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HDR Performance

Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

If you want the best possible HDR quality, an OLED monitor is the way. The PG27AQDP exemplifies this by embracing the HDR10 standard with seamless operation, four picture modes and adjustment options.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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

To achieve the brightest possible HDR image, I selected the Console HDR mode and maxed the brightness slider. A 25% window pattern measured over 709 nits, which is brighter than most OLEDs and many LCD monitors. Black levels and contrast cannot be measured. Only the XG272-2K and PX277 OLED MAX are brighter. The less bright Alienware and MSI monitors have the same deep blacks and broad contrast as any OLED.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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I compared all four HDR modes to find the best compromise between brightness and accuracy. Console HDR has the highest peaks, but its EOTF is a little skewed. It’s not off enough to obscure detail and the bump between 40 and 70% gives a little more verve to mid tones. If you want the most accurate luminance tracking, choose True Black. It’s a bit darker at just 453 nits peak. Whatever the mode; color and grayscale track the same. There are no visible grayscale errors and color is slightly over-saturated. DCI-P3 is fully covered and Rec.2020 maxes out at 85% red, 70% green and 90% blue. This is the expected result given the gamut volumes I measured earlier.

Test Takeaway: The PG27AQDP offers a choice between accuracy and impact in its HDR modes. Console delivers a bright and three-dimensional picture with palpable texture. True Black has reference-level accuracy if you need to work in a creation or post-production setting. Either way, you can adjust brightness, color temp and saturation, which is something few HDR monitors offer. The PG27AQDP is one of the best HDR desktop displays available.

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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.