Packaging, Physical Layout And Accessories
Packaging of the MG279Q is sturdy and strong and should provide plenty of protection against the rigors of shipping. The base, upright and panel require assembly, which is easily accomplished without tools. The panel snaps on and locks down with a slider switch, which is a design we haven't seen before.
Bundled cables include an IEC power cord, DisplayPort and HDMI; our sample did not include a USB cable. You also get the manual on CD and a printed quick-start guide.
Product 360
Assembled, the MG279Q sports excellent build quality with firm movements and no wiggly parts or cheap plastic in evidence. The bezel is extremely narrow, which makes it a great candidate for multi-screen setups. In the lower right you'll see small icons denoting the functions of the control keys, which are around back. The icons are almost impossible to see but you'll get a feel for them quickly, like we did. The best part is the menu navigation, which is managed by a tiny joystick. Moving between screens and setting options is extremely quick and intuitive.
The anti-glare layer is similar to all the other monitors we've reviewed of late. Reflections aren't a problem in the average room and we saw no grain or other artifacts. Text and other small objects are rendered with good clarity and sharpness.
From the side, the MG279Q presents a chiseled profile consisting entirely of straight lines. Ventilation is provided around the central bulge and the monitor always ran cool in our tests. The stand is fully adjustable with 120 degrees of swivel, 25 degrees tilt and nearly six inches of height available. One unusual thing we noted is that the base moves with the upright when swiveling. A hidden disc underneath stays put to prevent marking your desktop.
On the back you can see a small snap-on cable management piece on the upright. Also pictured here are the control keys and OSD joystick. Menu operation is super-easy since the joystick is also a button. We were able to change settings in a flash.
Inputs are all-digital and include DisplayPort, mini-DisplayPort and two HDMI ports with MHL. Also provided is an analog headphone jack. The USB hub is version 3.0, but there are only two downstream ports on the bottom and none on the sides. The upside is you can set an option in the OSD to keep them powered when the monitor is off.
