The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE is a decent monitor overall and by far the best portable monitor we've tested. It's great for gaming, with a high refresh rate, excellent response times, low input lag, and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. The built-in battery gives about 3 hours of game time, and its compact size will easily fit into most laptop bags. As expected for a portable monitor, the stand on this version isn't very versatile, resulting in bad ergonomics. It's also available with a compact tripod mount, although we haven't tested that version, or you can mount it to any standard camera mount, which is a bit unusual for a monitor, but it works. The relatively small size of this monitor coupled with the 1080p resolution results in great text clarity, making this a decent choice for a portable office monitor as well. Unfortunately, it might not be bright enough to overcome glare, and like all IPS monitors we've tested, blacks look gray in a dark room.
Our Verdict
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE is a decent monitor for most uses. The high refresh rate and fast response times make it a great choice for gaming on the go. Due to the small size, it's a decent companion monitor for mobile office use as well, especially if you're working from a laptop and need a bit more screen real estate. It's also an okay choice for multimedia or media creation, but the small size makes it best-suited for quick edits.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Great gaming performance.
- Okay viewing angles.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Might not be bright enough to overcome glare.
The ASUS XG17AHPE is a decent portable office monitor. The small size isn't the best choice for full-time work, but it's a good choice for quick edits or a secondary display for more screen space. The relatively high pixel density results in great text clarity, and it has excellent gray uniformity. Unfortunately, the unit we bought has disappointing black uniformity, and it might not be bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Okay viewing angles.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Might not be bright enough to overcome glare.
The ASUS XG17 is a great gaming monitor. The high refresh rate results in excellent response times, so fast-moving objects are clear with little blur, and it has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. It also supports variable refresh rate technology (VRR), for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. It's not bright enough for gaming outside, but for a quick gaming session away from home, it's a great choice.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low input lag.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Okay viewing angles.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Might not be bright enough to overcome glare.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHP is okay for multimedia. It has low input lag and excellent gray uniformity, and the viewing angles are okay. The small size isn't great for watching movies, and it doesn't support HDR. It's not the most versatile monitor, as it might not be bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room. It has a low contrast ratio and disappointing black uniformity, so it's best suited for a medium-lit room with no direct light.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Okay viewing angles.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Might not be bright enough to overcome glare.
The ASUS XG17 is just okay for media creation. It has great gradient handling and excellent uniformity, and it has nearly perfect coverage of the sRGB color space. On the other hand, the relatively small screen isn't ideal for full-time work but can be handy for a quick edit, and it's not bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room.
- Low input lag.
- Excellent gray uniformity.
- 7800mAh battery is great for portability.
- Okay viewing angles.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Might not be bright enough to overcome glare.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: There was a mistake in the 60Hz input lag results. We remeasured the input lag at 60Hz, and it's 0.6ms higher than our original results.
- Updated Aug 06, 2021: We updated the pixel photo as it was incorrectly cropped.
- Updated Jun 15, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jun 11, 2021: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 17 inch ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE. It's also available in a 16 inch size, known as the ASUS ROG Strix XG16AHPE, but there are some differences between them. There's also an alternate model known as the ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHP. We expect the alternate model to perform the same, but it includes a tripod stand.
| Model | Size | Native Resolution | Max Refresh rate | Panel Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XG17AHP | 17" | 1080p | 240Hz | IPS | Includes tripod stand |
| XG17AHPE | 17" | 1080p | 240Hz | IPS | Folio stand |
If you come across a different type of panel, or your ASUS XG17 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in January 2021. You can see our unit's label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The ASUS XG17 is a great portable gaming monitor, but it comes with a premium price tag. It's far better than the other portable monitors we've tested, like the MSI Optix MAG161V, but it targets a very specific audience, as it's not for everyone.
For more options, check our picks for the best budget monitors, the best USB-C monitors, and the best office monitors.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE is much better than the Lepow Z1. The ASUS has much faster response times, resulting in clear motion with little blur behind fast-moving objects, and it supports Adaptive Sync variable refresh rate technology (VRR), making it a much better gaming monitor. The ASUS has a built-in battery, and it delivers better picture quality, with a significantly better color gamut, and better accuracy, even after calibration.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE is much better than the ASUS ZenScreen MB14AC. The ROG delivers much better gaming performance, with a significantly faster refresh rate, better response times, and lower input lag. The ROG also has much better picture quality, with a wider SDR color gamut and better accuracy out of the box. The ROG also has a slightly larger screen and a built-in battery.
The ASUS VG279QM and the ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE are very different monitors that target different needs. The XG17AHPE is a portable gaming monitor. It delivers similar response times to the VG279QM, as well as similar input lag. Due to the portable nature of the XG17AHPE, though, it has terrible ergonomics and a much smaller screen. The VG279QM is a desktop gaming monitor with a larger screen, better viewing angles, and HDR support.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG17AHPE and the MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD are very different monitors, each with strengths and weaknesses. The ASUS is designed for portability, so it has a smaller screen, much worse ergonomics, and slightly worse viewing angles. The MSI is more feature-rich, as it supports HDR and has an optional black frame insertion feature.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
