REVIEW: The CRYSTALPRO MONOPRICE 40-inch MONITOR gets the job done

There are an unreasonable amount of options out there for monitors, TVs, and all types of displays. Between different resolutions, backlights, refresh rates, shapes, and prices, it can be difficult to know what to use and whether it’s worth it for your console, PC, AppleTV, or whatever you use. While I’m no display expert, it’s easy to say that Monoprice’s 40-inch CrystalPro UWQHD monitor is a great piece of hardware that beautifully displays any content in a crisp, colorful manner.

Over the past two weeks I’ve been using CrystalPro on a custom PC with mid-to-high specs for dozens of hours. As I said before, the image is wonderfully sharp and the colors are extremely vibrant. Black levels are pretty good for not an OLED or QLED display, but blacks are a little bright when used in a pitch-black room while playing a fairly dark game or show. The speed and performance of the CrystalPro are probably its best part. No tearing, no frame skipping and no other issues, it was smooth as nails from start to finish in my testing.

The only issue I had with the monitor is the setup. I kept the PC on and simply unplugged the PC from the old monitor and then plugged it into the CrystalPro. Initially it stayed black for minutes, I couldn’t do anything to make it work. I had to plug it in and out of power and HDMI, press the control button on the monitor several times, and try restarting the PC until it magically worked. It was extremely unintuitive and quite frustrating. There were no real instructions and maybe it was just me, but it shouldn’t be that difficult to connect anything to a modern monitor. As for the actual menus and customizing the display, it wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t that difficult either. It’s surprising that a high-end monitor is so difficult to set up. However, after setup, it worked perfectly and still works great.

The real elephant in the room with this monitor is that it’s flat, which isn’t that strange except for how long it is. The extra length makes multitasking easier. However, it’s honestly difficult to look at corners without leaning back or moving from side to side. That’s fine, and a flat monitor might be better for some people, especially if you sit further back or use it from a small distance, but it’s a sign of why much longer and larger monitors are more commonly curved now.

The Monoprice 40-inch CrystalPro UWQHD Monitor can be a powerful upgrade for any gamer. It looks great, runs smoothly and has a premium feel. But being flat and having a rough initial setup, this monitor is more of a luxury purchase for a specific audience than an easy piece to recommend for any gamer. Check out this link here.