Custom PC - UK (2020-03)

T

heBenQEX2780Q’sDisplayHDR
400 certificationimmediatelytellsus
thisisn’tgoingtodeliverthemost
dazzlingHDRdisplay.However,asDisplayHDR
400 monitorsgo,thisonehasa lotgoingforit.
Crucialamongitscapabilitiesis thatit offers
a manualoptionforswitchingit betweenRec
709 (effectivelysRGB)andDCI-P3colour
modes,whichhasa coupleofbenefits.The
firstis that,unlikethelikesoftheAG273QXand
MAG321CURV,you’renotstuckina highcolour
gamutmodewhendoingnormaldesktop
stuff.YoucanswitchbacktosRGBandsee
everythingasit’ssupposedtolook.
It alsomeansyoucandotheoppositeand
justmanuallypumpupthecoloursaturation.

BENQ EX2780Q

/£450 inc VAT

SUPPLIER benq.eu

We wouldn’t be inclined to do this often but if

you want a more vivid image then the option’s

there. It also makes testing its high colour

gamut performance much easier.

Elsewhere, the EX2780Q has a slightly odd

combination of features. Its size is just 27in and

it has a standard 2,560x 1,440resolution,yet

it sports a TV-like designwitha standthatonly

offers tilt adjustment,andincludedwiththe

display is a remote. Thisrathernicelydesigned

and easy-to-use zapperservestonavigate

the on-screen menus,allowingyoutoquickly

and easily change thingssuchastheinputs,

the colour mode, brightnessandvolumeofthe

excellent built-in 2.1speakers.

These are comfortablythebestspeakers

we’ve heard on a 27inmonitor,certainlyin

quite some time andpossiblyever.They’re

loud, clear and althoughthebassisn’texactly

groundshaking, it’sfarfullerandmorepresent

than most monitors.

Image quality impressestoo.InRec 709

mode, the display deliversa nearflawless

colour performance.Colourbalanceis just

a smidgeoffperfectand

gammais a littlehighbut

overall,it’sasyou’dexpect

ofa goodqualityIPS-type

monitor.SwitchonHDR

andthecolourgamut

rampsuptowellinexcess

ofthe 90 percentDCI-P3

coveragerequired,hitting

99.4percent.Youcantell

too,asthisdisplayprovides

a surprisinglyrichcolour

paletteforHDRcontent.

Sadly,though,the

contrastjustisn’tthere.

Withnotevenbasicedge-lit

backlightzonecontrol,this

displaycan’tpushbeyondits

basic1,100:1contrastratio.

That’sactuallynota

badcontrast ratio for an IPS

display, but it still pales in comparison with the

rest of the displays in this Labs.

Other intriguing additions include a USB C

video input to go with the DisplayPort and two

HDMI. There’s also a volume wheel on the

underside of the display, in case the remote

control isn’t to hand or the excellent rear-

mounted OSD controls are too slow for you.

When it comes to gaming, this display can

hit a 144Hz refresh rate and supports both

Freesync and G-Sync, so it ticks nearly all the

essential boxes. The 5ms response time is

a little sluggish, so it won’t be suited to very

demanding competitive gamers but it’s typical

for an IPS display. Oddly, the display offers no

gaming controls in its OSD, so you can’t change

overdrive or turn off adaptive sync, for instance.

Conclusion

The BenQ EX2780Q gets a lot of things right,

with excellent overall image quality and a

particularly impressive colour range in HDR

mode. Its powerful speakers and convenient

remote are a nice touch too. However, the

fixed stand, lack of gaming settings and basic

contrast in HDR mode means it doesn’t quite

stick the landing.

SPEC

Screen size 27in

Resolution 2,560 x 1,440

Panel technology IPS

Maximum refresh rate 144Hz

Response time 5ms

Contrast 1,000:1

Display inputs 1 x DisplayPort 1.4,

2 x HDMI 2, USB Type-C

Audio 2 x 2W and 1 x 5W

speakers, headphone jack

Stand adjustment Tilt

Extras Remote control, USB Type-C connectivity

HDR standard DisplayHDR 400

VERDICT

A bit curate’s egg, the EX2780Q is only

good in parts.

Q

• 
  

  Greatoverall
  imagequality

  
  


• 
  

  Goodgaming
  performance

  
  


• 
  

  Separate sRGB and
  HDR colour modes

  
  

QUEUE

• Noheightadjustment


• Underwhelming^
  HDRcontrast


• No gaming^
  settings in OSD

IMAGE QUALITY

24 / 30

FEATURES

14 / 20

GAMING

24 / 30

VALUE

14 / 20

OVERALLSCORE

76 %%