To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test Monitors and TVs. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
The X35 is the fourth G-Sync Ultimate monitor we’ve reviewed. The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, Acer Predator X27 and HP Omen X 65 Emperium also earn that moniker with their 1,000-nit HDR capability. The mini-LED Asus ProArt PA32UCX is our brightness champ with nearly 1,500 nits available. We round out our group of incredibly expensive, high-performance monitors with the OLED Alienware AW5520QF.
The Predator X35 is rated for 600 nits in SDR mode, but we couldn’t quite get there. We measured both full fields and window patterns and got the same result. It also made no difference whether the zone dimming was engaged or not. But this isn't a deal-breaker because we can’t imagine a situation where one would need such high brightness in SDR mode. Even in an outdoor location, 548 nits max brightness is more than enough.
The black level is quite low at 0.2 nit with the backlight maxed. Only the HP and the Alienware OLED can get darker. Turning on the zone dimming means the backlight is completely off when a 0% signal pattern is displayed making measurements impossible. Native contrast for the X35 is 2,451.9:1, which is quite respectable. We recommend using the dimming feature once calibration is complete; then the contrast is theoretically infinite.
After Calibration to 200 Nits
Calibration to our recommended settings (see above) left the X35 in third place for both black levels and contrast. Our calibration only reduced dynamic range by a tiny amount. 2237.1:1 (compared to 2,451.9:1 before calibration) is still an excellent result.
For the ANSI test we used the monitor's Gaming mode. The X35 is the first FALD panel we’ve measured that benefits from its dimming feature in the ANSI test. Asus' PG27UQ and Acer's X27 measured the same whether dimming was engaged or not. In the X35’s case, we saw a 19% improvement in intra-image contrast. This figure will vary depending on the average brightness of the content you’re viewing. And it will change with the three different dimming settings. this test, we used Gaming. Regardless, this is excellent performance.
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