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Out of all the hardware reviews I’ve done over the years, the Acer Predator CG48 might be the most challenging. It’s a massive 48” monitor, and I had to be reasonably creative to make sure I could review this piece of technology. While this one took some time to get through, I was impressed with what the Acer Predator CG48 could do.
I am already familiar with the quality of their products as one of my primary monitors is Acer. The Predator CG48 is a near-TV size at 48 inches, so it will take up a significant amount of space on anyone’s desk.
The Acer Predator CG48 monitor is huge but technically impressive
My desk setup features three monitors, so rearranging my office would have been a hassle. However, I was struck with inspiration. Instead, I moved my TV off my entertainment stand and put the Acer Predator CG48 there! It fits, albeit barely, and it’s well within reach of my desk.
It’s a simple enough task to run an HDMI cable or plug my PlayStation 5 in when I want to test how it runs on that. It’s designed similarly to a TV, with its thin panel and connections on the monitor's side. This is excellent because you can mount this monitor, and honestly, if this weren’t a loaner, I would have purchased a mount and placed it above my setup.
It comes with 4 HDMI ports, and only 1 is HDMI 2.1. This is great if you have an Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5, but if you have both, you can’t take advantage of them as you’d like. I suppose you could get an HDMI switcher, though. HDMI 2.1 means you can have a huge feature of 120 Hz and VRR on a PlayStation 5.
The Acer Predator CG48 also comes with a remote, which is a fantastic decision. It has the same menu as other Acer monitors, so it’s easy to navigate. The remote itself feels like the Amazon Fire remote or any other similar remote, so it’s going to feel familiar.
I’m so glad I rummaged through the settings, though - the visuals didn’t look quite as clear as they should have been. That’s because HDR is not on by default. You’ll have to go in and turn that on. While I was playing Tactics Ogre: Reborn for my review, it just looked washed out. When I turned on HDR, the visuals were crisp, clear, and beautiful.
How was this monitor put to the test?
While using the Acer Predator CG48, I played many games and spent a significant amount of time watching all of my TV on it. While no, this doesn’t have coaxial support, so while it’s designed like a TV, it doesn’t have TV support.
With that said, my Amazon Firestick worked just fine on it. This monitor also lacked any Smart TV support - so there were no built-in apps. That surprised me since it felt like it was presented as a TV.
I have a pretty bright office space and bedroom, so I was glad to see the Acer Predator CG48 had a solid anti-glare coating on the screen. It will not keep all the glare out if your blinds are open, but it sure helped.
I reviewed Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - Reunion, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and several other games while using this monitor. One place where this monitor truly shines is its contrast ratio. When playing games that have dark visuals, there was no weird blooming. Black coloring in video games looked intensely black instead of having any brightening within.
All the colors were brilliant. Pokemon Violet looked beautiful, and Crisis Core was a gorgeous experience. Even in games like Tactics Ogre: Reborn, a turn-based strategy game, the colors popped in such a magnificent way.
From World of Warcraft: Dragonflight to Final Fantasy XIV, the visuals held up no matter what MMO I played. There was no tearing or blurring when I played high-speed games like Warframe.
The on-screen visuals were brilliant on the Acer Predator CG48
The visuals were stunning, though. I think monitors like this work best for massive games that require as much screen real estate as possible. In particular, God of War Ragnarok looked stunning on this monitor. I could also see vast space games like Star Citizen being brilliant at this.
I briefly tested this myself, though I can’t play that game for long. The game's motion makes me nauseous, but I can see it being enjoyable for fans of that genre.
While the motion clarity on the screen was good, small fonts were pretty hard to read because this is a 138Hz monitor. I imagine you would need something more potent (EG: 240Hz or higher) to make it easy to read in a high-pressure setting.
In conclusion
It’s a brilliant but pricey monitor. This is not a terrible price if you’re not concerned with having multiple monitors. Considering that a three-monitor set-up could easily cost $1500, depending on the monitor's quality, it balances out more or less.
I love that it features high-quality eye protection with Acer VisionCare.It boasts several technologies that help reduce glare and keep a gamer’s eyes comfortable no matter what they’re doing. Whether I was writing or gaming, this monitor was a solid, visually appealing experience.
Monitor Name: Acer Predator CG48
Developer: Acer
Display size: 48-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio
Native resolution: 3480×2160
Panel type: OLED
Refresh rate: 138Hz
HDR: HDR10
Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
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
Stand adjustment: None
VESA mount: Yes, 200x200mm TV wall mount
Speakers: 2x 10-watt stereo speakers
Price: $1,499.99 MSRP
Release Date: Q3 2022
