Acer's Nitro XF2 Monitors Boast 1ms Response Times

Acer today announced two Nitro XF2 monitors, one with a 25-inch display and the other with a 27-inch display, that purportedly offer "superbly smooth gameplay thanks to amazingly high speed." In less bombastic terms: they boast up to 240Hz refresh rates and sub-1ms gray-to-gray response times. That spec combination should at least theoretically lead to stutter-free gameplay that feels more responsive than it would on less capable monitors.

The monitors are mostly identical, with the primary differentiator being their display size, along with slightly different response times in overdrive mode. Acer said the XF252Q offers up to 0.3ms gray-to-gray response times in its 25-inch frame; the XF272 X bests that with a 0.2ms peak gray-to-gray response time. Things return to parity with the 3ms native response time. (And no, we don't know why the model numbers are inconsistent, either.)

Acer said both Nitro XF2 monitors boast a 1080p resolution. That doesn't come as much of a surprise, because monitors with high refresh rates and low response times usually settle for Full HD. 

AMD FreeSync support isn't particularly surprising, either, because it's all but required in 240Hz monitors. Even systems that can push 240fps are going to slow down occasionally, and that can lead the monitor and graphics card to fall out of sync. Nobody wants to deal with the resulting screen tearing on a monitor they purchased specifically because they wanted smoother gameplay.

Both of the new monitors offer 400 nit cd/m2 brightness, HDR 10 support, a 100 million : 1 maximum contrast ratio, and an integrated Acer Display Widget used to navigate the built-in settings menus. The standard assortment of Acer features, including the Acer Vision Care health considerations and Acer Game Mode display settings, also make their obligatory appearance. Connectivity is offered by a pair of HDMI ports as well as a single DisplayPort.

Monitors like these would've been considered premium devices not that long ago. Now they're entering an increasingly crowded market, with companies such as LG and AOC revealing their own monitors with similar response times in June and July, respectively. We haven't quite reached the point where 240Hz refresh rates and sub-1ms peak response times are the norm, but we're certainly a lot closer to that reality than we were just a few months ago.

Acer said the XF252Q is available now with an MSRP of $350. Its larger sibling, the XF272 X, will debut "later this month" with an MSRP of $450. The company didn't offer launch information outside the U.S. but more details about the XF252Q can be found on its website. In the meantime, anyone willing to accept a slightly smaller display and barely slower response time can check out Acer's Predator XN253Q X from July.