When I think of high-end gaming monitors, ViewSonic isn’t exactly the first brand that comes to mind, but the XG272-2K-OLED might get me to change my mind. The OLED panel is surprisingly crisp and vibrant, the rotating stand is easily one of my favorite features, and its refresh rate is high enough for some of my most demanding games.
OLED displays have been in a bit of a boom lately, thanks to companies like LG and Chinese manufacturer BOE ramping up production of the panels. That’s why we’re seeing so many new OLED monitors for lower prices, from companies we don’t usually associate with the display tech.
ViewSonic’s entry into the OLED gaming monitor space is a solid attempt, even among the tide. It has a 27-inch frame, reaches up to a 240-Hz refresh rate and a brightness of up to 450 nits, and has a wide array of connectivity options. Even though having an OLED panel is less noteworthy than it used to be, plenty of thoughtful design choices help this monitor stand out.
Display Delight
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
Like all OLED panels, the one in this ViewSonic monitor has perfect black levels, which makes the colors on this display pop all the more. I often play games like Overwatch 2 and Doom Eternal, which are set in vibrant, bright worlds with lots of rich color, and they both looked fantastic on this display.
The 240-Hz refresh rate leaves plenty of room for fast-paced action. My movement as Mercy in Overwatch 2 is often so erratic, even my teammates can’t make sense of it when they watch my replays. I was able to maintain over 200 frames per second in the game, peaking at the full 240 fps during less chaotic moments, making it easier to see where I’m going while I’m dodging headshots.
Conveniently, the display also supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync, so no matter what graphics card you use you’ll be able to minimize screen tearing. In all the hours I spent using this display for work and gaming, I never noticed any tearing or motion blur issues at all.
In terms of color coverage, the ViewSonic monitor performed admirably in my tests using my Spyder X2 Ultra. The display’s color gamut covered 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space, leaning ever so slightly into purples and reds, and not quite as much coverage along the yellows and greens.
Color accuracy wasn’t quite perfect, with an average delta E level of 2.37, which means that some colors could be visibly off from what you might expect, but only under close observation. This won’t really matter for most gaming needs, but if you plan to do any video or photo editing, it might be something to keep in mind.
Superior Stand
The monitor is solid, but it’s the stand that ViewSonic designed for this thing that really caught my attention: The display slots super easily into the stand. It still has the option for a 100-mm Vesa mount if you prefer, which I usually do, but this stand is exceptional. You can rotate the display a full 180 degrees, so you can arrange it in a portrait orientation.
The stand can also rotate up to 30 degrees left or right, 15 in each direction. That’s plenty to turn your monitor to show someone standing next to your desk, or position the display on the side of your desk and angle towards you. Between this and the portrait rotation, I would say this would make an excellent second monitor, if not for the price, but it’s still handy even as a primary display.
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