Brightness and Contrast
To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test Monitors and TVs. We cover brightness and Contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
To show you how the Nitro XV273K performs compared to competitors, we’re including data from our reviews of the Acer Predator X27 and Acer Predator XB273K, along with the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, LG 34GK950F and HP Omen X 65 Emperium. All are HDR-capable with some flavor of adaptive sync and a 144Hz refresh rate.
Acer rates the Nitro XV273K at 350 nits for SDR signals, but we measured almost 450 nits. This is a seriously bright monitor, and it only throttled down to a minimum level of 91 nits. This might make it a bit too powerful for gaming in a darkened room, but your mileage may vary.
The IPS/AHVA ((Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle) panel affords an average black level and contrast just over 1,000:1. Sadly, there is no variable backlight option to increase contrast, which you can do with the Predator X27 and Predator XB273K.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Calibration to 200 nits did not reduce dynamic range, which is a good thing. The Nitro XV273K performs like a typical IPS screen. We saw the same performance regardless of the color mode selected. sRGB offered greater accuracy for SDR, while the default DCI space delivered better saturation. Each sport the same 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
ANSI contrast after calibration was a mid-pack 914.5:1. Our sample did not suffer from any glaring uniformity issues, so this is an expected result. Ultimately, you’ll get the best image quality from a VA panel, like the HP, but IPS is still the most common technology used in 4K displays.
Image Credits: Tom’s Hardware
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