ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ review

Hey guys, new format this time around as for the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ we have a video review only. This means no extensive written piece or a photo showcase, but we’ve put all the time into the video instead. Enjoy, and let us know what you think of our review of this truly insane monitor.

Some more test results, specifications and a brief summary of the conclusions can be found below for reference. A Dutch video will follow for those interested. And if you came here from youtube, yes we are a Dutch site originally, so a lot of stuff probably won’t make much sense, but this article should 😉

Test results

Since this is the first monitor of it’s kind (27”, 4K, G-Sync, 144Hz) we’ve put it up against some 27” 144Hz 1440p models instead for a baseline comparison.

Overall, simply good stuff with only the power consumption and price being high, the latter putting things into perspective.

Specifications

Display
Pixel Pitch : 0.155 mm
Response Time : 4ms (Gray to Gray)
Panel Backlight / Type : In-Plane Switching
Flicker free
Display Surface Non-glare
HDR (High Dynamic Range) Support : Yes
Brightness : 1000 cd/㎡ (Peak)/600 cd/㎡ (Typical)
Contrast Ratio : 1000 :1 (Typical)/50000 :1 (HDR)
Dynamically Local Dimming : Yes, 384 Zones
True Resolution : 3840×2160
Color Saturation : 97% (DCI-P3), 99% (Adobe RGB)
Display Viewing Area(HxV) : 596.16 x 335.34 mm
Display Colors : 1.07b (10 bit with dithering)
Panel Size: Wide Screen 27.0″(68.47cm) 16:9
Refresh Rate(max) : 144Hz(overclocking)
Viewing Angle (CR≧10) : 178°(H)/178°(V)

Video Feature
HDR (High Dynamic Range) Support :Yes
HDCP support : Yes
Color Accuracy : △E≦ 3
GamePlus(modes) : Yes (Crosshair/FPS Counter/Display Alignment/Timer)
GameVisual :6 Modes(Scenery/RTS/RPG/FPS/sRGB Modes/Cinema/Racing)
Low Blue Light : Yes
Trace Free Technology : Yes
G-SYNC™

Convenient Hotkey
GameVisual
GamePlus
5-way OSD Navigation Joystick

I/O Ports
USB downstream : USB3.0 Type-A x2
Earphone jack : 3.5mm Mini-Jack
Signal Input : HDMI(v2.0), DisplayPort 1.4
USB upstream : USB3.0 Type-B x1

Signal Frequency
Digital Signal Frequency : HDMI : 30 ~135 KHz (H) /24 ~60 Hz(V)
DisplayPort (overclocking):52 ~322 KHz (H) /24 ~144 Hz(V)
DisplayPort：52 ~268 KHz (H) /24 ~120 Hz(V)

Power Consumption
180W (HDR on)

Mechanical Design
ROG Light Signal
Swivel : +35°~-35°
Aura Sync lighting effect
VESA Wall Mounting : 100x100mm
Pivot : 0°~+90°
Height Adjustment : 0~120 mm
Chassis Colors : Plasma Copper + Armor Titanium
Tilt : +20°~-5°

Security
Kensington lock

Dimensions
Phys. Dimension with Stand(WxHxD):634 x (437~557) x 268 mm
Phys. Dimension without Stand (WxHxD): 634 x 381 x 94 mm
Box Dimension (WxHxD): 731 x 275 x 495 mm

Weight
9.2kg(Net), 12.8kg (gross)

Accessories
Power adapter
DisplayPort cable
ROG pouch
USB 3.0 cable
Quick start guide
Warranty Card
ROG welcome card
HDMI cable
Acrylic LED light covers
Support CD

Compliance and Standards
ErP, J-MOSS, WHQL (Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8.1), RoHS, eStandby, PSE, WEEE, UL/cUL, KCC, CU, RCM, TUV Low Blue Light, BSMI, CEL level 3, CB, VCCI, TUV Flicker-free , C-Tick, UkrSEPRO, CE, FCC, VESA DisplayHDR 1000, CCC, MEPS

Note
1. true resolution: DP: 3840 x2160 @ 144Hz (overclocking)/
DP:3840×2160 @120Hz (native)/HDMI : 3840x 2160 (up to 60Hz
2.brightness: 600 cd/m² (typical/HDR on)

Summary

The ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ is an insane monitor, we simply haven’t had a gaming experience like this one. With 144Hz and G-sync now at 4K for the first time we’re getting a feel of what 4K gaming is meant to be. It is both fantastic as an immersion gaming screen due to the fantastic HDR performance and local dimming backlight, but the above test results also show a perfect result for those gamers that also want to do serious photo editing on their gaming screen. From a technological standpoint and performance standpoint it leaves little to be desired. We’ll also point out the RGB action on the back, adjustable projection on your desk, and the batcave style projector to the ceiling; things you will either love, or will be happy to turn off (in the OSD). It’s physically solid either way.

So, in short:
– Fantastic gaming immersion due to 4K, 144Hz, G-Sync, HDR and local light dimming with 300+ seperate zones
– Fantastic all-round performance, great for photo- and video editting, or essentially any other task; great colour-, gray-, contrast- and uniformity performance.
– Well built, fantastic OSD operation, fancy RGB action, logo projector down and logo projector towards the ceiling (slightly adjustable)
– Proper technological advancement

Notable considerations:
– High power consumption, expect to pay a few eur / usd more on a yearly basis for using this
– Chroma subsampling on 4K 144Hz is aggressive. Either swap back to 120Hz for desktop use or simply consider it a 120Hz screen. Practical impact of that issue is limited due to it being impossible to tell whether you’re gaming on 120Hz or 144Hz, but it’s an obvious marketing fail that consumers will not expect to deal with.
– Possible larger version released in the near future seems like a concern due to the limited added value of 4K at 27″ (but when? And how much will that cost?)
– Hefty price premium to have the coolest toy -today-. This tech will be cheaper in the future obviously.
– You basically need to own a GTX 1080 Ti or are ready to buy the top-tier next gen GPU.

Regardless, this is a showpiece of what next-gen gaming will be like, and it’s an experience like no other. Early adoption, so you’re spending serious cash and there are some ‘what will happen in the future’ concerns, but it’s a stellar performance from this unit: 9,5/10 and ‘wannahave’. It’s the screen we’d use if money was truly no object.

Questions about our reviews or the products we discuss? Come hang out with us on our Discord server (free and no installation neccesary). Otherwise leave a comment, or poke Foritain (auteur, test-chef) or Nadalina (baas, foto-heldin) on Twitter.

Enkele hogere res fotos voor de liefhebber, klikken voor de volledige versie: