Asus' MG279Q, a 27-inch FreeSync monitor with a high-quality IPS panel, has already been on the market for some time now. But some gamers will prefer the response times and snappiness that a TN panel can offer. For those customers, Asus now introduced the MG278Q, which is largely the same monitor with the exception of the different panel.
Of course, that different panel changes everything. It has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz. It is capable of displaying up to 16.7 million colors, has a 75 percent NTSC color saturation, and Asus' Smart Contrast Ratio sits at 100,000,000:1, though the real (static) contrast ratio is 1000:1. Its viewing angles are 170 degrees horizontal and 160 degrees vertical, and most importantly, it has a 1 ms response time.
The monitor still supports AMD's FreeSync, and with a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz it is superbly smooth. The lower end of the refresh rate sits at just 35 Hz, which gives the monitor a huge range to play with. Such a huge refresh rate range is important, because it is within that range that FreeSync actually makes a difference.
The feature set surrounding the monitor and stand is identical to the MG279Q. The stand is height-adjustable, can swivel, pivot, and tilt, and is attached over a VESA mount with a quick-release mechanism. Features such as Asus' GameVisual modes, VividPixel, Low Blue Light and GamePlus modes are all supported, and there are two 2 W speakers built in. A dual-port USB 3.0 hub is also present.
Asus did not announce formal MSRP pricing for the monitor, but it is reasonable to expect pricing to be a notable notch below the more premium IPS variant, which sells for around $575.
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