ACER H277HU Review
- Overall
Review of ACER H277HU
At this time, there are only some products as peripherals to today’s modern devices with USB Type-C integration. These exclusive but widely available products often match accessories that have the specs and looks to match from their parent manufacturers, such as Apple’s 2016 Macbook. Recently, with the company’s first adoption of USB Type-C and its benefits have spawned a set of monitors with the required receptacle to accommodate the tech. They even have a product born out of collaboration, with LG which is a known display brand, who previously did not provide such accessories for a company as exclusive as Apple. We have reviews of the LG UltraFine 4k and LG UltraFine 5k in our monitor reviews section if you want to check them out. But this article revolves around a similar product, which aside from USB Type-C compatibility, also looks like it was made to match the aesthetics of Apple’s products. Acer presents us with the Acer H277HU, a beautifully designed and capable 1440p monitor, which highlights USB-Type C compatibility to match with Apple’s golden Macbook Air 2016.
Acer H277HU Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 1440p FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 100000000:1 (Dynamic)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 3watts RMS)
- Stand: Height -No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes (-5°/+15°)
- Stand: Swivel – No
- VESA Compatibility: No
- Connectivity: HDMI x 2, DisplayPort x 1, 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 24.13″ x 17.28″ x 8.54″
- Dimensions without Stand: 24.1″ x 14.3″″ x 1.4″
Design and Features of ACER H277HU
Acer’s H277HU is a reiteration of its positively accepted H277H, and the differences between lie beyond the slight physical differences they have. But regarding its looks, this device matches the products it was meant to integrate with perfectly. Up front, most of the parts have a golden hue, similar to some of what some of Apple’s products have. The Zero-thin design bezels bordering the screen are almost nonexistent, apart from the bottom strip which houses the logo. It is also interesting to note that the anodized metal part of the frame is magnetized so that you can attach paper clips for notes or other similar uses. The OSD buttons are under the bottom strip, neatly tucked away from plain sight. Some may find it difficult to navigate the OSD, but usually tinkering applies once or twice in a display’s average lifetime. Once acquainted with the controls, navigation is adequate, and there are a plethora of adjustment settings to get the perfect sweet spot for viewing pleasure. With regards to viewing, the screen is coated with an Anti-Glare (AG) layer, which does a good job at avoiding reflections, but has a tendency to attract fingerprints.
The rear has a white plastic cover, and if not for the material used, the H277HU could find a spot in Apple’s line-up. Still, a plain white colored back wouldn’t matter much, and it is quite a refreshing take on one of the under-appreciated parts of monitors. Featured at this side is the connection options for this product; these includes the classic options we regularly see such as HDMI, DisplayPort, USB 3.0 ports and the 3.5mm audio jack. These standard ports allow usage with conventional PCs or media players. The most interesting inclusion lies in the USB Type-C receptacle, as it allows this device to connect with a similarly compatible product such as Macbooks and Chromebooks. If you opt to operate with USB-C, you get a single cable solution for display input, data transfer and charging for your laptop, making a convenient and streamlined ecosystem for your digital needs. You can also use adaptor or hub options to increase the Type-C connections, and theoretically, all the devices will show up on your computer.
The stand included only offers tilting for adjusting, so ergonomics for the H277HU is quite limited, but Acer did not forget to improve the aesthetics of the this rather simple inclusion. The company states that the anodized and brushed metal used for this monitor was shaped by diamond-tipped cutters, to ensure smooth edges and outstanding quality. Judging from how well built this sexy thing is, we can say that they aren’t lying. Even if quite simple, the golden ring which acts the base compliments the look that makes up half of this monitor’s selling points. The device sits stable on the desk, except if you apply considerable force to move it. There are also two 3-watt speakers located at the rear part; these were meant only for modest audio purposes. You’re better off with dedicated speakers and can find a selection of suitable candidates in one of our buyer guides on the website.
Display and Performance
The Acer H277HU features a 27-inch IPS panel capable of producing images in 1440p with bright contrast, excellent color, and accuracy. On grayscale tests, this product exhibits good contrasts between blacks and grays, and color accuracy is within acceptable Delta-E standards aside from a slight deviation from red. This flaw, however, can be easily remedied in the six-axis color calibration of the OSD. These specs coupled with the 2560 x 1440 resolution equate to sample images appearing accurate and beautiful, although not as vibrant and as color-complete as the outputs we can see on professional-grade monitors with wider color space coverage. This model after all only has 16.7 million colors at its disposal via its 8-bit color look-up table (CLUT). Ther are no severe levels of light leaks from this sample, and viewing angles are wide as well, mainly due to the IPS technology in the panel.
For gaming purposes, the H277HU is capable of 60hz and 4ms response time, so despite the luxury outlook, this still has a bit of hardcore in its guts. In tests, input lag times were hovering around 10ms on the average, so judging from that result, you won’t experience delays and stutters with controls while playing. At 2560 x 1440, most consumer-grade computers and laptops will find it difficult to unleash more than 60fps, so for all intents and purposes, the native refresh rates are adequate. If you need higher refresh rates and gaming-specific features, you might need to check Acer’s XB271HU, the Predator sibling of the product in this review. Despite the apparent difference from its gamer equivalent, in video and games test at the native resolution, there are no obvious blurs or ghosting, but at low frame rates, some tears and skips become noticeable. Although not a big issue, inclusion of Freesync could have solved that problem and provided more benefits for a $500 product.
Conclusion
While the Acer H277HU fulfills its QHD duties with a touch of future-proofing in the form of USB Type-C admirably, $500 is quite steep if you consider what if offers regarding performance. While it did not have deal-breaking flaws, the capability results are nearly identical to affordable models who do not have USB-C in their connection options. At this time, if you want the benefits of the tech, you might need to pay a higher premium to enjoy it. There are better options for the money with higher resolutions and better accessories, but one thing this model is good at is it possesses aesthetics which would fit an Apple product-oriented setup. The gold color, clean edges, and borderless design look stunning if used with a 2016 Macbook while the USB Type-C tech takes care of the seamless integration. If you want a matching monitor that acts both as a charging dock and a beautiful external display, then this model from Acer is your only current choice. In that sense, paying for the $500 price tag may not seem so bad after all.
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