Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 Review: Infinite Contrast and Stellar Game Performance

Corsair’s 27-inch QHD OLED display with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, wide gamut color, and 1000-nit HDR.

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Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240
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(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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It’s now possible to buy a 27-inch OLED desktop computer monitor from three different manufacturers: LG, Asus and Corsair. They are the same LG panel at the core but have slightly different feature sets. One thing is certain; their image quality with regard to color and contrast is unmatched. And their gaming performance is on another level from any LCD I’ve experienced, including panels running at 360 and 500 Hz.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 delivers a gaming experience that non-OLED monitors cannot equal. This is thanks to two major factors, image depth and motion processing. OLED promises and delivers infinite contrast thanks to its true black levels. When a pixel is black, it’s off and emits no light. That is something that must be seen to be fully appreciated. Contrast is king, always, and OLED has more of it than any other technology.

Motion processing is the other element that makes or breaks gaming feel. Much has been done to mitigate motion blur in LCDs, but OLED needs none of those enhancements. At the 27QHD240’s max refresh rate of 240 Hz, it moves objects and pans the camera with no loss of resolution. One can see this clearly in both test patterns and actual content. Precision aiming and movement almost become child’s play.

The 27QHD240’s superb color accuracy is a nice bonus here. With no adjustments whatsoever, it delivered near-perfect color, grayscale and gamma. I saw a few flaws in the HDR gamut test, but honestly, the image is so good I had difficulty spotting any problems. With the ability to choose between DCI-P3 and sRGB modes that are equally accurate, it rivals any professional screen for far less money.

The Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 is a premium purchase for sure. $1,000 for a 27-inch monitor is not a small sum. But for what you get, it’s a bargain. It blows away any LCD gaming or pro monitor I’ve experienced. If you have the budget and are seeking ultimate image quality, definitely check it out.

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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.

11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    Its crazy to think there is a large enough market for a $1000 27 inch monitor to justify products like this.
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    Is the subpixel layout different enough in a way that it produces something off about the image? e.g., like the color fringing on the QD-OLED displays.
    Reply
  • Case39
    Hi, does the Monitor use a Cooling Fan like the LG OLED 27"?
    Reply
  • oofdragon
    Cool but give us the ultra wide at 240hz
    Reply
  • Kridian
    Who in the hell's buying these? Corsair, you've lost your mind.
    Reply
  • PrazVT
    cknobman said:
    Its crazy to think there is a large enough market for a $1000 27 inch monitor to justify products like this.
    There is. I personally don't have space for a 32" monitor. So 27" monitors are still a thing for me; although I have yet to see a killer 4k mini-led monitor in this size. I will say I wouldn't spend $1000 on a QHD OLED though. Resolution seems low and burn-in risk seems high.
    Reply
  • PrazVT
    Kridian said:
    Who in the hell's buying these? Corsair, you've lost your mind.
    Eve / Dough is working on one as well. What is bothering you? The price?
    Reply
  • gg83
    cknobman said:
    Its crazy to think there is a large enough market for a $1000 27 inch monitor to justify products like this.
    I'm waiting for the $700 27" oled. Maybe something with 144hz or something? I don't know if 240 is baseline for these panels. Seems like once someone besides LG makes oled gaming panels I'll be in luck.
    Reply
  • bit_user
    cknobman said:
    Its crazy to think there is a large enough market for a $1000 27 inch monitor to justify products like this.
    I'm in the market for a new monitor, and while $1k is more than I want to spend, I'd probably buy one if it were perfect.

    One of the main things putting me off this generation is what I've read elsewhere about the subpixel layout being suboptimal for text. Also, I wouldn't mind getting a couple years' longevity data, to know whether burn-in is still a real issue.

    So, instead, I think I'll probably opt for a conventional LCD monitor.
    : /
    I'm leaning hard towards Asus XG27AQMR, but perhaps I could go with Dell AW2723DF. In either case, I think they're currently a little overpriced, so it'll take one of them getting discounted for me to pull the trigger.
    Reply
  • RodroX
    cknobman said:
    Its crazy to think there is a large enough market for a $1000 27 inch monitor to justify products like this.

    Just as crazy as to buy a $3000 gaming GPU.
    Reply