MSI has released a 34in curved ultrawide monitor that targets professionals, with a slew of comfort and productivity-focused features. The MSI Pro MP341CQW E12 has a 21:9 aspect ratio and a VA panel boasting a (3440×1440) UWQHD resolution, giving it 34.4% more screen space compared to regular 16:9 display. What’s more, it has a very tempting price of just $239.
All that extra screen real estate allows you to easily put two windows side by side while you’re working, and make timeline-based work, such as video editing, feel less cramped. This makes it great for multitasking and even gaming, as the additional horizontal real estate allows for a wide field of view. You get a decent 120Hz refresh rate as well, offering smooth and less blurry motion than a 60Hz screen, which is handy when you’re scrolling down webpages or spreadsheets.
While it represents a good option for gamers looking for a wide, high-res screen on a tight budget, thanks to its Adaptive-Sync support, high refresh rate, and 1ms MPRT response time, the Pro MP341CQW E12 is designed for work first. Its feature set includes Picture-in-Picture (PIP), which overlays a second video source on top of the main one, for example, and Picture-by-Picture (PBP), which splits the screen in two so it can display different sources side-by-side.
To reduce eye movement fatigue, MSI has gone with a 1500R curve, which is said to align better with the human field of view than a flat screen. This is complemented by several eye-care features, such as anti-flicker technology, low blue light, plus a dedicated Eye-Q Check function, which monitors the user’s eye strain to determine if a break is necessary. MSI also recommends sitting up straight and adjusting your eye position to one-ninth of the top edge of the screen, in order to prevent neck and shoulder pain.
Its panel is capable of displaying 89% of the Adobe RGB and 114% of the sRGB colour gamuts, while its VA panel provides a 3,500:1 contrast ratio, with a typical 300nits of brightness. This makes it suitable for light content creation work on top of office tasks and gaming. There is also HDR support, but I wouldn’t expect much from it due to the lack of dimming zones.
One interesting feature that we don’t often see, but is supported by Pro MP341CQ E12, is the capacity to update firmware through the DisplayPort connection, allowing the installation of future optimisations and fixes if necessary.
The Pro MP341CQ E12 comes equipped with two HDMI 2.0b inputs, supporting its full resolution at 100Hz, one DisplayPort 1.4a (HBR2) connection for 120Hz, a headphone-out, plus two 2W speakers. Those owning an MSI Cubi mini-PC will also appreciate support for the Power Link feature, which allows both the PC and screen to turn on with a single press of the monitor’s power button.
The only part that may discourage some is the ergonomics, as this model only uses a basic stand, limited to -3.5°/+21.5° tilt. Thankfully, you can swap it for a 100mm VESA arm or a wall mount to unlock full adjustability, but that’s an extra cost that negates some of the value on offer.
Speaking of which, the Pro MP341CQ E12 is available on Amazon for $239.99. This puts it among the cheapest monitors with such specs, according to PC Part Picker.
