(Image credit: Asus) (Image credit: Asus) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Asus) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) The XG27AQWMG follows Asus' familiar OLED design aesthetic with a slender panel grafted onto a component bulge. The panel has a metal backing to aid cooling, while the bulge is textured black plastic. The ROG logo appears like a Lite Brite, with backlit dots that show any color or effect the user desires. It’s controlled in the OSD. Also in the back are clear labels for the various connections, which include two HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC and a 3.5mm headphone jack. USB comes in version 3.2 with one upstream and two downstream ports.
The stand is very solid with a metal plate as the base. It’s small in footprint but very heavy and stable with rubber feet and a red trim ring around the upright’s swivel point. Ergonomics include 5/25 degrees tilt, 45 degrees swivel, and a 90-degree portrait mode. Height adjusts through a 4.3-inch range. Movements exude premium build quality with firm positioning and no wobble.
In front, you can see a small protrusion at the bottom center that features the ROG logo with backlighting. It contains a proximity sensor that can blank the screen when you leave your desk. Behind it are the OSD joystick, a programmable control key, and the power toggle. Above it is the line “For Those Who Dare.” I guess it takes some nerve to change settings here, but I was undaunted.
The screen is full-on shiny, which is great for optics. The XG27AQWMG’s picture is crystal clear and razor-sharp. I know, I say that about nearly all OLEDs, but this one is a bit more so. It’s hard to quantify, but even when brightness is equalized between panels, this one just has a bit more impact. However, do take care with placement, lest reflections cause a distraction.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) The XG27AQWMG puts gaming front and center with an array of play aids and video processing options. You can toggle Adaptive-Sync, and you’ll need to shut it off to engage ELMB, which also requires a drop in refresh rate to 140 Hz. It works smoothly without artifacts. GamePlus has a selection of aiming points, sniper magnifications, timers, and a stopwatch. You can display the frame rate in either numbers or a graph, and there are alignment marks for multi-screen setups.
HDR signals get four specific picture modes with just subtle differences between them. Any of them can have adjustable brightness if you toggle Adjustable HDR. You’ll need to turn it on if you want maximum output, which I measured at 653 nits for a 25% window.
Asus provides every conceivable option for panel care, including a pixel orbiter, refresh routine, screen saver, perimeter and logo detection and a user proximity sensor. When turned on, it blanks the screen if you get up from your chair.
The lighting feature is called Aura RGB, and it has five different effects, including steady glow. If you install Asus’ DisplayWidget Center and make a USB connection, you can coordinate the light show with what’s happening on the screen. That one is called Aura Sync.
For HDR signals, Gaming HDR delivers accurate color and luminance without adjustment. To see maximum brightness though, I had to turn on Adjustable HDR. That got me up to 653 nits for a 25% window.
It is hard to overstate just how good the XG27AQWMG’s picture is. I’ve seen a lot of OLEDS, and they all look amazing. There is simply no comparison between the image quality of LCD versus OLED; OLED is on another level. And the XG27AQWMG manages to up the ante. It’s the best-looking OLED I’ve seen so far.
Is it the color or the contrast? That’s hard to say because it doesn’t have a larger color gamut than other QD-OLEDs. And all OLEDs have infinite contrast thanks to their immeasurable black levels. However, the XG27AQWMG is brighter than most. In HDR mode, the peaks are over 650 nits from a 25% window pattern. That means textural highlights, areas smaller than 1% of the screen, are well over 1,000 nits. This makes a huge difference. And you can thank Asus’ careful and thoughtful tuning of the HDR luminance curve or EOTF. It’s right on the money in the Gaming HDR mode. Color is, too, and you can read all about that on page five of this review.
With so many 500 Hz OLEDs on offer, an obvious question is, “Is 280 Hz enough?” The answer is yes. Motion resolution is perfect, which means moving images have zero blur and retain the same detail as static ones. Panel response is much faster than the human eye can perceive. When I played on a PC equipped with a GeForce RTX 4090, the frame rate stayed locked at 280 fps in Doom Eternal, so there was no need for Adaptive-Sync. I tried out the ELMB feature, which smooths out blur below 140 Hz, and it worked perfectly, with only a tiny drop in brightness. If you pair the XG27AQWMG with a slower machine, it will still deliver a super smooth ride in your fast-moving games.
Color is simply dripping with vivid hues and textures in all content. I spent an hour just looking at vacation photos before deciding on the one you see at the beginning of this review. That’s Godinton House in Ashford, England, if you’re curious, definitely worth a day’s visit. Every picture, video, and graphic took on a three-dimensional look.
Video processing is on par with the best OLED monitors I’ve reviewed. Input lag is extremely low and completely imperceptible during gameplay. Control response is instantaneous and quick. Only a small mouse movement is required to turn 180 degrees or to look fully overhead or down at the ground. Competition gamers will want an XG27AQWMG for their system. I had no need for ELMB or the Anti-Flicker features, but they worked without issue. If you run framerates below 140, they come in handy.
I would happily keep this monitor for my day-to-day work. It’s super sharp with one of the most optically clear screens I’ve seen in any display. Its QHD resolution provides enough pixel density, 109ppi, to hide any sign of the dot structure. It’s hard to imagine an Ultra HD version of the XG27AQWMG looking any better. The screen’s anti-glare layer is pretty shiny, so I made sure to turn it away from the sunny window in my office.
Its physical presence is definitely “gamer, but the styling is reasonable, and from the front, all you see is the screen and the small glowing ROG logo at the bottom. Control and adjustment were easy and convenient thanks to the joystick. The stand is built to Asus’ usual high standard with solid positioning and firm movement. The only miss I noted was the lack of internal speakers but that is easily offset by the 3.5mm headphone jack. The lighting was nice too, with a soft colorful glow and cool Lite Brite effects.
Current page: Features and Specifications
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/gaming-monitors/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/monitors/gaming-monitors/asus-rog-strix-xg27aqwmg-27-inch-280-hz-oled-gaming-monitor-review#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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