When I think Of the high-end gaming monitors, ViewSonic isn’t exactly the first brand that comes to mind, but the XG272-2K-OLED might just change my mind. The OLED panel is surprisingly sharp and vibrant, the swivel stand is easily one of my favorite features, and its refresh rate is high enough for some of my most demanding games.
OLED displays have been on the rise lately, thanks to companies like LG and Chinese manufacturer BOE Panel production is ramping up, which is why we’re seeing so many new OLED monitors at lower prices, from companies we don’t usually associate with display technology.
ViewSonic’s entry into the OLED gaming monitor space is a solid attempt, even amid the tide. It sports a 27-inch frame, hits a refresh rate of up to 240Hz and brightness of up to 450 nits, and features a wide range of connectivity options. While having an OLED panel is less of a standout than it used to be, plenty of thoughtful design decisions help this monitor stand out.
Show delight
Photography: Eric Ravenscraft
Like all OLED panels, the one on this ViewSonic monitor has perfect black levels, making the colors on this display pop even more. I often play games like Supervision 2 and Eternal perditionwhich take place in vibrant, bright worlds with lots of bold colors, and both looked fantastic in this exhibit.
The 240Hz refresh rate leaves plenty of room for fast-paced action. My movement as Mercy in Supervision 2 It’s often so erratic that even my teammates can’t figure it out when they watch my replays. I was able to maintain over 200 frames per second in-game, peaking at 240fps during the less chaotic moments, allowing me to more easily see where I was going while dodging headshots.
Conveniently, the display also supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync, so no matter which graphics card you use, you’ll be able to minimize the tearing effect on your screen. In all the hours I spent using this display for work and play, I never noticed any tearing or motion blur issues.
In terms of color coverage, the ViewSonic monitor performed admirably in my tests using My Spyder X2 UltraThe display’s color gamut covered 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space, leaning slightly toward purples and reds, and not so much toward yellows and greens.
Color accuracy was not quite perfect, averaging delta E level of 2.37, meaning some colors might visibly differ from what you might expect, but only if you look closely. This won’t really matter for most gaming needs, but if you plan on doing any video or photo editing, it might be something to keep in mind.
Top position
The monitor is solid, but what really caught my eye was the stand that ViewSonic designed for this device – the screen snaps onto the stand very easily. You still have the option of a 100mm Vesa mount if you prefer, which is what I usually do, but this stand is exceptional. You can rotate the screen a full 180 degrees, so you can put it in portrait orientation.
The stand can also rotate up to 30 degrees left or right, 15 in each direction. That’s enough to turn the monitor around to show someone standing next to your desk, or to position the screen on the side of your desk and angled toward you. Between this and the vertical rotation, I’d say it would make an excellent second monitor, if it weren’t for the price, but it’s still serviceable even as a primary display.
