AOC Q27G4ZR Review (Budget 1440p/260Hz)

1. Introduction2. Design3. On-screen Display (OSD)4. Panel Analysis: SDR5. Response Times & Motion Clarity6. Input Latency7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

There's no two ways about it – AOC is onto a massive winner with the budget-friendly Q27G4ZR.

It's one thing having an eye-catching spec sheet, with its 1440p resolution and 260Hz refresh rate, but the Q27G4ZR backs that up with highly impressive performance. Factory calibration is exceptionally strong, for instance, with near-perfect colour balance and gamma tracking out of the box, while the sRGB mode is also well worth using if you want to avoid any oversaturation.

On top of that, gaming performance is very good for the money, with generally well-tuned overdrive modes alongside official G-Sync Compatible certification. We would have liked to see an overdrive mode that sits between the Faster and Fastest options, as that could have provided even better performance, but that is a very minor quibble considering the response times we measured.

Now, there are some drawbacks considering just how affordable this screen is, and they all come down to quality of life features (or lack thereof). Basically there's no USB ports or modern connectivity options, while the two HDMI ports are limited to 144Hz at 1440p due to their 2.0 spec, rather than being HDMI 2.1. It's also slightly frustrating to see 5-way button control instead of an OSD joystick, while the lack of variable overdrive is slightly annoying.

However, all of those points are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things and can quickly be ignored when we factor in the £179 asking price. If anything, I'd say a bigger problem for the Q27G4ZR is the fact that Evnia's 27M2N3501PA offers very similar performance while currently priced at just £150, though that does appear to be a temporary deal. Either way, it's great to have another highly competent screen on the market, offering a heck of a lot of monitor for less than £200.

We found the AOC Q27G4ZR listed on Currys HERE.

Pros

• Fantastic value at £179.
• Impressive motion clarity for gaming.
• Low latency.
• Very impressive factory calibration.
• Decently wide gamut.
• Capable sRGB mode.
• Included stand can do height adjust, swivel, tilt and pivot.

Cons

• Lacks any kind of USB passthrough, Type-C charging or KVM functionality.
• HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0, therefore limited to 144Hz at 1440p.
• No variable overdrive.
• Uses 5-way button control instead of an OSD joystick.

KitGuru says: At under £200, it is very hard to argue with the overall package on offer here. Well played, AOC.

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