Acer XB280HK 28-inch G-Sync Ultra HD Gaming Monitor Review

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Acer breaks new ground with its XB280HK. Offering an Ultra HD resolution and G-Sync in a reasonably-priced 28-inch package, this monitor is unique.

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Grayscale Tracking

Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.

While the XB280HK isn’t premium-priced relative to competing Ultra HD screens, it is an expensive gaming monitor. For your money, you’re getting decent grayscale performance out of the box. In the Standard picture mode, you really don’t have to make any adjustments to enjoy accurate performance. At 100 percent, the white point starts to go a little blue. But upping the Contrast control one click will fix that.

An instrumented calibration brings the errors down to almost nothing with just a few tweaks. The result is fantastic.

Here is our comparison group:

The XB280HK takes top honors for out-of-box grayscale performance. We expect that a majority of gamers will not calibrate their monitors, so if accuracy is important to you, there are few better choices in the G-Sync or FreeSync segment.

The AOC takes first place by the slimmest of margins. A difference of .04dE is essentially a wash.

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.