AOC U3277PWQU UHD Professional Monitor Review

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By Christian Eberle
published

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Conclusion

AOC markets the U3277PWQU as a professional monitor, and given its certified sRGB calibration and excellent results in our DCI-P3 color tests, we agree with that label. It’s unfortunate that there is no mention of extended color anywhere in that material. After spending time with the display, and taking copious measurements, we’ve concluded that this product may just be a hidden gem.

With Ultra HD becoming the new standard in consumer video displays, it’s only logical for computer monitors to follow suit. For years, the term professional meant an Adobe RGB gamut at minimum, with optional features like 10 or 12-bit color, uniformity compensation, and a factory-certified calibration. Nowadays, that data sheet is a must. Though AOC has only chosen to test the U3277PWQU’s sRGB image mode, we can definitively say that it provides equally high accuracy in the DCI-P3 color gamut and adds some calibration flexibility in the process.

That brings us to our chief complaint about this otherwise excellent display. In Standard mode, you can tweak the grayscale to your heart’s content and choose between three gamma presets. And output is fully adjustable over a wide range. But if you need sRGB/Rec.709, you must accept a fixed 245cd/m2 output level with a 2.4 power function gamma curve. While it meets those numbers properly, there is no adjustment capability. Some users may require a 2.2 gamma or a different white balance point. The only way to achieve that is in the DCI-P3 gamut.

Thanks to digital cinema and Ultra HD Blu-ray, larger color gamuts are slowly and steadily taking their place in the landscape. Progress in this area is glacially slow, but new display technologies and standards are accelerating the process. HD brought us Rec.709, which was a slight expansion of the Rec.601 gamut that existed for decades during the era of CRT monitors. While the eventual goal is Rec.2020 and its huge range of colors, DCI-P3 makes a significant visual difference in presentation when done properly.

We’re glad to see AOC making strides in this direction. The U3277PWQU easily earns the title “professional” and does so at a very attractive price. Three years ago, a 32” Ultra HD screen cost $3000. To get this level of performance for $500 today is extraordinary. For its color accuracy, high contrast, build quality, and superlative value, we’re giving it 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.

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8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Immitem
    I now know what my next monitor is!
    Reply
  • wintermute83
    What consecuences that high lag have? Is it a dwal breaker for a power user? What about games that dont need fast responses ( lets say rts games)? Do you actually feel the lag while using the mouse in office apps?
    Reply
  • AgentLozen
    The conclusion for this monitor really gets my mouth watering. It's a technically impressive piece of hardware.

    I lean towards the gaming end of the monitor spectrum so this one seems inappropriate for me. It's a shame that you can't find gaming monitors with professional color accuracy AND high frame rates + G.Sync. I understand that it's hard to couple those features together in one package.
    Reply
  • BulkZerker
    @agentlozen

    "G.Sync"

    Found the problem in your wish list.
    Reply
  • extremepcs1
    Shouldn't 16:9 be under the Con column?
    Reply
  • JonDol
    @BULKZERKER: I wouldn't go so far to dream of G-/Free Sync but I'd start with something closer to the earth. To start of, such a monitor requires modern (read future proof if you wish) connectivity. Can't help but wonder why there is a VGA connector ? The required cable is not even capable to deliver 4K resolutions, nor is the hardware where that old connector is still present, like the AGP graphic cards. I could live with the DVI connector, if it is to support some older hardware but DP 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 are a step back to the past. I've bought my first Full HD monitor over a decade ago so ten years later I'm expecting a bit more in all areas, including the conectivity.
    Reply
  • Novell SysOp fire phasers 5 time
    Why do I have to keep coming in here and correcting you about monitor technology? It even says right on the AOC site it is an FRC panel. 8+FRC. There will NEVER be a 10-bit VA panel.
    Reply
  • Novell SysOp fire phasers 5 time
    And I'm telling you this one last time. You need a QUADRO card to edit 10-bit.
    Reply