AOC’s AG274QZM will be released in Summer 2022. It is a 27-inch QHD (2560x1440p) IPS panel, which operates up to 240 Hz and is HDR1000 certified. It even has several ways to adjust the display, including turning it vertically, but it requires a separate power supply to use, which is unfortunately quite large.
It’s a black monitor with a solid base, admittedly a little too big, and it also needs extra vertical space for this feature to work. Fortunately, it does not protrude more than a few centimeters, and its depth is usually worst seen from the side. The legs are metal and the stand has the typical AGON red paint, although the front of the monitor is black with no AGON logo.
The monitor supports DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 with two different access points. There are plenty of USB ports to choose from: four USB-A, one USB-B and one 65W USB-C, which also works in DP Alt state. That means it can connect directly to a PC via USB-C. Premium add-ons include a KVM switch, so you can connect two computers to the same monitor, and even choose to switch between keyboard and mouse signals to control both computers.
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There’s a classic navigation joystick on the back of the monitor, which doubles as a power button with a long press. The navigation menu is clear and easy to use. You also get a separate navigation control, so you don’t have to keep reaching for the back of the monitor. However, the add-on controller does not include a power button, so you still need to go to the back of the monitor to use this feature.
When playing a game, the monitor will show what it is doing. 240 Hz makes the display lightning fast, and although the colors need to be calibrated, they look great after that. MiniLEDs bring a ton of brightness and contrast, and since you need at least 1000 nits of brightness to get the HDR1000 certificate, that’s probably more than enough. AOC claims a maximum brightness of 12000 NITS for those who want to push the limits of color. MiniLEDs make blacks very black, and even if you put white cursors on a black screen, the cursors will automatically dim to compensate. Unlike many IPS monitors, this one doesn’t suffer from the typical glare.
The AG274QZM is great for gaming, and poorly optimized things tend not to have much to do with real gaming. MiniLED will of course increase the price, you need to be prepared to pay £1000. That’s a lot of money for a monitor that’s only 27 inches. You can buy three mid-range monitors for this price, but if you want the best of the best, the AG274QZM is a great choice as the colour, fluidity and performance will impress you.
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