Wide or ultra-wide, that is the question on the lips of most computer enthusiasts scouring stores for high-res monitors. But what if you were to pick a decidedly unconventional square-shaped display instead of a 16:9, 16:10 or 21:9 standard screen?
We kid you not, there’s really a perfectly square option now for 3D CAD designers, programmers and anyone feeling nutty this holiday season. It’s manufactured by a little known Japan-based company called Eizo, and carries the convoluted FlexScan EV2730Q moniker.
Since we aren’t familiar with the rest of Eizo’s monitor lineup, we’re going to refer to this unorthodox thing as simply the FlexScan.
Equipped with an all-black flexible stand (hence the name), the 26.5 incher offers 78 percent extra pixels on the vertical axis. In total, the resolution is 1,920 x 1,920 for a 1:1 aspect ratio. Weird though it may seem, the monitor’s producers illustrate a few of the “standard” use cases on their official website.
Obviously, this monitor is not meant for gamers or movie addicts. But if you undertake tasks that require the perusal and manipulation of large blocks of data, it makes sense to use a screen that’s “wide all around.”
The FlexScan is decently bright, with a typical intensity rating of 300 cd/m2, and fairly zippy, with average gray-to-gray response time of 5 ms. Color reproduction is mediocre, with only 16.77 million shades supported, while the maximum refresh rate sits at a respectable 60Hz.
Dual 1W speakers take care of audio output, and the monitor is allegedly viewable from 178-degree horizontal and vertical angles. Tipping the scales at over 9 pounds by itself, the FlexScan is no featherweight. That might be one of the reasons Eizo is so confident about the display’s reliability it sells it with an extended five-year warranty.
Or rather will sell it starting Q1 2015 for an undisclosed price. Who wants to bet we’ll be seeing the 26.5-inch square-shaped Eizo FlexScan EV2730Q on display at CES in Las Vegas two months from now?
