We don’t usually spend time talking about packaging for displays, as it’s generally something even the most ardent nerd would find deeply dull.
But packaging for such large products is quite a challenge, as it can be for us when assembling them. With most ultra-wide displays, two large pieces of polystyrene are used to encase the screen, with small sections cut out for the cables, accessories and stand.
The trouble is, the screen is so big it can be hard to remove it from the box. The general technique is to lay the box flat and slide the polystyrene out.
It might not be obvious to anyone who isn’t used to the process, which is why Asus has sensibly printed instructions on the side of the box to show exactly how to remove the screen.
One HDMI cable, one DisplayPort cable and one USB uplink cable are included, with the manual, VIP notice and software CDs included, along with some stickers. There are also two ‘keys’ for attaching the base to the stand, supplied in a small plastic bag.
Right at the back, the oddly shaped black thing is a plastic backing plate to cover the rear ports.
There’s also a relatively slim, unobtrusive power supply. Some bright spark at Asus came up with the idea that by printing some descriptive information on it, it might be easier to find around a crowded desk with multiple power supplies lying around it. A good design choice. Solving first-world problems, one at a time.
The stand and its base for the Asus ROG Swift PG348Q look quite different to the vast majority of displays.
It has a striking look that’s almost like a wind turbine, or perhaps a blender, with three supporting legs, all of which are different lengths. The shortest of these is mounted nearly vertically.
There’s a hole in the middle of it, which is used for the bright red LED on the base of the stand.
You can see this large LED clearly here.
It has to take power from the display itself, and therefore the stand has electrical connectors built into it.
Attaching the stand to its base is a bit tricky though. You have to manually secure it using the two supplied locking keys. To access the holes for these you need to carefully remove the plastic guards at the bottom of the stand. It took us a short time to realise this as it’s not immediately obvious.
The guards snap off by applying a little pressure.
Once the keys are in place and the stand is secure, the plastic covers can be refitted, ensuring the overall look and feel of the Asus ROG Swift PG348Q is maintained.
When assembled and sitting upright, the stand reminds us of a sentry gun, such as the one in Team Fortress 2. It’s an interesting look.
On a desk, the stand looks really good, complimenting the grey bezel.
Lying on its back, you can see how big this screen is, and the curvature is clearly visible.
And on the rear you can see some of the detail, such as the lower exhausts and the stand connector.
Orange metal surrounds the stand, like spokes on a piece of machinery, along with a metal rim around the point where the stand connects to the screen.
There’s also an attractive patterned design over the rear casing of the screen. At first glance, we think it’s resembles the markings on some Hollywood alien spaceship.
With the plastic guard placed over the ports at the back, this pattern covers the entire rear of the display, and it looks very good indeed.
It’s all worth pointing out the exceptionally thin bezel, only a few mm in length. Great to see, but there is a small black strip that separates the bezel and that display area, clearly visible in this shot.
One neat aspect of the Asus ROG Swift PG348Q is that it has the most flexible stand we’ve seen in a 21:9 display. It can be raised and lowered tilted backwards and forwards…
And rotated on the spot.
There are four USB 3 ports located under the display, along with DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4. As it’s a G-Sync 2.0 display, it’s not possible for Asus to add additional ports.
There’s also a single 3.5mm audio output jack and the connector for the power supply.
Not to mention the ubiquitous hole for a Kensington Lock.
And here you can see the joystick, with the four physical buttons underneath it