- Overall
UPDATED: The AOC AG273QCG is a revamped gaming monitor that belongs in the brand’s Agon 3 series which are built for speed, responsiveness, and superb visuals. AOC dropped the metal accents and chunky appendages in favor of sleekness and minimalism which created a sophisticated-looking product. The AOC AG273QCG combines proven performance with modern aesthetics, but is it worth the upgrade?
AOC AG273QCG Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 1440p QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Twisted Nematic (TN)
- Refresh Rate: 165Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio:1000:1
- Brightness: 400 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot– Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI x 1, USB 3.0 x 4, 3.5mm Headphone jack
Design and Features
The AOC AG273QCG drops its old red-winged aesthetic in favor of an all-black design that has modest proportions. The latest evolution is bezel-free this time around via a dual stage design that disappears completely when the monitor is turned off. This design makes the product ideal for an ultra-premium multi-monitor setup if budget permits.
Assembly is required for the AOC AG273QCG once its out of its box, but you only need to twist a pre-attached screw to put the cabinet and stand together. The device has metal inserts inside the plastic panels for maximum strength and durability. Build quality is pretty solid and there are no visible or audible imperfections brought about by poor manufacturing.
There are a few neat tricks hidden in the AOC AG273QCG’s chassis which are valuable for gaming enthusiasts. There are the signature pop-out headset hanger and the centrally located uni-directional joystick at the bottom bezel that lets you manipulate the OSD conveniently. But what stands out is the AGON game light feature at the center of the rear which allows users to apply RGB lighting for decoration or as a bias light.
It’s almost identical to the LEDs on some LG and Asus monitors which maximized how a product affected your gaming setup. At the center of the LED ring is an attachment point which holds the thin red and black metallic stand in place with a QD mechanism. Removing the device will reveal 100 x 100 VESA holes for your aftermarket mounts.
However, there is less need to spend the extra on an armature since the AOC AG273QCG is quite flexible. You can tilt, swivel, and adjust height for this curved gaming monitor for easy acquisition of a suitable view angle. Pivoting isn’t included in the design because it isn’t ideal for curved displays.
The stand is easily detachable from the AOC AG273QCG’s cabinet, so option for a VESA arm would be a breeze. We think there’s no need to spend extra on an aftermarket armature, but this model is highly ideal for multi-display setups as well. We also think that some may dislike the dominance of red on the base which could disturb a uniform aesthetic setup.
The AOC AG273QCG comes with a limited I/O panel due to the G-Sync module installed inside. You only get DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 for video inputs, plus four USB 3.0 slots for peripherals. AOC also managed to squeeze in a pair of 2-Watt speakers, but we recommend relying on a separate set or headphones for better audio quality.
Display and Performance
The AOC AG273QCG packs a 27-inch curved TN panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time. A 400cd/m2 WLED backlight and 1000:1 contrast ratio is specified, along with 8-bit color which is more than sufficient for gaming purposes. The screen surface will include a medium-matte AG coating for glare reduction that doesn’t affect the vibrancy
The AOC AG273QCG is designed as a curved display that offers an immersive gaming experience. To be honest, this effect is better experienced from larger screens or ultrawides, but its positive impact is already present at this size. The peripherals or corners of the image will appear closer, so your eyeballs won’t need to pan around to view the whole picture.
The AOC AG273QCG is still based on TN technology, so it does have a disadvantage when it comes to vibrancy. However, the premium monitor managed to produce 99% of the sRGB gamut and around 77% of Adobe RGB. Accuracy is excellent since Delta E average stayed below 1.6, meaning the colors are almost perfectly lifelike and natural.
The screen’s backlight reaches a searing 430cd/m2, but its contrast could only hit an above average TN contrast ratio of 850:1. Thankfully, black luminance is still good and inky despite that disadvantage. We recommend turning down the brightness to 30% or less since too much of it can skew the images on the screen.
The AOC AG273QCG has three gamma modes in the OSD which lock into a specific value. Gamma 1 tracked at 2.1 while Gamma 2 gave us 1.9. Our favorite for gaming is Gamma 3 which tracks close to 2.3 to give the screen a deeper look without over darkening the images. The progress between the three levels is non-linear and strange, so we recommend using Gamma 1 for everyday use and Gamma 3 for gaming.
Panel uniformity isn’t an issue for TN panels like the AOC AG273QCG since deviations stayed within 10% for brightness while DE from the D65 standard did not go over 2.4. There is no noticeable flaws or color skewing on the test unit, and this is a good sign of excellent quality control by AOC.
Motion handling is one of the strongest characteristics of the AOC AG273QCG due to its naturally fast TN screen. The monitor’s maximum refresh rate is potent enough to reduce trails and ghosting to almost zero without any overshoot, eliminating the need for ULMB. You can still opt for the latter to boost the monitor further, but it lowers brightness too much and isn’t ideal for regular use.
The AOC AG273QCG is a G-Sync monitor with a range of 30Hz all the way up to 165Hz. This monitor is perfect for Nvidia GPU users who want a balance between speed and level of detail, plus buttery-smooth visuals. Input lag topped out as 4ms, making this option as fast as the Asus PG278QR.
Thoughts on the AOC AG273QCG
The AOC AG273QCG is a fantastic monitor is speed is a priority over extra vibrancy or contrast ratios. The display’s image quality and color reproduction is excellent and accurate enough for a TN-based monitor, so spending more on other panel technologies isn’t practical. The only considerable weakness here is the poor viewing angles, but that’s expected and forgivable for TN gaming monitors.
We love the AOC AG273QCG’s design and its attempt to modernize through slimming down and adding RGB without compromising the sleekness. The monitor could use more design details at a glance, but those will matter less once the user is busy playing games. The AOC AG273QCG is an excellent high-speed gaming monitor and only a few can top it, but its price is currently higher compared to the slightly better Asus PG278QR.
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