Meet Maggie, PCMag'sOLED gaming monitors are renowned for their exceptional color range and contrast, but many of the ones we've reviewed have cost $1,000 or more. As with most bleeding-edge tech, prices have finally started coming down. A prime example is the AOC Q27G4ZD ($469), a 2,560-by-1,440-pixel QD-OLED gaming monitor. With a 240Hz refresh rate, the Q27G4ZD is comparable with more expensive options like the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED and the Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, although it lacks many of their high-end features. It still delivers excellent performance for the price, earning it an Editors' Choice award as the best gaming monitor you can buy for everyday 1440p gaming.
With a 26.5-inch screen measured diagonally, the Q27G4ZD is 16 by 23.9 by 9.4 inches (HWD), but you can adjust the height to 21.1 inches. It's got a two-pronged stand, similar to the ViewSonic XG275D-4K, but with slightly thinner legs. It's also lightweight, weighing in at 14.5 pounds. The stand features a small hole for cord management and is versatile, offering a full 90-degree pivot, which is helpful for gamers seeking a vertical monitor.
The Q27G4ZD’s backside is nearly all black, with no adjustable RGB lighting like you'll find on more expensive monitors. Apart from the AOC Gaming logo, the only part that isn't black is the red circle around the stand’s insertion point.
Tucked into the port hub, you’ll find two USB 3.2 ports (an extra two USB-A ports line the right side of the screen), alongside a USB-B connector, two HDMI ports, and one DisplayPort. The monitor does not have USB-C ports. The HDMI port is version 2.0, while the DisplayPort is version 1.4.
Similar Products
Alienware AW2725DF 360Hz QD-OLED
LG 45 Ultragear OLED (45GX950A-B)
In comparison, premium monitors usually now come with HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1, along with at least one USB-C jack. DisplayPort 2.1 handles more than double the bandwidth of DisplayPort 1.4 (80Gbps versus 32.4Gbps). The additional bandwidth of DisplayPort 2.1 means you can maintain higher resolutions and refresh rates without the compression that comes with DisplayPort 1.4. HDMI 2.1 similarly supports higher refresh rates at higher resolutions.
These newer ports are essential for high-end 4K monitors, but since the Q27G4ZD is not 4K, we're not faulting it for its lack of cutting-edge HDMI or DisplayPort connectors. However, know that you're limited to 144Hz at 1440p over an HDMI 2.0 connection, so you'll need a DisplayPort connection to reach the Q27G4ZD's full 240Hz refresh rate.
The Q27G4ZD uses a QD-OLED (quantum dot organic light-emitting diode) panel with a 2,560 by 1,440p resolution. We've seen these types of panels from Alienware (AW2725DF 360Hz), Asus (ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG), and MSI (MPG 271QRX QD-OLED). A display with this resolution and size means a pixel density of 111 pixels per inch (ppi). Higher pixel density contributes to sharper images, clearer text, and enhanced detail, which means the AOC won’t stand up in side-by-side comparisons to 4K monitors like the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q) and its 166 ppi.
You may notice the glossiness of the display, which becomes quite reflective when turned off, but we don't find that the glare adversely affects image quality.
The Q27G4ZD has DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification and is Nvidia G-Sync Compatible to minimize issues like screen tearing. It also features a Low Input Lag mode, which AOC claims optimizes the monitor for better response times. We don’t measure response time, since input lag is a better indicator of gaming performance (which we'll discuss below). During testing, we didn't notice any qualitative change when the Low Input Lag mode was on.
We've never seen an OLED gaming monitor this affordable before, so we don't have many similarly priced comparisons for the Q27G4ZD. Still, we put it through a series of benchmark tests using Calman calibration software and a Klein K-10A colorimeter. We also put it through a gauntlet of games to measure input lag and judge its real-world performance.
In our first test, we benchmarked the brightness with the Q27G4ZD's default gaming profile over an SDR signal. Under these conditions, we saw a maximum brightness of 240 nits, which is rather low and significantly below the 450-nit rating. Peak HDR brightness doesn't fare much better, registering 247 nits at a 2% window size. This is under default, out-of-the-box settings, so there’s potentially room for improvement through calibration and fiddling with the settings.
The Q27G4ZD has a rated contrast ratio of 1,500,000:1. The contrast ratio indicates the difference in luminance between the brightest white and the darkest black. This sky-high contrast ratio signifies the display's ability to create intense blacks alongside bright whites, resulting in improved image quality in light and dark scenes.
Moving on to the color gamut, we found that the Q27G4ZD spans 99% of the Adobe RGB color gamut, 142.5% of the sRGB gamut (see the chart above), and 99.1% of the DCI-P3 gamut (see the chart below). That’s excellent color coverage, albeit what we’ve come to expect from OLED panels.
Game Performance
Input lag doesn't matter in most casual gaming scenarios, but when you’re playing competitively, the difference in milliseconds really does make a difference. Even though the Q27G4ZD isn't designed for esports, we deployed the Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag Tester to measure how it performs across various refresh and resolution combinations.
At 1080p/60Hz, we recorded 14.6ms of input lag, and at 1080p/120Hz, we recorded 6.3ms. Moving to QHD resolution, we recorded 7.5ms of input lag at 1440p/60Hz and 9.1ms at 1440p/120Hz. We were unable to test at refresh rates above 120Hz, because while the Q27G4ZD does support 240Hz, it only does so over a DisplayPort connection, and the Bodnar measures over an HDMI signal. In general, input lag should trend downward as the refresh rate climbs higher.
These results compare favorably with the premium-priced Alienware 27 280Hz (AW2725D), which has 13.8ms of lag at 1080p/60Hz and 7.5ms at 1440/60Hz. We consider input lag of up to 16ms at 60Hz to be perfectly playable. However, enthusiasts who crave lightning-fast reaction times will prefer esports monitors like the Sony InZone M10S and the LG 27 UltraGear OLED (27GX790A).
The Q27G4ZD’s high refresh rate and low input lag make it an excellent choice for first-person shooters like Doom: The Dark Ages. The OLED panel also makes graphically rich games with vibrant color palettes or deep blacks pop. Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Cyberpunk 2077, for example, look incredible on the monitor and really showcase the rich detail of an OLED panel.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
AOC Q27G4ZD
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The AOC Q27G4ZD is an impressive OLED gaming display. While it lacks a few modern niceties that take advantage of new GPUs and other PC hardware, its high-quality OLED panel and its extremely affordable price make up for most of its shortcomings. If you’re looking for a low-cost OLED monitor that pairs well with a midrange PC, the AOC Q27G4ZD is a strong option and our top pick for everyday 1440p gaming.
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About Our Expert
I’m a PCMag reviewer and ISF-certified TV calibrator focused on computer accessories, laptops, gaming monitors, and video games. I’ve been writing, playing, and complaining about games for as long as I remember, but it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to shout my opinions directly at a larger audience. My work has appeared on iMore, Windows Central, Android Central, and TWICE, and I have a diverse portfolio of editing work under my belt from my time spent at Scholastic and Oxford University Press. I also have a few book-author credits under my belt—I’ve contributed to the sci-fi anthology Under New Suns, and I’ve even written a Peppa Pig book.
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