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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.

The PG27AQWP-W switches automatically to HDR mode when HDR10 content is present. You get four specific picture modes plus a switch to turn on luminance adjustments. As it turns out, you’ll need this switch to hit maximum brightness.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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Asus ROG Swift PG27AQWP-W — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

By default, the PG27AQWP-W peaks at around 550 nits in HDR mode when measuring a 25% window pattern. To get the 651 nits I recorded, you must turn on Adjustable HDR and set Brightness to 100%. You can do this in any of the four modes. I used Gaming for these tests. Asus claims 1,500 nits for a 1% window and these results give me no reason to doubt it. Black levels and contrast cannot be measured.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Adjustable HDR only activates luminance controls, the Color menu remains grayed out so there is no calibration possible. But my sample looked great with just a slight warmth visible at 55% and brighter. This did not impact content in any meaningful way. The EOTF trace is almost exactly the same as the reference, with only a slight darkness below 35% and a slight increase in brightness from 50% to the tone map transition at 70%.

In the color test, the PG27AQWP-W uses its wide gamut advantageously with extra saturation across the board. The points run linearly, so there is no loss of detail at any point in the range. This is the best way to manage large gamuts because you get the extra saturation without blowing out the image with cartoonish color. In the BT.2020 test, the PG27AQWP-W tracks the inner saturations until running out of color at 90% red, 80% green and 95% blue. This is excellent performance.

Test Takeaway: The PG27AQWP-W renders a bright and colorful HDR image. It follows the standard closely in the Gaming HDR mode with correct grayscale, EOTF and gamut tracking. I noted that to get maximum brightness, I had to engage Adjustable HDR which is turned off by default. That took it to a class-leading 651 nits, a figure bested only by one other monitor in the comparison.

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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.