It doesn’t always have to be 4K. Especially if you have hardware that is sufficient for many games but is not the absolute maximum performance, 4K can also be too much. However, Full HD is simply no longer nice to look at, especially on larger monitors. This is where WQHD comes in, which can represent the perfect intermediate step. A sharp resolution that is not too performance-hungry and therefore also runs with weaker hardware. There are a particularly large number of monitors with a screen diagonal of 27 inches. Among them is the AOC Agon AG275QX – a gaming monitor that, in addition to WQHD, has a strong refresh rate of 170 Hz and a response time of 1 ms according to MPRT. TechStage took a closer look at the device and shows what it can do.
design & processing
The case is made of plastic and measures 613.4 × 365.7 × 50.3 millimeters without the stand. The front has what is now the typical monitor face, with a detached chin at the bottom edge of the screen and a display whose coating extends to the edge, giving the impression that there are no edges at all. But there is, they are only quite narrow, which pleases. AOC has processed the edges properly and the chin is not quite normal after all: It is wonderfully rounded, stretched to the edge and has a ribbed texture – that makes it look good.
The status LED is embedded on the right side, but it is quite small and hardly noticeable in daylight. At night, however, owners who use the monitor in the bedroom should be grateful if the LED does not illuminate the entire room.
There are some red decorative elements on the back, but there is no RGB ambient lighting here. Furthermore, there is the device for the stand or for monitor mounts according to the standard Vesa 100 × 100. Users can tilt, swivel, adjust the height of the display and even rotate it into pivot mode (portrait). The back is also made of black plastic, which is well made and has no gaps.
Connections & Sound
The AG275QX offers two HDMI 2.0 ports, a jack connection (3.5 mm), four USB-A ports (one with a quick charge function) and a USB-B port for upstream. We don’t find USB-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, but two DisplayPort 1.4 connections – many similarly priced monitors only have one installed. With two, daisy chaining is then possible, which means you can connect the monitors to each other without occupying several connections on the laptop or PC. This requires a cable with at least the Displayport 1.2 standard. One Displayport cable connects the PC and the first monitor, the other the first and second monitor. In this way, content can be displayed on both monitors.
service
The monitor’s user interface is operated via a red, protruding joystick on the back at the bottom right. The menu view is called up by pressing in the middle. A click on one of the four pages calls up a shortcut, such as the option to switch input. Colors, brightness, HDR and other things can be adjusted in the settings in order to be able to adapt the monitor to your own needs and purposes. The control is quite simple and after a short change, the menu of our test device is also displayed in German.
A blue light filter to protect the eyes and Dynamic Contrast Ratio (DCR) are also available. This automatically adjusts the contrast to the displayed content. To do this, DCR changes the brightness of dark areas in order to achieve the best possible gradation between different colors.
AOC Agon AG275QX – Photo gallery
picture quality
In terms of resolution, the monitor from AOC delivers an appropriate quality with 2560 × 1440 pixels, which is sufficiently sharp with a 27-inch screen diagonal. The refresh rate is 170 Hz, which offers a much smoother picture when playing games compared to conventional monitors with 60 Hz. In addition, a response time of 1 ms according to the MPRT standard is offered, which is particularly relevant for gamers in shooters, because you need a display that is as latency-free as possible.
The panel in the AOC Agon AG275QX works according to the classic IPS technology. Although this is characterized by good color reproduction, black is not its strong point, which results in a lower contrast ratio. Black is rather greyish here because, in contrast to the OLED and mini-LED technologies, the lighting runs behind the entire screen and therefore cannot be specifically controlled. OLED displays are increasingly being found in smartphones (themes) and televisions (guides), but also increasingly in laptops (themes). Mini LED panels are based on IPS technology and are currently still rather rare. You can only find them in televisions or monitors and only very occasionally in laptops.
The panel also provides 10-bit support, with which 1.07 billion colors can be displayed according to AOC. The manufacturer’s specifications for the color space coverage are 98 percent sRGB. That’s a pity, because 100 percent would actually be expected with a monitor for 380 euros. On the other hand, the 94 percent coverage of the extended DCI-P3 color space is pleasing. HDR 400 is also supported. The display is also nice and bright with 400 cd/m² (without HDR), the viewing angles are good and the colors look very strong. Overall, a great IPS panel that does its job perfectly and is really fun to look at.
We only noticed very minimal backlight bleeding in our test in the range typical of IPS panels. The phenomenon describes unequally bright areas of the image. With a completely black screen, some zones are clearly visible with a whitish shimmer. It can’t be completely avoided since IPS panels consist of several layers placed one on top of the other. Even the slightest slippage of one of the layers can change the pressure within the panel, causing the liquid crystals contained to shift. This makes the affected area more translucent, which can then be seen as backlight bleeding. However, the extent depends on the processing quality of the device.
Preis
The AOC AG275QX is currently the cheapest for around 372 Euro sold at Caseking. According to the price history, the device was already offered for 350 euros in the meantime.
A cheaper alternative from AOC can be the Agon AG275QXN, which uses VA technology instead of an IPS panel. In addition, the WQHD panel can only do 165 Hz and 8-bit, which shouldn’t matter much to many. The device is offered for less than 300 euros, for example at Notebookscheaper.
Conclusion
With the AOC Agon AG275QX you get a gaming monitor that provides good equipment and leaves little to be desired for WQHD gaming. The resolution is particularly suitable for gamers who select their system and monitor on a price-conscious basis. The display is sharp enough, but still doesn’t require as many resources as 4K. With 170 Hz and 1 ms response time, the AG275QX is fast and has low latency.