Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP OLED 480 Hz gaming monitor review: Raising the bar

27-inch QHD OLED display with 480 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, ELMB, HDR and wide gamut color

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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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

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Anyone concerned about OLED’s reputation for low brightness can be assured that the PG27AQDP does not share this trait. Only a high-end Mini LED will be brighter, and this Asus has more output than many LCD monitors. I measured 25% window patterns with Uniform Brightness turned off. If you turn it on, the peak is around 260 nits. In either case, black levels and contrast are unmeasurable.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration doesn’t alter the results or rankings. The PG27AQDP is one of the brighter OLEDs available, so that is a major point in favor. I couldn’t measure black levels for either test so contrast couldn’t be determined either.

Test Takeaway: It’s a given that any OLED panel will have an unmeasurable contrast due to its infinite black levels. So, if any ranking is to be undertaken, peak brightness is the only differentiator. The PG27AQDP is one of the brighter OLEDs available in any size or price category. And it has the flexibility of a Uniform Brightness option if you find it too bright.

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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.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dimar
    This is not the one with MediaTek's new scaler chip recently advertised?
    Reply
  • s997863
    Can TomsHardware please include this in all their monitor reviews:
    How good is the motion clarity compared to CRTs for running older games that only work at 60Hz?
    I'm asking because I've heard of only 1 monitor that covers this (ViewSonic XG2431) which got a lot of praise from BlurBusters but many reviewers reported that it causes headaches to use backlight strobing at 60Hz. Nowadays you don't find much variety in actual stores and much of the market is moving online, but I'm not going to risk buying something as expensive as a monitor when I can't even see/test it for myself, especially when stores like Amazon only have a 2-week return period in my country with no warranty at all.
    Reply
  • richardvday
    This almost sounds like a love affair 🤔
    It would be nice if you gave some kind of idea about how much it cost in the article also.
    If it said how much I would have just moved on as it's outside my price range. I could afford it but rather spend it on my kids.
    $999.99 is I think more than most people would consider paying for a monitor, some of you probably don't care how much it is though.
    Looks lovely but I will wait for the prices to come down quite a bit before I will consider it.
    Reply
  • UnforcedERROR
    s997863 said:
    Can TomsHardware please include this in all their monitor reviews:
    How good is the motion clarity compared to CRTs for running older games that only work at 60Hz?
    I'm asking because I've heard of only 1 monitor that covers this (ViewSonic XG2431) which got a lot of praise from BlurBusters but many reviewers reported that it causes headaches to use backlight strobing at 60Hz. Nowadays you don't find much variety in actual stores and much of the market is moving online, but I'm not going to risk buying something as expensive as a monitor when I can't even see/test it for myself, especially when stores like Amazon only have a 2-week return period in my country with no warranty at all.
    I'd wager an OLED would do just fine in this respect. Your reference point is an IPS instead of an OLED. OLED is like CRT in that pixel response is instant. The big thing about CRTs is they are what a lot of older games were designed for. They simply look better over CRT, and the signal doesn't have to be converted to match. Still, for retro gaming there are options that improve the experience on high-res displays. That's more the barrier to entry than the motion clarity, because you can't do anything to bypass the inherent limits of 60fps.
    Reply
  • Lamarr the Strelok
    First, all the monitor reviews I've read here have had links with prices listed. And second there are many reviews of remarkably affordable monitors here.This review is of a pricier one and that's fine.
    Reply