ASUS XG248Q Review: 1080p 240Hz FreeSync Gaming Monitor With Backlight Strobing

The ASUS ROG Strix XG248Q is a 23.8″ 1080p 240Hz gaming monitor aimed at professional and hardcore gamers.

What makes this 240Hz model stand out from the rest of similar monitors is that it supports FreeSync, it’s G-SYNC compatible, and offers backlight strobing up to 240Hz – all that for a very appealing price.

Image Quality

Unlike the more popular 24.5″ 1080p 240Hz models, the ASUS XG248Q uses a 23.8″ panel by Innolux which offers slightly sharper and clearer details thanks to its higher pixel density (pixel-per-inch ratio).

Although it features the same specs, including dithered 8-bit color depth (6-bit + FRC), 400-nit peak luminance, and 1,000:1 contrast ratio, the color and contrast performance is a bit weaker on the ASUS ROG Strix XG248Q display.

The difference, however, is negligible after considering the superior performance the XG248Q offers in comparison to most of the 24.5″ variants.

Performance

Thanks to its imperceptibly low input lag (~3ms) as well as the fast 1ms response time and 240Hz refresh rate, the ASUS ROG Strix XG248Q monitor delivers impeccable and flawless performance in fast-paced games.

What’s more, you can enable the ASUS ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) motion blur technology, which via backlight strobing provides CRT-like motion clarity.

Now, the backlight strobing frequency of most 240Hz monitors maxes out at 144Hz, whereas the XG248Q goes all the way to 240Hz.

Note that you can also enable ELMB at 120Hz, 144Hz, and 200Hz in addition to 240Hz. Set it to the refresh rate that’s closest to your in-game frame rate for minimal strobe crosstalk.

In addition to having six levels of response time overdrive (from 0 to 5) as well as both FreeSync and G-SYNC support, you will be able to tweak the perfect settings to match your preferred gaming experience/gameplay style with this gaming monitor.

Features

ASUS’s standard gaming features, including GamePlus and GameVisual are also available on the ASUS XG248Q 240Hz gaming monitor.

These features include customizable on-screen timers, crosshairs, and an FPS counter, as well as pre-calibrated picture, presets (Racing, RTS/RPG, FPS, MOBA, Scenery, User, Cinema, sRGB) and four customizable profiles you can edit/save.

Additionally, the monitor offers AuraSync, which consists of customizable RGB LEDs that you can synchronize with the rest of AuraSync-compatible hardware as well as with on-screen content in compatible games.

The monitor is flicker-free, has a low blue light filter, and features a user-friendly OSD (On-Screen Display) menu that can be easily navigated via its 5-way joystick. You will also find three gamma presets (1.8, 2.2, and 2.5) and other standard adjustments.

Lastly, you get ASUS’ DisplayWidget software, where you can get customizable all your settings and presets in a desktop application.

Design & Connectivity

The design is sturdy and versatile with up to 100mm of height adjustment, 90° pivot, +/- 50° swivel, -5°/20° tilt, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Beneath the base of the monitor, there’s the ROG logo light projector, which comes with two different logo covers and one that’s customizable.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, a dual-USB 3.0 hub, and a headphones jack.

FreeSync works over both HDMI and DisplayPort with a 40-240Hz variable refresh rate range whereas G-SYNC (requires at least 417.71 WHQL drivers and GTX 10-series or newer NVIDIA GPU) works over DisplayPort only, with the same range.

Price & Similar Monitors

The ASUS ROG Strix XG248Q price is around $300, which is a bit steep considering that is uses a TN panel.

Nowadays, you can find a 1080p 240Hz IPS gaming monitor that’s just as fast, but offers better colors and wider viewing angles for the same price, such as:

• ASUS VG259QM – 280Hz OC, ELMB-SYNC (MBR and VRR simultaneously)
• Dell S2522HG – No MBR, but it’s the cheapest at ~$250
• ViewSonic XG2431 – Best MBR implementation (PureXP+)

You may also want to check out our best monitors for FPS games buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

While the ASUS XG248Q was an appealing 240Hz monitor when it was released, there are better models available nowadays at the same price range.

Specifications

Screen Size	23.8-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	TN
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	240Hz
Response Time	1ms (GtG)
Motion Blur Reduction	1ms (MPRT)
Adaptive Sync	FreeSync (48Hz-240Hz) G-SYNC Compatible
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness	400 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (6-bit + FRC)
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)