AOC Q27G4ZMN 27-inch QHD Mini LED 240 Hz gaming monitor review: Incredible performance and value

Delivers excellent color accuracy, broad contrast, and premium gaming performance

AOC Q27G4ZMN *
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The Q27G4ZMN has many possible picture modes, but I recommend sticking with Standard/Standard for the best possible image. It’s close to perfect and does not need calibration.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

The Q27G4ZMN’s default grayscale run would be the envy of some monitors after calibration. This is exceptional out-of-the-box performance with all errors below 2dE and nearly perfect gamma tracking. I calibrated anyway because that’s just what I do, and made a slight improvement with grayscale errors now all below 1dE and slightly better gamma.

When you select the sRGB gamut, you can’t adjust grayscale or gamma, but that’s OK given the results above. Errors are under 3dE, and gamma is again perfect. This is exceptional performance.

Comparisons

I don’t see too many monitors that hit 0.93dE grayscale error out of the box, but the Q27G4ZMN is one of those rare screens. The next two are good without calibration as well. Once tweaks are in place, all the monitors slide under 1dE with the Q27G4ZMN at 0.56, very impressive.

It tops both gamma metrics with a minuscule 0.04 range of values and 0.45% deviation from 2.2. The actual value is 2.19, which is visually indistinguishable from perfect. This is excellent 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.

The Q27G4ZMN’s color is also very accurate, but since it is a Quantum Dot screen, its volume exceeds DCI-P3. It’s a bit oversaturated in every color but still balanced. You can see the linear progression of the measured saturation points. Hues are a little off in all colors as well, but when all totaled, the error is just under the visible threshold. The calibration adjustments were too small to make any appreciable difference in this test.

If you need sRGB, the Q27G4ZMN provides one of the best options I’ve seen lately. The gamut is well into the realm of visually perfect, with every point on target. It can’t get much better than this.

Comparisons

The Q27G4ZMN comes last in the gamut accuracy comparison, but with a 2.84dE score, there is no cause for complaint. You can see the reason for this in the volume chart where it renders more color than all but the Xiaomi. The Q27G4ZMN is significantly more colorful than its competitors below. It also hits an ideal 98.38% of sRGB. It’s fully qualified for color-critical applications.

Test Takeaway: The Q27G4ZMN is one of the most accurate and colorful monitors that I’ve tested of late. It doesn’t need calibration out of the box and though you can perform one, there’s no significant benefit, and it has more color volume than most other LCDs, which adds to its appeal.

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Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.