Conclusion
Final Words & Verdict
Yeah, so the XG27UQ is a good monitor, and it does everything as advertised. But there are a couple of things off. First, silly HDR and no local dimming, I mean HDR400 isn't HDR but merely an HDR label on the box. Secondly, price as at 900 bucks certainly there are other excellent UHD monitors there at a third of the price cheaper. That said, there is a market for anybody and everything, and yeah, this is a proper monitor alright in every other aspect. UHD 144 Hz and thanks to DCS no color compression issues. We also understand that DSC is something that a particular category of end-users seems to hate? Hey, it's a compression stream, right? Yeah, but your 320kbit MP3 file is also compressed, can you hear the difference there? No, I am a firm believer that DCS is a proper way to deal with bandwidth issues as it instantly eradicated the problems we noticed with chroma subsampled color compressed desktop quality. At 144 Hz and this screen is refreshing 144 times each second at a resolution of 3840x2160 with HDR (10-bit). That's quite a lot to deal with, then the 144 Hz refresh rate. We like the fact that the screen can handle Adaptive Sync also so you have your basic Gsync and FreeSync compatibility. The base design of the monitor is excellent, sturdy build, a good mount, and it looks nice as well. Included are a handy remote control and the logo projector. That last one is a bit weird, as you need to install it separately, and that means a wire leading inwards to the monitor. Why isn't is built into the display?
Is this the screen for you?
You need to seriously wonder if you want Ultra HD on a 27" monitor, as compared 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, due to pixel density, your eyes will have a hard time telling the difference. And you known it, at ultra HD, you're going to need that more expensive graphics card to be able to deal with the resolution. That high refresh rate then, 144Hz is a personal thing, for a generic majority of people 60 Hz screens are sufficient, real gamers like 144 Hz, especially fast ones with meager response times is gaming nirvana. To me, it does make a substantial difference, but that difference comes with a price tag and complexity once your resolution goes up. The trend, I happily agree with, is slowly moving towards 144Hz becoming a new standard norm and the monitor does an excellent job at it - faster is better - but it also requires the corresponding expensive hardware, of course. The HDR fiasco aside, of course, it also is an excellent SDR panel as well, once games and Windows properly support HDR, that's when you are keener on the HDR side of things. The peak brightness value hits over 500 nits, that's good. Power consumption will sit in the ~45 Watt range, but you can peak to 55 Watts, excellent. In standby mode, the monitor uses roughly 0.3 Watts. If you leave the ROG bling on (Projector/RGB), that's good for extra wattage continuous in standby mode drawing 3 Watts.
The Verdict
Our monitor conclusions are always a notch subjective, as the needs and requirements for any perform, workload, gaming, and even setting are different for each person. The XG27UQ is going to serve that premium gaming audience; it's fast agile and offers a lot of good stuff. I know some of you oppose DCS. However, I've now tested multiple monitors base on this technology, and admittedly I remain to be impressed. You can argue contrast ration being good enough, that I must state. Otherwise, it works well. My argument of Ultra HD on a 27" screen stands though I mean, pixel density wise you'd probably be better off with a 2560x1440 screen and save yourself half the money on a monitor and graphics cards, as a gamer that is. As a creator, however, you probably would want to go with UHD. It's a personal choice of preference, though. Overall the screen offers excellent brightness for an SDR screen; Ultra HD, HDR, 144 Hz, and DCS are all a massive plus for the fast pacing gamers. Extras are lovely adaptive sync ranges (48-144Hz ) for GSYNC and FreeSYNC and proper panel uniformity and colors. Color accuracy wise we recommend the racing mod,e as it (at least for this sample) offered well-calibrated results. Pricing then, currently, you can purchase this unit for ~900 EUR/USD. And for that money, you can almost pick up two Quad HD 144Hz screens. These do not need DCS as they do not run into bandwidth issues. So yeah, a good innovative monitor, but as so often, it's just a hard to justify one? We have little to complain about it; you'll enjoy the rich image quality and fast refreshing screen. We respect that it has DSC as a premium feature; the HDR and price levels, however, are a bit lacklustre. But once you start playing games on this screen, I guarantee it; my comments will fade away as fast as that refresh rate.
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