Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 review: A weird monitor in all the right ways

Price When Reviewed

$249.99

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The Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 is the most versatile PC display I’ve ever reviewed.

It can be used as a secondary display, which is how I used it. However, it can also be mounted to a 1/4″-20 tripod mount, or attached to a 360mm radiator mount in a PC desktop. You could use it as part of a streaming setup, attach it to a flight- or driving-simulator rig, or mount it inside a desktop PC to add flair or provide a performance monitoring dashboard.

That makes it a fun and useful peripheral. Plus, at an MSRP of $249.99, it’s reasonably priced.

Further reading: The best monitors: 11 top picks for gaming, 4K, HDR, and more

Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 specs and features

The Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 is best summarized as a small super-ultrawide touchscreen. It measures 14.5 inches diagonally, as its name implies, but has a roughly 32:9 aspect ratio and 2560×720 resolution.

• Display size: 14.5-inch 32:9 aspect ratio
• Native resolution: 2560×720
• Panel type: AHVA-LCD 5-point multi-touch
• Refresh rate: 60Hz
• Adaptive sync: None
• HDR: None
• Ports: 1x USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, 1x HDMI
• Audio: None
• Additional features: Magnetic desk stand, magnetic mount, 360mm mounting option, 1/4″-20 tripod mount
• Price: $249.99 MSRP

Unusual size aside, the Xeneon Edge 14.5 also stands out because of its long list of mounting options. It ships with a magnetic desk stand for desktop use, but also includes options for use with a 360mm PC desktop radiator mount or a tripod mount. You can even use the built-in magnets to attach the display to the side of a desktop PC (or any magnetic surface).

Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 design

The Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 isn’t your typical computer monitor, and that’s reflected in the design. It’s wide and thick. The body is plastic, but the plastics used are rigid and some provide a premium soft-touch feel. The Edge looks less like a monitor and more like a high-end gaming peripheral, such as a gamepad or joystick.

It ships with a stand for desktop use. The stand is a simple plastic wedge that attaches magnetically to the rear of the monitor. The plastics used by the stand feel noticeably less robust than the monitor itself, perhaps because they’re thinner. Also, the stand doesn’t offer multiple viewing angles. The monitor can be used in both vertical and horizontal orientation, but the stand only supports the monitor in horizontal mode.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

However, the monitor can also attach to a 360mm fan mount, can hang magnetically to metal surfaces (including the front or side of many PC desktop cases), and has a telescope arm mount with two 1/4″-20 mounting points for attachment to tripods or other arms and stands that support this mounting option. It also works with Corsair’s Frame LCD mount, which is found on some Corsair cases.

The wide range of options points to the Xeneon Edge 14.5’s versatility. I mostly used it as a small second display for viewing guides and Discord while I played a game on-screen. But you can use it as a flashy billboard or control panel attached to your gaming rig. It can display your rig’s performance information or, if you just want flair, a repeating video clip of your choice.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I like this not only because it fits more use cases, but also because it gives you options if you tire of using the monitor in one role. Instead of putting it in the closet, or trying to sell it online, you can give it a second life.

On top of that, the Xeneon Edge 14.5 definitely fills a gap in the market. You can find many inexpensive small LCD displays on Amazon, AliExpress, and Temu, but they’re not much to look at. High-end options like the Asus ProArt Display PA147CDV exist, too, but are more expensive and meant for creative pros. The Xeneon Edge 14.5 fits between these extremes in both design and price.

Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 connectivity

There are just two ways to connect to the Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5: USB-C with DisplayPort, and HDMI.

However, the monitor doesn’t ship with an HDMI-to-HDMI cable. It instead ships with a DisplayPort-to-HDMI cable. So while the monitor has HDMI input, it only works with DisplayPort input out-of-the-box.

Most desktop users will need to connect both ports at the same time. The USB-C port can deliver both DisplayPort video and power, but most desktop graphics cards don’t include USB-C. On the other hand, HDMI or DisplayPort alone can’t supply the power and data the Xeneon Edge 14.5 needs for its full feature set. As a result, most desktops require a dual connection: USB-C for power and data, plus HDMI or DisplayPort for video.

The majority of modern laptops have a USB-C port with DisplayPort, though. In that case, a single-cable connection over USB-C is possible.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The ports are placed in a tight carve-out on the back of the monitor. This is a logical choice, since it keeps the connectors out of the way as much as possible. However, cables that have particularly large connectors, or which are unusually stiff, may be difficult to connect. Even the HDMI-to-DisplayPort cable that ships with the monitor is a tad tricky to fit into the space available.

Corsair provides one final cable that’s not all that common: an internal USB header to USB-C cable. This is meant for use when the display is placed inside a desktop. While I didn’t use the monitor in this way, I expect it’s essential, as I doubt most gamers will have an internal USB to USB-C cable in the tangle of cords in their closet.

Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 software, features, and audio

While the Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5’s design and connectivity is mostly a win, one decision left me disappointed. The monitor entirely lacks menu buttons to control the display.

It even lacks a power button and input selection button. The monitor instead turns on automatically and auto-detects an input. This is fine in theory and worked correctly in my testing. However, I’ve run into plenty of situations where a monitor fails to auto-detect a signal. The Xeneon Edge 14.5 offers no way to address this. The lack of power and input selection buttons also make troubleshooting more difficult, as it might be difficult to tell if the monitor is even turned on (there’s no power LED, either).

The lack of buttons is also a problem if you plan to use the monitor with anything other than Windows. Mac support is listed, but none of the iCUE software features are available. Linux support is not listed.

Corsair’s iCUE software is fine. It’s attractive and easy to understand. While the software doesn’t provide a huge range of adjustment (you’re not going to find an AdobeRGB mode here!) it works for the intended purpose. However, the reliance on software means even basic adjustment, like brightness, requires the software.

Another quirk is the inability to play games in fullscreen mode while using the Xeneon Edge 14.5. This is true because Windows will automatically change focus to a second display if you tap or click on it. And if you have a fullscreen app open, it will be minimized (at best) or might glitch out (at worst).

Fortunately, most games run fine in a windowed or borderless fullscreen mode, but this is an issue in games that don’t support a windowed or borderless fullscreen mode. I find that’s most commonly an issue with games that are a decade old, or older.

Getting back to the positives, Corsair’s iCUE software includes built-in widget support for things like performance activity. While I expect some enthusiasts will choose to roll their own, the widgets are acceptable and should do the job for most people.

The widgets cover a wide range of use cases including performance and temperature monitoring, video playback, Twitch chat, and Windows notifications. The monitor supports up to 30 “pages” of widgets, which strikes me as far more than anyone could ever need (though I’m sure someone will prove me wrong).

What about audio? Unsurprisingly, it’s not included. A monitor this small would struggle to deliver good audio, and if it did, the price would be much higher. The monitor doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio pass-through jack, either. I don’t hold the lack of these features against the monitor but it’s something to keep in mind.

Using the Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5

The Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 is an unusual monitor, and for many this might beg a question: What is it for?

I already touched on that a bit in the design section of the review, but I also want to dive deeper into my personal experience. Because it turns out I’m exactly the kind of person this monitor could appeal to.

You see, I’m a firm believer in the value of a single-display PC setup. Having more displays can seem nice, and in some situations it might be essential, but I’ve found it’s distracting. This is true not only for work but also for play. Having one or two large monitors next to my primary gaming display make it hard for me to focus my attention on what I’m playing, and my enjoyment plummets.

But that doesn’t mean I want a completely zoned-in experience either. Depending on what I’m playing I might still want to read a guide, play music, or listen to a podcast. The Xeneon Edge 14.5 offers a way to do this without the distraction (and bulk) of a second 27-inch or 32-inch beside my primary display.

While Corsair’s iCUE software offers widgets, and I did try them, I spent more time using the monitor as a simple secondary display. I was able to position YouTube or YouTube Music on one half, providing easy media control, and leaving room to read a guide on the other half.

I’m currently enjoying Rimworld, a notoriously complex game, and found quick access to a second screen valuable for looking up tips. However, because the screen is small, I wasn’t tempted to fire up social media or open my email.

That’s how I used the Xeneon Edge 14.5, and I enjoyed it. But as mentioned earlier, the Xeneon Edge 14.5 is versatile, so I could use it differently if I started to play another game. I’ve been thinking about diving back into World of Warcraft after taking a break for several years. If I do, Discord could find a home on one half of the display.

Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 image quality

Image quality is a secondary concern for the Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5. It’s not meant for content creation, or even to display games. Video playback is the most demanding use case likely to be thrown at it.

Because of that, the image quality can be summed up in one word. Adequate.

The monitor has an AHVA panel with an LCD backlight. VA panels have better contrast than IPS panels and show less “glow” when displaying dark content. This, combined with the display’s glossy finish, makes for a contrast-rich experience. I thought it might be OLED for a moment.

Don’t get too excited, though. My deceptive eyes were corrected when I placed the Xeneon Edge 14.5 next to an OLED monitor. The Edge looks nice, but it’s not as rich and vibrant as an OLED display.

The Xeneon Edge 14.5’s glossy coat will be an issue if you use the monitor in a bright room or near windows. And reflections are made worse by the stand’s lack of adjustment, which means it’s not easy to change the angle of the display if a reflection is in your view. I would’ve preferred a matte or semi-gloss finish.

Resolution, on the other hand, is where the Xeneon Edge 14.5 has an advantage over most monitors. 2560×720 resolution on a 14.5-inch display works out to about 183 pixels per inch. That’s higher than a 27-inch 4K monitor, which has about 163 pixels per inch. While the sharpness is apparent when viewing videos, it’s perhaps most helpful when displaying widgets. Fonts and icons look crisp.

The Xeneon Edge 14.5 doesn’t support HDR. It also has a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks Adaptive Sync, so motion clarity isn’t great. These issues are not much of a concern, however, because the display won’t often be called on to display HDR or to view fast-moving content. On the contrary, I expect in most cases it will be used to view static content or online video, which is usually at 30 or 60 frames per second.

So, as I said, the Xeneon Edge 14.5’s image quality is adequate. It won’t knock your socks off but it’s fine for what the monitor is designed to handle.

Should you buy the Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5?

The Corsair Xeneon Edge 14.5 is a niche monitor, but one that manages to fill a gap in the market and offer good value for money. Most of the monitor’s direct competitors are less expensive, and while they might more-or-less do the job, they lack Corsair’s ease-of-use and attractive design. Other alternatives, like the Asus ProArt Display PA147CVD, deliver an attractive design but are much more expensive.

The Edge is extremely versatile, too, as it supports multiple mounting options including a 1/4”-20 tripod mount and a 360mm radiator mount for placement inside a desktop PC. None of the alternatives offer this many mounting options.

It’s not perfect, though. The lack of buttons means Corsair’s iCUE software is required for even basic display adjustments. Also, the monitor is not very useful if used alongside a fullscreen app, due to limitations in Windows 11’s window management.

The Xeneon Edge 14.5 will have particular appeal to people who want a second (or third) display but don’t have the space, budget, or desire to add another full-sized monitor.

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Author: Matthew S. Smith, Contributor, PCWorld