Pixio PXC277 Advanced
A high-refresh 1440p panel for relative pennies
IT’S VERY EASY these days to obsess over high graphics card prices and forget the fact that most PC components have trended back to historical norms—you know, norms that say tech gets not just better, but cheaper over time.
For proof, look no further than the Pixio PXC277 Advanced. It’s a 27-inch, 165Hz, 1440p gaming panel, and it’s yours for just $240. That’s a lot cheaper than you could have got a similarly specified monitor just a few years ago, and that’s just how things should be.
We haven’t seen a Pixio monitor first hand before. It’s a lesser brand and with that comes unclear expectations. Can it really be any good for this price? Actually, yes it can. The Pixio PXC277 Advanced is the real deal. There is nothing significantly wrong with this monitor; it does nearly everything pretty well. It’s not perfect, of course, not for $240, but there’s absolutely nothing sketchy or even close to be obviously broken.
Beyond the headline specs, you admittedly don’t get a lot of extras. There’s no USB-C connectivity, the stand only has tilt adjustment—you get the idea. But equally, the build quality is reasonable, and the styling is decently crisp and presentable. The Pixio does not scream “cheap option” by any measure.
Likewise, while there is token HDR support, there’s no local dimming. Arguably more critical is the 250 nit brightness rating. On paper, that’s low by today’s standards. The other theoretical worry is the use of VA panel tech. Sure, you get increased contrast versus IPS panels as a consequence, but the concern is compromised pixel response compared to the fastest IPS panels.
You needn’t worry. The Pixio PXC277 Advanced isn’t as quick as the best IPS gaming monitors, but there’s none of the nasty blurring and smearing you can get on really bad VA monitors. It’s decently quick. More generally, the panel’s calibration is surprisingly good. Genuinely, there are no horrors, backlight blotchiness, or unwanted sharpening filters. Instead, the color balance is well judged and the VA-enabled contrast actually beats any IPS monitor by a mile.
That contrast also helps with the panel’s lack of outright punch. Okay, it looks a bit flat compared to a mini-LED panel with a 1000 nit backlight, but it’s vibrant enough, especially for the money. If you factor in the zippy 165Hz refresh and low latency, plus the nice, crisp visuals thanks to the 2,560 by 1,440 pixel native resolution, the result is frankly a far better gaming experience than you have any right to expect for under $250.
Unsurprisingly, the on-paper HDR support is borderline non-existent in practice. Yes, the Pixio will render colors in HDR content correctly, but a high dynamic range experience it certainly is not. The monitor also isn’t well calibrated to display SDR content in HDR mode. The net result of this is that you’d rarely want to switch over to HDR mode. Just think of it as purely an SDR monitor, which is great at this modest price point.
The final doubt is whether this will hold up long term. Whoever put it together knew what they were doing, and as far as it is possible to judge the quality of the components and build, there’s nothing that implies corners have been cut, so we’ll give Pixio the benefit of the doubt.
As an all-round display for work as well as play, this really is a polished package. Moreover, it’s nice to know that you’re not limited to 1080p options at this price point. What with the new breed of OLED monitors, people are currently paying $1,000 for monitors with exactly the same panel size and resolution. Make no mistake, they’re not getting four times the monitor.