- Overall
The AOC Q2790PQU combines a stylish design with a high-quality IPS panel that offers prosumer-grade qualities that make it ideal for high-end applications. The company has an excellent track record amongst its various options, and we’re curious to see how this upmarket variant stacks against the competition. The AOC Q2790PQU looks sexy and sleek, but does its performance follow suit or is it all just looks?
AOC Q2790PQU Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Response Time: 4 ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- 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 1.4 x 2, VGA x 1, USB 3.0 x 4 3.5mm Jack (In/Out) x 2
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 24.41” x 16.54” x 7.99”
- Weight 13.45 lbs
Design and Features
The AOC Q2790PQU emphasizes on a sleek and sophisticated design that has a wide array of functionalities we love on a premium display. The matte metallic silver color is a refreshing change of pace which is neutral and should fit many builds or schemes. The display is bezel-free on three sides, but there are black panel borders which are visible yet barely noticeable when using the device.
The rear panel is a different story since it looks more like any other display if it weren’t for the silver stand. Don’t get us wrong since you all know by now that we like the minimalist designs more than the garish or aggressive looks of gamer-centric variants. The product’s proportions are within modern limits as well, so placement shouldn’t be an issue even if the base is circular.
Build quality for the AOC Q2790PQU is superb due to the premium materials the brand used in the chassis. The plastic panels do not feel thinned out or brittle, plus there are no creaking sounds thanks to the smoothness of the adjustment mechanism on the stand. The whole product doesn’t weight a lot, but it stands stable, and there are no signs of wobbling during regular use.
The AOC Q2790PQU uses a joystick for easy and convenient OSD manipulation, especially if you calibrate the display regularly. This gadget is a godsend for navigating through the monitor’s various sub-menus which can get tedious or annoying if you are using a standard button layout. The only complaint most would have is the stiffness of the controller which may lead to misclicks, but it is easy to get used to after a few run-throughs.
The stand on the AOC Q2790PQU already offers excellent stability and adjustability, so you don’t need to spend extra bucks on an aftermarket armature. You can tilt, swivel, pivot, and raise or lower the display according to your needs, so a comfortable posture is readily doable. You can still swap this part out with a monitor arm if you desire for more complicated setups such as dual display builds.
The AOC Q2790PQU offers a reasonable amount of connectivity options which includes DisplayPort 1.2 and dual HDMI 1.4 slots as primaries. There is also a VGA slot for older machines and a total of four USB 3.0 receptacles for your accessories. Frankly, AOC should have placed the latter in a hub on the side instead of the rear for easier access.
There is also a pair of 2-watt speakers with 3.5mm audio in/out jacks on the device. It’s always great to have built-ins in most monitors, but we wish manufacturers upgraded them relatively to the class of the display they are selling.
Display and Performance
The AOC Q2790PQU sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 4 ms response time. A 350 cd/m2 backlight illuminates the screen along with a specified 1000:1 contrast ratio which is typical to most types save for VA variants. These aren’t gaming-grade specs, but they should be acceptable for casual purposes such as playing single player or story-based titles.
1440p at 27 inches gives you more or less 110 pixels per inch which mean images will be more crisp and detailed. The resolution is a perfect fit for this size and going any larger will induce softening on the pictures up to a certain degree. Just make sure to take note of your desktop space if you are planning on a 27-inch display since this is where they start to feel a bit too large for regular setups.
The AOC Q2790PQU posts excellent imaging scores as promised by its marketing which targets professionals and businesses. The IPS panel produces 100% of the sRGB gamut volume by default with a remarkable accuracy of Delta .2 which makes the model suitable for color-critical work. Color temperature is well balanced as well, producing an appearance which doesn’t have tinting of any sorts.
The monitor’s actual contrast ratio of 1150:1 will exceed most expectations, but the higher black luminance of IPS panels is still apparent in this model as the rest. Gamma is also slightly off at 2.1, but lowering the brightness to around 30% and using the Gamma2 setting will improve it to 2.15. The RGB sliders do not need any tinkering, but you can still improve the image quality a bit by turning down each of the colors slightly.
The AOC Q2790PQU test unit had excellent panel uniformity due to superior quality control for backlight bleeding defects. There is a slightly noticeable leak on the lower corners, but they do not affect the image’s illumination at an appreciable scale. All of the quadrants on the screen stayed within DeltaE 2.6 of the D65 standard, so there are no variances or imbalances in shades of any sort.
However, take note that the AOC Q2790PQU is still an IPS monitor, so the lottery rule applies. IPS technology is still plagued by bleeding and clouding issues, but we would like to think premium models like this one go through a stricter QC process. The module used in the test unit is a prime sample, and we hope its excellent qualities are passed on to retail units as well.
The AOC Q2790PQU handles motion at a reasonable level despite its shortcomings for the gaming aspect of modern monitors. The pixels are fast enough to respond to normal color shifts, but darker to light tones will reveal a bit of smudging which most will not notice. Playing fast-paced games like Apex Legends is great if it’s color quality or vibrancy you are after, but the quick swipes involved will reveal the limitations of the 60Hz limit.
The AOC Q2790PQU is marketed for business or IT use, so it doesn’t come with gaming features such as FreeSync. This fact also dispels any hope for G-Sync functionality which many Nvidia GPU users are hoping for to save on their monitor purchase while being able to enjoy buttery smooth frames. Input lag is slightly higher than expected at 18ms, but we think casual gamers won’t feel the difference.
Thoughts on the AOC Q2790PQU
The AOC Q2790PQU is an excellent IPS monitor for office and business use if a sleek appearance coupled with fantastic imaging performance is a necessity. The IPS panel is gorgeous and very capable of accurate color rendering, but there are a few hits to its gamma and black and depth. Gaming is a hit or miss depending on the titles you play, but generally, there are better options for around the same price.
We love the AOC Q2790PQU for its capabilities and design, but its a hard sell compared to identically priced variants like the Dell U2719D. The latter has a slight disadvantage in image quality, but its a more versatile product since it will be better for gaming purposes. This option is a great buy for editing or IT work, but it’s limited in a few aspects which we know many want in a premium product.
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