With the CQ27G2U, AOC has launched a curved monitor with various features. Among other things, 144 Hz, a millisecond reaction time and FreeSync are on board, in addition there is an attractive design. 27 inches bundled with WQHD are currently the sweet spot for many gamers – the monitor offers all this at a very pleasant price. Whether the CQ27G2U can also convince in practice, you’ll find out in this review.
Specifications
| Display size | 27 inch |
| Resolution | 2560×1440 (WQHD) |
| Frame refresh rate | 144 Hz |
| Reaction time | 1 ms |
| Panel type | VA |
| Brightness | 250 nits |
| FreeSync frequency range | 48-144 Hz |
| VESA compatibility | 100×100 |
| Weight incl. stand base | 5.4 kg |
| Ergonomic functions | height adjustment, Tilt, Swivel |
| Scope of delivery | monitor, stand, Displayport cable, HDMI cable, power supply incl. DE and UK plug, driver CD, safety instructions |
| Price | € 271.30 * |
Workmanship and design
The components of the monitor are mostly made of plastic. This gives a high-quality appearance, is stable and feels valuable. On the back of the monitor there are red accents in the form of the distinctive and AOC-typical lines. This design also extends to the front, which tends to be more visible, by incorporating red elements at the bottom edge and base. The monitor is almost rimless – this makes for a much more pleasant multi-monitor setup and is also a huge plus visually.
The assembly of the monitor could not have been easier. The base is screwed into the support leg with a single screw, and the panel can be simply hung into the support leg and locked in place. There is nothing to complain about in terms of assembly or workmanship – the monitor doesn’t wobble, stands sturdily on the table and is assembled in a few easy steps. AOC remains true to its line – a high-quality gaming look that is not overloaded by RGB and yet still attracts attention on the desk.
Features
The CQ27G2U has a wide range of diverse features – no wish is left unfulfilled for the player’s heart. The monitor has a height adjustment, pivot and swivel functions, so you can rotate the monitor freely in almost all directions and thus adapt it to your own requirements. This is of course an important feature if you sit at your desk for a longer period of time – a wrongly adjusted monitor can quickly cause back pain due to an incorrect posture. A feed-through is embedded in the leg to guide cables to the monitor in an orderly fashion and thus avoid unsightly cable tangle.
The monitor has a USB hub on the bottom. With this, up to four USB devices can be connected – provided that one has a USB-B cable for the uplink, as it is unfortunately not included in the scope of delivery.
In contrast to the C27G2U, the CQ27G2U is equipped with a curved panel. This advertises a more immersive effect and better visual comfort. In my personal opinion, it didn’t make a decisive difference in the practical test – you may have to test here personally whether you prefer “curved” or “flat”.
If you already have your own monitor arm or wall mount, you can use the existing VESA mount with the size 100×100. This is located directly under the connection for the stand.
The menu of the monitor can be controlled comparatively easily. Although there is no joystick for the menu navigation, it can still be properly controlled after a little getting used to it. AOC does not reinvent the wheel, familiar settings for brightness, colour saturation and contrast are in their usual places and can be precisely controlled. If you don’t like the push-button adjustment, AOC also offers a software that maps the menu almost completely on your PC – the G-Menu. With this menu it is also possible to switch between the different predefined modes, e.g. FPS or RTS, or even to create completely individual presets.
Performance
144 Hz, WQHD and FreeSync are the outstanding features. Here you have covered the full range you would like to play. Due to the refresh rate of 144 Hz, moving pictures look much more pleasant. Primarily in hectic movements, the picture is much more stable and blurs much less than an equivalent at 60 Hz. Unfortunately there is no Motion Blur Reduction (MBR) on board here, so fast movements still blur slightly. However, this is still much better than a 60 Hz panel and only relevant for very fast movements.
At a size of 27 inches, WQHD is almost a must – because this is the size at which Full HD starts to look conspicuously blurred for most people and devalues the overall impression of the picture. Accordingly, no savings have been made here – the image appears high-quality and razor-sharp. VA-typically, the contrast and black levels are very good and look appealing.
Adaptive Sync is supported with AMD FreeSync, but also with G-Sync compatibility. The range here is 48-144 Hz – if you fall below 144 FPS in more demanding scenes, this technology reduces the tearing and significantly improves picture perception by adapting the refresh rate to the current FPS.
A downer remains the 250 nits at maximum brightness. The deep, convincing black is of course less impressive when the rest also looks relatively dark. Many colors don’t look really deep and maybe even slightly washed out – but if you don’t necessarily need perfect color fidelity, you can get a good result by manual adjustments here.
Conclusion
In summary, the CQ27G2U delivers what it promises. Despite the relatively low price for the offered features, you hardly miss anything in the monitor. Only the missing USB-B cable in the scope of delivery and the relatively low brightness are negative aspects that can be mentioned here. However, this is absolutely to get over in the price segment and is not a killer argument against the monitor. You don’t do anything wrong here and get a very good monitor for the price, which will be an eye-catcher on your own desk beyond the performance.
AOC CQ27G2U
Workmanship
Image quality
Features
Value for money
92/100
Nice design and matching features at a solid price.
