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The G27q-30 proved exceptionally accurate right out of the box in its Standard picture mode. Calibration is unnecessary, but getting even better numbers with a few tweaks is possible. The only thing missing is a functional sRGB mode. The wide gamut is in play for all content, SDR and HDR.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
There’s certainly nothing to complain about here. The G27q-30 has no visible errors anywhere in its brightness range. Gamma tracks almost perfectly as well. Out-of-box accuracy doesn’t get much better than this at any price.
In the user color temp mode, I was able to get the grayscale error even lower. It went from great to greater but visually, there is no difference. The G27q-30 delivers pro-level grayscale and gamma accuracy for just $200.
Comparisons
Of course, right after saying it doesn’t get much better, here are MSI and Gigabyte saying, “yeah, it does.” There is no visual difference here; the G27q-30 will look the same as the top two screens when compared side by side. But it is well ahead of the others that do require calibration. And once those tweaks are made, it comes out on top with a tiny 0.36dE grayscale error.
Gamma tracking is super tight with a 0.07 range of values and an average of 2.17 which equates to a 1.36% deviation. This means all detail present in the original signal is displayed by the G27q-30 regardless of color or brightness level. This is excellent performance.
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.
The G27q-30’s color gamut test also returns near perfect results. Using a DCI-P3 reference, I noted slight under-saturation in general. Other monitors in this category have slightly more color volume but the visual difference is small. The G27q-30’s extra contrast will make up for this measured deficiency.
Calibration makes a tiny difference in the measurements but like the grayscale and gamma result, there is no visual change. The G27q-30 does not require calibration and doesn’t derive much benefit from it.
Comparisons
The G27q-30 is again near the top of the gamut accuracy comparison. Under 3dE is visually without error so 1.80dE means no one will see a problem anywhere in the spectrum. All the panels here perform solidly, so the Lenovo gets points for its low price.
86.80% coverage of DCI-P3 is slightly below average for the category. The G27q-30 comes up a tad short in green and blue. But the deficiency is quite small and unlikely to be visible in most gaming content. As stated earlier, there is no functional sRGB mode so that coverage is over 122%. Most users won’t mind the extra color for SDR content, but color critical apps aren’t well suited to this monitor.
Test Takeaway: The G27q-30 is slightly below average in its DCI-P3 gamut coverage but visually compensates with high contrast. Accuracy is extremely high, so it’s doubtful that anyone will perceive an issue when gaming. No calibration is required so that’s extra points in its favor. It’s hard to imagine much better performance for $200.
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