AOC Q27G4ZD QD-OLED 240 Hz gaming monitor review: Fast, colorful, and reasonably priced

27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and wide gamut color.

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AOC Q27G4ZD
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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It seems that everything costs more these days but for some reason that I am happy for, computer monitor prices continue to creep downward. Though OLED is still a premium category, it is possible to buy a 27-inch QHD example for less than what a similar IPS panel would have cost 12 years ago. And that monitor would have run at 60 Hz with 1,000:1 contrast and sRGB color. Adaptive-Sync? Fuhgeddaboudit.

AOC Q27G4ZD

(Image credit: AOC)

The AOC Q27G4ZD isn’t a revolution in the 27-inch 240 Hz QHD OLED category but it is less expensive than the competition while delivering the same performance and features. It games as well or better than any OLED selling for more money and even includes side USB ports which we rarely see nowadays.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The only flaws I noted were slight color undersaturation in HDR mode and the lack of a variable brightness option. The latter is no issue unless you want the super bright HDR highlights that come with that setting. Honestly, I never missed it. The former is something that could be fixed with a firmware update, though this would not prevent me from choosing the Q27G4ZD. Its SDR color is very accurate and calibrates to the reference level.

OLEDs are still a premium purchase, but AOC’s Q27G4ZD hurts the bottom line a little less while delivering everything you buy an OLED for. It’s super fun to play on and will enhance any desktop no matter what the application. If you’ve been waiting for 27-inch OLEDs to cost less than $500, definitely check it out.

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Christian Eberle
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.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Skip27
    The best advice I ever received was not to upgrade your monitor until you are ready to NEED high-end monitors. I used a wonderful 27' Asus for over a decade, and it was great, but when I replaced it with my current 31.5' Dell, I intentionally went 60hz because I do not want to be the kind of guy who thinks a $470 monitor is "cheap." You never get impressed with a better monitor, but once you use one for long enough, anything less feels garbage. The same is true with graphics cards. I never go over the x70 nvidia cards because I do not want to drop a grand every year. I have a 4060ti right now, and it is good enough. My next card will likely be AMD, but it will not cost over $500. Recklessly increasing one's standards gets needlessly expensive.

    That said, I hope this Dell will be as tough as my old Asus. That monitor took a beating and it still works, although light bleed started to get our of control in the corners.
    Reply
  • Mindstab Thrull
    The big benefit of this AOC is that it's a solid monitor under 500 USD - which means that other companies are going to have to take notice that there's an OLED encroaching on "great VA/IPS/etc" territory.

    I hope this means that in Canada, maybe in another year or two we can get OLED's under 500 CAD - which at current exchange rate is about 350 USD. I will be ecstatic when that happens!

    Mindstab Thrull
    Nomming ur sanities since 1837 BSE (Before the Sarpadian Empires)
    Reply