BenQ Zowie XL2731 Monitor Offers eSports Gamers 144 Hz, 1080p TN

BenQ has just announced a new monitor from their gaming centric Zowie brand in the XL2731. The new monitor is a 27-inch TN panel using a 144 Hz refresh rate and designed for e-Sports gaming. It includes Black eQualizer technology, Color Vibrance tuning and a height adjustable stand. According to Ben Q, the XL-series is supposed to offer the smoothest and responsive experience along with the clearest images.

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The XL2731 is the third and newest monitor in the XL series and fits in between the Zowie XL2740 and the XL2720 (144 Hz panel without Color Vibrance tuning). The XL2740 sports a more rapid 240 Hz refresh rate and has shields on the side for preventing glare and S Switch for storing and transporting profiles, which the XL7231 does not have. 

The outside of the XL2731 is black plastic with a matte finish. The bezels are not particularly thin, with the only thing breaking up the smooth frame are five buttons in the bottom right portion for power and menu adjustments. The bezel was designed to reduce light reflection from the screen with how it is angled and the finish. On the back of the monitor is the Zowie symbol, as well as all of the inputs/outputs labeled with red writing. Inputs are a DVI-DL, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2 port and a headphone jack.

The included stand is also black with a red highlight in the oval designed for cable routing as well as a red latch on top. It is height adjustable up to 140mm, will tilt from -5 to 20 degrees, a left/right swivel of 45 degrees each way and can rotate 90 degrees for portrait orientation. If you prefer to wall mount the device, there is 100x100mm VESA mounting around back. 

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Internal specifications include a 1ms (GTG) time. The contrast ratio is 1,000:1, and rightness is rated at 320 nits max, both about average for this type of monitor. The Black eQualizer feature is supposed to increase visibility in dark areas without overexposing bright areas, similar to the Night Vision feature MSI showed off in its upcoming Optix MPG341CQR at Computex last month. With this feature, looking down a scope in a dark area should be a lot lighter .

BenQ has yet to reveal the color gamut the panel covers, but it Color Vibrance option offers 20 levels. This adjustment is said to give users the flexibility to tune preferred color tone and make color grading more defined. The monitor also includes flicker-free technology and ULMB (ultra-low motion blur), capabilities and supports AMD FreeSync.

BenQ Zowie XL2731 Gaming Monitor Specs

Price

Pricing nor availability was listed. But we can expect pricing to fall somewhere in between the XL2740 (currently $549 on Amazon) and the XL2720 ($379) with availability soon.