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The XG27AQWMG ships in its Racing picture mode, which is fairly close to the mark for grayscale, gamma and color. My sample wasn’t quite perfect from a visual standpoint, but it looked before calibration and better afterward.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
In the XG27AQWMG’s default chart, you can see a slight red tint, which is just above the visual threshold of 3dE. This is a forgivable error because red is harder to see in content than extra green or blue. Gamma tracks almost perfectly along the 2.2. reference.
By tweaking the RGB sliders, I got all grayscale errors below 2dE but introduced a slight rise in gamma at 60% brightness. This is an invisible issue, and the net effect is a visual improvement in real-world content. This is excellent performance.
For the sRGB test, I changed the Color Space option to sRGB rather than engaging the sRGB Cal mode. That way, I had the option to calibrate. You can see the same slight red error, which can easily be fixed with the RGB sliders if desired. Gamma takes a slight dip at 90%, but that only appears in small highlight areas, where I can see a tiny drop in depth. This too is excellent performance.
Comparisons
Aside from the Aorus’ over-achieving 0.56dE, the XG27AQWMG and the other screens are very close in out-of-box accuracy. 3.30dE is just over the visible threshold, but since the error is red, it’s hard to spot in actual content. After calibration, all the screens get under 1dE except the XG27AQWMG, which is at 1.04dE. This is a minor point because to the naked eye, they all look identical.
The gamma results are tight as well, with all screens showing a tight range of values. All are close to the 2.2 reference except the ViewSonic, which runs light at 2.05 actual value. The actual value for the XG27AQWMG is 2.22. My preference for gamma errors is to the dark side. High contrast monitors like OLEDs can get away with a little higher gamma value.
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 XG27AQWMG’s gamut charts clearly show its large color space, which covers more than 100% of DCI-P3. There is bonus color in every primary. Accuracy is excellent with no visible errors and a default average of 2.09dE. There is nothing to complain about here. Calibration tightens up the chart just a bit, but visually, there is almost no difference. This is excellent performance.
The sRGB test shows gamut perfection with all points on target and a tiny average error of 1.54dE. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Comparisons
Again, we can see how close these OLEDs are in color accuracy. The XG27AQWMG comes in fifth with 2.05dE, but all the monitors run in a small range from 1.35 to 2.73dE. And all are free of visible issues. OLED, as a category, is very color accurate, and it’s nearly impossible to find a bad example. Whether you’re gaming or working, you’ll always enjoy correct color.
Though the Tandem OLED tech in use here promises a wider color gamut, the XG27AQWMG is no more colorful than other Quantum Dot screens. Its 107.66% coverage of DCI-P3 is about average and here, it’s beat by the top three displays, which cover more than 110%. In practice, this is a small difference, but if color volume is your most important criteria, Alienware takes this one. In the sRGB calculation, the XG27AQWMG hits a nearly ideal 95.41%. The missing 5% is in the blue primary, which is slightly undersaturated.
Test Takeaway: The XG27AQWMG has no color, grayscale, or gamma issues to speak of. It meets its factory calibration parameters and gains a slight improvement with adjustment. Since it starts out a tad red, you can enjoy it without tweaking. It has about the same color volume as other Quantum Dot screens, with Alienware, Aorus and AOC having a slight advantage. But make no mistake, it is extremely accurate and extremely colorful. When showing real-world content, it’s stunning to look at.
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