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Conclusion
If the thought of spending $1,800 on the Acer Predator X27 or Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ is unappealing, the Acer Predator XB273K is the solution to those wishing to maximize gaming performance while adding HDR support. It's one of very few 4K monitors that runs at 144Hz. When paired with a stout graphics card, it’s hard to look away from a gaming environment rendered with such high pixel density moving at impressively smooth 100 fps plus.
The unexpected bonus comes in the form of that professional-level color accuracy. We don’t expect gaming monitors to deliver such precise color, but the XB273K comes ready for critical applications right out of the box. There was no point in even attempting a calibration pass. Coupled with near-perfect gamma, the Predator XB273K ’s image quality stuns in both SDR and HDR modes.
It’s nice to see choices for SDR material as well, where one can dial up contrast with an effective variable backlight and engage extended color with a DCI-P3 gamut mode that covers nearly 85 percent of the specification. The XB273K also switches seamlessly between HDR and SDR, so your content is always displayed correctly.
Some will still find the price on the high side, given the cost of a typical 27-inch gaming monitor. But where can you find HDR coupled with 4K resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync for less? We agree that $1,300 (£1,200) is a premium price point, but at this moment, the XB273K has no peers. That said, if money were no option we'd splurge on a full-array backlight display (like the ROG Swift PG27UQ or Predator X27), but the Predator XB273K is an impressively supreme, competent alternative.
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