AOC AGON AG271QG
It’s 4K. It’s beautiful. But is it future-proof?
The last year or two have seen a constant flow of innovation. High refresh rates, frame synching, tumbling response times—it just keeps coming. HDR displays are also expected to make the jump from the HDTV market to the PC. And it’s into that acutely demanding context that AOC’s U3277PWQU steps.
At $888, it’s surprisingly affordable, which demands the question of how it stacks up from a raw specification perspective, and what future-proofing it provides.
The headline numbers are impressive. It combines a 32-inch diagonal with a full 4K pixel grid. That’s 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. For gaming, it’s probably too many pixels for most GPUs. Right there, you’re buying into the future. One day, 4K will be perfect for the latest graphics cards.
The U3277PWQU also sports frame rate control (FRC) technology to enhance the colour depth of the 8-bit panel, and boost the nominal 16.7 million colours to a full 1.07 billion. In that sense, it offers at least a slice of the upcoming widegamut and HDR action that’s already revolutionising HDTVs and console gaming. With both DisplayPort and HDMI 2.0 connectivity, it’s also a flexible partner for a wide range of devices.
But that’s it. There’s no 120Hz-plus refresh, no G-Sync or FreeSync and no full HDR support. When you fire up the U3277PWQU, however, you might find you don’t care. This display is gorgeous. Part of that is down to that combination of a generous 32-inch diagonal and the 4K resolution. It makes for a nice, tight pixel pitch, but also allows you to use 100% scaling in Windows and maintain reasonable legibility.
It’s also down to the fantastic VA LCD panel. IPS panels get all the love these days — justifiably so in many regards. IPS is the most accurate LCD technology, and delivers the best viewing angles. But when it comes to visual pop, colour saturation, contrast and black levels, VA cannot be beaten. Which is why the U3277PWQU looks so stunning. You don’t get deep inky blacks like this with IPS panels.
What’s more, it’s nicely calibrated out of the box, with both black and white scales showing lots of detail. Elsewhere, the news is mostly good. Pixel response, often a VA weakness, is reasonable, thanks to user-configurable overdrive technology, and the viewing angles are decent.
The chassis is a nice bit of work, too. Until recently, AOC was seen as a budget brand. But it has seriously upped its game. This feels premium, from bezel tip to the foot of its multiadjustable stand.
The anti-glare coating suffers from a little sparkle. Surprisingly, a whiff of banding is visible in colour gradients, too. So much for those billion colours... But we’re splitting hairs. Whether it’s 4K video or games, everything looks fantastic.
All of which makes it a seriously appealing proposition, slightly tempered by the knowledge of what’s just around the corner. Admittedly, that’s pretty much always true for any technology. At this price point and this moment in monitor history, however, that’s particularly true. If you are buying today and the U3277PWQU fits your budget, it demands your attention. But know this: Things may look very different 12 months from now.