AOC Q2781PQ

A slim and stylish display, with multiple input ports

$339 Manufacturer AOC, aoc.com Features 27-inch, 2560x1440, DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, VGA

AOC’s latest monitor is a good-looking display with a native resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. First impressions are of an unfussy, quietly stylish display; slim, metal-framed, and with a strong stand that’s a single leg of aluminum, bent into a half-closed rectangle. There are downsides to this voguish appearance, though: it has a tilt range of no more than 14 degrees, and – like many displays today – there’s no height adjustment option, so if you want it to be higher, get a stand. (Not a VESA mount, sorry; there’s no fitting for that.)

Most of this monitor is a simple slim rectangle, with a slightly thicker section on the back where the circuitry and ports live. This is where you’ll find a DisplayPort, two HDMI sockets, and a VGA socket for any embarrassingly old tech. It can autoswitch to an active port or let you pick one manually, making this a good choice if you want to use it with, say, a Mac, a PC, and a games console.

AOC describes this as a “four-sided frameless” display, possibly aiming to tap into the gamer passion for treating displays like tile-friendly panels to be butted up together. In truth it’s more like a micro-bezel; a couple millimeters of aluminum wrapped around perhaps 5mm of black surround. But the reality is more interesting than this technical description makes it sound. The product does a very good job of being physically unobtrusive, letting the active display area itself do the talking.

The LED backlit panel handles color well, although if you want a high-end proofing display, this isn’t quite it. Our Datacolor Spyder colorimeter clocks it at over 100% sRGB, but 79% of Adobe RGB; very good, but not perfect for pro-level design work.

It’s no 4K screen, but the 2560x1440 pixels look sharp. This 16:9 ratio is just a little more widescreen than a MacBook display’s 16:10 shape; at this size it’s a sensible width-height ratio, and the resolution doesn’t demand more GPU horsepower than, say, a modest MacBook can manage.

At $339 MSRP (so you might find it cheaper online) it’s priced pretty well for its class, the styling is far better than most, and it has multiple inputs. On the downside it has respectable but not industry-leading color reproduction, limited physical adjustment options and... well, that’s more or less it.

the bottom line. An attractive monitor that would satisfy anyone this side of obsessive color proofing. Keith Martin