Our Verdict
The AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD is persistently one of many least expensive, correct OLED gaming screens you should purchase, if not the most affordable full cease. It does not compromise on options in any respect, and it is filled with little extras that, mixed with its implausible gaming efficiency, means it is a first rate worth possibility in the event you’re after a pure gaming show. Nonetheless, as with different shows that use LG WOLED panels, its textual content readability is not nice and its max brightness is not both, so it isn’t the most effective for work, particularly in brighter rooms.
- Improbable gaming efficiency
- Wonderful total picture high quality
- A lot of options for its worth
- Lowest-price OLED you should purchase
- Textual content readability is poor
- Coloured fringing on excessive distinction areas
- Irritating menu controls
OLED gaming screens have steadily been getting extra inexpensive, with 2024 seeing an explosion in choices. Nonetheless, most of them nonetheless price nearer to $1,000 than, say, $500. The AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD, then, is a breath of contemporary air, as though its MSRP was once a bit increased, it’s now often accessible for simply $599.
This extremely low worth for this caliber of show means this AOC display screen leaps onto our greatest gaming monitor information because the clear go-to possibility for these looking for the gorgeous colours, distinction, and gaming velocity of an OLED panel with out the excessive price. Nonetheless, just like the LG 27GR95QE, its poor textual content readability means it’s not an important all-rounder show for work in addition to play.
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Specs
Measurement | 27-inch |
Decision | 2,560 x 1,440 |
Refresh fee | 240Hz |
Panel kind | OLED (LG WOLED) |
Variable refresh fee |
Sure (FreeSync Premium Professional, G-Sync appropriate) |
HDR | Sure |
Curve | No |
Ports | 2 x DisplayPort 1.4 2 x HDMI 2.0 Headphone out USB hub (2 x USB3.2 Gen 1) |
Worth | $599.99 (£650) |
Options
The principle characteristic of the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD is, after all, its OLED panel, which is technically a 26.5-inch display screen with a 2,560 x 1,440 decision, making for a pixel density of 110 pixels per inch (ppi). Ordinarily, that’s a great pixel density for common use, being sharp sufficient to not look blocky and pixelated, however not so wonderful that you just primarily waste display screen area by having to make use of Home windows Scale settings to stretch the picture, as is the case with 4K screens of this measurement.
Nonetheless, OLED panels have an Achilles heel, which is that they aren’t fairly as sharp for any given pixel density as LCDs. This impacts Samsung’s QD-OLED screens, such because the Samsung G95SC, nevertheless it’s even worse on the LG WOLED panel used on this show. We’ll discuss extra about how this impacts this monitor within the picture high quality part of this overview.
The place this monitor’s panel isn’t missing in any respect is in its gaming specs, with it boasting a 240Hz refresh fee and a 0.03ms claimed response time (that’s roughly 100x quicker than most LCDs). There are technically quicker screens accessible, such because the 360Hz MSI MPG 271QRX, however for the overwhelming majority of avid gamers, the efficiency you’ll get right here is lots.
The display screen makes use of a matte end, which helps restrict the impression of reflections however can cut back the perceived distinction of a show when in comparison with shiny panels. Whether or not you like a matte or gloss end will largely come down to non-public desire, however we did discover the matte end had some downsides, as we’ll once more talk about within the picture high quality part.
Elsewhere, the AG276QZD is filled with extras. In addition to providing peak, rotation, pivot, and tilt adjustment, the stand has a carry deal with on the highest, which is actually helpful for transferring a high-value display screen akin to this one.
It additionally homes a flip-down headphone stand on the again, which is a helpful addition, although relying in your setup and arm size, it’s not all the time in probably the most handy spot to succeed in. Detach the stand and it’s also possible to affix an adapter that allows you to mount the show on 100 x 100mm VESA mount-compatible monitor arms and stands – AOC even features a little screwdriver to assist set up.
Around the again, you’ll additionally discover the RGB lighting, which consists of roughly 50 RGB lights in a hoop. To the left of this (when going through the again of the panel) you’ll additionally discover the only mini D-pad/joystick used to manage the onscreen menus.
In the meantime, the connections sit alongside the again backside fringe of the panel. These include two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs and two HDMI 2.0 ports, together with a USB 3.2 (Gen 1, so mainly USB 3.0) hub with two downstream ports. There’s additionally a headphone jack, together with a pair of 5W audio system contained in the monitor.
The audio system are a helpful addition for individuals who haven’t but managed to purchase a pair of the most effective laptop audio system, and so they can get surprisingly loud. Nonetheless, they’re skinny and shrill sounding sufficient that we wouldn’t actually need to use them for correctly listening to music or gaming.
Internally, there aren’t too many further options, such because the sensible TV modes you get on the Samsung G95SC or the KVM options you discover on another shows. Nonetheless, you get a picture-in-picture mode, plus this show helps Freesync Premium Professional, and it’s additionally G-Sync appropriate, so it could synchronize its refresh fee with the body fee output out of your graphics card.
The standard little gaming extras can be found too, akin to an on-screen crosshair – helpful for primarily dishonest slightly in FPS video games the place there’s no on-screen reticle. Nonetheless, this crosshair doesn’t have a intelligent computerized color-shifting characteristic to make sure it’s all the time seen on any background, akin to on the MSI MPG 271QRX. There’s additionally a “Sniper Zoom” mode, which zooms in on the central portion of the display screen. We’ve by no means discovered a lot use for these modes, although.
Lastly, there’s after all HDR assist. The display screen is barely rated to the HDR10 normal, which ensures it could deal with and ship the 10-bit broad shade vary of HDR. Nonetheless, the display screen has no VESA DisplayHDR score, which is stunning for an OLED panel.
Design
This can be a very smart-looking monitor, apart from one actually unusual addition. Can you notice it within the picture under? Sure, it’s that stand. It has a superbly fetching shade, and we applaud AOC for making it compact and low-profile – it’s utterly flat so you’ll be able to put desk adornments on prime of it – however its lopsided form is simply odd. For those who have a tendency to finish up with a messy desk, you most likely received’t thoughts, because it’ll quickly get coated up, however in the event you prefer to preserve a clear area chances are you’ll discover it distracting.
In AOC’s protection, the thought right here is identical as on the finances esports stand monitor it launched lately, the primary characteristic of which was merely its small stand that leaves loads of room on your mouse and keyboard to be near the display screen. AOC highlights the identical characteristic on this show, and we expect it’s an important idea, however would like a symmetrical model of the identical common thought.
That apart, the AG276QZD actually is elegantly appointed and well-made. The stand options a lot of sturdy metallic parts, with a silver paint end that appears slightly extra attention-grabbing than plain black plastic with out being too peculiar.
Likewise, the again of the panel has slightly little bit of aptitude to it, due to its angular form, with out being garish (assuming you flip off the rainbow LED results). The sides of the OLED panel are very slim, which has been a priority with dealing with some bigger OLED panels, however the stand’s deal with saves you from having to choose up the show by these skinny edges.
The lighting right here is additionally well-integrated, so it’s principally an invisible characteristic when it’s turned off utterly, and it doesn’t look too foolish when turned on. It’s additionally brilliant sufficient to offer a satisfying wash of lighting on the wall behind the panel, although it doesn’t have a mode that makes the lighting match the colours displayed on the display screen, as with a few of Philips’ new OLED screens. As such, we simply left it set to a heat white glow to offer a little bit of backfill lighting.
Onscreen show menus
AOC has a poor observe file with regards to its onscreen menus, not less than in the event you return fairly a while. The corporate has improved its menus extra lately, however the usability of this one looks like a step again.
The issue is the best way the mini d-pad is used to navigate the menus. There’s an inconsistency with what every path does, relying on which a part of the menu you’re utilizing. Press on any path button with out the menu open, and also you activate the short capabilities assigned to these instructions, and also you additionally open the primary menu by urgent the d-pad inwards. You’ll be able to then navigate the primary menu with the instructions, and enter a menu part with one other press of the d-pad, however from right here the capabilities change.
When you’re in a sub-menu, urgent proper is now how you choose a perform, and urgent left is the way you exit a perform, besides typically you additionally must press within the d-pad. This will result in complicated conditions, akin to when adjusting the quantity or brightness setting, the place it’s a must to press proper to activate it, press left or proper to regulate the setting itself, then press in on the d-pad to exit the setting earlier than urgent left to exit the sub-menu. It’s a large number.
Fortunately, the menus truly present entry to almost each setting you want or have to get the show setup how you want. This contains complete shade customization, with fast modes for switching to sRGB and DCI-P3 shade areas – with picture high quality that’s ok to go proper out of the field.
There are additionally a number of OLED care choices, together with a pixel orbiting mode that simply barely shifts which pixels are illuminated to scale back the onset of display screen burn. There aren’t fairly as many choices as you discover on some screens, such because the moderately helpful AI-enhanced crosshair or different AI-enhanced static picture anti-burn-in choices on MSI’s newest screens, however there are ample choices to only get the display screen arrange and get going.
Picture high quality
Let’s minimize proper to the chase. The LG WOLED panel on this monitor isn’t nice with regards to textual content readability. It suffers from coloured fringing showing across the edges of high-contrast parts like textual content, which might result in a fuzzy look that’s troublesome to learn.
You’ll be able to see examples of this subject within the two pictures under, certainly one of which reveals a bigger textual content, as you may discover used for headlines, and the second of which reveals the smaller textual content you normally discover on normal information articles, emails, and so forth. On the left is the AG276QZD, whereas on the proper is a 27-inch LCD panel of the identical measurement and determination.
In these pictures, you’ll see that the left edges of the bigger textual content on the left facet of the picture have pink/inexperienced/blue coloured dots/fringing all alongside them. It is because the show is struggling to work out which of the panel’s white, pink, inexperienced, and blue sub-pixels to light up to attain the graceful gray edges of the textual content. On the LCD on the proper, the pink, inexperienced, and blue sub-pixels are organized in a extra typical method that copes higher with these high-contrast edges.
The coloured fringing can look slightly distracting for bigger textual content and different high-contrast edges however is downright disruptive to your potential to learn textual content when it’s smaller. Within the above picture, you’ll be able to see how the textual content takes on a extremely tender, smudgy look on the left however seems a lot sharper on the proper.
All that stated, the above pictures additionally present that textual content continues to be completely readable, so it’s not like this show and others prefer it are utterly unusable. It’s extra that if, like me, you spend all day working at a display screen studying a variety of textual content, the shortage of sharpness is a significant damaging. For those who’re solely studying the odd webpage right here and there, or catching up on Discord and Twitch chat between gaming classes, although, it’s far much less of a difficulty.
What’s extra, whereas it’s not superb for textual content, this show is superb at most different duties. The inherent potential of OLED shows to provide true inky blacks means you get superb distinction, particularly when viewing the display screen in a darker atmosphere.
In lighter rooms, the matte coating of the display screen could make black tones look slightly gray, however that is largely eradicated at the hours of darkness. In the meantime, the matte end does an important job of lowering the impression of brilliant reflections in comparison with shiny screens. On steadiness, I nonetheless desire the shiny end of a lot of the QD-OLED panels I’ve reviewed lately, however the matte end right here nonetheless seems nice.
Colours are additionally actually punchy and vibrant, enabling this show to present HDR content material with all of the vividness you’d hope for. That stated, the general brightness degree right here, and thus the impression of HDR, isn’t all that prime. On common it could solely hit 280nits brightness when at its most, which compares to usually round 400nits for a primary LCD display screen. Most QD-OLED shows I’ve examined additionally go slightly increased, although this display screen is notably brighter than the LG 27GR95QE, which makes use of the same LG WOILD panel. That mannequin topped out at simply 200nits in regular non-HDR modes.
In HDR, this panel’s brightness can increase even increased however once more not as excessive as QD-OLEDs. What’s extra, non-white peak brightness is way decrease than on QD-OLEDs so very brilliant, vivid colours lack slightly punch in comparison with this display screen’s rival OLED know-how from Samsung.
One other key issue to notice with regards to total picture high quality is that, by default, the display screen comes with an OLED care mode that continuously varies the brightness of the display screen, relying on what it’s exhibiting on the time. All OLED screens do it to a level, however this panel – and that of the LG 27GR95QE – is especially aggressive. This may be fairly distracting however fortunately there’s a repair, which is to have interaction the Uniform Brightness mode. This might in idea cut back the lifetime of the panel barely, however we discovered the display screen was mainly unusable with out it.
Gaming efficiency
The place this display screen’s OLED panel actually shines is with regards to gaming efficiency. The mixture of its 240Hz refresh fee with a ridiculously quick 0.03ms response time makes for extremely crisp and fast-feeling movement in video games. In our checks, the response time truly averaged at simply over 1ms, however that’s nonetheless far quicker than any LCD panel in real-world checks.
With adaptive sync taking good care of display screen tearing and stuttering, you additionally get a extremely clean picture. The flexibility of a 1440p decision at this display screen measurement and total velocity can be splendid. It means this show can flip its hand to delivering blistering body charges and response occasions in CS2 or Apex Legends, then ship gorgeous visuals in additional cinematic titles, with which 1080p screens with quicker refresh charges wrestle to compete.
It’s not absolutely the final phrase in peak gaming efficiency, as screens that hit 360Hz and even 540Hz do inevitably quicker nonetheless – particularly these with backlight strobing blur discount modes – nevertheless it’s nonetheless sufficient efficiency for all however elite degree aggressive avid gamers.
Worth
Though it launched at a barely increased worth, the AG276QZD is now offered at $599.99 in each store we might discover. That makes it both the most affordable mainstream-brand OLED panel of its kind, or the joint least expensive with the LG 27GR95QE, relying on whether or not the LG display screen has been discounted. As such, although there are some features of its efficiency that aren’t best-in-class, it’s an important worth possibility in the event you simply need to get in on the OLED enjoyable with out spending over the chances.
Options
MSI MPG 271QRX
For those who’re trying to get an OLED display screen however need barely higher textual content high quality, even punchier colours, and a good increased refresh fee, the MSI MPG 271QRX is a good purchase. It’s costlier than the AOC, at round $800, and has fewer further options nevertheless it’s a greater display screen total.
Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQML1A
For an important all-rounder display screen that’s significantly extra inexpensive than the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD, the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQML1A is a good possibility. It makes use of an IPS LCD panel, so it could’t attain fairly the identical ultra-fast response time and excessive distinction of an OLED, nevertheless it nonetheless has a 260Hz refresh fee, 1440p decision, and G-Sync compatibility, all for slightly below $400.
Verdict
The AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD doesn’t excel in each attainable method. Its largest Achilles heel is its textual content high quality, which seems slightly tough in comparison with an LCD panel with the identical measurement and determination, in addition to QD-OLED shows. It’s additionally missing slightly in peak brightness which, together with its matte coating, barely dulls the depth of its black ranges in brighter environments, and means it doesn’t have fairly the HDR punch of some QD-OLED screens or miniLED shows.
Nonetheless, in each different method, the AG276QZD is a good purchase. It’s filled with options, together with audio system, a USB hub, and a headphone stand, and it provides implausible gaming efficiency. Its response time is blazing quick and its 240Hz refresh fee may be very nippy too.
As such, the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD comes extremely really helpful as a pure gaming show, balancing efficiency, picture high quality, and worth to perfection. For extra of an all-rounder show for work – or anything the place a variety of textual content is required – although, there are higher selections accessible elsewhere.