KTC H27P3 27-inch 5K dual-mode gaming monitor review: Incredible pixel density and flexibility

It’s color accurate out of the box.

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KTC H27P3
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

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The H27P3 ships in its User picture mode. I quickly found that it could not be improved upon. It was almost perfect at factory defaults. I also tested the sRGB mode and noted that it included Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, and BT.2020 options.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

Image 1 of 2
KTC H27P3
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

KTC promises color accuracy below 2dE, and the H27P3 delivers less than 1dE in the grayscale test. There are no visible errors, and from my experience, many monitors aren’t this good after calibration. Gamma is spot-on as well with no visible shifts in luminance.

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The sRGB mode has equally accurate grayscale tracking, but gamma is slightly off the mark with an obvious dip at 10% brightness. That means some shadow areas will be too light in tone. It is still good enough for most color-critical tasks.

Comparisons

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KTC H27P3
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I charted the H27P3’s 0.56 dE grayscale score in the before-and-after comparisons. It doesn’t get much better than that. With a field of screens this good, though, you won’t see a difference between them in a side-by-side comparison. This is excellent performance.

In the gamma test, the H27P3 delivers a tight 0.07 range of values from lowest to highest. That’s very consistent luminance tracking. The actual average of 2.18 represents a 0.91% deviation from the 2.2 specification.

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.

Image 1 of 2
KTC H27P3
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

Since I didn’t calibrate the H27P3, the first chart above shows the out-of-box state. Since the native gamut is a bit bigger than DCI-P3, the bonuses come in red and green, which are both slightly oversaturated. Hue tracking is perfect except for magenta, which moves slightly towards red. This is an invisible error that you won’t see in actual content.

The sRGB chart is almost perfect except for a tiny undersaturation at 80% red. This is an invisible error, and with an overall average of just 0.58dE, you can stack the H27P3 up against any pro monitor and be happy. This is phenomenal performance for a $550 display.

Comparisons

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KTC H27P3
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

All the monitors above show their calibrated results, except the H27P3, which has not been adjusted in any way other than to set the brightness to 200 nits. 1.57dE is firmly in professional territory. I noted that KTC’s other screen in my database, the H27E6, delivered a similar result but required calibration to get there.

In the volume test, the H27P3 delivers a standout score of nearly 111% DCI-P3 coverage. That makes it one of the most colorful displays you can buy at any price. Surprisingly, it achieves this without a Quantum Dot layer. The panel tech is called IPS Black, which also accounts for the high contrast ratio. Along with a perfect 99.88% score for sRGB, it is fully qualified for pro-level color work.

Test Takeaway: The H27P3 is one of the most accurate and colorful monitors you can buy, at any price and of any tech. That you can get this kind of performance for just $550, and a 5K panel too, is amazing.

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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.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • voyteck
    On paper, it’s an almost perfect all-rounder, except for the barely functional stand and (probably) the lack of a white version.

    By the way, pixel density isn't only about whether you see individual dots or not; text on, say, a Full HD 15-inch laptop is distorted in the same way as on a 27-inch Full HD monitor (and you sit close enough to notice this just as clearly, provided the scaling remains the same.) And the Ultra HD resolution is not enough even on a 27-inch display since you can easily see that the same letter has different widths. Then come two words: font optimization.

    Although now I wonder if I'd like to play at QHD @ 120Hz in the era of DLSS and frame generation. Since there are still no 5K @ 120Hz displays I think I will stay with UHD, even if I would love to have 5K for copy editing.
    Reply