AOC Q2778VQE Review

1. Introduction2. AOC Q2778VQE3. On Screen Display Menu System4. AOC Q2778VQE Analysis5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The AOC Q2778VQE is a great example of why TN technology still has a place in a market increasingly dominated by IPS and AHVA panels.

Although the viewing angles aren’t quite as good, it provides superb colour reproduction, with full sRGB coverage, along with NTSC and Adobe colorimeter results that compete with more expensive colour-accurate displays.

Its recorded brightness and contrast levels are equally impressive, at levels that better many other displays, including some that use IPS panels.

More subjectively, in use we found the image quality to be excellent at all times. Movies looked good, and gaming in Battlefield 4 produced no ghosting effects, thanks to the display’s 1ms response time. We never had to use the monitor’s Overdrive function to achieve this either. Even when this option was turned off, gaming was a pleasure.

A great screen then, and reasonably good value for money too. A 27-inch panel for under £300 is a good deal, and it’s sweetened by the low response time, great picture quality and use of a 2,560 x 1,440 WQHD native resolution, when some displays of this size use a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.

The strong response time and lack of ghosting will most appeal to gamers then, but the sRGB coverage could make it a good choice for graphic designers too, although the brightness uniformity notably drops off slightly towards the top, which can affect accuracy.

There is strong competition around this price point though, with some competing screens, particularly from LG, offering ultra-wide 21:9 displays. Those screens are a rather different prospect though and might be better for movies than games, which may not necessarily support the ultra-wide resolution.

But unfortunately there has been some obvious cost cutting from AOC to achieve this low price point. There’s no built-in USB hub or speakers, and the stand really isn’t great. Although it offers a tilt function, it cannot be raised or lowered, or rotated 90 degrees for portrait use, something other panels can do. It generally feels quite cheap and plasticky, and even wobbles slightly.

The buttons at the front are quite fiddly to use too, especially when first using the Q2778VQE. It’s all too easy to press the wrong button and power off the monitor when trying to move through menus, and the alternating functions switching between options on the OSD gets similarly confusing.

But with familiarity, the OSD becomes easier to use, and the stand can be replaced with a VESA mount if you wish. The Q2778VQE ticks the boxes for picture quality and gaming performance, making its ergonomic shortcomings far more forgivable, especially considering its reasonable pricing.

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Pros:

• Full sRGB coverage.
• 1ms response time and little ghosting.
• Good viewing angles for a TN panel.
• Good overall picture quality.

Cons:

• Very fiddly buttons.
• Poor quality stand.

Kitguru says: The Q2778VQE is one of the better performing TN panels you can buy, with superb colour reproduction and good brightness levels.

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