monitors are superior, and of course, we’ll also cover all of the cool features of the Predator CG48.

What is OLED?

OLED, (organic light-emitting diode) represents the pinnacle of display technology today, but how does it work? Each individual pixel in an OLED display is emissive, meaning that when a charge (electrical current) is passed through the diode (made of organic compounds), then light is created. These compounds are carbon-based, and electroluminescent, so they glow, creating the image that you see on the screen. This organic compound is processed into a layer that is layered between a thin-film transistor and a filter (enabling impossibly thin screens). The emissive nature of OLED, where every pixel is individually controlled translates into High Dynamic Range (HDR), (precise highlights), as well as deep blacks and a wide color gamut. Finally, OLED technology enables lightning fast response time and low lag time.

OLED vs LED

LED (light-emitting diode) is a more widely used screen technology, and is a type of LCD (liquid crystal display) that uses multiple layers of liquid crystal, lit by a backlight. While both OLED and LCD monitors are available in endless combinations of size and quality, to suit every task and budget, if you are after the best picture quality available, then OLED is the better choice. Here’s an article discussing the finer details of the OLED vs LED to help you make your mind up about which type of monitor to go for. Now that we’ve got that over with, let’s get on with the show, and find out about the Predator CG48.

What is the Predator CG48?

Acer’s Predator CG48 is a widescreen 4K, 48-inch OLED monitor. Behold the tech specs of the CG48:

Screen: 48” 16:9 aspect ratio, flat panel TFT
Maximum resolution: 3480x2160
Panel type: OLED
Refresh rate: 138 Hz
Response time: 10 µs
Brightness 900 Nit
Viewing angle: Horizontal and vertical
HDR: HDR10
Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
Color Gamut: 98.5% DCI-P3
Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts Power Delivery, 1x 3.5mm audio out, 4x USB-A
Mount Type: Vesa 200x200mm TV wall mount
Other dimensions: Height 24.1” Width 42.1” Depth 2”
Speakers: 2x 10-watt stereo speakers
Price: $1,499.99 MSRP

We strongly recommend finding a store with a Predator CG48 in order to experience the immersive, vivid majesty of this OLED monitor for yourself. That said, the specifications of the CG48 also speak for themselves. If you’re not a monitor aficionado, some of the specs above might need a bit of explaining, so let’s dig a little deeper into what the CG48 has to offer gamers and other screen enthusiasts.

Firstly, the size of the screen is a striking feature: the Predator CG48 is likely to dominate your gaming table, and conveniently, can also be wall mounted. The lightning fast refresh rate of 138 Hz ensures seamless gameplay at the fastest of speed levels, and a 0.01 MS pixel response time guarantees fluid, unbroken gaming sessions with minimal to no ghosting! Now, let’s dig a little deeper into the jaw-dropping levels of brightness and color offered by the Predator CG48.

Connected and loud

Ready and prepared for both console and PC users, the CG48 includes four HDMI ports (x1 HDMI 2.1, x3 HDMI 2.0), Type-C, DisplayPort™, and a hub with four USB 3.2. A USB Type-C port offers 65W power delivery for charging your phone, as well as transferring data at up to 5Gbps. Sound wise, the dual 10W speakers will undoubtedly bring the ruckus to your gaming sessions.

Protect your vision

While lengthy gaming sessions might be how you roll, eye damage is not on anyone’s wishlist. Thankfully, Predator CG48 is TUV / Eyesafe® certified, and features an anti-glare rating of UGR < 22, meaning that the monitor is suitable for gaming, meetings, monitor-based work, as well as streaming movies and shows. The monitor also protects your eyes with Visioncare™. This innovative tech comprises:

Flickerless™ provides stable, consistent power to the display, eliminating the possibility of noticeable flicker.
Bluelightshield™ is a series of four filter settings that can be applied to mitigate the eyestrain from blue light emissions.
Comfyview + Low Dimming is an anti-glare matte to ensure your screen is always easy on your eyes, while Low-dimming allows up to 15% darker brightness levels.

High Dynamic Range Explained

Dynamic range is how we describe display contrast (that’s the difference between the extent of the darkness and brightness in a picture), and the amount of detail that can be displayed in between. Think of watching a night scene on an older TV model, the dark areas are simply black, shadowy voids. HDR (high dynamic range) provides brightness, darkness and color info across a wide range, allowing high levels of brightness and darkness on the screen.

Predator CG48 has a maximum HDR brightness of 900 nits (a nit is how we measure the amount of light emitted from a surface). These 900 nits guarantee outstanding highlights in dark scenes, with vivid colors and life-like detail even when gaming/viewing within a dark room. High dynamic range also ties into how we perceive color: a larger range of light allows us to see a greater range of color, or a wide color gamut.

Running the (color) gamut

While the HDR takes care of the luminance, or amount of light and dark, without color, it is, well, black and white. While standard color values used in broadcast TV are good enough for you to watch the news or weather reports, a wide color gamut pushes the boundaries of the range of colors we see. The Predator CG48 has 98.5% DCI-P3, resulting in highly saturated, vivid colors in gaming and movies, as well as photo and video editing.

Are OLED monitors worth it?

As we near the end of today’s discussion, this is a question that many prospective monitor buyers ask themselves during the purchasing process. While OLED pricing has become considerably more accessible in the past few years, OLED monitors and TVs are still considerably more expensive than their LED cousins. Compared to LED, OLED monitors offer superior color ratio and accuracy, contrast range and overall image quality. In terms of the downsides to OLED, there have been issues of burn-in (ghost image retention on the screen after heavy use). Depending on an individual user’s gaming and viewing habits, burn-in may not be an issue at all, but for gamers who go hard, periodically turning your monitor off can give the pixels a brief rest, mitigating burn-in.

The takeaway

Whatever screen you are reading this on, we hope that you have enjoyed our journey into the widescreen, ultimate quality display of the Predator CG48 OLED monitor. For serious gamers who require the pinnacle of display technology for immersive, reality questioning gaming experiences, check out Acer’s Predator CG48, and see where it will take you!