The latest example is one that would have been a flagship not too long ago. The AW3226Q is a 32-inch 4K flat OLED with Tandem Stripe RGB technology, 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR400 True Black, Dolby Vision, and wide gamut color. Let’s take a look.

Alienware AW3226Q Specs

Tandem RGB Stripe is the newest OLED variant, and it can be found in the AW3226Q as well as several new screens from Asus. I propose to simply call it TRS-OLED in this review. It takes the approach of stacking emissive layers to provide more light with less power consumption. It also broadens the color gamut to over 100% coverage of DCI-P3. In Alienware’s case, it’s four emissive layers behind an RGB sub-pixel layer that acts as a polarizer. By putting the pixels next to each other, hence the Stripe, rather than the triangular arrangement of QD-OLEDs, you get a wide color gamut and high brightness with sharper detail and no chance of fringing.

The AW3226Q produces 1,000 nits from a 3% window in HDR mode and around 275 nits full field as I measured it. The polarizing layer makes blacks more true by keeping ambient reflections from spoiling the image. Color volume came in at 101% of DCI-P3, which is more than a typical OLED, although a bit less than one equipped with Quantum Dots. And power consumption is low, with just 34 watts drawn at 200 nits brightness. HDR10 and Dolby Vision are supported, with a VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification that I verified in testing.

Gamers benefit from the AW3226Q’s 165 Hz refresh rate that works with Adaptive-Sync to produce smooth motion processing. Like all speedy OLEDs, input lag is low and, in my tests, it managed to beat one 240 Hz screen that costs a good deal more. You also get AlienVision, which is a super cool aiming point and sniper mode editor that is unique to Alienware displays.

The AW3226Q is attractively styled and well-appointed with USB ports, a bit of LED lighting, and a solid stand with full ergonomics. It includes a DisplayPort 1.4 input and two HDMI 2.1 ports with FRL (48Gbps) and eARC, making it easy to integrate the monitor with soundbars or AV systems that also support HDMI eARC. There are no internal speakers, but you do get a 3.5mm headphone jack. Also included are USB ports: two Type-A, one Type-B, and one Type-C.

The AW3226Q is a decent value at its opening price of $699. That’s a significant discount over the $1,000 you’ll spend on an AW3225QF, which only has minor differences.

Assembly and Accessories

The AW3226Q arrived in fully recyclable packaging consisting of a clamshell-style carton and molded pulp forms to protect the contents. The upright snaps onto the panel and the base attaches with a captive bolt. The resulting piece is solid and stable on the desktop. The power supply is internal, so you get a stout IEC cord plus cables for DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-A/B.

Product 360

The AW3226Q’s screen is touted as “almost frameless”, and indeed, it is. The top and side frames are just 8mm, while at the bottom, it’s 14mm and flush on all sides. There is no extra protruding trim. The bottom is not without utility, though, as it puts a headphone jack and two USB ports within easy reach. The remaining I/O is in the usual spot, up and under, where you’ll find a DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1, and more USBs, one upstream and one downstream.

The stand features Alienware’s latest design where the upright’s attachment point appears to float above the base. There are no sharp edges or square corners here. Everything is smoothly tapered, including the bulge in the back, which is generously vented around its perimeter. On one side is the Alienware head, which has the main LED feature. It can light up in a variety of colors and effects, all controlled from the OSD.

The upright has an angled cable management hole, which is cool because then you can’t see through it from the front. It features 5/21 degrees tilt, 20 degrees swivel, a 90-degree portrait mode, and 4.3 inches of height range. Movements are smooth and firm with no wobble or play. If you’d rather use an aftermarket support, the stand comes off to expose a 100mm VESA mount with fasteners included.

OSD Features

Pressing the AW3226Q’s joystick opens a well-stocked OSD with nearly every option a gamer or enthusiast could want. Except for one that I’ll tell you about below.

The first joystick press opens a quick menu with info at the top that shows resolution, refresh, current preset, HDR mode, panel health, and the dark stabilizer setting. At the bottom of the screen is a quick menu that can be programmed by the user. Fun fact: that thatch-roof house in the photo is down the street from where Jane Austen lived from 1809 to 1817 in Chawton, England.

With another upclick, we get the full OSD, which has 11 sections starting with Game and the 12 picture modes. Standard is the default and its color is accurate, but you can get some improvement by using Custom Color and its two-point white balance sliders. Creator mode gives you access to the sRGB and DCI-P3 gamuts. The one thing missing, and this is true of every Dell and Alienware monitor I’ve ever reviewed, is a gamma control. Normally, this isn’t an issue, but in the AW3226Q’s case, the default gamma is too light with no practical way to correct. I’ll show you what I mean on page four.

Game Enhance includes a set of timers and a frame rate counter. The aiming point editor is called AlienVision, and it gets its own screen with parameters for reticle shape, color, and position. You can also roll your own sniper mode with variable magnification and opacity. There are three memories to save your configurations. Esports modes include 25 and 27-inch images with reduced resolution, which is a benefit to frame rates, although you’re still capped at 165 Hz.

AlienFX lighting refers to the Alienware head in the back and the power button LED, which you can see from the front. They can display in any color or effect or be turned off if you want total darkness.

In the Display menu, you’ll find seven HDR modes plus a toggle for Dolby Vision. I found during testing that the HDR Peak 1000 Bright mode delivered the brightest and most impactful HDR.

The AW3226Q includes full PIP/PBP functions for viewing two video sources at once. You can move the PIP window to any corner or decide how to split the PBP mode.

In Personalize, you can program the quick menu seen in the first photo above and the four joystick directions. Many functions can be accessed this way, like presets, Alienvision, headphone volume, and more.

Most of the AW3226Q’s panel maintenance is handled by an algorithm that tracks the panel’s usage and manipulates pixel brightness accordingly. You can also initiate a panel refresh routine manually if you prefer.

Alienware AW3226Q Calibration Settings

Calibrating the AW3226Q was something of a compromise. In Standard mode, color and grayscale are without visible errors, but gamma is too light. And there is no gamma control in the custom color mode. You can adjust gamma in Creator mode and select sRGB if you like, but then you give up grayscale calibration. There’s also a gamma control in Console mode, but this only works over HDMI. I have long wished that Alienware and Dell would add gamma to the options in Custom Color mode. And when they do, I hope it’s a fine resolution slider like the Asus XG27AQNGV has, not the usual presets that are 0.2 apart. Anyway, my suggested settings are below.

For HDR10 signals, you get seven specific picture modes. Desktop is the default, but for the highest brightness and impact, choose Peak 1000 Bright.

Gaming and Hands-on

Gameplay on the AW3226Q was satisfying and successful. But it didn’t quite have the shooting-fish-in-a-barrel feel of some of the 240 Hz monitors I’ve experienced. Motion was smooth and quick, but I had to concentrate a bit more on my aim to make sure I wasn’t wasting ammo. I’m in nit-pick mode here because I play on so many different monitors. After a short time, I adapted to the AW3226Q and was handily dispatching gory monsters and aliens in Doom Eternal.

Frame rates stayed at 165fps thanks to a GeForce RTX 4090, and there was only a slight amount of motion blur. The picture didn’t smear like some slower screens, but there was just a little less definition in hard edges when I moved the mouse quickly. Again, it was something I noticed, then adapted to. I played with the AlienVision options a bit and found them very useful. And once I had created a couple of setups, I could switch them on and off quickly using the programmable menu and joystick options.

The AW3226Q was a monitor I could easily live with long term. The image is gorgeous for starters. Tandem RGB Stripe OLEDs (TRS-OLEDs) are sharper than other variants, by enough that you can tell the difference in a side-by-side comparison. I spend a lot of time in Photoshop, and this monitor is easily on par with the best professional displays I’ve reviewed. It’s also colorful and accurate. I noted light gamma during testing, which only had a minor effect. It wasn’t that I found the picture lacking; it was that I didn’t have a practical option to darken the gamma to my liking.

In a nutshell, Standard mode has no adjustments. Custom Color lets you tweak grayscale with a two-point control, but there are no gamma presets. Creator has color gamut options for sRGB and DCI-P3 and gamma presets, but no RGB sliders. So, whatever you choose, there’s a compromise.

Physically, the AW3226Q is a presence in a good way. I love Alienware’s newest styling aesthetic, which has been around for a while now. The almost frameless screen delivers on its promise. When the picture is on, the bezel disappears. Taking away the bottom trim strip makes a big difference there. Though I missed internal speakers, I appreciated the inclusion of USB ports, especially the ones right under the bezel. They, along with the headphone jack, are within easy reach. And even though it is a value-oriented display, it has the same premium build quality and solid feel as Alienware’s flagship models.

Takeaway: The AW3226Q has a gorgeous image with super crisp detail and deep texture. Its Tandem RGB Stripe technology eliminates any hint of fringing and gives the picture more dimension. The 165 Hz refresh rate produced a little blur, but I soon adapted to it. I reminded myself that the lower number comes with a $200 cost savings. My favorite use for the AW3226Q was as an everyday screen. It’s a premium tool for Photoshop or any graphics app you might wish to use. And it makes a great personal TV as well thanks to its support for Dolby Vision and HDMI eARC. Just hook up an external AV system or soundbar, and you’ve got a desktop home theater.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To compare the AW3226Q’s performance, I’ve rounded up five other 240 Hz screens since 165 Hz 4K is somewhat rare and not represented in my database. They are Asus’ PG27UCWM, PG32UCWM, PG32UCDM3, and XG32UQWMS and MSI’s MPG 322UR X24.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The difference between 0.16 and 0.24ms is invisible to the naked eye. Though the AW3226Q runs at 165 Hz versus the others’ 240 Hz, it draws the one-inch box just as fast. In practice, though, I noted a slight bit of motion blur. When analyzing the LDAT results, I saw a significant amount of overshoot that ranged from 10 to 20%. Though OLEDs don’t have adjustable overdrive like LCDs, there is still some anticipation happening here to try and mitigate blur. Bottom line: the AW3226Q is a tad less smooth than a 240 Hz screen.

It only gives up a bit of input lag to the faster monitors and even beats the PG32UCDM3 by a hair. In practice, you won’t perceive any difference between the AW3226Q and the PG32UCWM because 5.6ms is still well below even the fastest human reaction time. This monitor is plenty quick.

Test Takeaway: In the OLED category, a 240 Hz monitor will be smoother than a 165 Hz one, but the difference is very small. And there is no practical difference in input lag. The AW3226Q will appeal to all but the most skilled players. Worth considering is that those 75 extra Hertz will cost you around $200.

Viewing Angles

Though OLED generally beats LCD technologies for off-axis image quality, the Tandem RGB Stripe variant has a visible color shift at 45 degrees horizontal. You can see a red tint in the photo above. There is no change to brightness or gamma, though. This is from the polarization of the sub-pixel layer, which is what gives the AW3226Q its extreme clarity. The top view has the same red shift plus reduced gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

There are certainly no issues with screen uniformity here. The AW3226Q aced my test with just 3.32% variation from the center zone. That figure matches most premium OLEDs and is on par with a professional display. It doesn’t get much better than that.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The AW3226Q’s Tandem RGB Stripe tech delivers excellent brightness with low power consumption. In SDR mode, both a full white field and a 25% window measure 276 nits. There is no variable brightness option available for SDR content, but it is there for HDR; more on that on page five. Black levels can’t be measured, so contrast is theoretically infinite. I noted that the polarizing layer delivered a truer-looking black than typical OLED and QD-OLED panels. But this is a perception, not something that can be measured.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration doesn’t change anything but the peak output level, which I set to 200 nits. Since there’s no variable brightness option, you only need to measure a full field to find your preferred peak light level. ANSI contrast also could not be measured.

Test Takeaway: The AW3226Q has similar contrast and brightness to other premium OLEDs. There is no variable brightness option for SDR, so full fields and windows measure the same, around 276 nits. Blacks are unmeasurable but look more true thanks to the screen’s polarizing layer. If you want more drama for SDR content, a panel with variable brightness will deliver around 500 nits peak.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

You can enjoy the AW3226Q without calibration in its Standard picture mode, but gamma will be a little light, as you’ll see below. Options include Custom Color and Creator if you want more control.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

Default grayscale tracking is solid, with only the 100% brightness step cracking the 3dE line. There are no visible errors here. But gamma is too light, with an average of 2.02, well below the reference of 2.2. Since tracking is linear, it doesn’t have a huge effect on image quality, but if it were darker, there would be a little more texture and dimension. My main complaint is that there is no practical option to change this.

Using the Custom Color mode, I was able to improve grayscale tracking to a very impressive 0.55dE. Gamma got slightly darker but is still too light at 2.05.

To select sRGB, use the Creator mode and its gamut options. It has adjustable gamma, which I did not use for this test, but no color temp adjustments. You can see that it’s mostly under the 3dE line except for 90 and 100%, which are too warm in tone.

Comparisons

The AW3226Q starts out at 1.75dE, no complaint there, and you can go on about your day without calibrating. But a few tweaks in Custom Color mode reduce the average error to 0.55dE, which is among the very best. In the gamma test, the AW3226Q had the tightest range of values with just 0.08 separating lowest from highest. But tracking is off the 2.2 reference by 6.81% (2.05 actual).

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The AW3226Q’s default color chart shows a couple of things. You can see that it fully covers the DCI-P3 gamut with just a slight bit of bonus color in blue. Red is a tad undersaturated but not enough to have a negative effect. Hue points are also on target. This is excellent performance.

Calibration barely moves the needle, but the average error is a tad lower, and red is a tad more saturated. I have no complaints here.

The Creator mode’s sRGB option is spot-on, with all points inside or in contact with their target boxes. There are no visible errors here either.

Comparisons

I have yet to test an OLED with anything but excellent color. The AW3226Q’s 1.84dE score is professional grade. Visually, you would not see an accuracy difference between any of the screens, but the top three will have slightly more saturated red and green hues. And you’d see that in the brightest content only. For sRGB use, the AW3226Q covers 97.16%, which is nearly ideal for color-critical work.

Test Takeaway: The AW3226Q has excellent out-of-the-box accuracy in my grayscale and color tests. Only gamma is a tad light, though it maintains tight linearity, which partially mitigates the error. My only complaint is that there is no option to change this. The AW3226Q has a little less color volume than some of its competitors but still covers more than 101% of the DCI-P3 gamut.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The AW3226Q supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 signals with an automatic mode switch. HDR10 gets eight specific presets, of which Desktop is the default.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

To find the brightest HDR peaks, I tested the Peak 1000 Bright mode. A 25% window measured 402 nits, which is enough to confirm the AW3226Q’s VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification. Alienware claims 1,000 nits for a 3% window, and there is no reason to doubt this. Variable brightness is in play here. It’s only too bad that you can’t turn it on for SDR content.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

In the HDR grayscale test, the AW3226Q tickles the underside of some blue errors at 80% brightness and above, but in actual content, there are no visible issues. I measured multiple HDR modes to find the most favorable EOTF and settled on Peak 1000 Bright as my favorite. It starts a tad dark, then pumps up the midtones a bit before making a smooth transition to tone mapping at 70%, which is a little past the specified 60%. This does not have a negative effect on image quality.

In the color test, the AW3226Q fully covers DCI-P3 with a little bonus blue. Inner points are slightly oversaturated in the same manner as most of the other HDR displays I’ve tested. Hue points are all on or close to their targets. In the BT.2020 test, the AW3226Q runs out of color at 88% red, 75% green, and 93% blue. This is typical performance.

Test Takeaway: After measuring all the AW3226Q’s HDR modes, I found that they were all similar, but Peak 1000 Bright had the most impact. It had the brightest peaks and the most vivid color. While some of the competition is a bit brighter, the difference is small. And if you want Dolby Vision, your choices are limited to Alienware and a few Asus screens. Overall, I’d call the AW3226Q’s HDR excellent.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

There’s no question that OLEDs have become more affordable in the past year. Though they still cost more than their LCD counterparts, the gap between them narrows with each new model introduction. Alienware contributes to that happy trend with the AW3226Q. When you compare it to a flagship like the AW3225QF, it only gives up the curved screen, a little color volume, and 75 Hz for a $300 savings.

I did note some motion blur at 165 Hz versus 240. But I also noted overshoot in testing, which mitigates that issue somewhat. Input lag is nearly as low as other 240 Hz screens and even lower than one expensive Asus I’ve tested. Gaming was a fun experience once I had adapted to the AW3226Q.

The star feature is its excellent clarity. Tandem RGB Stripe (TRS-OLED) eliminates any trace of the fringing artifact and delivers the sharpest picture of any OLED technology. There’s plenty of color volume with over 101% measured coverage of DCI-P3 from my sample. And it’s bright too. HDR delivers on its VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black promise, and there are honest 1,000-nit peaks that improve the image further. The polarizing layer that delivers that sharpness also improves the perception of black, which is very deep indeed.

My only complaint centered around a lack of choice in the gamma department. The AW3226Q is a bit light out of the box, which isn’t a huge deal, but I’d have liked the ability to adjust gamma in fine increments along with the grayscale calibration so I could get all the numbers on target for a true reference-quality image. In that metric, the AW3226Q comes up a tad short.

In the end, though, it’s hard to argue with a 32-inch 4K OLED display that costs $699. That’s a deal that will attract many buyers. And they will be satisfied with their purchase of a premium gaming monitor. The Alienware AW3226Q is well worth checking out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

● Check out this deal at Walmart

This CyberPowerPC packs an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X processor, an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 4TB SSD for storage. A great spec list if you're looking for a PC for video editing, or if you just want to have a trillion browser tabs open.

Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti graphics card comes with 16GB of superfast GDDR7 VRAM and is perfect for 1440p gaming, even performing well at 4K. If you're thinking of a new PC for video editing, the RTX 5070 Ti is also a competent choice.

For multithreaded applications, the 9950X from AMD is an absolute beast, one of our best-performing processors in our benchmark testing quite. It's also not too shabby as a gaming processor, but it falls behind the X3D CPUs in performance due to the lack of stacked 3D V-cache and lower memory. See our benchmark chart below for how the 9950X compares to other AMD processors and the competition from Intel.

We haven't reviewed this specific CyberPower gaming PC, but we have tested individual parts like the GPU and CPU. For more in-depth details and benchmark testing, check out our full reviews of the AMD Ryzen 9950X and Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti.

Gigabyte has done this with the GO27Q24G. This 27-inch QHD 240 Hz OLED delivers brightness over 1,300 nits for a shockingly low price of just $350 as I write this. Cutting corners? That’s a hard nope. You get 240 Hz, FHD gaming modes, wide gamut color, Adaptive-Sync, gaming aids, HDR10 and premium build quality. Let’s take a look.

Gigabyte GO27Q24G Specs

The GO27Q24G saves some cost by omitting USB ports, internal speakers, and LED lighting. But there is nothing else critical missing from this impressive display to meet the low price point. The refresh rate is 240 Hz with Adaptive-Sync and certified G-Sync and FreeSync operation. There’s an anti-flicker option to prevent image pumping during rapid frame rate transitions. And you can turn on black frame insertion to keep motion blur at bay when frame rates drop. Video processing gives nothing away to more expensive monitors.

There’s plenty of color and contrast from the WOLED panel. WOLED, or white OLED, achieves color with filters rather than RGB stripes or Quantum Dots. There’s a definite cost saving and you won’t quite get the huge color gamuts found in higher-priced displays. But you do get 96% of DCI-P3 by my measurements, and that’s a colorful image. Accuracy is there as well, with solid results in my tests that you can read about on pages four and five.

The panel’s high brightness comes from a Micro Lens Array, which is essentially a textured layer over the pixels that amplifies light. Each pixel has around 5,000 of these lenses over it, and given the numbers I saw in testing, it clearly works. This approach also reduces power consumption and improves viewing angles.

The GO27Q24G’s screen is glossy but includes an optical coating that deepens black levels and cuts reflections. There’s a lot of metal used here, both behind the panel and in the stand, which is one of the nicest bits I’ve seen in a while. You would never imagine the price tag being so low.

In addition to pro-level video processing, there are gaming aids like reticles, timers and a frame counter. OLED care options are plentiful, with pixel orbiting, logo and perimeter protection, and screen refresh. Variable brightness is available too, which helps bump up the impact of small highlights to as much as 1,300 nits.

If you’ve been fancying an OLED but didn’t want to spend $600 or more on a 27-inch monitor, the GO27Q24G is a compelling option.

Assembly and Accessories

The GO27Q24G comes packed in crumbly foam in three parts. I was impressed by the stand, which is all-metal and super solid. Everything assembles tool-free. The accessory bundle includes an external power supply and a DisplayPort cable. If you want to use an arm, there’s a 100mm VESA mount, but you’ll need to source your own fasteners.\

Product 360

The GO27Q24G’s styling and build is minimalist in all the right ways. From the front, you only see the image surrounded by a very narrow flush bezel of 8-11 millimeters. There is no plastic trim anywhere in sight and no logos either. Even the power LED is tucked well underneath where you won’t be distracted.

The base is a stamped steel plate with a gray satin finish. Its footprint is small, but with rubber feet and an ideal shape, it’s very stable. The upright is all-metal with very smooth movements and the same gray satin finish. The GO27Q24G includes full ergonomics with 5/21 degrees of tilt, 15 degrees swivel, a 90-degree portrait mode, and a 5.1-inch height range. A small cable clip is included to keep your wires tidy.

The only plastic used is in the back, where a small component bulge is trimmed with generous ventilation and a small Gigabyte logo. There’s a joystick flanked by two buttons and the input panel. It features two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, and a USB-C input which has 15 watts of power. There are no additional USB ports or internal speakers, but you do get a 3.5mm headphone jack.

OSD Features

A single joystick controls the GO27Q24G’s OSD. Two flanking buttons toggle power and switch between aspect ratio modes.

The OSD screen is well appointed with information. Resolution and refresh numbers are at the top while other parameters are at the bottom. You can quickly check the active input, SDR/HDR status, picture mode, brightness level, gamma setting, and color temp mode.

The GO27Q24G’s Gaming menu has Ultra Clear, which is Gigabyte’s term for black frame insertion. It effectively eliminates motion blur below 120 Hz. It also cuts brightness by around 40%, but it’s a great solution for slower PCs and consoles that operate at low frame rates.

The Picture menu offers 10 picture modes, each with its own set of calibration options. Standard works well and leaves all controls available. There are gamma presets and color temps along with gamut selections. For sRGB, use the sRGB picture mode. The GO27Q24G has variable brightness, which you’d think would be here, but it isn’t. Read on to find it.

The GO27Q24G includes PIP and PBP options with full control of the PIP window’s size and location. You can also program the four joystick directions for quick access to commonly used settings.

To find OLED Care, press the joystick and click left. There are many bits here, like pixel shift, cleaning routines that you can schedule, logo and corner dimming, and APL Stabilize. What is that, you ask? It’s the variable brightness option, which should be in the Picture menu. It has three levels which are termed counterintuitively. You’d think Low means the least stable, as in the most aggressive dimming. Nope, it’s effectively the off button. If you want constant brightness, choose that. High is great for HDR and watching SDR video. With it, you get very bright highlights and deep blacks for an impactful image.

Press the joystick and click right for the Game Assist menu. It has crosshairs and the Tactical Switch. This is fancy-speak for the resolution modes. You can switch on the fly to FHD either full screen or in a 24-inch window. I recommend the latter because it pixel-maps 1:1, thereby avoiding the softness that comes with displaying FHD graphics on a QHD screen. You get black borders, but you can position the picture at the top, bottom, or center of the screen. The switch itself is the button on the right side of the joystick. Don’t press the left one unless you want to turn off the GO27Q24G.

Gigabyte GO27Q24G Calibration Settings

In Standard mode, the GO27Q24G measures OK out of the box but leaves room for improvement. Grayscale is a tad warm, and gamma is too dark, which makes the picture less lively. With a few tweaks to the RGB sliders and a change of gamma preset from 2.2 to 2.0, the picture is greatly improved. Color gamut coverage is nearly 100% of DCI-P3, so you can see a vivid picture in SDR or HDR mode. If you want sRGB, choose that mode from the 10 presets. It has only a brightness control available. My recommended settings are below.

For HDR signals, there are five specific modes. To get the brightest possible picture, choose Peak 1300. It has a lot of impact, but for the most accurate luminance tracking, HDR is the way to go. You can read more about this on page five.

Gaming and Hands-on

You’ll see in the upcoming tests that the GO27Q24G delivers more brightness than any other OLED in its class. But does that translate to gaming goodness? I’m going to say yes. Because it’s one of the most precise monitors I’ve ever played on. Qualifier: you’ll need to keep the frame rate above 200fps. But that’s true of any OLED, regardless of resolution. I had no problem with that thanks to a GeForce RTX 4090. And when I say precision, I mean that I could pretty much not miss. The firing accuracy I enjoyed made me a bit overconfident, to the point where I was wading into hordes of enemies rather than taking my time picking them off one by one. I can’t promise that the GO27Q24G will make you a better player, but it is an absolute weapon. Pro competitors will surely want to give it an audition.

Picture quality was superb thanks to its high brightness. I tried both HDR and Peak 1300 modes for Doom Eternal and picked the latter as my favorite. You can see the technical differences between them in my test on page five. Quick spoiler: Peak 1300 is much brighter, almost double, in fact. And it has tremendous impact. The GO27Q24G has a bit less color volume than Quantum Dot or Tandem OLED monitors, but its extra light output makes up for that.

I noted from the get-go that the GO27Q24G has premium build quality. Though many OLEDs share this trait, I was particularly impressed with the all-metal stand. It’s sleek and slender, but supremely solid. The panel’s fulcrum is equally tight, which creates a monolithic package. And with nothing facing the viewer besides the screen, there are no distracting elements; no lights, no logos, no plastic trim, no nothing. I was amazed when I learned that the price is only $350.

If you want to make the GO27Q24G an everyday screen, it is more than up to the task. I recommend calibration, but it’s a simple matter. Just plug in my numbers above to see the same image I did. It has variable brightness, which you’ll find in the OLED Care menu. Choose Low for constant brightness and High for maximum contrast and impact. For those who need sRGB, that option is in the picture mode list. With 109ppi, there is enough pixel density to show a finely detailed and smooth image for things like Photoshop or YouTube.

Takeaway: The GO27Q24G is one of the best values I’ve seen in the OLED category. It offers all the performance of more expensive monitors while outpacing them in brightness. It also has the smoothness and response of the best gaming panels I’ve experienced. There are a few peripheral bits missing, like USB ports, LEDs, and internal speakers. But for the money, there isn’t a better 27-inch QHD OLED.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The speediest OLEDs are found in the 27-inch QHD category, so I’ve included these in the GO27Q24G’s comparison group. They are Sony’s INZONE M10S II, ViewSonic’s VX2738-2K, Gigabyte’s MO27Q28G, Alienware’s AW2726DM, and Asus’ XG27AQWMG.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The Asus is omitted from the response results because it wasn’t tested with the Nvidia LDAT sensor. The remaining screens are all within a whisker of the GO27Q24G, with black-to-white transition times ranging from 0.16 to 0.24ms. That’s a difference you can’t see with the naked eye. I have yet to see an OLED look any more or less smooth than any other at a given frame rate. And clearly, higher refresh speeds don’t translate to faster response. Note that the 540 Hz Sony is 0.04ms slower than the 280 Hz MO27Q28G. The GO27Q24G is on par with most of the 240 Hz OLEDs I’ve tested.

In the lag test, the GO27Q24G takes the top spot by 0.5ms. Again, this is well below the range of human perception, but I can say unequivocally that it is one of the fastest QHD OLEDs I have reviewed. In practice, I never experienced anything but instant response to control inputs.

Test Takeaway: The GO27Q24G is one of the quickest and smoothest 240 Hz QHD OLEDs you can buy. It edges out monitors with higher refresh rates and higher prices. At rates greater than 200fps, there is no motion blur. For lower speeds, below 120fps, the Ultra Clear option works well. The price/performance ratio here is unmatched.

Viewing Angles

One wouldn’t think OLEDs needed help in the viewing angle department, but recent variants of the technology have shown some of the effects of polarization. The Micro Lens Array used in the GO27Q24G eliminates any artifacts caused by things like stacked layers or Quantum Dots. The side photo shows no change in color, brightness, or gamma. This is as good as a flat panel can get. The top view remains neutral in color but has a tad lower brightness and gamma.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The chart looks a bit dramatic because the top four screens are below 3% in my uniformity test, but the GO27Q24G is still below the visible threshold of 10% with a 7.22% score. There are no hot spots to be seen in any neutral or colored field pattern.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

Brightness is where the GO27Q24G’s rubber meets the road. It is brighter than just about any OLED I’ve reviewed, regardless of size, price, resolution, or technology. That 722 nits is from a 25% window pattern with APL Stabilize set to High. If you set it to Low, a window or full field measures 263 nits, still plenty of light if you want constant brightness. Black levels and contrast could not be measured.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration changes nothing except the peak output level, which I set to 200 nits. I noted that if you want to switch between constant and variable brightness, the brightness slider’s value stays the same, meaning you must change it each time you switch. In both static and intra-image tests, black levels and contrast could not be measured.

Test Takeaway: The GO27Q24G has similar contrast to other OLEDs but much more brightness than almost every example I’ve reviewed. Its Micro Lens Array technology is a true game changer because it provides a lot of light for no extra cost and no downsides in performance. And you get better viewing angles too, win-win!

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The GO27Q24G looks OK out of the box but has room for improvement in its default Standard picture mode.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

Default grayscale is a bit warm in tone, which is a forgivable error. Too much red won’t harm image quality as much as too much green or blue. Gamma is too dark as well, which makes the picture a bit flat.

To calibrate, I adjusted the RGB sliders and changed the gamma preset from 2.2 to 2.0. This made a significant improvement. The image is much more vivid and textural with these changes.

To use the sRGB gamut, choose that mode from the 10 presets. There is a gamut selector in the picture menu, but it only offers Adobe and DCI. That one should be left on Native. In sRGB, you get a brightness control, but other options are grayed out. This one has a warm grayscale and dark gamma as well.

Comparisons

4.03dE doesn’t seem like an impressive out-of-box result for the GO27Q24G, but it is only eclipsed by the Asus in this test. All the screens need some love to look their best. Fortunately, it is just a few clicks of the OSD joystick away to an excellent 0.81dE result and an on-par finish. None of the monitors have visible grayscale errors.

In the gamma comparison, the GO27Q24G sits well with a tight 0.09 range of values and a 1.36% deviation from the 2.2 reference. The gamma presets are a bit off the mark, but if you select 2.0, you get 2.17, not bad at all. This is solid performance.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

In the gamut test, the GO27Q24G is visually perfect out of the box. The chart shows a slight red oversaturation but no hue errors. Calibration tightens up the chart with all points on or close to their targets. This is excellent performance.

In the sRGB test, you can see the same red oversaturation, but no point is out of contact with its target box. This is solid performance.

Comparisons

With calibration, the GO27Q24G posts the best color result of the group. There are no visible errors from any of the screens, but a 1.04dE result is among the very best. Its only relative weakness is in color volume, which is lower than the others. They all use either Quantum Dots or Tandem RGB Stripe tech to expand the gamut. The GO27Q24G comes close to 100% of DCI-P3, so it is colorful, just not as much. Its 105% coverage of sRGB is from a little bonus red.

Test Takeaway: The GO27Q24G is a colorful and accurate monitor once calibrated. It has a little less color volume than its competition, but it is brighter and less expensive. And it covers almost 100% of DCI-P3. It comes out of the box looking a little dark, but a few tweaks are all that’s needed for a nice gain in performance and quality.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The GO27Q24G supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switch where you’ll find five new picture modes. You also get some choices for brightness and other parameters.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

I’ve noted in past OLED monitor reviews that modes like “Peak 1000” are no brighter than modes called "Game” or “Cinema.” The GO27Q24G bucks this trend. The default mode is called HDR, and it will hit around 465 nits when measuring a 25% window. This earns it the HDR400 certification. But if you want to see the full potential, pick the Peak 1300 mode. That measured over 728 nits in my 25% window test. Gigabyte claims 1,300 nits for a 1.5% window, and there is no reason to doubt that. The GO27Q24G is BRIGHT. But there’s a catch; read on.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

If you want the most accurate luminance tracking from the GO27Q24G’s HDR mode, choose the HDR preset. It’s a touch dark until the 40% step, then it tracks the reference almost perfectly. Grayscale is a tad warm but not to the point where it reduces image quality. This is excellent performance. The second chart shows the Peak 1300 mode. It has the same grayscale tracking, but the EOTF trace is a bit wonky. It keeps the same dark tone levels but pumps up midtones for more impact. It looks good to my eyes, but it isn’t strictly accurate. It is, however, the way to get the brightest HDR from the GO27Q24G.

In the color test, I observed the same result from the two modes, so I’m showing HDR here. There is general oversaturation in DCI-P3 and BT.2020 that is comparable to the other HDR OLEDs I’ve reviewed. Hue points are on target, so there are no visible errors. In the BT.2020 chart, color runs out at 75% red, 70% green, and 95% blue.

Test Takeaway: The GO27Q24G has the brightest HDR I’ve seen from an OLED display. In its Peak 1300 mode, it truly delivers 1,300 nits from the smallest highlights. This gives the picture real pop and dimension. Color is a bit short of the competition, but that difference is minor. Since hues are on target, there is no cause for complaint. The GO27Q24G is a superb HDR monitor.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Desktop OLED gaming monitors have been with us for a few years now, and in that time, their prices have trickled down slowly at best. It’s a premium technology for sure, and for many users, the cost is just out of reach, until now. The Gigabyte GO27Q24G is $350 as I write this, and for that sum, you get a 27-inch OLED panel with 240 Hz, QHD resolution, HDR, Adaptive-Sync, and wide gamut color. What more do you need to know?

A few things have been sacrificed on the altar of value, like internal speakers, USB ports, and LED lighting. But the image and gaming experience are every bit the equal of monitors costing twice as much. The GO27Q24G’s Micro Lens Array delivers tremendous brightness, as much as 1,300 nits in HDR mode. It also has nearly perfect viewing angles. Color volume isn’t quite as large as panels with Quantum Dots or Tandem RGB Stripes, but you do get over 96% coverage of DCI-P3. I noted warm grayscale and dark gamma out of the box, but these issues were easily resolved with calibration.

When it comes to game performance, there is no complaint, only praise. A 240 Hz refresh rate delivers smooth motion and instant control response. The GO27Q24G has a tad less input lag than its nearest competitors. In practice, it’s a gaming weapon. And if you pair it with a console, there’s black frame insertion at 120 Hz to keep the action clear.

A quick search reveals similar monitors priced from $ 400 to $ 600. The GO27Q24G is a serious value. If OLED’s cost and lower brightness have put you off, Gigabyte has answered those concerns. Budget-conscious gamers should definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

● Check out this deal at Amazon

The Asus ROG XG27AQDMGR is a flat-panel gaming monitor with a 1440p QHD resolution along with a super-fast refresh rate of 240Hz. As with the majority of OLED monitors, the technology allows for a rapid response time of just 0.03ms; this provides an incredibly smooth gaming experience and eliminates ghosting from fast-motion gameplay.

The WOLED panel sports VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black compliance, 99% DCI-P3 color gamut, true 10-bit color, and a Delta E <2 color difference for astonishing HDR performance from your games. This screen also features Asus' Neo proximity sensor that can precisely detect when you're away from your screen and can switch to a black screen to reduce any chance of static screen burn-in. Along with OLED care functions, the screen should stay bright and burn-in-free.

Asus' superb WOLED monitor also comes with plenty of connectivity options for connecting to your PC and other computing hardware. You can hook up your game consoles like the Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and PlayStation 5, or maybe even your laptop for work or school, or anything else with a compatible video port. There are 2 x HDMI 2.1 ports, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, and 2 x USB ports.

● Check out this deal at Newegg

The ASRock PGO32UFS Phantom Gaming is a flat-panel gaming monitor with dual-mode refresh rate and resolution profiles. You can choose to game in 4K with a high refresh rate of 240Hz, or if you play competitive ranked esports titles, you can dial-up the refresh rate to a staggering 480Hz with a Full-HD resolution. The response time for this OLED panel is a mere 0.03ms, the de facto standard for most OLED panels, which makes in-game movement and motion incredibly smooth.

The OLED panel sports a very high contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1, which produces true blacks and highlights the eye-popping colours from your favorite games. This monitor is compatible with both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for ultra-smooth, tear-free visuals and is also DisplayHDR True Black 400 certified.

ASRock's superb OLED monitor also comes with an array of connectivity. You can connect a host of devices to this screen, including your favorite game consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, plus laptops, docks, and anything else with a compatible video port. There are 2 x HDMI 2.1 ports, 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, and 1 x USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode).

Sitting at its lowest price in at least the last thirty days, LG's UltraGear 45GX900A-B 45-Inch OLED gaming monitor costs just $884.99. This is a far cry from its initial launch price of $1699.99, where you're saving almost 50%. OLED gaming monitors have come down substantially in price over the last couple of years as the technology is more widely adopted and fears of fast OLED burn-in subside.

● Check out this deal at Amazon

The LG UltraGear 45-inch OLED monitor (model: 45GX900A-B) is a curved gaming monitor with a very tight 800R curvature, paired with a WQHD (3440 x 1440-pixel) resolution and rapid 240Hz refresh rate. The response time for this OLED panel is a mere 0.03ms, making movement and motion in-game incredibly smooth. The other benefits of an OLED panel are a very high contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1, which produces true blacks. This monitor is compatible with both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync for ultra-smooth, tear-free visuals, and is also HDR400 certified. The screen also outputs up to 1300 nits of peak brightness, with up to 98.5% of DCI-P3 color coverage.

LG's UltraGear 45GX900A-B is also a great screen if you want to connect more than just your gaming PC. For current-gen console gamers on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, there's an HDMI 2.1 port with support for variable refresh rates, plus DisplayPort 1.4 and USB Type-C with 65W power delivery.

Here are the best OLED gaming monitors that we’ve seen so far:

• Check out all the best monitor deals for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days

Mega-Ultrawide OLED Gaming Monitors

Mega-ultrawide gaming monitors are not for the faint of heart. Not only can these monitors be quite expensive, but they can also occupy a substantial amount of desktop space. However, for those who have the need (and the space), there are options such as the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 (G93SC), which features a 49-inch DQHD (5120 x 1440) QD-OLED panel. It's currently priced at $898 on sale at Amazon.

The G93SC sports a maximum 240 Hz refresh rate. We reviewed the G93SC and came away impressed not only with its overall image quality and expansive contrast, but also with its premium build quality. Samsung also includes some excellent extras, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the latter of which can be used with Samsung TV Plus and the Gaming Hub.

Our testing revealed that the G93SC was among the class leaders in input lag and response time, as expected from a premium OLED gaming monitor.

If you want to save a few bucks, you can also opt for the Samsung 49" Odyssey OLED G9 (G91SD). It is currently on sale for just $795.99 at Amazon.

You still get a gorgeous 49-inch QD-OLED panel with a 5120 x 1440 resolution, but instead of a maximum 240 Hz refresh rate, you'll top out at 144 Hz. Brightness tops out at 250 nits (typical), and you'll still get a fast 0.03 ms GtG response time. The monitor supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and it's also Nvidia G-Sync compatible. As for ports, you'll find one DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1, and two downstream USB-C ports.

34-inch Ultrawide OLED Gaming Monitors

If you're looking for something more in a “mid-range” size class, the AOC Agon Pro AG346UCD should be on your shopping list. This is a 34-inch QD-OLED monitor with a 3440 x 1440 resolution and a 165 Hz refresh rate. While that figure may not be as high as the 240 Hz more commonly found with 34-inch panels, the Agon Pro AG346UCD is priced at just $599, taking $50 off its typical asking price. In our review, we praised the monitor for its well-saturated color, excellent contrast, and out-of-the-box accuracy.

It's also worth considering the MSI MAG 341CQP, priced at $549.99 ($100 off its usual selling price). You still get a 34-inch QD-OLED panel, but the maximum refresh rate is slightly higher at 175 Hz.

27-inch OLED Gaming Monitors

One of the best things to happen to gaming monitors in recent years has been the emergence of OLED panel technology. OLED panels are fast, offer rich color and blacker blacks, but have come with a big price premium. But as the technology has matured, prices have come down. That fact is exemplified by the 27-inch, 240 Hz model (VG277U Xbiip) from Acer's Nitro line. It sports a 240 Hz QD-OLED panel rated at 400 Nits of brightness and a 0.03 ms response time. Best of all, the monitor is currently on sale for just $269, which is unheard of.

We haven't tested this monitor, so we can't vouch for its performance. However, Acer typically makes solid gaming panels, and the QD-OLED panel ensures that the blacks will be truly black and the colors should be vivid. The 400-nit brightness rating isn't the best for an OLED, but it should be sufficient for most home environments (as long as you're not sitting next to a sun-blasted window).

The VG277U Xbiip has one DisplayPort (1.4) and two HDMI (2.1) ports. And AMD FreeSync Premium is on the menu for smooth gaming performance.

Another option is the Alienware AW2725DF, which also sports a 27-inch QHD panel, albeit using QD-OLED technology. When the AW2725DF arrived in our testing lab, we noted its large color gamut, fast response, and stunning image quality. The monitor also boasts a 360 Hz refresh rate for ultra-twitch gamers. Currently, the AW2725DF is on sale for $469.99, representing a 28% savings.

More Tech Deals

Best gaming laptop deals | Best monitor deals | Best PC and laptop deals | Best SSD deals | Best CPU deals | Gaming Chair | Best hard drive deals | Best PC case deals | Best Dell and Alienware deals | Best 3D printer deals | Best PC peripherals deals | Best motherboard deals | Best CPU cooler deals | Best gaming chair deals

I eventually settled on the MSI MPG 321URX, which is currently $634 and, without a doubt, it's the best upgrade I’ve made to my system in a long time. There are a lot more affordable options available now, too: Models like the ASRock Phantom Gaming (PG032UFS) dual-mode 4K gaming monitor is on sale for $596, while the MSI 321UPX (similar to mine, but calibrated out of the factory) is $799. A year or so ago, the MSI was around $950, and the ASRock was over $1,000 in late 2025. So while sub-$700 is still a lot of money, prices have come down quite a bit on some quality panels. And while those offer the full-fat 4K resolution, there are even more affordable options if you're willing to step back to 1440p, like the Acer Predator X27U, for under $300.

I remember seeing them at CES and later walking past them in stores. The blacks were as black as could be, and the colors more vibrant than IPS panels. I recall thinking: "I have to have one." Then I looked at the price and walked away. Eventually, prices came down, and I upgraded, donating the 1440p IPS 165Hz panel to my kids, and I’ve been on a 4K OLED ever since. This article explains why I upgraded and offers advice on whether you should or shouldn't.

Why I upgraded to a 4K OLED monitor

Why I upgraded to a 4K OLED monitor

My journey to a 4K OLED started after seeing them at CES a few years ago, and more recently in stores. Seeing the deepest blacks and incredible colors was a sight to behold compared to my previous 27-inch 2560x1440 165Hz Acer Predator IPS panel, which many would consider a very good, fast IPS panel.

I worked on two 2560x1440 panels at my desk. On the left panel, I usually had video streaming, be it Hulu/news or Twitch, on one half of the monitor along with Chrome and several tabs ranging from personal email to a ‘scratch pad’ for work. On the right monitor, I had my ‘work Chrome’ on the right half (along with Slack), and I used the left area as free space to write articles in another Chrome tab and access File Explorer and other applications necessary for my job. This worked, but I quickly realized that I needed more screen real estate. I needed a higher resolution to fit more on the screen and a larger size so my old eyes could actually see what’s on the screen.

But I’m also a gamer at night. Generally, I'm an FPS (First-Person Shooter) guy playing titles like PUBG, Call of Duty, Battlefield 6, and more. Because I mostly play quick-twitch games, I need a high-refresh-rate monitor. Since I was already rocking 165Hz, the next natural upgrade for significantly higher refresh rates and lower display-related input lag was 240Hz. Sure, 180Hz variants are available, but I want a significant upgrade for something I will likely keep until it dies and cannot be replaced.

In the end, I upgraded to a 32-inch 4K OLED in early 2025 before RAM, video cards, and storage prices went nuts. The MSI MPG 321URX was $900 at the time (currently $634) and, without a doubt, the best upgrade I’ve made to my system in a long time. While I spent a pretty penny, not only was I able to get more screen real estate, both physically and in pixel count, but I also got true blacks and better color coverage (99% DCI-P3, 137% sRGB, aRGB 96%) than my IPS panel.

I also wanted to keep pixel density (Pixels Per Inch or PPI) the same or better. And if you do the math, the 27-inch 2560x1440 panel is about 109 PPI and, at least for my old eyes, I can’t see the pixels the way you could with, say, a 27-inch 1920x1080p monitor at a low 81 PPI. If we work out the 4K math on a 32-inch panel, that comes out to almost 138 PPI and even more dense than the 27-inch 1440p monitor.

Watching movies or videos in native 4K without scaling was an incredible experience. Seeing all the details and such bright, vibrant colors was such a drastic difference; I’m not sure I can ever go back. It also makes me thankful I’m not missing out in my living room, where it’s 90% movies and TV shows and around 10% console gaming (Xbox) and running an OLED TV (65” LG C4). The difference between these OLEDs and the 45” LCD TV in my bedroom is dramatic.

The refresh-rate bump was also game-changing. I'm lucky enough to have a GeForce RTX 5090, which is practically a necessity to drive a 240Hz high-refresh-rate OLED monitor and achieve frame rates well over 165 and close to the monitor's maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz. In some heavier titles, like Call of Duty, I need to enable DLSS to help reach that, or better, close to, that threshold, but it’s easier today with the RTX 5080 and, in some titles, the RTX 5070 Ti to reach higher frame rates than it was in the previous generations. Nvidia’s DLSS and MFG (Multi-Frame Generation) and AMD’s FSR have both come a long way (with Nvidia’s implementation being arguably better), so don’t be afraid to use them if needed.

Why should you upgrade?

Why should you upgrade?

The short answer: 4K UHD (3840x2160) gives you sharper pictures and more usable space. Whether you're playing games, watching movies, doing photo/video editing, or working in the office, you can now run multiple windows across the 3840-pixel width, and the higher PPI makes text look better (printed rather than rendered); finer details in pictures, games, and video are more visible. Streaming services also support 4K or 1080p, so you can avoid scaling and view content natively compared to a 2560x1440.

It’s also much easier to run today than it was a year or two ago. DLSS, FSR, MFG, and other upscalers let mid- to high-end video cards produce good frame rates at 4K without rendering each pixel natively. With these technologies from Nvidia and AMD, even if you enable this feature and run below native 4K, the upscaled result looks as good as, or sometimes even better than native 1440p. While you still need a fair amount of graphics horsepower to drive it, especially for high frame rates, it is easier using scaling technologies.

Today, 4K OLEDs are affordable enough that they're within reach of many more people than they were just two years ago. While they are still what I would consider a premium product, 4K panel prices have dropped and now sit in the realm of mainstream price points. In fact, you can buy a 32-inch 4K UHD 240Hz panel for under $700.

Models like the ASRock Phantom Gaming (PG032UFS) dual-mode 4K gaming monitor is $596, while the MSI 321UPX (similar to mine, but calibrated out of the factory) is $799. A year or so ago, the MSI was around $950, and the ASRock was over $1,000 in late 2025. So while sub-$700 is still a lot of money, prices have come down quite a bit on some quality panels.

Summary:

• You need more usable screen space for work or play
• Desire sharper pictures in games, movies, photo/video editing, office work
• True blacks, improved colors
• Easier to run than in years past - DLSS/MFG/FSR looks good and really improves frame rates
• Increasingly affordable - obviously affordable is in the eye of the beholder, but they are a lot cheaper today than even a year ago
• Burn-in has improved, too - While it’s still a concern over time, especially for static images like taskbars, manufacturers have implemented mitigations to prevent the phenomenon

Why you shouldn't upgrade

Why you shouldn't upgrade

There are several reasons to hold off on upgrading to a 4K 240Hz OLED monitor. One is that your current GPU may not keep up. Driving 240 FPS on a 4K monitor isn’t easy. And even with improvements and upscaling from both camps, you can’t make a budget card play like a flagship. Now, if you don’t play games, any video card will output 4K on an OLED, so this reason not to is only for the gamers.

I know burn-in is part of the reason to upgrade, and modern panels handle this better than early OLEDs, but it hasn’t disappeared. If your day is packed with spreadsheets and coding, or you use permanent taskbars/toolbars, those pixels stay in the same place all day. Dark modes and manufacturer mitigations help, but it’s the main risk. Check your warranty, as some brands cover burn-in (think Dell/Alienware, MSI, Corsair, Asus, LG, Acer), while others do not (Lenovo, budget/generic brands), and consider it ‘normal wear’. In short, if you work on static images a lot, you could see burn-in down the road.

Text can look slightly off depending on the panel type. If you work with a lot of text or spreadsheets, both OLED panel types can struggle with text clarity because they use non-standard subpixel layouts instead of the traditional RGB stripes. QD-OLED generally provides sharper overall rendering with ClearType enabled, while WOLED can look a bit hazy if the screen uses a matte coating. The good news is that the pixel density is so high, it’s harder to notice (I don’t on mine, and I write on it in a browser tab for 8+ hours a day).

Here again, we mentioned affordability in the why you should section, but it needs a place here too. For many users, $700+ is still prohibitively expensive. 1440p and 1080p OLED monitors cost much less.

If you’re an esports gamer, especially a competitive one, you likely need less real estate and higher frame rates. So choosing a 24-inch 240Hz+ 1080p IPS/VA panel is the best choice for users who want more FPS and less input lag than they do the highest contrast or saturated colors, for example.

Summary:

• You don’t have a powerful enough video card - If you don’t have an RTX 4080/5070 Ti or greater or AMD Radeon 9070XT, you may want to wait until your next graphics card upgrade. Or, if less than 240 FPS is OK, a lower-end card will work.
• If your day is packed with static images on the screen, burn-in can eventually become an issue, regardless of mitigation features from the panel or user.
• Text can look slightly off - Coming from someone who writes on their OLED daily, this isn’t a big issue, but it's worth noting just in case. The higher the pixel density, the less of an issue this is.
• It’s still expensive - Yeah, they are a lot cheaper than a year ago, but they are still costly. Prices will continue to drop.
• Esports gamer - You want a higher refresh rate and less real estate. Smaller, faster panels are ideal for this user.

OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. It uses self-illuminating pixels that create their own light and can turn completely off. In other words, each LED creates its own color and, for black, turns off, creating infinite contrast compared to LCDs (IPS/VA/TN panels).

OLEDs have two subvariants, QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) and WOLED (White OLED), and they differ in several ways, including how they generate light (WOLED: bottom emission; QD: top emission), their subpixel structure, and filtering. To summarize, WOLEDs generate white light from the bottom, which goes through four (RGBW) color filters, the backplane, and out. Whereas QD displays generate blue light and then turn it into green and red through a quantum dot layer.

What is OLED technology?

What is OLED technology?

What does all that mean? Without getting technical, it means QD-OLEDs excel in color volume and saturated highlights, with excellent color uniformity and tinting. WOLEDs offer the same benefits as traditional OLEDs (per-pixel control) but with an added advantage. Using a single white emitter with color filters means you don’t run into the problem of individual red, Green, and blue emitters aging at different rates, which can cause color shifting and burn-in. Now, WOLEDs don’t eliminate burn-in or image retention, but they can lessen the severity.

In the end, finding a bad OLED monitor is difficult, especially when you compare it to VA and IPS panels, since the contrast ratio, color volume, and response times put them in a league far above their IPS and VA counterparts. The biggest downside to any OLED panel is price (OLEDs cost more).

So what about the elephant in the OLED room, Burn-in? If you don’t know, burn-in is a phenomenon where the image on a monitor is retained and visible when other content is displayed. A good example is something static, like the ticker bar at the bottom of the screen or the Windows taskbar; these items tend to ‘burn in’ versus other areas of the panel that constantly change.

Over the years, this has improved. Most brands have mitigation features; for example, Philips (among others, like Samsung and MSI) uses pixel shifting technology to move displayed content one pixel up/down/left/right to reduce burn-in. MSI also uses pixel shifting, pixel refreshing, and OLED Care 3.0 to dim or turn off the screen when you step away. Each vendor has something to reduce it. Burn-in is real, but with today’s prevention features and a little bit of common sense from the user, it could take years to see anything visible on your screen, and something that I, so far, cannot see.

Tom’s Hardware’s own monitor expert, Brandon Hill, wrote a great article (WOLED vs QD-OLED monitors: which panel technology is better) covering the differences between OLEDs and which panel technology is better; it's absolutely worth a look if you want more detail on the panel types.

Takeaways

Takeaways

Jumping up from my 2560x1440 165Hz monitor to a 4K OLED at 240 Hz was, without a doubt, the best upgrade I made to my system in quite a while. For me, the awesome contrast and colors, plus the extra screen space, changed how I worked during the day and played games at night. Frankly, there’s no way I can go back. Prices, while still out of range for some, have come down considerably, and you can now get a 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED panel for under $700. With upscaling tech like DLSS and FSR making it easier to run, you may not need a graphics card upgrade to reach your goals. If you want a sharper picture, more screen real estate, and a big jump in image quality, a 4K OLED is hard to beat.

That said, it isn’t for everyone. If your graphics card can’t keep up and your day is packed with static spreadsheets and toolbars, or the price is just too much ($700 is still a lot of money), you can wait or look at a 1440p OLED instead. You can find those, like the Acer Predator X27U, for under $300. If you’re a competitive esports gamer, a smaller, faster 1080p panel is likely the best choice. In the end, the price of entry was worth it for me. But affordability is in the eye of the beholder, so be honest with yourself about how you'll use it before you buy.

The smallest gaming monitor available on sale is the KTC H24T7. The monitor typically retails for $189.99, but is on sale for $149.99. The discount code "FTTF8356" knocks another $5 off the price, bringing it to $144.99. This 24-inch monitor has a 2560 x 1440 resolution and a Fast IPS panel. According to KTC, it has a native refresh rate of 180 Hz, although you can overclock it to 185 Hz within the OSD. Other specs worth mentioning include a 1 ms response time, 400 nits typical brightness, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and AMD FreeSync/Nvidia G-Sync compatibility.

As for ports, you’ll find two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

If you’re looking for a smidge more diagonal screen real estate (without increasing resolution), there's the H27T6 and H27T22C-3. Both monitors offer similar specs, including a 27-inch Fast IPS panel, 1440p resolution, 1ms response time, 200 Hz native refresh rate (210 MHz with overclocking), 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and 450 nits typical brightness.

Both monitors also include two internal speakers, two HDMI 2.0 ports, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The primary difference between the two is that the H27T6's display can pivot 90 degrees, allowing it to operate in landscape or portrait orientation. It also features a white housing for its back panel instead of black.

The H27T6 is priced at $164.99 after a $5 off coupon (FTTF8357) at Newegg, while the H27T22C-3 can be had for $174.99 after coupon (FTTF8355).

Finally, we switch gears to the H15F9 15.6-inch 1080p portable monitor. Over the past several years, portable monitors have become increasingly cheaper, making them an affordable option to add a second screen for boosting productivity while traveling. In the case of the H15F9, it weighs just 1.4 pounds, making it less of a burden when squeezing it into your laptop bag. It also has one of my must-have features for a portable monitor: a built-in kickstand. The kickstand allows you to adjust the tilt of the panel, and I much prefer it to detachable magnetic kickstands or origami case+stand setups that you see with other portable monitors.

On the connectivity front, you'll find two USB-C ports (DisplayPort Alt Mode supported) and a mini HDMI port to support a wide range of devices (including smartphones, tablets, and consoles like the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X).

The H15F9 normally retails for $69.99, but right now it is priced at $56.99 after a $3 off coupon (FTTF8359).

• Check out this deal on Amazon

There are other displays rocking this same panel that are on sale, but they're all more expensive than this AOC monitor. The MSI Pro Max 271QPX14G is $300 on sale, for instance. As with any QD-OLED panel, this monitor has practically perfect black levels, leading to a theoretically infinite contrast ratio. OLED panels also have extremely fast pixel transition times for extra-clear motion and low input lag.

AOC claims 147.6% coverage of the sRGB and 110.2% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamuts (OLED panels are wide-gamut). For connectivity, AOC includes a single HDMI 2.1 and single DisplayPort 1.4 connection, allow with a 3.5mm audio out. You don't get an extra goodies like USB-C input, power delivery, or an integrated KVM, but that's unsurprising at this price.

Although the AOC Q27GADE is a budget OLED display, it should still be able to reach the peak HDR highlights of 1,000 nits that we've seen out of other OLED panels. The monitor supports HDR10 inputs, though note it doesn't come with an industry-standard HDR certification like VESA's DisplayHDR. However, AOC's other monitors in this family are certified with DisplayHDR True Black 400.

The display comes with G-Sync Compatible certification, so you shouldn't have issues with variable refresh rate gaming. The maximum 144Hz refresh rate should give most modern gaming rigs plenty of room to stretch out, especially with frame generation techniques.

Perhaps the biggest downside of this monitor is the stand. It includes just a single point of adjustment: around 20 degrees of tilt. There's a 100 mm x 100 mm VESA mount, thankfully, so you can throw the monitor up on an arm. If you stick with the included stand, there's a cable routing channel through the base to keep everything tidy.

More Prime Day Tech Deals

Best Tech and PC deals | Best gaming PC deals | Best RAM combo deals | Best 3D printer deals | Best RAM deals | Best gaming laptop deals | Best monitor deals | Best Wi-Fi Router deals | Best GPU deals | Best SSD deals | Best hard drive HDD deals | Best CPU deals | Best gaming chair deals | Best PC building tool deals | Best PC peripherals deals | Best filament and resin deals | Best motherboard deals | Best CPU cooler deals | Best PC case deals | Best Dell and Alienware deals | Best USB charger deals | Best gaming and productivity laptop deals under $1,000 | Best laptop PC deals

Also, you can join the Tom's Hardware deals Discord for up-to-the-minute hardware deals.

You can't go wrong with either of these screens, as we've tested both and both got our Editors' Choice for their performance. The AW2725DF is an older model from 2024, while the AW3426DW launched in the middle of this year and therefore has a newer panel. But both are made by Samsung and feature vivid colors and inky blacks.

On the AW3426DW in particular, our color testing showed that the screen was accurate out of the box, and like most QD-OLED screens, the panel was colorful and well-balanced. If you do, though, want to make a couple of minor adjustments, you can achieve 105% coverage of the DCI-P3 space.

We saw similar results in our testing of the smaller AW2725DF, which again proves that either option is excellent. If you're looking to upgrade your screen for gaming or gaming and productivity, these are two of the best options available -- especially at these record-low price points.

● Check out this deal at Walmart

This Acer EDT340CUR 34-inch gaming monitor is a large ultrawide screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio. The screen features an immersive 1500R curvature with an anti-glare coating to reduce light reflections. The screen isn't overly bright, with a brightness level of just 250 nits, but that should be more than ample for most situations indoors.

For $189, you're getting a large 34-inch monitor with that ultrawide QHD resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 1ms gray-to-gray response time. That's a lot of monitor for the money, and looking around at other screens of this size, it's a very hard deal to beat.

For video connectivity, you get a DisplayPort and two HDMI 2.1 ports, which means you can hook up both your PC and your PlayStation 5, Switch, or Xbox console at the same time without needing to swap cables over, making for a great gaming setup.

If you want to wall mount or place the monitor on an arm, there's also a 100 x 100 VESA mounting pattern on the rear for easy mounting.

This is a simply incredible deal in the current market. If you're looking to upgrade with a large screen for your PC or game console setup, it's definitely worth taking a look at this Acer Nitro ED0 gaming monitor deal for $189 at Walmart before it sells out.

If you’re old enough to remember CRTs, then you’ve heard of the Sony Trinitron tube. This was an evolved display with a cylindrical shape rather than the bubble screens that fronted other CRTs. It wasn’t completely flat, but it curved only along one axis. And it was coveted by users for its sharp and undistorted image.

Today, you can still buy a premium gaming monitor from Sony, and here is its latest: the INZONE M10S II. It’s a 27-inch OLED with QHD resolution and 540 Hz refresh rate. It runs at 720 Hz in HD and supports Adaptive-Sync, HDR, and wide-gamut color. Let’s take a look.

Sony INZONE M10S II Specs

The M10S II starts with an OLED panel that runs natively at 2560x1440 QHD resolution and 540 Hz. A dual-refresh mode bumps that up to 720 Hz at HD, 1280x720 pixels. Adaptive-Sync runs on both AMD and Nvidia platforms, and you get HDR support with the ability to calibrate for HDR10 content. The screen coating is unusual in that it’s matte, while nearly every OLED that crosses my desk is shiny. That finish is extremely effective at rejecting image-spoiling ambient light. It literally swallows up reflections and displays the image without any visible grain.

The M10S II delivers a huge color gamut that, in my tests, covered nearly 110% of DCI-P3. I found that calibration was necessary, but the reward was a beautifully saturated image. There’s an sRGB mode available if you need that smaller gamut for photography or graphics work. You also get variable brightness to stretch dynamic range. It has two settings that had a positive impact in both practice and testing. I’ll tell you more about that on page four. Peak output is around 475 nits in SDR mode and 543 nits in HDR mode when measuring a 25% window pattern.

For gaming, you get plenty of goodness in the form of static and dynamic aiming points, OLED anti-flicker, black frame insertion for blur reduction at low frame rates, an FPS indicator, and a set of timers. Missing are internal speakers and LED lighting, but you do get USB ports for peripherals. There’s panel protection in the form of advanced heat management and OLED care options, such as panel refresh and pixel orbiting. The latest I/O ports also include one DisplayPort 2.1 and two HDMI 2.1 ports. A pair of headphones can be plugged into the provided 3.5mm jack. There’s a comprehensive OSD for control, or you can use Sony’s INZONE Hub app, which is free to download.

The M10S II sells for $1,100 at this writing, so it’s primed to compete with other speedy competition displays. While it isn’t quite as loaded as an Asus ROG Swift screen, it delivers equal performance and image quality.

Assembly and Accessories

The M10S II’s carton gets the full cardboard treatment with no crumbly foam in sight. The panel, upright, and base assemble without tools. If you plan to use an arm, there’s a 100mm VESA mount with fasteners included. Also in the box are a DisplayPort cable, an external power brick, and a sheet of INZONE stickers, in case you want to decorate your Trapper Keeper.

Product 360

The M10S II’s most visible feature is its small-footprint base. Honestly, when I took it out of the box, I was dubious about its stability. It’s a heavy metal disc just six inches across. The upright bolts to its center with an offset that extends the depth to almost eight inches. It looks like it would fall over easily, but I gave it a few shakes, and it remained stable. This is geometry at work. The swivel point is where the upright and base meet, allowing you to swing the screen 360 degrees. You also get a 5/35-degree tilt and a 4.8-inch height range, no portrait mode, though. Movements are firm and smooth with no wobble or play.

Reach around the back right, and you’ll find a small protrusion with a power button and a joystick for the OSD. Uniquely, the power LED is positioned on the side, just the right spot to light up your hand when you press the button. It isn’t visible from the front, but you can turn it off if you wish.

The side view shows a thick component bulge attached to a thin screen backed by a metal plate. It’s just 5mm thick, and the bezel is narrow too: 7mm on top, 8mm on the sides, and 12mm at the bottom. It’s flush, so you can’t see it when the power’s off.

The I/O panel is up and under and includes two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 2.1, and USB, one upstream and two downstream ports. There are no internal speakers, so you can plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack. An additional USB port is there for service and firmware updates.

OSD Features

Pressing the M10S II’s joystick brings up an efficiently organized OSD. It’s divided into nine sections and has plenty of calibration and convenience options.

The OSD begins with picture modes, eight in total. The default is Game, and it looks good but needs a bit of tweaking to align it with broadcast standards. The other modes are aimed at specific game types or tasks, and there’s an accurate sRGB mode. I found the best results using Standard with a grayscale calibration, which you can read about below and on page four.

Gaming Assist includes the refresh rate switches and 24.5-inch modes which deliver 1080 vertical pixels while maintaining a 1:1 mapping. That way, there’s no scaling to soften the image. You also get motion blur reduction via a backlight strobe, which works well at low frame rates. It cuts brightness by around 30%. Anti-VRR flicker is unique to OLED monitors and prevents flickering during rapid frame-rate transitions. Hint: if your video card is fast enough to keep the action above 300 Hz, you won’t get flicker. Also in this menu are an FPS counter and aiming points, both static and dynamic.

In the Picture adjustment menu, you’ll find the variable brightness options, which Sony calls Brightness stabilizer. It’s counter to other monitors I’ve encountered, in that off means variable brightness is fully engaged. I experimented with all three settings and found the best gamma, and therefore quality, on the Mid setting. Also, here are gamma presets and color temps with a set of RGB sliders. There is no color gamut selector, but you can opt for sRGB in the sRGB picture mode.

For panel care, the M10S II includes pixel shift, a screen saver, and refresh routines. Sony differentiates between pixel and panel refresh. I ran the pixel refresh when I first powered up my sample. Selecting panel refresh prompted a message that it should only be run once a year, so I concluded it was a very aggressive refresh routine.

Sony INZONE M10S II Calibration Settings

The M10S II arrived set to its Game mode, which had a cool grayscale and light gamma. I could fix the grayscale but not the gamma, so I turned to Standard mode, which was much better. After a few clicks of the RGB sliders, I had much improved grayscale, gamma, and color tracking. The gamut volume is just under 110% of DCI-P3, which is too large for the SDR standard but looks great, nonetheless. If you want sRGB, it’s there in the preset mode list. It has good gamut accuracy and supports grayscale calibration but not gamma adjustment. My recommended settings are below.

For HDR content, the M10S II switches over automatically and provides four specific picture modes. Game works the best, and I noted that it allowed grayscale calibration and brightness adjustment. You can see those test results on page five.

Gaming and Hands-on

Sony’s marketing for the M10S II clearly targets competition and hardcore gamers, and for those users, it delivers. Whether you need 540 Hz or not, it is super quick. Motion resolution is perfect, which means moving objects and backgrounds have the same clarity as stationary elements. Camera pans are free from blur or smearing. Adaptive-Sync worked perfectly for me when using a GeForce RTX 4090 video card. Frame rates in Doom Eternal set to max detail ranged from 350 to 540fps.

The M10S II has a couple of features designed to reduce motion blur and smooth out the image, but I didn’t find any need for them. Anti-flicker, which I’ve seen from Asus as well, is there to remove any flickering during frame rate transitions. I saw plenty of those with rates rapidly shifting 80-100fps by the second. There was no flicker. You also get blur reduction via backlight strobe. It only works below 270 Hz, and since my speeds never went below that, it wasn’t needed. To engage it, turn off Adaptive-Sync first. The M10S II will automatically reduce the refresh rate. It works well and shows no evidence of phasing or ghosting.

Input lag is low enough that I perceived instant response to control inputs during the most frenetic battle maneuvers. My skills are average, but I see this monitor’s benefit to a competitive gamer. The 720 Hz mode felt super quick even though its input lag is only a tad lower. Full-screen resolution is limited to 1280x720, but you can achieve dizzying frame rates in the process. Also available are 24.5-inch modes in which the picture occupies a portion of the screen. You can do 1920x1080 at 720 Hz this way or opt for 2368x1332 pixels in a 1:1 mapping.

In all scenarios, color and clarity are as good as it gets for the OLED genre. The M10S II has a huge color gamut, almost 110% of DCI-P3, and that shows in both SDR and HDR content. HDR has the additional capability of calibration, something most HDR monitors cannot do. I also liked the variable brightness options. The terminology is a little counterintuitive in that when Brightness stabilizer is off, variable brightness is engaged at maximum. The other settings, Mid and High, are less aggressive at modulating light output. I found the best gamma, and therefore picture quality, came from the Mid option.

As a 27-inch QHD flat panel, the M10S II is well suited for productivity and delivers a clean and colorful picture for general use. Small text is sharp and free of color fringing. Graphics and photos are deeply textured, and video looks great as well. The monitor makes a great personal TV. The only things I noted missing were internal speakers and LED lighting. But everything you need for gaming, entertainment, and work is there.

Takeaway: The M10S II is a competitor’s dream with its speedy response, smooth motion resolution, and multitude of refresh and resolution options. It delivers a clean and colorful picture for both SDR and HDR content. The anti-glare layer is among the best I’ve seen, with no effects seen from ambient light reflections. It’s a premium purchase for sure, but there is nothing it cannot do well.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

540 Hz OLEDs aren’t common, and I could only find one other in my database to compare to the M10S II: Asus’ PG27AQWP. Also in the mix are Alienware’s AW2726DM, Gigabyte’s MO27Q28G, ViewSonic’s VX2738-2K, and Asus XG27AQWMG.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

I can only include monitors tested with the Nvidia LDAT for a fair comparison, so I had to exclude the Asus screens from the response test results. The M10S II shows a difference between 540 and 720 Hz of 0.20 ms and 0.12 ms, respectively. You can’t see this difference as it is well below the human eye’s capabilities. Notice that the 240 Hz ViewSonic draws the one-inch white box in the same amount of time, and the Alienware is just behind at 0.24ms. Do you need a 540 Hz OLED? 240 Hz is enough for perfect motion resolution.

Faster refresh rates typically mean lower input lag, though not universally. The M10S II is quick at 14.9 ms, but again, it’s pipped by a 240 and a 280 Hz screen. At 720 Hz, it sits on top. Note the 540 Hz PG27AQWP can only muster 22ms. Is that a problem? Not if you consider that human reaction time is typically around 200ms.

Test Takeaway: The M10S II is certainly a fast monitor and among the quickest 27-inch QHD OLEDs currently available. It gains a slight advantage in test results at 720 Hz, but not enough to make a visible difference. If you can drive it at 540 Hz in QHD resolution, you’ll be rewarded with a superb feel and perfect motion resolution, with moving objects rendered as clearly as static ones.

Viewing Angles

The M10S II shows a barely visible red tint at 45 degrees from the center, in both horizontal and vertical orientations. This is likely due to the anti-glare coating, which makes it the least shiny screen I’ve encountered. There’s no reduction in light output or gamma, and even the top view has good detail rendering. This is excellent performance.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The M10S II has screen uniformity on par with the best monitors I’ve measured, OLED and LCD alike. 2.55% is about as good as it gets. I used the pixel refresh routine right after unpacking, which took five minutes, then ran moving patterns on the panel for a few hours before starting my tests. This is excellent performance.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The M10S II includes both constant and variable brightness options. To find the peak luminance, I tested all three Brightness stabilizer settings. Off means variable brightness is fully engaged, measuring 478 nits with a 25% window pattern. A full field was 283 nits. Mid is 426 nits, and Off is the same 283 nits for any size window pattern or a full field. As you’ll see on the next page, Mid delivers the best gamma and is the setting I used for my hands-on tests. Black levels and contrast could not be measured.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration doesn’t change black levels or contrast. I found the best gamma on the Mid setting of the Brightness stabilizer, so I used a 25% window to set the slider to 200 nits. This is typical OLED performance.

Test Takeaway: The M10S II has typical brightness and contrast compared to other OLED displays with a variable-brightness option. It stands out by having three options instead of two. It also performs best in gamma tests and looks the best when the Mid setting of the Brightness stabilizer is used.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The M10S II includes a variety of picture modes tailored to different game types and tasks. They offer different levels of control for users who want to calibrate.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The M10S II’s Game mode is visibly cool in tone. No surprise, as its default color temp setting is neutral. You can find some relief from the Warm preset, but calibration is the best way to go. Gamma is a tad light as well. Adjustments also affect color tracking, which you’ll see just below.

The RGB sliders are a bit coarse in operation, so I couldn’t quite get all the errors below 1dE. But aside from 90 and 100% brightness, they are all under 2dE, not too bad. I switched to Standard mode as well, which has better gamma. Though it’s a little skewed, more of it sticks close to 2.2, so the picture gains some texture and depth. This is solid performance.

I measured the sRGB mode at its default settings. You can’t change brightness or gamma, but you can adjust the color temperature. The above result shows the default state. Gamma is too light in the darker parts of the image, while highlights are a tad dark.

Comparisons

The M10S II’s out-of-box grayscale is clearly blue in tone. A 6.17dE error is visible to the naked eye. Changing the color temp to warm improves it; it measures around 3dE. The best option is to calibrate, which brings the error down to 1.51dE. Then, there is no visible issue.

In the gamma test, the range of values is a bit wider than the other monitors, at 0.18 (low to high). But the numbers stay close to 2.2, so the deviation is only 0.45%; the actual value is 2.21. This is mainly because I changed the picture mode from Game to Standard.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The first chart is the main reason why the Game mode isn’t the best choice. The blue grayscale pulls the gamut tracking off target, resulting in visible hue errors across every color. Yellow is too green; magenta is too blue, and so on. The good part is that there is linear oversaturation, which delivers richer color without going over the top to a cartoonish look.

You can see what a difference calibration makes. Hue errors are now almost gone, and saturation points are at or near target. This makes a visible improvement in picture quality, making it look more natural.

Comparisons

It’s nigh impossible to find a bad OLED when it comes to color. Though the M10S II isn’t at the top of this group, it has no visible errors once calibrated. 2.22dE is still in the realm of excellent performance. I noted that the sRGB average error was 1.34 dE.

In the volume test, the M10S II proved itself to be one of the most colorful monitors you can buy in this category. OLED gamuts don’t get much bigger than 109.5% of DCI-P3. The 96.61% sRGB coverage is nearly ideal. The M10S II is suitable for color-critical work once calibrated.

Test Takeaway: The M10S II doesn’t come out of the box in its most accurate picture mode, but a few tweaks in the OSD take performance to a higher level. You can simply select the Standard picture mode with Warm color temp or calibrate for the best possible result. The sRGB mode is also accurate, and unlike most monitors, it can be calibrated for grayscale tracking. The M10S II’s overall color performance is on par with other premium OLED displays.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The M10S II accepts HDR10 signals and switches automatically to reveal four new picture modes. I noted that some adjustments were possible, which is unusual in a good way. Most monitors have no HDR picture options.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The M10S II’s brightest HDR picture mode is also the default, Game. A 25% window pattern measures over 543 nits, which puts it mid-pack in this comparison. In practice, and with its infinite black levels, it delivers punchy images with deep shadows and bright highlights with sharp detail throughout.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

In the grayscale and EOTF test, the M10S II in Game mode proved to be one of the most accurate HDR monitors I’ve reviewed. The first chart above shows grayscale after a couple of tweaks to the RGB sliders. It’s one of the few HDR monitors that allow color adjustments. The EOTF tracks very closely to the reference with a correct tone-map transition at 68% brightness. This is where it should be given the measured white and black points.

In the color test, there is significant oversaturation in red and just typical oversaturation in blue and green. This isn’t all that different from other HDR displays, but some red-dominant images I viewed showed clipping. Most HDR monitors are engineered this way, but Sony goes a bit further than others. Hue tracking is good, though with only slight deviations in yellow and magenta. In the BT.2020 test, the M10S II runs out of color at 90% red, 80% green, and 98% blue.

Test Takeaway: The M10S II has superb HDR luminance and grayscale tracking. Color is a little oversaturated, but most users will not complain about a monitor this colorful. It fills more of the BT.2020 color space than nearly every monitor I’ve reviewed, including professional models. Brightness is on the high side of average with punchy highlights and deep shadows, all well detailed.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Based on the number of gaming monitors on offer, Sony might not be the first brand one thinks of, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t among the best. Its model line may be small, but it is no less mighty. Competitors looking for the fastest and most flexible OLED display should take a closer look at the INZONE M10S II.

With a 540 Hz refresh rate at QHD resolution, the M10S II delivers speed right out of the gate. Then it adds performance options like 720 Hz at HD and two 24.5-inch modes that sport 1920x1080 and 2368x1332 resolutions with 1:1 pixel mapping. Add in blur reduction and anti-flicker, and you have a monitor that delivers smooth, responsive gaming on any PC or console.

Image quality is given equal attention. The OLED panel used here covers almost 110% of DCI-P3 and, with a few tweaks, delivers a color-accurate picture with the deep contrast and true blacks OLEDs are known for. The M10S II also includes variable brightness and HDR calibration, features not found in many OLED displays. I also noted the matte screen coating, which rejected ambient light better than any other OLED I’ve reviewed.

The Sony INZONE M10S II is a premium purchase for sure, and though it doesn’t include internal speakers or LED lighting, it performs on par with the very best. If you have the budget and you want a competition weapon for your gaming PC or console, you should definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

• Check out all the Acer X27U F5 deal at Newegg

The Predator X27U's display is one of the latter-generation QD-OLED 27" 2560x1440 types, granting it that massive 500 Hz refresh rate and increased brightness compared to earlier offerings. It's as good a time as any to note that Acer reused the "Predator X27U" moniker — the F5 model on sale is the nicer revised version, just in case you go searching and find the old specs.

Broadly speaking, OLED displays all have near-zero black levels, an infinite contrast ratio, and "perfect" viewing angles and response time. However, this model's DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification is the star of the show, as it ensures that brightness in HDR mode must be at least 500 nits, but most importantly, that full-screen brightness is at least 300 nits.

Put together, this means that for standard desktop usage, you get a consistently bright image regardless of what's on screen, and that brightness fluctuations ought to be tame — all unlike OLED displays of old. Those 500 nits in HDR mode are also a minimum, too, as Acer says that this display's peak brightness should top out at 1000 nits for 3% panel coverage, for nice highlights during action. As with most any OLED display, the color gamut covers 99% of the DCI-P3 space, and there's true 10-bit input support.

To make the best use of the 500 Hz refresh rate, the Predator X27U has both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible support. The included stand is height-, tilt-, and swivel-adjustable. The newer revision eschews a proximity sensor and other similar accessories for its lower price, but it does include USB-C connectivity alongside two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs and two HDMI 2.1 ports. A pair of 5W speakers round out the main specs. Get yours now from Newegg for $509.99.

I’ve reviewed several 500 Hz monitors, mostly LCDs, with a few OLEDs sprinkled in. But currently on my desk is Acer’s Nitro XV273U F5, which has a 1,000 Hz mode. And before I get to the caveat, know that it can refresh its screen at 540 Hz in QHD 2560x1440 resolution, so even without trickery, it’s one of the fastest flat panels you can buy. This 27-inch IPS display also features Adaptive-Sync, HDR 600, and wide gamut color. Let’s take a look.

Acer Nitro XV273U F5 Specs

So, let’s get the caveat out of the way first. The XV273U F5’s 1,000 Hz mode happens at 1280x720 resolution. That’s HD, not Full HD, which is 1920x1080. The good part is that this is a multiple of QHD’s 2560x1440. The picture becomes softer but not by as much as you’d expect. Additional video processing features include backlight strobe-based blur reduction and very precise overdrive.

The XV273U F5 also provides excellent image quality from an IPS panel, which has far higher contrast than its claimed 1,000:1 ratio. I measured just over 2,000:1 in testing, which blows away most other IPS panels for dynamic range. The black levels are almost in VA territory, resulting in a very deep, textural image. Acer gets color and gamma right as well, and with a few tweaks that I’ll show you on page four, you can enjoy reference-level accuracy. Gamut coverage is generous, with around 90% coverage of DCI-P3.

The XV273U F5 is fully ready for gaming on PC or console and has all the features to enhance gameplay at any skill level. You get plenty of aiming points and sniper modes, along with a set of timers. The overdrive and backlight strobe are enabled when your system can’t push the frame rates to 540 or 1,000, and they work extremely well, with significant blur reduction and no ghosting or phasing artifacts.

Style is not forgotten here, with a rare white aesthetic. Everything is white, including the base and the included cables. Only the thin screen bezel is black. A handy joystick controls most functions, and there are three control keys, one of which switches the refresh modes.

Connectivity includes two DisplayPorts and two HDMIs. There are no USB ports. You also get internal speakers and a headphone jack. And the ports all face backward for easy access.

The XV273U F5 isn’t a trifling purchase at $700, but if you want a 1,000 Hz monitor, they aren’t exactly common. I’m anxious to pop the hood, then take it for a spin.

Assembly and Accessories

The XV273U F5 comes simply packaged in recyclable pulp forms. A clamshell box opens to reveal four parts: the panel, upright, base, and a snap-on fulcrum. You would omit that if you wanted to use the 100mm VESA mount with an aftermarket arm or wall bracket. The cable bundle includes a white external power brick and an HDMI cable, no DisplayPort though.

Product 360

There’s something cool about white monitors, mostly because they are few and far between. The XV273U F5 has a nice aesthetic that balances purpose between gaming and productivity. The angular bits are reserved for the stand. The base is a metal plate with downturned corners, finished in a white powder coat. The upright has a cable hole and a few small trim pieces, with a tripod socket at the top. It features full ergonomics with a 5.9-inch height adjustment, 5/25 degree tilt, 20-degree swivel, and a 90-degree portrait mode. Movements are firm, but there’s a little play at the fulcrum point. Getting the panel level takes a bit more effort.

In the back is a large gray Nitro logo and a smooth panel shape with no angles or extra curves. The inputs face backward, making them easy to see and access. You get two DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are no USB ports, but there is a pair of two-watt internal speakers that play clean and politely in the upper midrange frequencies.

OSD Features

The XV273U F5’s OSD will be familiar to users of Acer monitors. It’s divided into four fields forming a logical tree and has eight sub-sections. To summon it, press the joystick twice.

The first two menus are the gaming aids and video processing options. Enhancements include timers, aiming points in multiple shapes and colors, and a sniper mode. The reticle can be moved around the screen if you wish. The sniper scope has three magnifications and night vision. Video processing includes a frame counter, blur reduction with four backlight strobe pulse width levels, and a two-level overdrive. Both are very effective at reducing blur and operate artifact-free. The strobe is one of the very best I’ve seen. At its most extreme setting, it reduces light output by around 40%, but you can increase the brightness slider to compensate.

The picture menu includes the HDR modes. You get two: Auto and HDR 600. You would think they are different, but in my tests they measured the same. I noted that the XV273U F5 does not switch to HDR mode automatically; you must select one of these options after applying the signal. Also important in the menu is Max Brightness. Turn it on to get, you know…

In the Color menu are the eight picture modes arranged by game type or task. Standard is the default, but if you change any setting, the XV273U F5 switches to User. Calibration controls include seven color space options; Native is the most colorful, plus gamma and color temp presets. The RGB sliders include gain and bias adjustments for very precise grayscale tracking.

If you’re looking for the frame rate switch, it’s in the System menu, which is counterintuitive. It should be in the Gaming menu. You can also do it with the far-left control key to switch refresh rates without going into the OSD. Like most dual-mode monitors, you must initially set up each resolution in the Nvidia or AMD control panel. Then, you can make the switch on the fly. When you’ve made your settings, you can save them to the two memory locations under Save Settings to…

Acer Nitro XV273U F5 Calibration Settings

The XV273U F5 comes out of the box looking a little cool. It could probably satisfy most users, but a grayscale calibration takes it to reference level. The Native color gamut covers about 90% of DCI-P3, and an sRGB option is available. In all cases, gamma was spot-on, so I left that preset on 2.2. I had to reduce contrast by two clicks to solve a clipping issue. My suggested settings are below. For HDR, apply the signal first, then choose either Auto or HDR 600 from the Picture menu. And don’t forget to turn on Max Brightness for the XV273U F5’s max brightness.

Gaming and Hands-on

If you are a gamer looking for maximum smoothness and next-to-no input lag, and you don’t want to buy an OLED, the XV273U F5 is easily the next best thing. My perspective comes from the fact that the most prolific OLED category right now is 27-inch QHD 240 Hz. The XV273U F5 has the same size and pixel density, as well as excellent contrast and color. And it’s as smooth as a QHD 240 Hz OLED, albeit running at 540 Hz. I could do this without any problem using a GeForce RTX 4090, though given the fan noise I heard, it was working for it. But this monitor is the first LCD I would compare to an OLED for gaming feel and addictive play.

Motion blur simply did not exist at 540 Hz, and perceptually, neither did input lag. Turn-and-fire and circle strafe maneuvers were super easy and precise. I experienced very little wasted ammo. Competitive gamers will be right at home playing on an XV273U F5.

At 1,000 Hz, the story is different, but not that different. Yes, the picture is soft. It’s a bit like watching old TV shows on YouTube. You don’t enjoy them less, but by modern FHD and UHD standards, 480p is so 10 years ago. However, 1,000 fps is really something. The RTX 4090 worked even harder than before, but it managed to keep the frame rate locked at 1K. Again, there is no input lag, nor is there any blur. And even though the picture was soft, gameplay was just as addictive. It’s just so quick that some scenarios become too easy. For gamers of all skill levels, the XV273U F5 is a weapon.

I’m spoiled by OLEDs, so I won’t pretend that the XV273U F5 looks as good as them. But it’s closer to that standard than many other LCDs. It has one of the highest-contrast IPS panels I’ve seen, with a native contrast ratio around 2,000:1. That’s almost VA territory, but with better viewing angles and more saturated color. You’ll see in my test results on page four that this is a very accurate display, and it shows in practice. I noted that HDR content looked very good but had no more contrast than SDR. But with excellent luminance tracking and rich color, it provided decent impact.

For daily use, you can save a little power and run it at 120 Hz for productivity. That will get you smooth scrolling for webpages and documents. 109ppi pixel density gave me clear fonts, sharp graphics, and solid detail in small objects like icons and toolbars. Color accuracy and a useful sRGB mode provided good functionality in Photoshop.

I enjoyed the styling very much too, especially the white part. I’m a fan of white monitors, and the XV273U F5 is one of the nicer ones I’ve experienced. The rear-facing ports are super handy because they’re easy to see and reach. I’d have liked some USB ports, though. But I was glad to hear decent sound from the internal speakers. They aren’t Wilson Sashas, but they play clean and loud enough for one user.

Takeaway: The XV273U F5 is a superb gaming monitor with a gaming feel and response time on par with any OLED display. It has plenty of contrast and color too, which gives the picture impact and texture. I really enjoyed the styling and the white aesthetic. Though premium-priced, it can refresh at 1,000 Hz, and that is something rare indeed.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To compare the XV273U F5’s performance, I’ve rounded up a group of speedy LCDs that refresh between 210 and 360 Hz. Obviously, the response and lag tests give the Acer an unfair advantage, but I haven’t reviewed a 500 Hz LCD monitor in quite a while. They are Acer’s XB273U F5, KTC’s M27T6S and H27E6, AOC’s CQ27G4ZH, and HP’s Omen 27qs.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

For the response test, only the XB273U F5 and M27T6S have been measured by my new LDAT sensor from Nvidia. Interestingly, the 360 Hz screen is the quickest at 2.4ms. The XV273U F5 seems a tad slow by comparison, and there’s only a slight difference at 1,000 Hz. But this doesn’t account for the quality of the overdrive. The XV273U F5 has one of the best I’ve seen, and it removes almost all motion blur at 540 and 1,000 Hz. It’s effective at lower frame rates too. You can run down to about 300fps before blur becomes noticeable.

The lag test is where the XV273U F5 really shines. It’s one of the quickest LCDs I’ve tested at just 14.4ms for 540 Hz and 11.1ms for 1,000 Hz. In practice, any of these monitors will satisfy twitchy gameplay, but the XV273U F5 is firmly on top. Only the XB273U F5 and M27T6S come close.

Test Takeaway: The XV273U F5 is one of the fastest LCDs you can buy. At 540 Hz, it equals many OLEDs in smoothness. The overdrive and backlight strobe are among the best available, with effective blur reduction and no ghosting or phasing artifacts. At 1,000 Hz, motion is uncannily smooth, and though resolution is reduced, it isn’t as soft as you might expect. And it has very low input lag in that mode.

Viewing Angles

The XV273U F5 is one of the better IPS screens I’ve photographed. In the side view, there is a slight blue tint but no change to gamma or brightness. The top view darkens by around 50% and has a red tint, but its gamma is better than most. This is one of the most shareable LCDs I’ve seen.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The XV273U F5’s screen uniformity is also on par with many OLEDs. 5.56% is well below the point where you would see any glow or bleed. Color fields were perfectly uniform in my tests as well. This is excellent performance.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

The XV273U F5 has more than enough light output for any indoor space. You could use it in an outdoor location, too, with almost 500 nits available. What’s truly amazing though, is the black level. I was almost fooled into thinking it was a VA panel with a contrast ratio of 2,003:1. This is twice the IPS average of 1,000:1. Only the AOC, which actually is VA, can do better.

After Calibration to 200 nits

During calibration, I had to lower the contrast slider a bit to solve a clipping issue, but that didn’t make much difference in dynamic range. It’s still an excellent 1,937.2:1, well ahead of the next best KTC. The ANSI score is even more impressive at 1,938:1. It’s rare that any monitor matches its static and intra-image results in my tests. This is excellent performance.

Test Takeaway: The XV273U F5 tries hard to be an OLED with its superb contrast and deep black levels. It’s bright when needed as well, with nearly 500 nits of peak output for SDR content. It also shows excellent quality control with near-identical static and ANSI contrast numbers.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The XV273U F5 ships in its Standard picture mode and includes plenty of picture options like gamma presets, color temps, RGB sliders with two-point control and a gamut selector.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

The initial grayscale run shows visible errors starting at the 50% brightness step. The pattern looks a little cool in tone though it’s not too far off the mark. I would definitely calibrate, but many users will be satisfied with the image. And that’s largely because gamma is within a hair of perfect. Only the tiniest dip happens at 90%, and that is well below the visible threshold. Gamma this good makes the image more textural and realistic. It also increases perceived color saturation.

Calibration takes the XV273U F5 to reference level. All errors are under 1dE except 100%, which just cracks the line. It doesn’t get much better than this. Gamma improves a tad as well, with that 90% dip almost gone. This is excellent performance.

Picking the sRGB color space grays out all other calibration controls, so you get great gamma, but that cool grayscale returns. It’s not a big deal, but I'd like the RGB sliders available. This is decent performance.

Comparisons

The XV273U F5 finishes fourth in the comparison and just cracks the “should calibrate” line. Most users will be satisfied with the picture, but since a few adjustments can produce reference-quality results, it’s worth a little effort. That takes the average error down to 0.67dE, which is awesome but not quite as good as its predecessor, the XB273U F5, or the HP.

The gamma value range is about as tight as it gets, though the AOC is 0.01 better. But when compared to the 2.2 reference, the XV273U F5 comes out on top with just a 0.45% deviation. The actual value is 2.19. The XV273U F5 has gamma on par with the most accurate pro monitors I’ve reviewed.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The XV273U F5’s initial color measurement is good, but there is room for improvement. Saturation levels are spot-on thanks to the near-perfect gamma, but hues are slightly off due to grayscale errors. You can see what I mean in the next chart where my grayscale calibration has been done. Now, every point is either inside or in contact with its target box. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The sRGB mode is quite close to the mark, with a slightly warm grayscale but perfect gamma. There are slight hue errors in cyan and magenta, but other colors are spot-on. If the RGB sliders were available in sRGB mode, this chart could be improved, though it is already good enough for color-important applications.

Comparisons

The XV273U F5 has superb color accuracy and gamut coverage, with only minor errors that won’t diminish the picture. A 1.40dE final color score is among the best I’ve recorded. In the gamut volume test, it achieves 89.16% DCI-P3 coverage, which is about average for non-Quantum Dot LCD panels. It only comes up a tad short in the green primary. sRGB coverage comes close to 102% thanks to a little bonus red.

Test Takeaway: The XV273U F5 has excellent color accuracy once calibrated. Out of the box, it’s still solid. In either case, it has gamma tracking on par with the best professional monitors. Color coverage is about average for non-Quantum Dot screens with around 90% of DCI-P3. That suits it well for HDR material.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The XV273U F5 accepts HDR10 signals with a manual switch. You must apply the signal first, then choose one of the two HDR picture modes, Auto or HDR 600.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

I measured the same peak output in both HDR modes, Auto and HDR 600. The XV273U F5 just cracks the 600-nit mark, earning its VESA Display HDR 600 certification. There is no dimming, either field or zone, to reduce the black level, so contrast is the same as SDR, 1,983:1. This is solid performance, but the HP, KTC, and AOC use dimming to lower their black levels and increase dynamic range, which ultimately provides more impact.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The XV273U F5 has a slightly cool grayscale in HDR mode, with errors visible from the 25% step and brighter. This flattens the image a little, but that is mitigated by excellent EOTF tracking. Aside from a light 0% reading, the measurements stick close to the reference line and hit the correct tone map transition point at 65%. This is where it should be for the measured black and white thresholds.

In the color test, you can see some oversaturation in red and blue while green is close to its targets. That primary comes up a tad short at 100%, which was also the case in my SDR tests. You’ll need Quantum Dots or a Tandem OLED to get more green than this. Hues are true for all colors except magenta and cyan, which are pulled off target by the cool grayscale. In the BT.2020 test, color runs out at 85% red, 70% green, and 95% blue.

Test Takeaway: The XV273U F5 has solid HDR contrast but gives away some performance to other monitors that have zone or field dimming. It mitigates this somewhat with very accurate EOTF tracking. Color is also close to the mark and there’s plenty of saturation there to provide decent impact for HDR content.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

There’s no question that OLED gaming monitors have raised the bar for motion quality, gaming feel and quick response. But LCD isn’t done yet. With a high refresh rate and good video processing, an IPS panel can provide the same experience. Acer has clearly raised the bar with its Nitro XV273U F5.

At 540 Hz, the XV273U F5 has no visible motion blur. At lower refresh rates, the overdrive keeps motion smooth and if you want a backlight strobe, it’s available and is one of the best implementations out there. You can run this monitor with any gaming PC or console. It isn’t limited to just expensive video cards. And it’s super cool to see “1000” displayed on the screen’s frame counter.

The XV273U F5 panel also provides superb contrast. Though it isn’t going to displace OLED or VA in the black level contest, I measured a 2,000:1 ratio, which puts it well ahead of the IPS average. I also measured perfect gamma, which resulted in a highly textured image with vivid color saturation and 90% DCI-P3 coverage. It can be enjoyed without calibration, but a few tweaks of the RGB sliders put it in pro-monitor territory.

I also enjoyed the white aesthetic, mainly because it’s something different. It stands out from the sea of black monitors in a good way. The only misses for me were the lack of USB ports and the lack of dimming to increase HDR contrast. But neither of these things diminishes its gaming prowess. It’s addictive in every respect.

If you want the smoothest motion and the quickest response from your next gaming monitor, and you don’t want an OLED, the Acer Nitro XV273U F5 deserves serious consideration. Definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The latest ROG Swift display to hit my test bench is the PG27UCWM. It’s a 27-inch 4K panel with 240 Hz (480 Hz in FHD), HDR10, Dolby Vision, DisplayHDR 400, and Adaptive-Sync. Let’s take a look.

Asus ROG Swift PG27UCWM Specs

I’ve reviewed a few Tandem RGB Stripe OLEDs of late, most recently, Asus’ 32-inch version of this screen, the PG32UCWM. There’s no denying the extra sharpness that this tech brings. Though I never saw much color fringing around text as discussed online, these new panels are clearly sharper than single-layer OLEDs. By sandwiching two layers and making the pixels’ physical shape narrower, you get more clarity, more color, and more brightness at a given wattage. And by driving the panel less aggressively, its lifespan is extended.

The PG27UCWM’s color volume is greater than that of single-layer OLEDs but not quite as large as that of Quantum Dot displays. I measured just over 102% coverage on my sample, whereas you’ll get closer to 110% with a QD monitor. Asus includes factory calibration with each monitor, and you can find that stored in firmware and accessed through the comprehensive OSD.

Peak brightness is just under 500 nits when measuring a 25% window pattern with uniform brightness turned off. That number holds for both SDR and HDR content. The PG27UCWM supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, with VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. Asus’ TrueBlack Glossy screen coating keeps reflected light from spoiling those deep black levels.

In the video processing department, Asus includes a dual-refresh feature called Frame Rate Boost that switches between 4K/240 Hz and Full HD/480 Hz. You can change modes with a single button press. Also in the mix is Adaptive-Sync, with certifications from both Nvidia (G-Sync) and AMD (FreeSync Premium Pro). And you can augment lower frame rate capable systems with ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur).

The PG27UCWM, like all ROG Swift products, is feature-rich. You get Asus’ GamePlus enhancements, including multiple aiming points, sniper modes, frame rate counters, timers, and alignment marks. The quick menu and joystick clicks are fully customizable for quick access to many functions. And you can download Asus’ DisplayWidget Center app for full control on Windows or Mac desktops. A full array of inputs includes DisplayPort 2.1 with 80 Gbps bandwidth, HDMI 2.1, USB-C, and a USB 3.2 hub with KVM options.

There are plenty of cables included, along with Asus’ signature LED lighting and graphics. The PG27UCWM is firmly in the premium segment at a starting price of $1,099. I would expect greatness for that sum, and if you read on, we’ll see if it delivers.

Assembly and Accessories

The PG27UCWM arrives in a well-adorned carton with colorful graphics and secure, recyclable packaging. The base, upright, and panel are separate, as is the lens for the ROG logo projector that shines symbols on your desk. It includes multiple lenses. The ROG pouch reveals cables for USB, HDMI, and DisplayPort, plus IEC for the internal power supply. There’s also a heavy stamped steel bracket that snaps onto the panel to create a 100mm VESA mount.

Product 360

The PG27UCWM features Asus’ latest ROG Swift styling cues, with clear plastic on the back that reveals some of the monitor’s internal components. Opposite that is the Lite Brite ROG graphic that can light up in a multitude of colors and effects. More LEDs can be found on the front, on the small protrusion beneath the screen, as well as on the base and even the sliding bit on the stand’s upright. All this fun can be controlled in the OSD and by DisplayWidget Center.

In front, the bezel is very narrow on all sides, just 9-11 millimeters, with a small protrusion at the bottom center for the joystick and control buttons. It also contains a sensor that works with the OLED care features to shut off the panel when you leave your desk.

From the side, you can see the panel-on-box design that is common to many OLEDs. This not only looks nice but aids in cooling. The OLED is backed by a metal plate that helps dissipate heat, along with a graphene layer inside, heatsinks on the internal circuit boards, and a heat-efficient power module. The PG27UCWM is fanless and always ran cool during my time with it.

The stand is very solid with a cast aluminum base that is both wide and deep. The upright features full ergonomics with a 4.4-inch height range, 5/20-degree tilt, 30-degree swivel, and a 90-degree portrait mode. Movements are firm and smooth with no wobble or play. The stand also has a threaded tripod socket on top for things like webcams.

The I/O panel is well-appointed with a single DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR20, 80 Gbps), two HDMI 2.1, a USB-C, and a USB hub with one upstream and three downstream. The hub has full KVM functionality, along with version control and power for the USB-C up to 90 watts. There are no internal speakers, but you do get a 3.5mm headphone jack.

OSD Features

The PG27UCWM has two buttons and a joystick to cover all monitor functions. Pressing the left button switches the refresh rate between 240 Hz and 480 Hz. The right button is a power toggle. Pressing the joystick brings up a quick menu which is fully programmable. A second press reveals the full OSD.

The quick menu has four slots for any function you might want quick access to, like picture mode, brightness, and the like. The full OSD starts with Gaming, and there, you’ll find the GamePlus suite with a large selection of aiming points, sniper modes, frame counters, timers, a stopwatch, and display alignment marks. GameVisual refers to the nine picture modes, each aimed at different game types or tasks. Racing is the default and best choice there.

The PG27UCWM is one of the few monitors to support Dolby Vision in addition to HDR10. Dolby Vision uses dynamic tone mapping from the content metadata to tailor its luminance curve for each individual display. This renders the content more faithfully and with more impact than the fixed tone curve from HDR10 material. For that format, you get four more modes with the option to adjust brightness and other parameters.

To adjust color, the PG27UCWM includes a gamut selector, gamma presets, and color temps arranged by Kelvin value. You can also adjust RGB sliders for finer control. My sample was nearly perfect out of the box, and I could only make a tiny difference with calibration.

OLED Care includes many toggles for screen savers, logo detection, and more. Pixel Cleaning is a panel refresh feature that takes about six minutes to complete. When I first powered up the PG27UCWM, it prompted me to do this. I’ve found this to improve screen uniformity with brand-new panels, so I make it a habit for every review. A front-mounted sensor can be configured to shut off the monitor when you leave your desk.

To view two video sources simultaneously, use the PIP and PBP options. Each can have its own color settings, and you can size the PIP window. Aura RGB is the lighting feature, and it offers a wide range of effects and colors. Light In Motion works with the DisplayWidget Center app to create light shows that mimic what’s happening on the screen.

The quick menu and joystick are fully programmable, so you can access up to 9 functions quickly. This is great for switching inputs, adjusting brightness, changing the refresh mode or what have you. Also included are two memory settings.

The System Setup menu can be left alone in most scenarios, but one option you must address is the Power Setting. It’s on Power Saving by default, and that limits brightness. Switch to Performance Mode to unlock the PG27UCWM’s full potential.

Asus ROG Swift PG27UCWM Calibration Settings

The PG27UCWM measured close to spec out of the box for grayscale and color, but I noted a slight gamma shift. To improve this metric, I selected the 2.4 preset, which made it a tad darker in a good way. I also adjusted the RGB sliders for a tiny gain in grayscale accuracy. For gaming, calibration is completely unnecessary. My suggested settings are below and include brightness values for Uniform Brightness on or off.

For HDR10 content, I recommend the Gaming HDR mode even though its EOTF tracking is lighter than spec. You can read more about this on page five. For spot-on HDR, True Black mode is the winner.

Gaming and Hands-on

I have yet to game on an Asus OLED that wasn’t addictive in its imagery and responsiveness. The PG27UCWM was no exception. It’s super quick with no perceptible input lag and perfectly smooth motion resolution. For frame rates, I tried both modes, 240 and 480, and had excellent results. With a GeForce RTX 4090 in my test PC, I kept the action at 220-230fps in 4K with HDR enabled. This was awesome, to say the least, with every detail rendered sharply whether static or moving. I knew my system was working hard because the fans ran fast and there was a good bit of warm air circulating about my legs as I dispatched enemies in Doom Eternal.

To switch refresh modes, I had to exit to the Windows desktop to prevent the game from crashing. This is typical of the dual-refresh monitors I’ve reviewed and has nothing to do with their operation. At 480 Hz in FHD resolution, the picture was softer but not tremendously so. Games were just as playable and addictive. I kept the frame rate locked at 480 fps across all scenarios. It didn’t make play better for me, but I can see the advantage for users with slower PCs. Or if you just want to brag about frame rates.

HDR color and contrast were exemplary, and I toggled between two HDR picture modes: Gaming and True Black. You’ll see the technical differences between them on page five, but visually, Gaming provided a bit more brightness while True Black had better midtone contrast. It came down to game type for me. Bright outdoor scenery looked better in Gaming while dark imagery looked better in True Black. As with the frame rate boost feature, switching HDR modes should be done on the Windows desktop rather than in a game.

I noted light gamma during testing, which in SDR mode manifested as a slight flattening of the image. I fixed this by upping the gamma setting to 2.4 and raising the brightness value a few points. This added more texture to the picture, which was easy to see in a side-by-side comparison. For a more scientific explanation of the PG27UCWM’s gamma performance, see my test results on page four.

Like all Asus ROG Swift displays, the PG27UCWM is premium in every respect. It looks great just sitting on a desk with its clear back and extensive but not garish lighting. I turned on all the Aura RGB elements and enjoyed the show without distraction from games or work. The accents are well-balanced, even down to the logo projector, a feature unique to Asus ROG Swift monitors.

The Tandem RGB Stripe panel was visibly sharper than last year’s Quantum Dot-based PG27UCDM. The difference is small, but it is there. Text was rendered with perfect edges, free of artifacts such as fringing or jaggies. I could also see a difference in photos, especially when zooming in to the pixel level. This is a great monitor for content creation and writing. I also appreciated the inclusion of Dolby Vision for watching movies and TV shows. There is a lot of DV content on disc and through streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max.

The PG27UCWM has plenty of convenience features, such as USB ports with KVM and a tripod thread on the stand. But I missed internal speakers. Game sound had to come through headphones plugged into the provided 3.5mm jack.

Takeaway: The PG27UCWM is a supremely versatile monitor with lots of features, premium styling, excellent build quality, and top-level game performance. Competitive gamers will appreciate its advanced video processing, low input lag, and smooth response. Image quality is also top-shelf with accurate and saturated color, high luminance, and a variable brightness option. The Tandem RGB Stripe tech delivers a sharper picture than Quantum Dot or single-layer OLEDs.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

When I looked for 27-inch 4K OLEDs to compare to the PG27UCWM, I didn’t find many in the database. It is still an unusual format compared to 32-inch 4K or 27-inch QHD. The group consists of Alienware’s AW2725Q, ViewSonic’s VX2738-2K (QHD), Asus’ PG27UCDM, BenQ’s EX271UZ, and Acer’s X27 X1. All run at 240 Hz.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

My data on the BenQ, Alienware, and Asus PG27UCDM predates my LDAT tests, so they are not included in the response results. Thus far, I haven’t seen much variation in OLED panel times. They range from 0.12 to 0.24ms, which is a tiny difference that can’t be seen with the naked eye. That’s why OLEDs all look smooth at 200fps or more. I noted that the PG27UCWM was quicker at 480 Hz than 240, but not by half: 0.12 versus 0.20ms.

In the lag test, the frame rate boost doesn’t provide an advantage in input lag. Even a Jedi Knight won’t be able to tell a 0.6ms difference. Either way, the PG27UCWM has the lowest input lag of any 27-inch 4K OLED I’ve tested, by a small margin over the Acer and ViewSonic screens. Gamers will want to check one of these out for their competition kit.

Test Takeaway: The PG27UCWM is the quickest 27-inch 4K OLED panel I’ve tested to date. It has very low input lag, and panel response is smooth in either frame rate mode. 480 Hz provides a boost in frame rates and is useful for slower systems, but it does not provide lower input lag. If you have enough video card power, the 240 Hz mode is more than adequate for instant control response and smooth motion resolution.

Viewing Angles

In my experience, the one weakness of Tandem RGB Stripe OLED panels is their slight color shift in the horizontal plane. There is no reduction in brightness or gamma, but there is a reddish-green (greenish-red?) tint, a bit like an IPS monitor. For a 27-inch panel like the PG27UCWM, this isn’t a big deal. Just don’t share it with another user who is picky. The vertical photo shows reduced gamma and the same color shift.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The PG27UCWM’s screen uniformity is in line with other OLEDs. I have yet to find a bad one. I recommend that anyone buying an OLED run the pixel refresh routine when you first unpack it. This often yields a 5-10% improvement in uniformity.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

I measured the PG27UCWM in its Racing mode with the Power mode set to Performance and the brightness slider maxed. With Uniform Brightness (UB) off, a 25% window came up just short of 500 nits, and a full field was 278 nits. UB on kept that same 278 nit value for both window and field patterns. I noted that the PG27UCWM was a tad brighter than last year’s PG27UCDM, which had a Quantum Dot panel. Black levels and contrast could not be measured.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration made no difference to contrast or black levels. When switching between UB modes, I noted that the PG27UCWM saved the brightness value for each mode. That means you can equalize brightness by using a full field for UB on and a 25% window for UB off. As is typical for OLEDs, I could not measure the intra-image (ANSI) contrast.

Test Takeaway: The PG27UCWM delivers contrast and black level performance identical to other OLED monitors. It nearly hits 500 nits for a 25% window pattern with Uniform Brightness switched off. Leaving it on delivers around 278 nits peak.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

In the PG27UCWM’s Racing picture mode, there is no need for calibration, but you have the option to change color space, gamma, and white balance if you wish.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

In the first chart, grayscale tracking is visually perfect with no error exceeding 2dE. The accepted visible threshold is 3dE. Gamma is a bit skewed, though. It’s too light in the darkest parts of the image, and midtones are also a little under. This flattens the image a little. At 90% brightness, it is slightly dark, which also lessens the picture’s impact.

I calibrated the RGB sliders for a tiny improvement in grayscale. For gamma, I could only pick a different preset, so I opted for 2.4, which was a good compromise. Since OLEDs have such high contrast, it’s easier to get away with dark gamma because you can just click up the brightness a bit to compensate. A perfect trace on the 2.2 reference would be better, but I don't expect anyone to complain about the PG27UCWM.

For sRGB, you can either pick the sRGB Cal mode or select sRGB from the color space options in the Color menu. I chose the latter because it leaves the RGB and gamma controls available. Gamma is still a bit light but also more consistent.

Comparisons

The PG27UCWM wins the out-of-box grayscale comparison with an excellent 0.94dE score. Calibration only improves that to 0.91dE. The two Asus and the Alienware screens can be used without calibration, but the Acer, ViewSonic, and BenQ should get some attention for top performance. Once adjusted, the six monitors are visually equal.

In the gamma test, the PG27UCWM runs mid-pack with a 0.25 range of values and a 4.09% deviation from 2.2. I made a compromise here, setting gamma to 2.4. If you leave it on 2.2, the value range is the same and the deviation is 3.18%. But I preferred the look of the darker gamma setting. Try both to see which works best for you.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

Asus’ latest crop of Tandem RGB Stripe OLEDs all come within a whisker of 100% coverage of DCI-P3 and display near-perfect accuracy. In the default chart, the PG27UCWM is a tad undersaturated in the primary colors, but not by a visible amount. My grayscale calibration adds just a little verve to the palette. You can barely see a difference, but it’s there when comparing screens side-by-side. This is excellent performance.

The sRGB gamut is also a bit undersaturated, coming up short in red, magenta and blue. This is a minor issue, but users needing the nth degree of accuracy might want to consider a color lookup table for their applications.

Comparisons

A 1.05dE color gamut error is impressive, but all the screens perform as well as the PG27UCWM in this test. OLED is an accurate monitor category, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad one.

I’ve commented that Quantum Dot OLEDs have greater color volume than Tandem RGB Stripe panels, but in the 27-inch category, the differences are quite small. Asus’ own PG27UCDM has less than 1% more volume, an invisible amount. The ViewSonic will look a bit more colorful in a side-by-side comparison, but only slightly. The PG27UCWM delivers vivid and bold hues for both SDR and HDR. The sRGB mode is slightly undersaturated in red, magenta, and blue, hence the 91.87% score.

Test Takeaway: The PG27UCWM is very color-accurate out of the box but needs some attention in the gamma department. I had to compromise for the best picture because none of the presets are exactly on the 2.2 reference. The sRGB mode is slightly undersaturated and has light gamma. Color volume is high and nearly equals that of many Quantum Dot displays. The PG27UCWM is a very colorful monitor.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The PG27UCWM adds extra HDR brightness and Dolby Vision to its feature list over last year’s PG27UCDM. It switches automatically when an HDR10 signal is detected and offers four picture modes with an adjustable option.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

To get the brightest HDR, I opted for the Gaming mode with the Adjustable toggle turned on. This delivered almost 500 nits from a 25% window pattern. Asus claims 1,000 nits for a 3% window, and there is no reason to doubt this. If you’re considering an upgrade from last year’s PG27UCDM, you can expect an extra 30 nits of peak brightness, about 6%. The Gaming HDR mode comes with a compromise, which I’ll tell you about below. If you choose the most accurate mode, True Black, it peaks at around 470 nits. Black levels and contrast could not be measured.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The first two charts illustrate the difference between Gaming and True Black modes. Gaming is a little brighter, not only because it peaks higher, but also because it rides above the EOTF reference. This gives the image a little more impact but also a little less texture. The difference is small and will come down to user preference. For games with bright scenery and color, I preferred Gaming HDR. But more subdued tones benefitted from True Black and its deeper shadows. Either way, you get excellent grayscale accuracy.

In the HDR color tests, the PG27UCWM makes full use of its large gamut in all content. The DCI-P3 is fully covered with a little extra verve in red, magenta, and blue. By emphasizing the warmer tones, it gives the picture more punch without becoming unnatural. This is an approach shared by many HDR monitors, LCD and OLED. In the BT.2020 test, the PG27UCWM runs out of color at 90% red, 75% green, and 95% blue, which is comparable to many Quantum Dot screens.

Test Takeaway: The PG27UCWM delivers a lot of HDR impact and is a little brighter than its predecessor and the other 27-inch 4K OLEDs I’ve tested. It has excellent grayscale and color accuracy in either Gaming or True Black modes. For the best luminance tracking choose True Black and for the brightest image, choose Gaming. Either way, it renders HDR content beautifully.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Though OLED prices in general have crept downwards, it is still a premium category. New panel variants keep the technology moving forward and create more choices for buyers. It’s also a product category that embodies the concept that you never regret buying the best. With stunning images, bold color, and lightning-fast reflexes, OLEDs are the go-to display for gamers of all skill levels.

Asus has remained at the forefront of OLED technology by being early out of the gate with each new panel tech. It has fully embraced Tandem RGB Stripe with the ROG Swift PG27UCWM. Though relatively expensive for a 27-inch monitor, it is richly featured and capable of truly addictive gameplay. With 240 Hz in 4K and 480 Hz in Full HD, it can pair well with just about any gaming system from console to bleeding-edge PC. In my tests, it proved faster than all the other 27-inch 4K OLEDs I’ve reviewed.

Tandem RGB Stripe also delivers a visible improvement in sharpness. OLEDs were sharp already, but I could easily see the difference when comparing the PG27UCWM to a single-layer monitor. Color is also a highlight here. Though a Quantum Dot screen will get you a little more color volume, the PG27UCWM is still in the mix at over 102% DCI-P3 coverage. And its HDR prowess is substantial with the addition of Dolby Vision.

If you have the budget, currently $1,099, for a premium 27-inch OLED gaming monitor, the Asus ROG Swift PG27UCWM is sitting nicely atop the performance heap. Gamers looking for a premium experience should definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

We’ll start our coverage with the Nitro family, which has four new members, the cheapest of which is the Nitro XV270U Z3 at $299. The XV270U Z3 is a tri-mode monitor, offering three distinct resolution/refresh rate presets. This is a 27-inch monitor with an IPS panel, QHD resolution, and a 275 Hz refresh rate. However, you can switch to two additional modes: 1080p at 360 Hz or 720p at 520 Hz. I haven’t gamed at 720p since the turn of the century, but the resolution is here for folks who crave frame rates over everything else.

The Nitro XV275U Z2 is another 27-inch tri-mode monitor with an IPS panel, but it is upgraded with 1,152-zone Mini LED backlighting. The available resolutions and refresh rates mirror those of the XV270U Z3, but there are a few additional perks. The XV275U Z2 offers a typical brightness of 500 nits (twice that of the XV270U Z3) and reaches 1,000 nits in HDR mode. Despite the pretty substantial upgrades, the Nitro XV275U Z2 is only $30 more expensive at $329.

The next two Nitro monitors also offer 5K resolution, and we'll start with the $699 Nitro XZ340CKR P. It features a 34-inch IPS panel with 5120 x 2160 resolution (21:9 aspect ratio) and a maximum refresh rate of 180 Hz. However, Acer also infuses the Nitro XZ340CKR P with a dual-mode switch, allowing it to operate at WFHD (2560 x 1880) at 360 Hz.

Rounding out the new additions to the family is the Nitro XV275X P, which squeezes a 5120 x 2880 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) in a 27-inch IPS panel. For those who crave the ultimate in pixel density, the Nitro XV275X P should tick all the right boxes. The panel tops out at 165 Hz at native resolution, but if you're willing to drop down to 2560 x 1440, you can bump the max refresh rate to 330 Hz. The monitor has a typical brightness of 450 nits, but can jump up to 1,400 nits in HDR mode. However, you'll pay for that density and performance with a price tag of $1,199.

Shifting gears to the Predator family, we start at the lower end of the price spectrum with the $449 XB273K V7. The XB273K V7 natively runs at 4K resolution with a 160 Hz refresh rate. However, thanks to Dynamic Frequency and Resolution, you can switch to 1080p resolution and more than triple the maximum refresh rate to 500 Hz.

Stepping up the price ladder, we come to the $899 Predator X32 V3, the first of Acer's monitors announced today that use Penta Tandem QD-OLED panel technology. The 31.5-inch panel has a native 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution and a 180 Hz maximum refresh rate. Unlike the other multi-mode monitors that are launching, you're stuck with 180 Hz no matter which resolution you choose.

Finally, we come to the Predator XB253Q U1, which is the smallest of the announced monitors, with a 24.5-inch diagonal. But don't let its small size fool you, the Predator XB253Q U1 is the most performant of the bunch, and is aimed squarely at the elite eSports gamers. The monitor has a native 1080p resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 1,000 Hz from its IPS panel.

You'll find the usual support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, along with a 0.3 ms response time. Acer quotes typical brightness of 400 nits, while HDR mode squeezes out just a bit more at 450 nits. The added performance of the Predator XB253Q U1 doesn't come cheap, as you're looking at a suggested retail price of $1,099 when it launches.

Most of the monitors announced today will launch in Q4 2026, with a few stragglers extending the launch window to Q1 2027.

We start with the AW3226Q, which is aimed at gamers who crave higher-resolution 4K gaming over outright speed. At its heart is a 32-inch panel that uses an RGB Stripe Tandem OLED technology (previously seen on the AW3926QW that we recently reviewed). The use of a four-stack tandem layer within the panel addresses one of the few criticisms leveled against traditional QD-OLED panels: slightly blurry/soft text upon close inspection. Another added benefit is that brightness levels are higher than on previous-generation QD-OLED monitors (1,000-nit peak brightness).

Blazing-fast refresh rates aren't the goal here, since the AW3226Q tops out at 165 Hz. With that said, you do get a 0.03 ms response time, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync support, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 and Dolby Vision compliance, and a built-in USB-C/USB-A hub.

For the most discerning speed freaks, there's the AW2527HX. Instead of the larger 32-inch 4K panel's 165 Hz refresh rate, the AW2527HX uses a 24.5-inch panel with a 560 Hz refresh rate. While many of the higher-refresh-rate monitors we've seen can reach upwards of 1,000 Hz with IPS or TN panels, the AW2527HX offers the color performance and black-level improvements afforded by a QD-OLED panel. However, what you gain in speed, you lose in pixel density — the AW2527HX makes do with 1920 x 1080 resolution. With that said, you do get VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 support, a matte panel finish, and DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity.

Alienware worked together with the folks at Team Liquid to develop the monitor, ensuring that it ticks all the major boxes for eSports gamers. There's a graphene sheet integrated into the display that helps distribute heat more evenly to mitigate pixel burn-in. An integrated stand is there to hang your headset, and there's a dedicated button that lets you switch between 4:3 and 3:2 aspect ratios depending on how you want to game. The base of the AW2527HX has even been minimized to ensure there's enough space under the monitor for your keyboard.

Both the AW3226Q and AW2527HX launch with a three-year OLED pixel burn-in warranty. Although pricing hasn't been announced yet, the former will launch this fall, while the latter is promised in Q1 2027.

• Check out the deal on Amazon

The LG Ultragear 34GX900A-B is a premium curved OLED gaming monitor offering a WQHD or 3440 x 1440 resolution with a 21:9 aspect ratio. According to LG, the steep 800R curve and impressive screen brightness of up to 1300 nits ensure an immersive experience during your gaming sessions. It also comes with up to a 240 Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time that keeps the gameplay fast, smooth, and responsive. Additionally, the monitor supports FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync compatible for clear and tear-free visuals.

The monitor is listed to support 98.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, a 1.5M:1 contrast ratio, and DisplayHDR True Black 400. Essentially, one can expect deep blacks, excellent highlights, and cinematic color. The monitor is also UL-verified for flicker reduction, glare reduction, and hardware-based low-blue-light output, all aimed at making the display more comfortable to use for long periods. In terms of connectivity, the LG Ultragear 34GX900A-B comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, USB Type-C with power delivery, two USB Type-A, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Other notable features include an inbuilt app to split the screen into 6 sections for multitasking, an adjustable stand with height, tilt, and swivel control, and some RGB lighting at the back, adding to the gamer aesthetics.

The LG UltraGear 34GX900A-B at $599.99 is highly recommended for anyone looking to move to an ultrawide gaming monitor. You’re getting a 240 Hz OLED panel, 3440 x 1440 resolution, 0.03ms response time, up to 1300 nits of brightness, and support for both FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync, all for $600 less than its original $1,200 price.

• Grab this deal on Amazon.

The Samsung Odyssey G55C is a 32-inch VA gaming monitor that comes with a 1000R curvature for better immersion during gaming. Aside from that, it also gives you 1440p QHD resolution, a 165 Hz refresh rate, and a 1 ms response time for that sharp and smooth gameplay. Of course, since this display is designed for gaming and entertainment, it also has AMD FreeSync to avoid screen tearing and is HDR10-compliant to give you incredibly vibrant scenes. If you plan to game for several hours at a time, you’ll also appreciate its Eye Saver Mode, which cuts screen flicker to reduce eye strain and distraction.

This display offers both HDMI and DisplayPort, allowing you to simultaneously plug your gaming PC and gaming console into it. Although it doesn’t have built-in speakers, it does come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, allowing you to attach your headphones or speakers directly, reducing cable clutter on your desk. The monitor comes with a fixed base that with thin legs to save space, but if you need more flexibility, you can also mount it to a monitor arm via the standard VESA mounting points at the back of the display.

Some of the drawbacks of this monitor is that Samsung doesn’t share its DCI-P3 coverage and color accuracy stats. It also only limited to just 300 nits, so it might struggle if you plan to use it in brighter locations. If you need a more capable monitor, you should consider options from our best gaming monitors list. But if you’re only looking for a display to satisfy your gaming needs, this monitor is more than enough for most of your requirements. So, if you’re looking for a new gaming monitor, you should get the Samsung Odyssey G55C right now for just $199.99. Don’t hesitate as this is a limited-time deal, so you should get it while you can.

Monitors always have a frame; even the flush ones are visible. And no one will say that they like the line. It can perhaps be ignored, but it doesn’t just magically disappear. The simplest solution is to go for an ultra-wide display. If you’re currently running two 27-inch QHD monitors, you can replace them with a single 49-inch 32:9 panel. Add a curve, and you have a screen that’s great for productivity, gaming, and simulation.

This isn’t necessarily the least expensive solution, but if you buy one from Deco Gear, you can put the DG49OLED240 on your desk for $1,230. That will get you 5120x1440 pixels, a Quantum Dot OLED panel, 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR400, and wide gamut color. Let’s take a look.

Deco Gear DG49OLED240 Specs

The 49-inch 32:9 display format is the exact equivalent of two 27-inch 16:9 QHD screens; it’s the perfect solution for those who would otherwise run two monitors. The only downside is that it costs more than two 27-inch QHD panels. But given the specs in play here, the DG49OLED240 delivers a lot for the money.

With Quantum Dot color, you get a healthy 112% coverage of DCI-P3. That’s more than many 34-inch 21:9 screens I’ve reviewed. It’s reasonably accurate out of the box as well. My sample measured well before calibration and better after a few adjustments.

Light output is around 430 nits for SDR and HDR content. That’s with variable brightness engaged and measurement of a 25% window pattern. Full field white comes in around 360 nits. The DG49OLED240 provides more than enough brightness for impactful HDR in an indoor space with some ambient light. It also plays well in the dark with lower levels that maintain full color and contrast.

Video processing is excellent in all respects with a 240 Hz refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync. I measured panel response on par with other OLEDs and lower input lag than other 49-inch 32:9 screens in my test database.

Gaming is enhanced by a pair of internal five-watt speakers accompanied by a 10-watt woofer plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. And you can hang those cans on a stout metal hook that flips out from the stand. Video inputs include two DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.1, and a USB-C that includes 90 watts of charging power. Additional USB ports support things like input devices and webcams. You also get LED lighting in the back with control in the OSD.

If you’re wondering about the Deco Gear brand, it is a subsidiary of Beach Camera, a very experienced vendor of electronics and technology. You can buy the DG49OLED240 directly for $1,229.99, or in one of Beach Camera’s brick-and-mortar locations.

Assembly and Accessories

The DG49OLED240 showed up in a large white carton with just the words “49” OLED Ultrawide Monitor” printed on it. A visit to Deco Gear’s website revealed that several variants of this display differ mainly by refresh rate. The DG49OLED240 is the flagship model at 240 Hz. The contents are packed in crumbly foam and assembled tool-free. The accessory bundle includes an IEC cord for the internal power supply plus DisplayPort, HDMI and USB cables.

Product 360

The DG49OLED240 is styled simply with just a Deco Gear logo on the front, screened on above a small protrusion. This is where you’ll find the only control, a tiny joystick. It covers all monitor functions. A word of warning: pressing it only toggles power. It doesn’t select functions like every other joystick on every other monitor. So, unless you plan to turn the DG49OLED240 on or off, do not press it.

The screen’s bezel is flush so you can’t see it when the power’s off. But it is a tad wider than average at 12mm around the top and sides and 15mm at the bottom. In practice though, you’ll be so glad to get rid of the line down the center after chucking your two 27-inch screens that you won’t care.

The stand is super solid with a wide and deep base made from cast aluminum and finished in a matte black powdercoat. It’s almost monolithic, but there is a bit of wobble where the panel snaps on. This is typical of super wide monitors. Ergonomics include a 4.6-inch height range plus 5/20 degrees tilt and 20 degrees swivel.

In the back are LED lights in two vertical arrays that frame the rear-facing I/O panel. There are two DisplayPort 1.4s and an HDMI 2.1. A USB-C handles video signals and provides 90 watts of power. There are USB ports too, one upstream and two downstream. A 3.5mm headphone jack delivers audio, and there’s an RJ-45 network port.

OSD Features

The DG49OLED240’s OSD is somewhat frustrating to control because the joystick doesn’t work the same way as nearly every other monitor I’ve encountered. One major issue I had was that pressing it toggles the power no matter what menu you’re currently in. I lost count of how many times I accidentally turned off my review sample. To select a function, right-click. To back out of the menu, left-click. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to find everything I needed for image control and video processing.

Every menu screen has basic signal information at the top in three small portholes. The menu graphics are game-focused with a purposeful red border on a black background. Game Settings is up first with four image modes, an Adaptive-Sync toggle, and Shadow Balance, which brightens darker areas for better visibility. On the second screen, you get a frame counter, two aiming points, and a timer. Dynamic Brightness is a global dimming feature. HDR can be turned off or engaged with two different modes. Ambient Lighting refers to the LEDs on the back.

Picture Settings has the usual basic controls and an unusual one called Contextual Model. I don’t know where this terminology comes from, but here, it means more picture modes. Specifically, this is where you’ll find sRGB along with other activity-specific options. An important one here is Brightness Mode. Deco Gear calls the two settings Normal and Highlight, and what they actually are is fixed or variable brightness. I’ll talk more about that later. The second screen, not shown above, has six gamma presets.

In Color Settings, you get three fixed color temps plus three more user memories with RGB sliders. These are difficult to adjust thanks to the joystick’s unusual operation. But they are effective and allowed me to dial in grayscale tracking to a very accurate level.

Additional settings include PIP/PBP for viewing two video sources at once. You can adjust the position of the OSD, and there are port version options. The one thing I didn’t find was OLED care options. But Deco Gear assures me that the DG49OLED240 has automated logo dimming and panel refresh, which runs every few hours to guard against burn-in.

Deco Gear DG49OLED240 Calibration Settings

The DG49OLED240 can be calibrated in its Standard picture mode, which uses the full native color gamut, 112% of DCI-P3. There are three user color temps with RGB sliders that helped me get grayscale tracking from good to great. Gamma runs a tad dark but tracks close to the 2.2 reference. For sRGB color, go to the menu called Contextual Model and select it from the options there. You can also specify Adobe RGB or P3 color. There is a variable brightness option as well called Brightness Mode. For fixed, choose Normal and for variable, choose Highlight. I’ve included brightness values for both modes in my settings list below.

HDR signals get two modes that vary only in their EOTF tracking. The best choice there is HDR Standard.

Gaming and Hands-on

Gaming on the DG49OLED240 was instantly addictive. It delivered very balanced performance with perfect motion resolution, lighting-fast reflexes, and a gorgeous image. The extra width provided by the 32:9 aspect ratio really drew me into the gaming environment with a VR-like feel that enveloped my peripheral vision.

You’ll see on the next page that the DG49OLED240 has a tad less input lag than the other 49-inch OLEDs I’ve reviewed. Though the numerical difference is small, I experienced a quickness and precision that I don’t get with every OLED. Clearly, 240 Hz is more than enough speed to ensure blur-free operation and instant control response. A seasoned competitor will want to give this monitor serious consideration. And I had no problem maintaining 240 fps on a GeForce RTX 4090 in Doom Eternal with detail set at maximum in HDR mode.

The DG49OLED240 also has exceptional color balance. Even though it covers more than 112% of DCI-P3, it never looked overblown in SDR mode. There is an available and accurate sRGB mode, but I only needed it when working on photos and graphics for web publication. For all other activities, including watching SDR video, I enjoyed the extra color. And HDR looked stunning thanks to linear saturation tracking and no visible hue errors.

With the same 109 ppi as a 27-inch QHD screen, clarity is excellent but not quite at the level of a 4K screen. It is more than sharp enough for gaming though. Documents also render with clean fonts, no apparent fringing, and that signature OLED contrast. I found smooth scrolling in Windows by running at 120 Hz. You can certainly run at 240 Hz all the time if you wish, but it will increase power consumption.

Putting a monitor as wide as the DG49OLED240 on your desk will require some adaptation if you aren’t already used to multiple screens. I habitually put the work I’m focusing on at the center of the screen, but with a mega-wide, I had to spend more time with pages to my left and right. Photoshop was my favorite use since I could put the photo in the center and leave the sides for toolbars and supporting dialog boxes. It’s also great for very wide spreadsheets, like my monitor test database which has 25 horizontal fields. For my work, it is less suited to writing since I prefer more height when using Word or Notepad.

A standout feature I noticed immediately was the DG49OLED240’s excellent audio quality. It has a pair of internal speakers which alone are not extraordinary, but they are accompanied by a 10-watt woofer which rounds out the bass frequencies. This makes the sound presentation much fuller and more realistic. It adds to the screen’s immersive quality and is a completely viable alternative to headphones or external desktop speakers.

Takeaway: The DG49OLED240 delivers gaming performance on par with the best OLED screens I’ve reviewed. It has perfect motion resolution and responds instantly to control inputs with less lag than other 49-inch monitors. It’s super useful for workday tasks like Photoshop and Excel and not quite as well suited to word processing or web browsing. Sound quality is equivalent to a good pair of headphones or external desktop speakers. If you’re looking to get rid of the line between your two 27-inch QHD monitors, the DG49OLED240 is a no-brainer.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To compare the DG49OLED240’s performance, I’ve lined up two other 49-inch 32:9 OLEDs, AOC’s PD49 and Philips’ 49M2C8900. The other screens are 34-inch 21:9s, Alienware’s AW3426DW, Acer’s X34 OLED, and Asus’ PG34WCDN. Refresh rates range from 240 to 360 Hz.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The response group is slightly different in that it includes ViewSonic and MSI monitors. This is because I’m still building up the number of screens tested by the Nvidia LDAT sensor. Its results cannot be compared to my previous test method of counting frames from a high-speed camera. It’s becoming evident that refresh rate has a smaller effect on performance in this test than with LCD panels. So far, the OLEDs I’ve tested have ranged from 0.12 to 0.24ms. And faster refresh rates don’t guarantee faster response. That said, a 0.12ms difference is well below the threshold of perception. No human being could tell them apart. The DG49OLED240 is super smooth, same as any OLED.

In the lag test, the DG49OLED240 does well with just 15.2ms averaged over 25 mouse clicks. It’s the quickest 49-inch monitor, and it’s a tad quicker than the Acer. Here, refresh rate does matter, though it's a tight race. The 360 Hz PG34WCDN is very fast at 10.3ms. But the DG49OLED240 is more than quick enough for gamers of all skill levels.

Test Takeaway: The DG49OLED240 provides low input lag and smooth motion resolution for all game types and play scenarios. It is on par with other OLEDs in the panel response test and has a bit less input lag than the other 49-inch 32:9 OLEDs I’ve tested. I found it completely addictive during gameplay with perfect motion resolution and instant control response.

Viewing Angles

I’ve found that most Quantum Dot OLEDS show a slight tint at 45 degrees to the side. The DG49OLED240 has a red shift that’s just perceptible. There is no change to brightness or gamma, though, meaning you’ll have a hard time seeing a problem in actual content. The top view is also a bit red with a moderate reduction in gamma and brightness.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

The DG49OLED240 aced my uniformity test with just 3.27% deviation from the center zone. This is well below the visible threshold of 10%. My sample had no issues whatsoever, no bleed, no glow, and no color variation in any full-field test pattern. This is excellent performance that is typical of the OLED monitors I’ve reviewed.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

To get maximum brightness from the DG49OLED240 in SDR mode, I had to set Brightness Mode to Highlight, which corresponds to variable brightness. Measuring a 25% window gave me 426 nits, which is about average for the category. A full field measured 360 nits, which is a bit higher than the average of 250 nits. The DG49OLED240 is plenty bright. It should be noted that large screens look much brighter at a given light level thanks to their extra size. In other words, you might not want to crank up a monitor this big to the highest brightness setting. As always in OLED testing, black levels and contrast could not be measured.

After Calibration to 200 nits

Calibration changes nothing except the peak brightness value. If you set Brightness Mode to Normal, that’s 79 for 200 nits. In Highlight, I set the peak with a 25% window, and that value was 45. Unfortunately, you must change the brightness setting every time you switch brightness modes. I find it best to use variable for gaming and video, and constant for work tasks. Black levels and contrast could not be measured in either the static or intra-image (ANSI) tests.

Test Takeaway: The DG49OLED240 delivers similar brightness, black level, and contrast performance to other OLED displays in the ultra-wide and mega-wide formats. It stands out for having a variable brightness option, but it doesn’t remember the different brightness settings when you switch back and forth. It offers plenty of peak output for any indoor environment and can go down to 50 nits peak for dark room play.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The DG49OLED240 ships in its Standard picture mode, which can be used without calibration. It employs the full native color gamut, which covers over 112% of DCI-P3. An sRGB mode is available if you need it.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.

In the initial grayscale test, the DG49OLED240 shows almost no visible errors. Brightness steps above 70% just crack the 3dE threshold. You won’t see any issues in content, and the monitor is accurate enough not to require adjustment. I saw slight gamma variations in steps from 30 to 90% where the values were a little too dark. And there’s a slight dip at 10% where it’s too light. These are small errors, but gamma could be a little tighter.

Calibration brings all grayscale errors below 1dE, which is pro-level performance. Gamma is unchanged. It is possible to change the gamma as a whole, but there’s no way to straighten out the tracking line.

Interestingly, the sRGB mode has tighter gamma from 30 to 100%, where it’s only a tick above the reference line. There’s a slightly larger dip at 10%, which means shadow areas will be too light. Grayscale errors are just visible above 60% brightness. Calibration is possible here, something few monitors offer, and you can have independent settings for up to three color modes.

Comparisons

In the default test, the DG49OLED240 is mid-pack among a solid group of monitors at 2.63dE. You can enjoy it without calibration. After a few tweaks, the number falls to an excellent 0.63dE. With a range from 0.44 to 1.34dE, these screens are all visually perfect in the grayscale test.

The DG49OLED240’s gamma is reasonably good, but it could be tighter. Most of the range runs on the dark side, which is forgivable in a monitor with infinite contrast like an OLED. The values span 0.22, while the deviation is 2.73%; the actual value is 2.26. This is very good performance.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

In the color test, you can see how the DG49OLED240 distributes its ample gamut with linear oversaturation and bonus color on all sides of the triangle. This creates a balanced image that doesn’t look overblown even though it covers over 140% of sRGB for SDR content. Hue points are on or close to target. Calibration only makes a slight difference, which is hard to spot in actual content. This is excellent performance.

sRGB is nearly perfect as well, with all points on target and a low 1.81dE average error. I didn’t calibrate sRGB for this test, so there is a slight gain potential to be had from a grayscale adjustment. This too is excellent performance.

Comparisons

The DG49OLED240 again finds itself mid-pack among excellent displays with a 1.73dE average color error, well below the visible threshold. Where you can see a difference is in the volume test. It is on par with the other 49-inch screens and more colorful than the 34-inch displays. If you want a colorful monitor, the DG49OLED240 delivers with 112.28% coverage of DCI-P3. Its 98.27% coverage of sRGB is ideal for color-critical applications.

Test Takeaway: The DG49OLED240 is color accurate both out of the box and after calibration. With 112.28% coverage of DCI-P3, it is on par with other 49-inch OLEDs and more colorful than typical Quantum Dot 34-inch screens. It stands out with an adjustable sRGB mode that has a very accurate gamut. Gamma is a tad dark in all modes, but that is forgivable from an OLED thanks to its infinite contrast.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The DG49OLED240 supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switch and two additional picture modes. All other picture controls are grayed out.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

The DG49OLED240 offers about the same peak output for HDR as it does for SDR. There’s plenty of brightness and impact, but it’s a little below the other screens. The Alienware and Acer have visibly brighter HDR, but the Asus, AOC, and Philips are close to the Deco Gear. It is more than bright enough to earn its VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. Black levels and contrast cannot be measured.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

HDR grayscale is a tad warm in tone, but the errors are no more than 5dE. This won’t affect content too obviously, and red errors are easier to ignore. Tracking is linear, which is a good thing, and darker tones are well below 3dE. The EOTF rides a little dark up to 40% brightness, where it meets the reference line. The tone map transition is at 65%, which is correct for the measured black and white thresholds.

In the color test, the DG49OLED240 doesn’t quite use all its red primary in the DCI-P3 gamut. The other points are slightly oversaturated, which is typical of the HDR monitors I’ve tested. Hue points run in line with their targets and are also a tad oversaturated. In the BT.2020 test, there is a little more oversaturation up to where color runs out at 90% red, 75% green, and 95% blue. This is solid performance.

Test Takeaway: The DG49OLED240 delivers excellent HDR with an impactful and colorful image. Accuracy is on par with other 34- and 49-inch OLEDs. It doesn’t offer calibration for the HDR modes, but with only a slightly warm grayscale, that isn’t a problem.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

With so many users putting two or three monitors on their desks to increase screen area, it is surprising that there aren’t more 49-inch 32:9 displays available. If you consider that 27-inch QHD is extremely common with many choices for buyers, then why aren’t there more screens like Deco Gear’s DG49OLED240? I can only imagine it’s the expense. Though it’s a good value at $1,229.99, that is still more than two 27-inch QHD 16:9 OLEDs with comparable specs. But how much is it worth to you to ditch that vertical line that sits right in the center of your view?

As a gaming monitor, the DG49OLED240 is superb. That it is an OLED gives it an immediate advantage. It performs on par with most of the premium screens I’ve reviewed. It has smooth motion processing and very low input lag, which suits it well for competitive gaming. Serious players should give it a serious look.

With a Quantum Dot layer, it delivers over 112% coverage of DCI-P3 color, which puts it slightly ahead of the other 49s I’ve tested. It’s accurate out of the box and improves slightly with calibration. Gamma was slightly askew, but color was exemplary. I also found more than enough brightness with healthy light levels over 430 nits and the usual unmeasurable OLED blacks and contrast. And if you’re concerned about text fringing, don’t be. My sample was free of that artifact. I also noted better-than-average sound thanks to the addition of a third speaker to fill out the bass. The DG49OLED240 can be enjoyed without headphones or external desktop speakers.

If you already have two 27-inch QHD screens, the Deco Gear DG49OLED240 is the perfect way to eliminate that dividing line once and for all. And if you’ve considered adding a second screen, it’s worth a look. If you have the space and the desire for a widescreen high-performance gaming OLED, definitely check it out.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

It's a fascinating display because aside from that specification, it's actually a bit of a pedestrian gaming monitor. You've got a 27" Fast IPS LCD in 2560×1440 (QHD) resolution, and at its native sharpness, it tops out at "only" 600 Hz. Surely that should satisfy anyone, but if you really feel the need for speed, you can drop the resolution to one-quarter of native, bringing you to 1280×720 (HD), and then refresh the panel at 1.1 KHz. That means each frame is displayed for less than one millisecond.

With its Fast IPS LCD panel and one millisecond response time, this new monitor will have its work cut out keeping up with those claimed performance figures. It's surely still going to be incredibly sharp and clear in motion (assuming your system can put out the requisite 1,100 frames per second), but it does seem like an OLED would have been the more appropriate technology for this feature.

Indeed, the rest of the displays that Samsung is showing off at Gamescom 2026, comprising its next-generation Odyssey family, are all OLEDs. Starting from the OLED G7 (G75SJ), we have what Samsung says is "the world's first 42-inch 16:9 curved OLED gaming monitor," which might be true. A 42-inch screen area is absolutely massive, and as you'd expect, to keep DPI up to reasonable levels, it's 3840×2160 (4K UHD) resolution.

The Odyssey OLED G7 G75SJ has a 1000R curvature, which is quite tight for a display of this size. It also has a 165-Hz refresh rate and a rated 0.03-ms response time, although it's an OLED, so you already knew that. Samsung doesn't really share any other specifications for this screen, but the firm does say that this monitor includes "Glare Free technology" to help reduce reflections for "clearer daytime play." That's very helpful on an SDR OLED because the peak brightness of this display is probably low enough that it becomes hard to see in daylight.

The next step up from the G7 is the Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SJ). This beautiful beast sports a 32-inch 3840×2160 (4K UHD) QD-OLED panel that tops out at 360 Hz and features "triple mode" support, meaning that you can drop the resolution to QHD for a 520-Hz refresh rate, or all the way down to 1920×1080 (FHD) for a blistering 680 Hz refresh rate. That's not as fast as the 720-Hz OLED that ASUS announced, but it's also a higher resolution, as that screen has to drop to 720p HD to hit 720 Hz.

The Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SJ) has a few other tricks up its sleeve, too. It supports FreeSync Premium Pro (and is G-SYNC Compatible as a result), and it is spec'd for VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 600, which should result in a pretty decent HDR experience, especially in darkened rooms. Notably, its USB Type-C port supports up to 98W of power delivery, meaning it can very rapidly charge whatever device you connect to it.

Finally, the star of the show, the Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SJ), is a 49-inch "DQHD" gaming monitor. DQHD is "Double Quad High Definition", and if you can do arithmetic, you already know that the resolution of this 32:9 monitor is 5120×1440. The super-ultrawide uses a fifth-gen (latest) OLED with "Penta Tandem" technology, meaning that it has a five-layer panel structure that Samsung says lasts twice as long as older OLEDs. It also uses an RGB stripe subpixel layout that should mostly eliminate the text fringing which plagues older-gen OLED monitors.

You've already heard me whinging about the brightness of OLEDs; that won't be a problem on the Odyssey OLED G9 because this thing apparently supports a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. That's admittedly only on a 3% window at 4K resolution, but it's a high enough value that it should mean HDR highlights are nice and vibrant on this screen, although Samsung curiously doesn't list a DisplayHDR cert for this one. Other critical specs include the 360-Hz refresh rate, dual mode support (meaning 720Hz at 2560×720), and the usual 0.03ms response time rating.

Unfortunately, there's no pricing or specific availability for any of these displays. Samsung says that the 1,100-Hz Odyssey G6 will be available globally in "the second half of 2026", which basically means "any day now." Meanwhile, the other displays are explicitly noted as 2027 monitors, where "availability will vary by market," and pricing is anybody's guess in today's tech market.

I’ve reviewed many 34-inch ultra-wide panels. These 21:9 aspect ratio curved displays can cover the user’s peripheral vision almost as well as a pair of VR goggles. When using them, I have often wished for a little more vertical space. The easiest way to achieve this is with a 39-inch size.

Alienware’s latest flagship delivers that very thing to the best gaming monitors category. The AW3926QW is a 39-inch, 21:9 1500R curved OLED panel with Tandem RGB Stripe technology, 5120x2160 (WUHD) resolution at 165 Hz, eSports modes that run at 330 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, Dolby Vision, VESA DisplayHDR 500 and wide gamut color. Let’s take a look.

Alienware AW3926QW Specs

This isn’t my first foray into Tandem RGB Stripe tech. I saw it in Asus’ recent PG32UCWM as well. It brings two important advantages: higher brightness with lower power consumption and wide gamut color without the addition of a Quantum Dot layer. The AW3926QW easily tops 500 nits in HDR mode for a 25% window pattern and can fill the screen at over 300 nits. Alienware claims 1,300 nits for a 3% window, and I have no reason to doubt that. It doesn’t quite have the color volume of a QD display, but my sample covered more than 100% of DCI-P3. It also came out of the box with reference-level color accuracy and a pro-worthy sRGB mode.

The AW3926QW also has higher pixel density than typical 34-inch ultra-wides. Most of them are 3440x1440, which means 109ppi, equivalent to a 27-inch 16:9 QHD panel. A 39-inch panel at 5120x2160 pixels delivers a 4K level density of 144ppi. That’s a clearly visible difference. The AW3926QW is super sharp with no fringing or other clarity-reducing artifacts.

Gaming performance is high thanks to Adaptive-Sync, FreeSync, and G-Sync support, and a 165 Hz refresh rate. For eSports applications, there are multiple resolution and refresh modes that go up to 330 Hz in full screen, 25, 27, and 32-inch formats. These can be switched with a single click thanks to a programmable joystick that controls a comprehensive OSD. Alienware also provides its AlienVision feature with its designable aiming points and sniper aids. And you get a frame counter, timer, and screen alignment marks.

On the outside, the AW3926QW sports AlienFX lighting with colored LEDs for the power button and the Alien Head on the back. These can be controlled in the OSD or with the Alienware Command Center app. Also included are the latest video inputs, DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1, along with USB-C for a total of four ports. And there are USB upstream and downstream connections with KVM control.

With everything included except for internal speakers, you’d expect the AW3926QW to cost a lot, but it’s opening at $1,100, which makes it competitive with many other premium OLED ultra-wide displays. On paper, Alienware is delivering everything a flagship should have without an extreme price. Let’s see how it performs.

Assembly and Accessories

Alienware’s packaging is completely recyclable, even down to the paper tape that seals the clamshell carton. The panel, upright, and base assemble without tools. Included cables are IEC power, two USBs, DisplayPort, and HDMI. The power supply is internal.

Product 360

The AW3926QW maintains Alienware’s latest styling aesthetic with a thin bezel and the cool floating upright that appears to be detached from the small-footprint base. Everything is solid, with metal cores and heavy plastic coverings finished in a matte texture. On the back is a lozenge-shaped vent ring that provides effective fanless cooling. Inside it is the Alien Head and a polished logo. The stand unsnaps to reveal a 100mm VESA mount with fasteners included if you want to use an arm.

The stand provides a 4.3-inch height range plus 5/21 degrees tilt and 20 degrees swivel. The base remains stationary while the stand pivots upon it. There is no portrait mode, but you can tweak the panel with five degrees of yaw if your desk isn’t level. Movements are firm and sure and befit a flagship product.

The screen curve is 1500R, which in the scheme of things is fairly subtle. There’s just enough wraparound effect to bring the sides of the screen into your vision cone when sitting around three feet away. You can sit closer if you like since pixel density is tight, but then you’d have to turn your head to see the whole image. The screen coating is shiny, but a polarizing layer keeps reflections from affecting the picture.

There are inputs aplenty for video, four in all. You get two HDMI 2.1, a DisplayPort 2.1, and USB-C, which functions as DP Alt and delivers 90 watts of power. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack plus more USBs: two on the bottom of the panel edge (C and A) and an A and B on the I/O panel. They can be bound to video inputs using the KVM wizard in the OSD.

OSD Features

The AW3926QW’s OSD appears when you click the joystick. First up is a quick menu with signal info at the top, then an up-click opens the full menu, which is quite extensive, which is why there are 12 photos below.

The little quick menu at the bottom of the first screen is programmable by the user. You can put almost any monitor function into the five slots provided. You can also program the four joystick directionals for a total of nine options. This makes it easy to change picture modes, refresh modes, call up aiming points, or whatever. That’s all controlled in the Personalize menu, photo 11 above.

The first menu is Game, and it has everything a gamer could want. There are 12 picture modes in total. Three of them have color temp and dark stabilizer settings, called Game 1-3. Custom Color also has color temp gain and offset sliders along with color management. Creator is where you’ll find gamma presets and colorspace options like sRGB. Standard is the default mode, and it’s visually perfect out of the box.

Game Enhance Mode has a timer, frame counter, and alignment marks. For the aiming points, go to AlienVision where you’ll see a cool reticle editor that includes settings for sniper aids. You can create up to three configurations for later recall.

The eSports modes are where you can change the refresh rate and image size. I’m not sure why they aren’t all in one menu, but between the two sections, you’ll find 25, 27, 32, and 39-inch settings. All but the 32 run at 330 Hz. The 32-inch gives you 4K at 165 Hz and puts black bars on the sides of the image. That one is handy because it doesn’t change the pixel density like the others. The 25- and 27-inch options can be moved up or down from the center if you prefer.

AlienFX Lighting refers to the power LED and Alien Head’s color and effect options. You can customize them to a variety of colors and movements.

For HDR signals, there’s a Dolby Vision option along with eight modes for HDR10 content. Custom Color HDR includes grayscale calibration. Of the listed modes, the brightest one is True Black, and the one with the best luminance tracking is Peak 1300 Bright.

The USB menu is where you’ll find the KVM options. There, you can bind the HDMI and DisplayPort inputs to specific USB ports which means you can use one keyboard, monitor and mouse for multiple systems like a PC and a console.

Personalize is where you can program the quick menu and joystick directionals, as well as toggle the power delivery of the USB ports.

For panel maintenance, the AW3926QW has pixel refresh, which runs automatically when the panel health indicator goes red. That’s determined automatically by internal software. Alienware backs the AW3926QW with a three-year warranty that includes burn-in.

Alienware AW3926QW Calibration Settings

The AW3926QW doesn’t need calibration in its Standard picture mode. I noted slightly light gamma, but the color gamut and temperature are visually perfect out of the box. To adjust the grayscale, I used Custom Color mode, which has both gain and offset sliders. If you want to change the color space, Creator mode has that option along with gamma presets. The three Game modes also have grayscale adjustments. My recommended SDR settings are below. For HDR, there are eight modes available plus Dolby Vision. I suggest trying Peak 1300 Bright and True Black to see which you prefer. They look similar, but the latter is a tad brighter while the former has more accurate luminance tracking.

Gaming and Hands-on

A few days with the AW3926QW proved its flagship status beyond a doubt. It excelled as a gaming monitor and workday display in equal measure.

For gameplay, my test PC with its GeForce RTX 4090 was more than enough to drive it at 165 Hz at full 5120x2160 resolution. That’s 11 megapixels in case you’re counting, about 23% more than Ultra HD. The video processing here is good enough that I didn’t wish for 240 Hz. And I had little need for the 330 Hz modes. I can see their use in competition or with lesser video cards to keep the action smooth. But I saw nothing but perfect motion resolution and hyper precision. Aiming and moving became an extension of my brain as control inputs were instantly translated.

Image quality was also superb, with lush bright color and deep contrast. Playing in SDR mode with the full color gamut was excellent, but HDR games were even better. The AW3926QW is a superb HDR display. And don’t forget to try Dolby Vision with its dynamic tone mapping. I didn’t have any DV games, but I watched content from a Blu-ray player that looked stunning. Going back and forth between HDR True Black and Peak Bright 1300, I found I preferred True Black because it had a tad more impact. On page five, I’ll explain the technical differences.

I’ve reviewed many 34-inch ultra-wide displays, and while I find them excellent for gaming, they lack the height I prefer for writing content. The 39-inch AW3926QW is perfect for getting work done. It is only half-an-inch shorter than the 32-inch 16:9 screen I use every day. So, it’s ideal for lining up two or three windows side by side when comparing copy or graphics. I loved it for Photoshop, where I could open and see multiple photos and still have room for toolbars. If you’re already a user of dual screens, the AW3926QW is the perfect replacement if you’re sick of that pesky dividing line.

The monitor proved to be flagship-worthy in every respect. The stand is solid; styling is premium and everything about the AW3926QW exudes quality. The inclusion of USB ports and KVM further extends its usability. And the selection of esports modes makes it flexible for a wide variety of gaming systems.

Takeaway: The AW3926QW is super useful in every way and excels as a gaming display. It delivers speedy and responsive performance at 165 Hz and impressive frame rates up to 330 Hz in the esports modes. The picture is gorgeous with vivid and accurate color and plenty of brightness. HDR has high impact and multiple picture modes to choose from, plus Dolby Vision support. The AW3926QW is a great all-around monitor that delivers a lot of bang for the buck.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

The AW3926QW is somewhat unique in my database and is the only 39-inch WUHD panel I’ve reviewed. The next closest comparison is LG’s 45GX950A, which is a 45-inch panel with the same 5120x2160 resolution at 165 Hz. The other screens are Alienware’s AW3426DW, Deco Gear’s DG49OLED240, Acer’s X34 OLED, and Asus’ PG34WCDN.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.