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Acer’s new Nitro XZ2 curved gaming monitor is insanely cheap

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While responsive, curved monitors are often considered expensive tools in an enthusiast gamer’s war chest, Acer is defying convention with its new lineup of affordable curved Nitro XZ2 gaming monitors. With its 23.6-, 27-, and 31.5-inch models, Acer’s latest monitors are packed with features that gamers covet — like fast response time, HDR support, and an immersive FHD screen — at a budget-friendly $199 starting price.

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“Our newest Nitro series monitors combine speed, FreeSync, and curved panels to offer fun and exciting gaming at a great value,” said Ronald Lau, Acer America director of stationary computing. “The fast performance and affordable pricing make the Nitro series ideal for a wide range of gamers, particularly for first-person shooter and racing games where fluid visuals are key.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re a gamer on Acer’s Nitro laptops or desktops, the design of these panels will definitely complement your setup. Framed with minimal bezels and clad in black, all three monitors come with a red stand and red accents on the rear. The built-in stand offers swivel, tilt, and height adjustments for improved ergonomics, or you can use the panel on your own VESA-compatible wall mount to free up desk space.

All three panels support VESA Certified DisplayHDR 400 and up to 400 nits of brightness for deeper saturation and to draw out details in the shadows and highlights in complex game scenes. The 1500R curved radius makes gaming immersive, while the AMD FreeSync support helps to minimize stutters, tears, and ghosting effects. With Visual Response Boost technology, Acer claims that these displays can deliver up to a 1ms gray-to-gray response time to reduce blur. On top of that, the larger panels max out with a 165Hz refresh rate, while the 23.6-inch version tops out with 144Hz. Resolution tops out at FHD on all three panels.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

All three displays are built on vertical alignment LCD panels that come with an anti-glare coating that offers a 178-degree viewing angle. Like most other monitors on the market, Acer also adds its own custom tuning, like a blue light filter to and flicker-less technologies to reduce eye fatigue during long gaming sessions. There are also eight predefined Game Mode settings to optimize the panels for viewing action, racing, sport, movies, and more.

All the panels come with built-in dual 3W speakers, though serious gamers will want to bring their own dedicated sound system or gaming headphones for a more immersive audio experience. The monitors are available now, and pricing starts at $199 for the 23.6-inch XZ242Q, $259 for the 27-inch XZ272, and $449 for the 31.5-inch XZ322QU.

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Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
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