BenQ XL2730Z 27-inch FreeSync Monitor Review

Grayscale Tracking And Gamma Response

Our grayscale and gamma tests are described in detail here.

The XL2730Z comes set to its FPS1 picture mode from the factory. The main flaw with that is an extremely blue white point. You can change the color temp preset, but we want to show you the monitor in its default state. Once you’re accustomed to 6500K, this panel looks very blue. It also contributes to a dull flat image.

Changing the picture mode to Standard makes for a significant improvement. Now there are only slight blue errors at 70 percent and above. If you don’t want to calibrate, this is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Since we can’t leave well enough alone, we tweaked the RGB controls and generated an excellent chart. It doesn’t get much better than this pro-level result.

Here is our comparison group:

A 2.65dE measurement is an adequate default grayscale error for a gaming monitor. It’s far from a deal-breaker, though some other monitors behave a little better. Given the XL2730Z’s other qualities, we’re pretty sure it won’t dissuade buyers.

We’re happy to see more and more displays capable of sub-one DeltaE grayscale performance. It wasn’t long ago that this was only possible in expensive professional-grade screens. These gaming monitors aren’t cheap, but they do cost a lot less than a typical factory-calibrated product.

Gamma Response

Here’s the default FPS1 mode gamma result. It emphasizes shadow detail and clips heavily at the brighter end of the scale. Regardless of content, we don’t think this makes for a good image. The XL2730Z is capable of much more depth and dimension.

Just switching to the Standard mode and changing the preset to Gamma 2 makes things much better. Now there’s only a slight dip at the 10- and 20-percent levels, which is pretty much invisible to the naked eye.

Changing to the Gamma 3 preset gives you the same tracking, but at a slightly darker level. Depending on your room lighting, this might offer greater perceived contrast. You can switch between the two settings without affecting other image parameters.

Here is our comparison group again:

A .28 range in gamma values means tracking is fairly tight. The main culprit is the dip at the low end of the brightness scale. Overall, it looks perfect to our eyes.

We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.

The closest we could get to a 2.2 average value was 2.15 (2.27% deviation) using the Gamma 2 preset. If you go for Gamma 3, the average is 2.33. Since color is not affected, the choice comes down to user preference.