KTC M27T6S 27-inch QHD Mini LED gaming monitor review: Affordable, colorful, and bright

KTC delivers high brightness and saturated color from the M27T6S.

KTC M27T6S
(Image credit: © Tom's Hardware)

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

The M27T6S supports HDR10 signals with an automatic switch. There are four HDR-specific picture modes, one of which dials down the brightness by 40% for better use in dark environments.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

This is where Mini LED monitors shine, literally. To see this kind of brightness from an OLED will cost you a lot more than the M27T6S’s $290 asking price. It’s rated for HDR1000, and it blows past that with a 1,309.1191-nit score. I measured a 25% window with local dimming set to Auto. A full field pattern measured 632 nits.

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With any setting of the local dimming, black levels drop to barely measurable. To the naked eye, the backlight appears to be off, but my meter detected a tiny amount of light. The resulting contrast is almost 45,000:1. This is on par with the best plasma TVs of yesteryear, like Pioneer’s Kuro line of high-end displays. It’s rare to see this kind of performance in the LCD genre, but Mini LED makes it possible. In practice, the M27T6S renders deep blacks that retain fine detail and bright highlights. HDR looks spectacular.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The M27T6S’s HDR grayscale and EOTF tracking aren’t quite at reference level, but they are good. Brightness steps above 50% run a little cool, but the error is barely visible in content. The EOTF tracks on the reference level in shadow areas but rises too quickly and runs light from 40% to the tone map transition at 75%. That is the correct value for the measured black and white levels. There are no adjustments available in HDR mode except for brightness, which won’t affect these tests.

In the HDR color tests, the M27T6S is very oversaturated, but like the SDR results, I don’t expect anyone to complain. Color is beyond vivid with a glow and brightness that is a pleasure to look at. The BT.2020 result is extremely impressive. Red runs out at just over 90% while green gets to 85% and blue hits 95%. If you want lots of color, no monitors selling for less than $300 have more than the M27T6S.

Test Takeaway: The M27T6S’s HDR color isn’t strictly accurate, but it is extremely vivid and bright. It’s one of the most colorful monitors I’ve ever tested, and its extra volume can be clearly seen when compared to other Quantum Dot monitors. With peaks over 1,300 nits, the image is deeply textured and impactful.

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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.