NEC EA275WMi 27-inch QHD IPS Monitor Review

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There are few monitors engineered or built better than those from NEC. Today we’re testing the EA275WMi, a 27" QHD-resolution IPS panel with features that will appeal to enterprise and business-class users.

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Conclusion

At this point, some users may still be questioning the EA275WMi’s price tag. After all, there are plenty of budget 27" IPS/QHD displays out there begging for your hard-earned dollars. When considering a monitor like this, you have to look a little deeper.

First, there just aren’t enough adjectives to describe NEC’s superb build quality. While many monitors get by with lightweight stands and thin plastic trim, the EA275WMi feels as if it’s carved from billet. Though all external surfaces are plastic, it’s of such a high grade that it might as well be aluminum. Underneath, it’s all metal with heavy shielding and greater-than-necessary protection for internal components. We can imagine this monitor still lighting up its desktop 10 years from now.

Image quality is also first-rate. Although it doesn’t include a factory calibration like its more-expensive PA-series stablemates, color accuracy, contrast, and clarity are nearly a match for those professional displays. And compared to similar screens from other manufacturers, it easily holds its own in the performance department.

What most sets the EA275WMi apart for us is its impressive enterprise features. ControlSync is one of the coolest things we’ve tried of late. In our experience, there’s no easier way to match two monitors’ brightness and color. That’s so critical when using multiple screens on a single desktop.

Equally impressive is NEC’s SpectraView II calibration software. It’s the best proprietary package we’ve used and easily outpaces the X-Rite software we’ve tried from other companies. If you already use CalMAN, it might be considered redundant, but if you currently have no means to calibrate, its $299 price-tag isn’t any higher than that of third-party solutions.

The only bummer here is the EA275WMi isn’t a great choice for gaming. With its relatively high contrast, accurate color, and multi-screen chops, it would otherwise be perfect for two or three-monitor setups. But high input lag spoils the party if you’re playing fast-paced shooters that require instant control response. For casual games though, it will work fine.

Of course NEC doesn’t market this product to gamers. It’s a business-class tool that will reliably serve enterprises of all sizes. With a rugged chassis and solid engineering, this display will likely outlast multiple computer upgrades. With that in mind, the price of admission doesn’t seem so high after all.

For its excellent performance, quality, and unique enterprise features, we’re giving the EA275WMi our Tom’s Hardware Editor Recommended Award.


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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.

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Jeffrey_44
    That's a sweet little monitor you got there. I run four 23 in Lenovo LCD monitors here on my trading station. Looking to do a server upgrade next spring and go with 32 or 36 in monitors. Getting old. Sometimes, the pips are hard to see...lo!
    Reply
  • thundervore
    NEC monitors are always a beauty. Nice matte black, not the shiny piano black we see everywhere. These always go toe to toe against the Dells that cost more.
    Reply
  • DirgDub
    "NEC’s much vaunted build quality"
    Both of my EA231wmi monitors died just after the 3 year warranty expired.
    Reply
  • kittle
    Love my NEC PA27W - its still going strong after several years of use. NOT cheap, but it should last through several system upgrades.
    and despite what the gaming sites say, its great for games and movies, general use..and the occasional photo
    Reply
  • alidan
    what is uc on uc off in the contrast page?
    Reply
  • Spanky Deluxe
    I'm so fed up with these 27" monitors. Why can't they make something a little larger. 32-40. My 30" 2560x1600 monitor is almost a decade old but I'm yet to see anything that tempts me to upgrade. I'm probably going to have to hold out until 8k becomes mainstream and we get 8k 40" panels.
    Reply
  • alidan
    18845567 said:
    I'm so fed up with these 27" monitors. Why can't they make something a little larger. 32-40. My 30" 2560x1600 monitor is almost a decade old but I'm yet to see anything that tempts me to upgrade. I'm probably going to have to hold out until 8k becomes mainstream and we get 8k 40" panels.

    https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Computer-Monitor-3840x2160-Truevision/dp/B00UBCVY02/

    It may not be the best monitor, but its a 40 inch 4k monitor.
    Honestly Im toying with the idea of a 2 monitor setup myself, something massive for every day use, 40-50 inch 4k, especially if i can get 10 bit and a fantastic contrast ratio, and then something for more demanding things like gaming

    also, 8k is never going to be a thing, at least till its so trivial to make the panels it just out right replaces 4k for the same price. 4k looks amazing in a store, when you are up close, you see the crispness, but then put the 50-60 inch tv 7-10 feet away from you and that 1080p tv right next to it looks the same for far less money., the same will be true for 8k, on a computer, there is a practical benefit for photographers, artists, people who work with video, but for the normal person they ui scale their crap up the monitor looks the same as the old one maybe a bit crisper in areas, but it takes 4 times the hardware to run it even idle.

    the next thing that will push monitors forward is oled, possibly quantum dot if they emit their own light, don't know enough to make a call there. Not sure if you know this, but contrast is the number 1 thing that determines how good a monitor looks ot normal people, nothing else matters so long as its at least tn quality, but contrast is king. its funny to me how much manufactures lie on boxes for this too, had an argument with someone who claimed his 3000:1 monitor was worse then his apple 5k, and i had to dig up a review for his monitor where they did the contrast test and not just put out a press release, turns out that his monitor was actually about 800:1 and apple is around 1250:1

    contrast ratio is what will push sales of tvs and monitors next, and it will be oled or qd that do it. and you want the normal people to adopt things enmass, just because that drives the price down faster.
    Reply
  • Spanky Deluxe
    Yeah, I know about the 40" 4K one. I've thought about it numberous times but it doesn't really feel like enough of an upgrade - it's about the same DPI as my 30". I'd like a bigger size with more pixels and a higher resolution too. 5k at 40 would be perfect. I'm using two 20" 1600x1200 monitors in portrait mode either side of my 30" and I'd ideally like a larger monitor that I feel can replace the whole lot. If they'd made 32" 5k monitors instead of 27", I would have bought one years ago.
    Reply