LABS TEST / HDR MONITORS
T
heAOCAG273QXrepresents
perhapsthemostcommontypeof
HDRdisplayavailableatthe
moment.This27inmonitorusesa VA-type
LCDpanelthatprovidesit witha nativelyhigh
contrastratioof3,000:1.Combinethiswitha
slightlyextendedcolourgamutandyouhave
aninstantHDR-likemonitor.
However,thetellingdetailofthisdisplayis
itsbasicDisplayHDR 400 rating.If yourecall
fromourHDRmonitorguide,thismeansthe
AOC AGON AG273QX
/£470 inc VAT
SUPPLIER box.co.ukAG273QX only achieve
the same level of HDR
many existing non-HD
monitors can provide:thatis, a contrast ratio
of at least 1,000:1 and at least 95 per cent of
the sRGB colour space.
In the case of this monitor, it fails to make
the grade for higher classes of DisplayHDR on
three counts. Firstly, its maximum brightness
tops out at 400cd/m^2 (it actually did slightly
better than this in our tests, hitting 464cd/m^2 ),
then its black level is too high (0.23cd/m^2 is
well above the 0.1 required of the next level)
and its extended colour gamut doesn’t reach
90 per cent DCI-P3.
As such, its HDR performance is more than
a little underwhelming. By all means, the
reasonably high native contrast and slightly
richer colours add a bit of dynamism but many
non-HDR monitors that use VA-type LCD
displays have the same inherently high contrast
ratio anyway and this monitor’s colours don’t
extend as far as more capable HDR displays.
What makes this particularly problematic
is that you can’t turn off the extended colour
range and use a standard sRGB colour
space. This makes the AG273QX, and many
other displays like it, unsuited to anyone
who also requires a display for any work
that needs accurate colours, such as for
photo and video editing.
Otherwise, this display impresses. It sports
a nice design, with slim, low-profile bezels
and has a fully adjustable solid metal stand.
Connectivity options are plentiful too, with two
DisplayPort and two HDMI inputs along with
a USB hub. There are even surprisingly useful
popout headphone stands on both sides of
the display.Image quality out of the box is excellent
too, with a near perfect colour balance and
very good gamma – you should have little
need to calibrate this display. However, again,
the colours will look slightly oversaturated
compared with normal sRGB displays.
Gaming performance is good too, not least
thanks to the presence of both Freesync 2 and
G-Sync support and you get a 165Hz refresh
rate. The VA-type LCD panel has a rated
response time of 1ms, and sure enough, this
display feels impressively snappy for this type
of LCD. However, we still noticed the difference
in responsiveness compared with TN-type
LCDs in particular – if competitive gaming is
your thing, this wouldn’t be our first choice.Conclusion
A nice design, plenty of connectivity and other
features, and good overall image quality
combine to make for a perfectly decent 27in
gaming monitor. However, its HDR is all but
pointless and despite its 1ms claimed response
time, we still found the use of a VA-type LCD
held back gaming responsiveness a little.SPEC
Screen size 27in
Resolution 2,560 x 1,440
Panel technology VA
Maximum refresh rate 165Hz
Response time 1ms
Contrast 3,000:1
Display inputs 1 x DisplayPort
1.4, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x VGA
Audio 3.5mm audio in, 3.5mm
audio out, 2 x 5W speakers
Stand adjustment Height, rotation, pivot, tilt
Extras FreeSync 2 HDR, 4-port USB 3.2 hub
HDR standard DisplayHDR 400
Dimming zones 1VERDICT
A good all-rounder but it doesn’t quite excel
at any one thing, least of all HDR.A OK
Natively high contrast
Good gaming
performance
Decent image quality
AGONY- No backlight zoning
- Lacks the contrast
for HDR - Fixed colour gamut
IMAGE QUALITY
24 / 30
FEATURES
14 / 20GAMING
20 / 30
VALUE
14 / 20OVERALLSCORE
72 %
es
as
DR