Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Grayscale, Gamma & Color
The following tests are all performed in SDR mode with our standard Accupel pattern generator setup. We’ll cover HDR performance on page five with a separate set of benchmarks.
Grayscale Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.
The EW277HDR is one of the most accurate monitors we’ve seen that doesn’t include a factory-certified calibration. Clearly, there is no need for further adjustment in any of the tested modes. Standard is the default preset and includes DCI-P3 color, a BT.1886 gamma curve, and a D65 color temp. There are no visible errors at all. Pressing the HDR emulation button doesn’t affect grayscale tracking in the least. Switching to the sRGB mode increases red a little, but it’s still well below the visible threshold. It truly can’t get much better than this.
Comparisons
.85dE represents the grayscale tracking error in Standard mode. sRGB was only slightly higher at 1.42dE, while HDR-emulation measured lower at .55dE. There’s no point in calibrating when a monitor is this close to perfection. We can’t help but notice that Dell’s expensive UP2817Q has a little more trouble in this test. It performs best with a software calibration rather than its OSD controls.
Gamma Response
The default gamma preset tracks BT.1886 very well, so that’s the standard we applied to all tests. If you want 2.2, simply choose a lower-numbered option. The main thing to see here is the HDR emulation mode. Since there is no dynamic contrast in operation, HDR can only be simulated with a gamma shift. BenQ has chosen to darken the mid-tones, then quickly ramp up luminance in the brightest steps. This provides a satisfying effec, but as you’ll see below, it has a negative effect on color accuracy. In the sRGB mode, gamma is also right around the BT.1886 spec.
Comparisons
In the comparison charts, the EW277HDR is tested against BT.1886 while the remaining screens are matched to the 2.2 power function. Performance is squarely mid-pack with the Philips showing close tracking to standard. Obviously, the HDR-emulation mode is something that goes in the personal preference category. It will appeal to some users looking to enhance standard content with more depth and saturated color.
Color Gamut & Luminance
For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, please click here.
There is no question that the EW277HDR is a DCI-P3-native display. BenQ claims 93% coverage and our tests come quite close to that figure. Red and green primaries are slightly under-saturated while blue is over. Luminance levels are mostly neutral with a little weakness in red, blue, and magenta. Overall errors are extremely low, however. In the second set of charts, you can see the effect of the gamma shift from HDR emulation. Color becomes less saturated and luminance values fall well below the line. While the effect of added depth holds up, it might seem a little drab in practice. The sRGB mode is also right on the money with only a slight over-saturation in the blue primary and near-neutral luminance levels.
Comparisons
The EW277HDR’s two main color gamuts both sport extremely low average errors. The naked eye will not see any problems whatsoever. This is the best performance we’ve seen from a monitor that doesn’t include a factory calibration data sheet. In the volume test, we did our usual comparisons in the sRGB and Adobe RGB gamuts. DCI-P3 volume is claimed to be 93% and we measured 85.76%. This is due to slight under-saturation in red and green. Since extended color is still an evolving standard, we don’t consider this to be a problem. There are very few displays that can cover DCI at 100% and they’ll cost a good deal more than $300.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: Best Professional Monitors
MORE: How We Test Monitors
MORE: How To Choose A Monitor
MORE: All Monitor Content
