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Existing rules say birth control should be covered in some way, but many people are still paying out-of-pocket.

Can you get excited about a microchip? If you’ve never chosen your phone based on the chip inside, that may be worth considering when Snapdragon 8 Elite phones start to arrive. Qualcomm is doing for the next generation of smartphones what it recently did for Windows laptops, and phones that realize its vision will be different from anything we’ve seen before.

Last year, Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, a powerful processor that uses the sort of low-power cores normally found in smartphones. The obvious benefit is incredible battery life, since mobile processors are made to sip juice, not gulp. That benefit is now coming to smartphones, and I’m expecting great battery life gains in the next generation. All-day battery life is going to be the rule, not a rarity.

With the Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm created an incredibly powerful new chipset that includes its Oryon processing core. The X Elite is truly supercharged. The result was the fastest Windows laptops you could buy, and the first Windows laptops in years that could outperform a premium MacBook Pro.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon introduces the Snapdragon 8 Elite (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

This year, Qualcomm flew TechRadar to Maui for its Snapdragon Summit, and to check out the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which brings that Oryon core to smartphones. After all the speeches and bluster, I got to actually put the chips to work. Qualcomm provided a reference sample phone for benchmark comparisons – and the results completely blew me away.

I'm not usually a benchmark guy, but... wow!

I don’t let benchmark scores influence my reviews – I rely on my real-world testing and experience – but benchmarks can be handy for quick comparison. Take these results with a dash of salt, but the difference between the Snapdragon 8 Elite and all of the other phones I’ve tested is dramatic.

I tested the new Snapdragon 8 Elite alongside a Galaxy S24 Ultra, an iPhone 16 Pro, and even a Google Pixel 9 Pro (for laughs, the Pixel is terrible at benchmarks). Of course the new Snapdragon beat the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Galaxy, but could it beat the iPhone? The results weren’t even close.

Running the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test, the iPhone scored 4,086 while the Snapdragon turned in a whopping 7,019. On the GFX Manhattan 3.1 test, the iPhone drew 3,647 frames, while the Snapdragon produced 7,452 frames, more than twice as many. Again, these are only benchmarks, but those differences are stark.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

What’s much more interesting is how the Snapdragon 8 Elite compares to laptop chips. Compared to an Intel Core Ultra 7, the Snapdragon 8 Elite beat Intel’s laptop chip in Geekbench on single-core performance, and came very close on multi-core testing.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite beat a laptop chip – what does mean for the future of phones?

Qualcomm may have created a mobile chipset that performs as well as a PC. I can’t be sure until I’ve used a final, production handset with a Snapdragon 8 Elite inside, like the Asus ROG Phone 9; but for the first time ever, we may see comparable power from the best phones and best laptops.

App developers are bringing mobile apps closer in function to their desktop counterparts, but we may soon get identical versions of Adobe Lightroom or Microsoft Excel across Android and Windows, not to mention all the games we could finally play on a phone.

I’m very excited about what this means for a concept like Samsung’s DeX. With DeX, I plug my phone into a monitor and keyboard and I can use it like a desktop. If the next Galaxy S25 Ultra has a Snapdragon 8 Elite inside, DeX won’t just be a convenient way to write long emails and play mobile games on a big screen. With real PC power, my phone could replace the Surface Go laptop I use for work.

With great power comes a great big price tag

The problem is that power is expensive. Qualcomm is driving hard to beat the competition with this latest chip, both in terms of processing performance as well as power management. Manufacturing the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be more expensive than producing previous chips, and rumors suggest it will cost a lot more than the last generation, for the phone makers that buy it.

If it costs Samsung or OnePlus $40 (US estimate) more per chip, I would expect that equates to a $100 / £100 / AU$200 price increase for the phone. The prices of many of the best Android phones went up this year, and that trend is likely to continue.

Would I pay $1,400 / £1,350 / AU$2,400 for a Galaxy S25 Ultra? Maybe, if the Ultra truly can replace a laptop computer.

Qualcomm SVP Chris Patrick talks about what the Snapdragon 8 Elite can do (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I’m not sure if a phone/laptop hybrid would appeal to most folks, but I can imagine businesses deciding to buy one device instead of supplying employees with a phone and a laptop. If we see some good accessories that make it easy to use Snapdragon 8 Elite phones as a PC replacement, I think we’ll see phone makers selling devices with that purpose front and center.

Everything about your smartphone is going to improve when you have a chip this fast inside, from browsing the web to playing games to getting things done. Your network connection will seem faster, because the phone will be able to process the data more quickly and load pages much faster than before.

Honestly, we don’t even know what the future will hold when phones are this powerful, because our imagination has limited this power to big, heavy machines with gigantic batteries and a keyboard attached. I’m hoping to see entirely new categories of games, and new app concepts that will make yesterday’s phone seem primitive. I’ll also be happy if I can rely on my next phone to last all day, like my laptop.

You might also like

• We got a sneak peek at the Asus ROG Phone 9, one of the first Snapdragon 8 Elite phones, and it's going to be fast
• Forget Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 – Qualcomm’s Apple A18 Pro rival is the Snapdragon 8 Elite
• Xiaomi 15, Honor Magic 7, and more Android phones confirmed to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite

Meta has just announced plans to bring back facial recognition technology to Facebook and Instagram. This time it's a security measure to help combat "celeb-bait" scams and restore access to compromised accounts.

"We know security matters, and that includes being able to control your social media accounts and protect yourself from scams," wrote the Big Tech giant in a blog post published on Monday, October 21.

Meta wants to use facial recognition technology to detect scammers who use images of public figures to carry out attacks. The company is proposing to compare images on adverts or suspicious accounts with celebrities' legitimate photos. The facial recognition tech will also allow regular Facebook and Instagram users to regain access to their own accounts if locked or hijacked. They'll be able to verify their identity through video selfies which can then be matched to their profile pictures. Handy, sure, but can I trust Meta with my biometrics?

The Big Tech giant promises to take a "responsible approach" which includes encrypting video selfies for secure storage, deleting any facial data as soon as it’s no longer needed, and not using these details for any other purpose. Yet, looking at Meta's track record regarding protecting and misusing its users' information and I'm concerned.

Meta's broken promises

Facebook's parent company has repeatedly breached the privacy, and trust, of its users in the past.

The 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal was probably the turning point. It shed light on how the personal information of up to 87 million Facebook users was misused for targeting political advertising, predominately during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

The company implemented significant changes around user data protection after that but Meta's privacy breaches have continued.

Only this year Meta admitted to having scraped all Australian Facebook posts since 2007 to train its AI model without giving the option to opt-out. The company was also hit with a major fine (€91 million) in Europe for incorrectly storing social media account passwords in unencrypted databases. The year before, January 2023, Meta was hit by an even bigger fine (€390 million) for serving personalized ads without the option to opt out and illicit data handling practices.

It's certainly enough to make me skeptical of Meta's good intentions and big promises.

I’m curious what privacy advocates think about Meta’s new plan to use facial recognition to help locked-out users. Getting locked out of Facebook or Instagram is a huge problem.But this is also a reminder we have no federal laws protecting our faces. https://t.co/jvX9NIWYPuOctober 23, 2024

It's also worth noting that Meta itself decided to shut down its previous facial recognition system in 2021 over privacy concerns, promising to delete all the "faceprints" collected. Now, three years later, it's back on the agenda.

"We want to help protect people and their accounts," wrote Meta in its official announcement, "and while the adversarial nature of this space means we won’t always get it right, we believe that facial recognition technology can ​​help us be faster, more accurate, and more effective. We’ll continue to discuss our ongoing investments in this area with regulators, policymakers, and other experts."

We won’t always get it right – that's not very reassuring. So, something wrong is certain to happen at some point? If that's the case, no thanks, Meta, I don't trust you with my biometric data. I'd rather lose Facebook or Instagram account. What's the benefit of solving a problem to create an even bigger one?

What's certain is that Mark Zuckerberg doesn't need to lose any sleep over EU fines over this for the time being. Meta's facial recognition tests aren't running globally. The company has excluded the UK and the EU markets. GDPR provides stringent privacy laws around personal information.

Elsewhere, Meta's testing will eventually show whether or not the new security feature is the right solution to the growing issue of social media scams, or whether it becomes yet another privacy nightmare. Well, in the name of my privacy, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble of finding out.

Western Digital recently split its business into two divisions: The WD brand, which now focuses exclusively on hard drives, and SanDisk, which manages the flash side, including SSDs, memory cards, and USB flash drives. While browsing SanDisk’s site, I noticed the Extreme Pro SDHC and SDXC UHS-I card is now available in a 2TB capacity, expanding the existing range, which previously topped out at 1TB.

This is great news for content creators and professionals, as the doubled capacity provides plenty of space for thousands of RAW photos or hours of 4K UHD video, and the card is fast too, making it ideal for demanding tasks like continuous burst photography and slow-motion video capture.

SanDisk claims the card offers read speeds of up to 250MB/s and write speeds of up to 150MB/s when used with the SanDisk QuickFlow SD UHS-I Card USB-A Reader (sold separately). QuickFlow first exceeded the UHS-I 104MB/s speed barrier in 2018, and SanDisk made further improvements to its technology in 2022 and again in 2024.

Reasonably priced

Living up to the Extreme part of its name, the card is engineered to withstand harsh temperatures, humidity, water, shocks, and even X-rays, ensuring reliable data protection in tough environments. It comes with a lifetime limited warranty, underscoring its durability, and buyers get access to RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software for two years after purchase, to help restore accidentally deleted or corrupted files.

2TB of storage is enough to store up to 47,368 24MP RAW photos or over 2,800 minutes of 4K UHD video. Compatible with various devices, including DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, camcorders, and laptops, the SanDisk Extreme Ppro SD UHS-I card is priced lower than I would have expected, and you can buy it right now for $299.

if you want to pick up the SanDisk QuickFlow SD UHS-I Card USB-A Reader at the same time, that will cost you an additional $17.99. You can obviously use the 2TB card with other readers.

More from TechRadar Pro

• These are the largest microSD cards you can buy right now
• SanDisk takes over SSD, memory cards and flash drives from Western Digital
• WD launches enormous 4TB SD card for creative pros

Can the Foxes make it three wins in a row?

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Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4: two-minute review

The nifty-fifty lens is a staple in many a photographer's camera bag – a typically compact lens for portraiture that offers good control over depth of field to make your subjects stand out. It's the lens that I would recommend to beginner photographers having grown out of their kit lens and looking for a second lens to elevate the quality of their photos – and if they have a Nikon camera I would recommend the new Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.4.

Where mirrorless lenses can often be much pricier than DSLR equivalents – the classic 50mm f/1.8 lens for Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras is just about the cheapest lens you can buy at around $100 / £100 secondhand – Nikon is looking to buck this trend by creating affordable options for mirrorless, and the new Z 50mm f/1.4 is its cheapest Z-mount f/1.4 lens so far.

This isn't Nikon's first 50mm lens for its mirrorless cameras. It follows the optically-excellent Z 50mm f/1.8, which was one of Nikon's first lenses for its Z-mount, launched back in 2018, while there's also the 50mm f/1.2 pro lens with 'S' moniker, and the beastly 58mm f/0.95 Noctilux which costs a cool $9,000. However, the new Z 50mm f/1.4 is a stripped-back variation, with minimal external controls, a lightweight build, and offering decent rather than spectacular image quality.

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

It's pretty much in the same mold as the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 lens which I reviewed recently – the pair share practically the same size, weight, 62m filter size and design. One on hand I respect what Nikon is doing; where Canon launches the pro-grade RF 35mm f/1.4 for mirrorless which costs around $1,500 / £1,820 / AU$2,699, Nikon is launching a lens for enthusiast photographers for around a third of the price.

The downside, however, is that optical quality, while very sharp, is decent rather than outstanding, especially when it comes to bokeh. You're not getting buttery-smooth out-of-focus light balls, but a slightly 'fussy' bokeh instead. I pitted it against the F-mount Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S lens for DSLRs launched in 2008 (you can see the two lenses side by side, below) and the older lens has smoother bokeh.

However, bokeh is more circular in shape with the new Z-mount 50mm f/1.4, while its clarity wipes the floor with the F-mount 50mm f/1.4 G when shooting at f/1.4, which is what I suspect many photographers will be doing. In-focus detail is so much sharper at f/1.4, and even skin tones are more accurate – there can be a slight yellow-ish hue with the DSLR version of the lens.

That superior performance when shooting with the aperture wide-open is what you can expect with the best Nikon mirrorless cameras and lenses, while autofocus is snappier and more reliable too.

Nikon's new Z 50mm F1.4 lens alongside Nikon's F-mount 50mm f/1.4G lens with Nikon Z-mount to F-mount adaptor (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

My F-mount 50mm f/1.4G AF-S, which by the way is almost the same price as the Z 50mm f/1.4, has notoriously bad back-focusing issues when used with a DSLR – you think the focus is on the eyes of your subject, only for it to be on the ears. When you're shooting at f/1.4 with such shallow depth of field, it's noticeable. This issue is somewhat improved when the lens is used on a mirrorless camera via an adapter, but the mirrorless lens still has the edge.

With mirrorless cameras, such as the Nikon Z6 III for which the Z 50mm f/1.4 is a perfect fit, you get the latest subject-detection and eye-detection autofocus, which will nail sharp focus on the eyes. And it's this performance which makes a Nikon mirrorless camera with this new 50mm lens an easy recommendation, even if the icing on the cake would be slightly better bokeh.

Like the 35mm f/1.4, I expect the 50mm f/1.4 to prove popular, even if it's not one of Nikon's best lenses. If you're upgrading from existing DSLR gear, of the two, I would buy the 50mm lens before the 35mm.

Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 specs Image 1 of 5

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4: Design

• Small and simple
• Decent pairing with Nikon's smallest mirrorless cameras like the Z6 III
• Quick and quiet autofocus
• Maximum 0.17x magnification ratio for moderate close-up photography

The Z 50mm f/1.4 design is pretty much a copy-and-paste of the Z 35mm f/1.4, meaning it's a small and simple lens. The lenses are practically the same in size and weight, with the Z 50mm a hair's breadth longer at 88.5mm in length, and tipping the scales at 14.9oz / 420g – that's just 5g more than the 35mm lens.

Nikon's equivalent F-mount lens for DSLRs – the 50mm f/1.4G – is smaller and lighter still, but so far as Nikon Z-mount lenses go, this is one of the smaller ones.

I tested the lens with a Nikon Z6 III and the Nikon Z6 II, mid-sized cameras for which the Z 50mm f/1.4 is perfectly balanced, being compact in form. Unlike those cameras, however, the Z 50mm f/1.4 isn't officially weather-sealed, and so it's probably best to treat it with care. Sure, the occasional light shower is no problem, but sand, dust, and heavy downpours could eventually prove the lens' undoing.

There's not a single button or switch on the lens, and as someone who regularly switches between manual and autofocus, I've missed having a direct control on the lens. I'd love to know Nikon's reasoning for omitting a MF / AF switch – surely it can't be a cost-saving exercise.

The only exterior controls are a generously-sized focus ring, plus a customizable control ring. The latter can be set to various functions, one of which is as a click-less aperture ring, which is a particularly handy control for filmmaking.

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

The minimum focus distance is 1.22ft / 0.37m, which results in a magnification ratio of 0.18x, which again is very similar to the Z 35mm lens. In real terms, you can easily fill the frame with close-up subjects like flowers, but this is no macro lens.

Autofocus is impressively quick and quiet. Pair this lens with the Z6 III, which boasts eye-detection autofocus and Nikon's best subject-detection autofocus performance, and you have a powerful tool for portraiture. Put simply, you can rely on this lens, mounted on one of Nikon's latest mirrorless cameras, to hit sharp focus where it matters most.

Autofocus is a refreshing and reliable experience when compared to shooting with my Nikon D800 and 50mm f/1.4 G AF-S lens, which I can't trust and; to be blunt, using it can be a little stressful, especially in pressure moments such as a portrait shoot or a wedding. I'm so glad that I upgraded from DSLR to mirrorless years ago, and it's lenses like the new Z 50mm f/1.4 that make the experience so enjoyable.

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4: Performance

• Very sharp detail
• Handy wide aperture for shallow depth of field and low-light scenes
• Bokeh quality is just 'good'

Autofocus is quick and reliable with one of Nikon's latest mirrorless cameras, like the Z6 III, which is an excellent foundation for portraiture photography. Knowing that you're getting sharp focus on the eyes is one less thing to worry about, helping you relax into portrait shoots. But what is optical quality like beyond accurate focusing? Overall, it's just decent rather than spectacular.

Detail is very sharp. If you're shooting with the aperture set anywhere between f/2 and f/8 you can expect tack-sharp detail across the entire frame for subjects within the field of focus. Even at f/1.4 detail is very sharp, and this lens wipes the floor with the F-mount DSLR equivalent, the 50mm f//1.4G, which is much softer at f/1.4.

The optical construction, as with most 50mm lenses, is relatively basic. There are nine aperture blades for a rounded aperture, and bokeh is nice and round at f/1.4, especially when compared to the bokeh produced by the F-mount 50mm f/1.4G, which is more cat's-eye in shape in the corners of the frame. However, if you stop down the Z-mount lens to f/2.8 you'll see the more octagonal-like shaping.

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Detail from the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 is sharp at f/1.4, and bokeh rounded. With lens corrections active, aberrations are controlled better. Stop the aperture down and bokeh becomes less rounded (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 4

By comparison, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S lens for DSLRs is much softer at f/1.4, while its bokeh is cats eye-shaped in the corners. Conversely to the Z-mount lens, stop down to f/2.8 and bokeh becomes more rounded. (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 4

The Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.4 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 4

The 50mm f/1.4G AF-S lens for DSLRs at f/1.4 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

It's the bokeh quality that could be a deal-breaker for professional portrait photographers, for whom the Z 50mm f/1.2 is the better choice, provided you can afford it (it's almost five times the costs of the f/1.4 lens). For everyone else, bokeh quality is fine.

If you look closely at images with the f/1.4 lens, the edging of bokeh 'balls' is a little pronounced, rather than them having a nice smooth fall-off. Thankfully there's little sign of aberrations in those edges, which would otherwise be impossible to fix at the click of a button. Only in the most extreme scenarios, like backlit water droplets (see above), will you see pronounced aberrations.

Vignetting – which is the light fall-off in the corners of images – is pretty standard. At f/1.4 it's clear to see, while those darker corners significantly brighten at f/2, and the effect is all but gone by f/4. Below you can see the same image shot at f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6, so you can compare bokeh, aberrations, and vignetting.

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Left: f/1.4 aperture and aberrations in bokeh Right: f/5.6 fussy bokeh less rounded in shape Note, all lens corrections are switched off (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 2 of 7

f/1.4 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 3 of 7

f/1.8 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 4 of 7

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f/4 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)Image 7 of 7

f/5.6 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4: sample images Image 1 of 9

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(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman) Should you buy the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4? Buy it if...

You take a lot of portraits

There's a reason that wide-aperture 50mm lenses are popular for portraiture – you get a flattering perspective and shallow depth of field.

You want an affordable fast-aperture lens

This is Nikon's most affordable Z-mount lens with a f/1.4 maximum aperture.

You don't need the bells and whistles

Its stripped back design is best suited to those who are happy to let the camera take control, for instance mainly relying on autofocus.

Don't buy it if...

Bokeh matters most to you

Slightly fussy bokeh is the singular biggest disappointment in this low-cost portrait lens.

You like to take control over focusing

With no direct manual / autofocus switch, it's a time sink switching between the two through the camera.

You work in tough environments

No official weather sealing means you'll need to act with a degree of caution in inclement weather and tough environments.

How I tested the Nikon Z 50mm f/1.4

• Regular use over one month
• Paired with the Nikon Z6 III and Nikon Z6 II
• Like-for-like tests with the F-mount Nikon 50mm f/1.4 for DSLRs

Nikon loaned me the Z 50mm f/1.4 for a whole month, and it was my primary lens during this period. I've taken it on early morning photo walks, made portraits, and used it in a wide range of stills and video scenarios. It has tackled some tough tasks, such as shooting close-up photos of water droplets into the light.

All in-camera lens corrections were turned off, and I took all photos in raw and JPEG format to compare the results un-corrected and the processed results. As always, I took several series of an identical image, working down the aperture range (in this case f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2, f/2.8, f/4 and f/5.6) to see how sharpness and bokeh compares at the various settings.

I also dug out my old F-mount 50mm f/1.4 lens, which I've previously used with a Nikon D800 DSLR, and took like-for-like photos with it alongside the Z 50mm f/1.4 on the Nikon Z6 III (via an adaptor for the F-mount lens). The resolution of the full-frame cameras used for this test was 24MP. I avoided using the camera in heavy rain, but felt comfortable using it in cold and moderately wet weather.

• First reviewed October 2024

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MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Three-minute review

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is easily one of the best gaming monitors I've ever used, although it's going to struggle against the best ultrawide monitors for just about all other tasks other than gaming and watching video content.

A clue as to why it's so good for the latter is in the name: OLED. The Samsung QD-OLED panel on this monitor is spectacular to look at, offering a snappy 0.03ms response time and 144Hz refresh at a 5120 x 1440p for ultrafast high-end gaming. The 1800R curve of the panel is also the perfect match for the 32:9 aspect ratio, so you don't lose detail in your peripheral vision.

What's more, at just $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,699, you're going to feel like you're getting a much more premium product for your money than its visuals might suggest.

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 ultrawide, for example, offers slightly better specs, but comes with a price tag that's nearly 50% more, making the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED appear something of a bargain.

However, look under the hood, though, and you'll spot where some compromises have been made.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

For one, OLED panels are notorious for suffering burn-in, so if you didn't register and activate that copy of Windows you've been using, this monitor will have you found out, even if you eventually do give Microsoft the money it's due.

What's more, in order to prevent burn-in, you'll need to let the monitor run its OLED Care routine after about six hours or so. While you might be able to opt out when the monitor first notifies you that it's time to run the routine, you'll only be delaying the inevitable – and, when you least expect it, the monitor will go ahead and run the routine and you can't stop it (nor should you).

While this will extend the useful life of your monitor, this unpredictability will be a nightmare for, say, Final Fantasy XIV fans who are in the middle of a boss raid. That's because once the routine starts, the monitor effectively shuts off, and you have to wait anywhere from five to thirty minutes for the routine to complete.

Of course, this could also be a benefit, since it does force you to get up and maybe pet your cat or run to the store and get in some exercise; but it will be incredibly frustrating when it happens in the middle of something you'd rather not interrupt.

This isn't an MSI-exclusive problem, of course. All OLED monitors have to deal with such issues, but considering the investment here, it's best that you know what you're in for.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

In terms of features, you do get a good number of ports, with the USB-C capable of 90W power delivery. There's also a USB hub built-in with a KVM feature, which is handy – although the USB-A ports are limited to USB 2.0.

Note that you don't get any speakers with this monitor, so you'll have to settle for discrete PC speakers or a PC gaming headset, which might be a nuisance for those without either.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

With regards to the screen itself, the nature of the pixels in the Samsung QD-OLED panel the MSI MPG 491CQP uses also tend to make text and Windows UI elements a bit wonky around the edges. If you're planning to do a lot of non-gaming work on this monitor, then, your experience might not match the price you're paying.

However, let's be clear, this is a gaming monitor through and through – and it's here that the MSI MPG 491CQP really shines. Rated for 0.03ms pixel response and 144Hz max refresh, this monitor will look and feel incredibly fast compared to even the best LCD monitors, and because it's an OLED panel, you'll get fantastic HDR with pure black color and no perceptible screen glow to ruin a scene.

Its color gamut coverage is excellent, too, rated for 98% AdobeRGB, 99% DCI-P3, and 146% sRGB. So, whether you're working or gaming, you'll be on the receiving end of incredibly vibrant colors.

Of course, it's also important to recognize that a monitor such as this will require the best graphics card to really push frame rates high enough to take advantage of what the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED has to offer.

Anything less than the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super or AMD RX 7900 GRE won't be able to keep up with the texture sizes required for its native resolution, and even entry-level 4K graphics cards such as the RTX 4070 Ti Super or AMD RX 7900 XT won't be able to push frame rates into the hundreds without seriously scaling back the graphics quality. If you want to get the most out of this monitor at 5120 x 1440p, you'll need an RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX to get there.

If you're covered on that front then the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED monitor is a fantastic buy for gamers, so long as you can handle the quirks of using an OLED display. If not, there are plenty of IPS and mini-LED displays out there that will work for you, but you'll be hard-pressed to find any that look this good.

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Price & Availability

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, with a retail price of $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,699, respectively.

This is substantially cheaper than the competing Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, which at $1,599.99 in the US is roughly 45% more expensive.

However, since both monitors have been on the market for several months now, it should be possible to find the models at lower cost – which makes a direct price comparison a bit of a moving target right now, especially during major sales events like Black Friday.

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: Specs

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Should you buy the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED?

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Buy the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED if...

The MSI MPG 491CQP looks stunning with sharp contrast, speedy performance, and vivid colors.

While this monitor isn't cheap, for what you get, it's a bargain that offers premium performance at a more affordable price.

Don't buy it if...

If you're used to playing PC games on your day off for several hours or more, be prepared to have the fun interrupted by the very necessary OLED Care feature.

This monitor is a great value for its class, but this is still a premium item.

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED: also consider

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is the premier super-ultrawide OLED monitor, sporting a faster refresh and extra features, but for a more premium price.

Read the full Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 review

How I tested the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED

I used the MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED for a few months, playing games, working on photo and video content, as well as productivity work.

Since this is a gaming monitor first and foremost, I made sure to play a variety of games, from competitive shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone as well as more laid-back titles such as Satisfactory. I have a very high-end PC, so I was able to consistently push the monitor's full resolution at 144fps to really challenge the display's performance.

I've been reviewing computer hardware for nearly five years now with TechRadar, including dozens of monitors, so I know what makes for a great gaming display and what will likely disappoint most gamers. I do my best to leverage that knowledge to deliver the best assessment of any products I review.

• First reviewed October 2024

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