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The Zion Pro’s picture modes are represented by icons rather than names. The one that looks like a TV with rabbit ear antennas is the default mode, so I’m calling it Standard.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
Default grayscale accuracy is pretty good here, with only a slight warm tint to gray and white patterns. The error is just visible starting at 50% brightness. Calibration isn’t strictly necessary, but it will subtly improve the image. Gamma tracks perfectly, except for a slight dip at 90%, which means that step is too light. I couldn’t see this issue in actual content.
Precise calibration is difficult to achieve because the RGB sliders have a very coarse resolution. Grayscale errors are now below the threshold of visibility and gamma is a little tighter. The difference is subtle, but I found the calibrated image had a bit more pop and texture.
Comparisons
The Zion Pro comes out of the box with a 3.22dE average grayscale error. It’s just at the line between calibrate or don’t calibrate. Since its color is so saturated, a warm grayscale is less evident in most content. But with a few tweaks, I got the error down to 1.53dE and made a visible improvement.
Gamma, in either case, is excellent with a tight 0.12 range of values and a slight 0.91% deviation from 2.2. That error is only at the 90% brightness step, which means it is not visible in practice. The Zion Pro delivers solid performance in both grayscale and gamma tests.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The Zion Pro has just one color gamut: large. It covers all of DCI-P3 with a little bonus green and blue. All colors are a bit over-saturated compared to the standard, but the total error is just 3.06dE. Actual content is vivid and bright with natural hues and lots of fine color shading. The only hue error is in the magenta secondary, which is a touch too red.
Calibration removes all hue errors and tames the blue and red saturation a little. The difference is subtle, but the picture is visibly improved. This is excellent performance.
Comparisons
With a 2.02dE average color error, the Zion Pro sits right in the middle of the pack. None of the screens have visible issues so, in side-by-side comparisons, color looks similar.
The difference comes in the volume test. The Zion Pro and Aorus screens are close in volume, but the Alienware has less green than the top two screens. All three OLEDs have more color than the LCDs in the group. However, this result is not a general indication that OLED has more color than LCD. I’ve measured a few IPS screens that top 100% of DCI-P3. For accuracy, the Zion Pro is qualified for color-critical work, but I suggest using a compensation profile for absolute precision.
