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27-inch QHD gaming monitors come in a wide range of refresh rates and can be either IPS- or VA-based. To compare the Q27G4XY, I’ve included AOC’s CQ27G4ZH, Gigabyte’s GS27QXA and M27QA ICE, ViewSonic’s XG2736-2K, and Xiaomi’s G Pro 27i.
Pixel Response and Input Lag
Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.
Since I didn’t have five other 180 Hz screens in my database, I wanted to compare the performance of faster (and more expensive) monitors to see just how much difference those extra Hertz make. In the response test, the lines are clearly drawn. A moving test pattern shows the difference between six, five and four milliseconds. But the Q27G4XY has an excellent overdrive which makes the most of its slower refresh rate. And it is free of ghosting artifacts.
The spread of times in the second chart isn’t too large and faster refresh rates don’t always guarantee lower input lag. ViewSonic leads the pack with 240 Hz and 16ms. The Q27G4XY pips the GS27QXA’s 260 Hz by 1ms, so that’s a win. It was very quick in my hands-on tests, and I could easily recommend it for competition gaming.
Test Takeaway: The Q27G4XY is a very fast monitor with a solid overdrive that keeps motion blur to a minimum. And it has lower input lag than at least one screen with a higher refresh rate, and a slightly higher price. Plus, it adds a Smart TV, which you won’t find anywhere else in this segment.
Viewing Angles
In my experience, VA panels don’t look as good when viewed off-axis as IPS examples. The Q27G4XY is better than average though. You can see a slight color shift to the sides, but it is less pronounced than other VA monitors I’ve tested. There’s no change to light output or gamma which is also a good thing. The top view is significantly darker with a light gamma that washes out the image.
Screen Uniformity
To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.
My Q27G4XY sample looked a bit brighter in the corners when viewing a black field test pattern. The issue was hard to see in content unless it was very dark throughout. Brighter images were not visibly affected.
