Introduction
Where a lot of people often carry laptops around for work, iiyama has created the PROLITE XCB3494WQSN. A 34-inch monitor with a KVM switch, where all necessary connections can be controlled via a single cable. A very handy option if I do say so myself.
Specifications
As usual, let’s kick off the review with the specs.
PANEL CHARACTERISTICS
Design: curved
Screen diagonal: 34″, 86.4cm
Panel: VA Panel, matte finish
Curved: 1500R
Resolution: 3440 x 1440 @120Hz (4.9 megapixel UWQHD)
Aspect ratio: 21:9
Panel brightness: 300 cd/m²
Static Contrast: 3000:1
Advanced contrast: 80M: 1
Response Time (MPRT): 0.4ms
Viewing zone: horizontal/vertical: 178°/178°, right/left: 89°/89°, up/down: 89°/89°
Color support: 16.7mln (sRGB: 99%; NTSC: 93%)
Horizontal Sync: 30 – 185kHz
Viewable area: 797.2 x 333.7mm, 31.4 x 13.1″
Pixel pitch: 0.232mm
Color: matte, black
SIGNAL INPUTS & CONNECTIVITY
Video input: HDMI x1 (3440 x 1440@ 100Hz)
DisplayPort x1 (3440 x 1440@ 120Hz)
USB-C x1
USB HUB: x3 (3.0 (DC5V, 900mA))
USB-C dock: x1 (Power delivery 65W, LAN, USB 3.0)
HDCP: yes
Headphone connection: yes
RJ45 (LAN): x1
FEATURES
Blue light reducer: yes
Flicker Free LED: Yes
FreeSync support: HDMI: 3440 x 1440 @48-100Hz, DP / USB-C: 3440 x 1440 @48-120Hz
Extra: KVM Switch, i-Style Color
OSD Languages: EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, PT, RU, JP, NL, PL
Control Buttons: Joystick Controller: Push (Menu), Up, Down, Left (Eco Mode), Right (Blue Light Reducer), Input Select, Volume +, Volume -, Power Button
User controls: picture adjust (brightness, contrast, ECO mode, blue light reducer, ACR, OD, black tuner), image adjust (video mode adjust, sharp and soft, X-Res technology), color settings (gamma, 6-axis, color temp., i -Style color), input select, audio adjust (volume, mute), setup menu (OSD H. position, OSD V. position, OSD timeout, language), extra1 (HDR, FreeSync Premium, HDMI range, MBR), extra2 (reset, DDCCI, opening logo, LED, USB-C, KVM, USB standby mode, information)
Speaker: 2 x 2W
Theft protection: Kensington-lock™ ready, DDC2B
MECHANICAL
Position adjustments: height, tilt
Height adjustment: 130mm
Tilt angle: 20° up; 3° down
VESA mounting: 100 x 100mm
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES
Cables Power, USB, HDMI, DP, USB-C
Other: Quick start guide, safety guide
POWER MANAGEMENT
Power usage: 56W typical, 0.5W standby, 0.5W off mode
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Product dimensions W x H x D: 809.5 x 425 (555) x 275mm
Box dimensions W x H x D: 900 x 480 x 282mm
Weight (without box): 8.7kg
Weight (with box): 12kg
Unpacking
After the G4380UHSU, it’s time to deal with the iiyama XCB3494WQSN.
When unpacking, the bottom of the base should be attached. This is easy to tighten.
iiyama supplies the following with the XCB3494WQSN:
Cables: Power, USB, HDMI, DP, USB-C
Other: Quick start guide, safety guide
What it is undoubtedly not intended for, it can do… The XCB3494WQSN can also be put on its side. However, there is no more room to tilt it any further. So this one stands as is. But that does offer the space to show the connections as well!
The following connections are on the iiyama XCB3494WQSN.
Video input: HDMI x1 (3440 x 1440@ 100Hz)
DisplayPort x1 (3440 x 1440@ 120Hz)
USB-C x1
USB HUB: x3 (3.0 (DC5V, 900mA))
USB-C dock: x1 (Power delivery 65W, LAN, USB 3.0)
HDCP: yes
Headphone connection: yes
RJ45 (LAN): x1
Once placed normally, the screen can be seen. Where the 43-inch G4380UHSU monitor didn’t have a matte finish, this one does. And that looks pretty nice.
The monitor also looks neat, not too crazy with crazy lines or colors, so it can also be used for business. The bezels are quite thin and look neat. In addition, the stand is also extremely sturdy, making the screen quite stable.
The features of the screen are as follows:
Position adjustments: height, tilt
Height adjustment: 130mm
Tilt angle: 20° up; 3° down
Two things are nice about this screen. It has a 100 x 100 VESA mount and it can be secured via the Kensington lock.
The back also looks clean/neat. The controls are located on the right back, via 4 physical buttons and a joystick.
As mentioned, the XCB3494WQSN can be connected via USB-C. The photo was taken a bit earlier before the new iPad OS came out with an option for an extended screen. Nevertheless, there is a lot to connect. And this does not only apply to an iPad Pro 12.9” but also a laptop, PC, etc.
And that’s pretty nice. Due to the many inputs and hub, it is in any case easy to switch between the inputs.
Software/Menu
What is a shame is that there is no software for this monitor. Unfortunately, competitors are already further ahead in this. This allows you to link a program to a preset to give your monitor a certain setting. But, on the other hand; for normal use, you have to ask yourself how often you are going to switch between different presets.
Although it can be a very important use case for some, I have never used it myself on my monitors. Especially because I switch a lot between Word, Chrome, etc. If you have a different preset for Word than Chrome, then you are constantly switching between different colors / presets.
Fortunately, the menu is easy to operate with the buttons and a joystick on the right rear side.
The first menu is the Picture Adjust where the contrast, overdrive, black tuner, etc. can be adjusted. The menu is quite extensive. There are plenty of options to set up the monitor to your liking.
Default presets can be set via various user modes. For example, if you are going to play games on the PS5 via HDMI (or via a DisplayPort to HDMI switch), you can set a preset with the overdrive, etc. This means you only switch between the presets and you don’t have to set everything from scratch every time.
G-sync/FreeSync
The PROLITE XCB3494WQSN only has FreeSync. The advantage of this is that it can also be used on an Nvidia graphics card. At least, my 3070Ti just picked this one up. The FreeSync works on HDMI: 3440 x 1440 @48-100Hz, DP and USB-C: 3440 x 1440 @48-120Hz
And that was quite noticeable. During major dips in Battlefield 5, this was quite straightened out. Also in Forza Horizon 5, during wooded areas, it was well taken care of by both the graphics card and the screen.
Just as I have also been able to use the G-MASTER G4380UHSU-B1 Red Eagle for quite some time, I have also been able to use this monitor a lot. With the 34-inch monitor with the 3440×1440 resolution, I haven’t seen a single flaw while gaming. The monitor is extremely fast during shooters and racing games. You will eventually get your desired result.
Conclusion
With the PROLITE XCB3494WQSN, iiyama has launched an excellent monitor with a KVM switch.
Because the screen has a VA panel, it looks a bit gray in dark places.
That is not surprising for a VA panel. However, it is noticeable, especially if you come from an IPS panel – where the color reproduction is pretty on point.
Is it bad? I don’t think so, for work it’s fine – you just get used to it. It is also fine for gaming, and with the possibilities, it offers – such as the KVM, well … it will last for a while.
If you are a die-hard Photoshopper, you might want to consider an IPS monitor or the like.
The curvature of the screen is quite nice as well. It gives a good feeling while working but also while gaming.
In addition, the resolution of 3440×1440 is also just fine. It provides a lot of ‘worksheet’ for both Word / Outlook etc. And that is just nice in my opinion. Especially when you work with large Excel documents, it is not very nice not to have an overview and to have to scroll a lot in all directions. That’s not the case with this one.
As mentioned, the PROLITE XCB3494WQSN has a KVM switch onboard, which helps a lot. Connecting iPads, laptops, or other is simply done via 1 cable. And in addition, a keyboard, mouse, Ethernet, and other things can be used/connected. That saves at least 3 cables.
Gaming is also just fine with this monitor. With the 120Hz on DisplayPort and 100Hz on HDMI, gaming is pretty good. The resolution is wide/large enough to also see a whole part of your playing field. The 34-inch (with this resolution) with curvature is, in my opinion, one of the better screens for this.
At around €450, the iiyama PROLITE XCB3494WQSN is also not a very expensive monitor – with 120Hz, curved, KVM switch, and such a resolution.
The PROLITE XCB3494WQSN, therefore, gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.
