iiyama ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP Review (4K/60Hz Professional Monitor)

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

We review a lot of gaming monitors here at KitGuru and we love to see how manufacturers can push the boundaries when it comes to response times, ever-increasing refresh rates and motion clarity. That said, it's equally interesting to see what different pro-grade screens can do, given the priorities for a screen of this class are quite different to the gaming market.

Priced at £500, iiyama's ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP certainly has a lot going for it, but it does have some fairly sizable drawbacks, too. Starting with the good points, the gamut is very wide, rivalling Quantum Dot panels, while contrast is the highest we've ever tested for an IPS screen. I also like the clean and understated design, while the built-in USB hub and various colour space modes – to give just two examples – indicate a healthy set of features designed for professional users.

Overall performance is sadly hampered by the fact that, across every colour mode we tested, gamma tracking is just way too low out of the box. This resulted in dark to mid-greys looking quite washed out, preventing the HB2701UHSNP from achieving the sort of accuracy we'd expect from a professional monitor. This can be fixed via a manual calibration, but it's still a clear issue with the factory calibration, so that's something iiyama needs to look at.

Additionally, my sample hit contrast of around 2300:1, which as we've said, is incredibly high for an IPS monitor. However, this screen is using one of LG's new IPS Black 2.0 panels, with a claimed 3000:1 ratio, so we did fall someway short of that. Panel uniformity could also stand to be improved, as while we didn't register any particularly bad results, the error rate we did see across multiple sections of the monitor was higher than expected for this calibre of display.

Ultimately, that leaves us feeling that iiyama's ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP hasn't quite fulfilled its potential. There's clearly the foundation for a very impressive monitor here, but it's currently let down by a couple of not insignificant issues – particularly when it comes to gamma tracking. It's possible that a firmware update could improve things, but as it stands it's hard to look past those drawbacks, particularly when competing screens, like AOC's Graphic Pro U32U3CV, can now be found for less than £400.

You can buy the HB2701UHSNP for £498.98 from Scan HERE.

Pros

• Clean and understated design.
• Loads of colour space modes to work with.
• Incredibly wide gamut.
• Very high contrast by IPS standards (though we didn't hit the claimed 3000:1 ratio).
• OSD offers a good amount of features.
• Built-in USB hub with DP out and Ethernet.

Cons

• Gamma tracking is far too low and that affects overall accuracy.
• Contrast, although very high, fell short of the claimed 3000:1 ratio.
• Panel uniformity could be better.
• Lacks real HDR support given the DisplayHDR 400 certification.

KitGuru says: If iiyama can fix a couple of these issues with a new firmware update, we're hopeful that the HB2701UHSNP would be a much-improved screen. But as things stand, poor gamma tracking is the main thing holding this back from a stronger recommendation.

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