AOC U27G4R Review (Affordable 4K Dual-Mode)

1. Introduction2. Design3. On-screen Display (OSD)4. Panel Analysis: SDR5. Response Times & Motion Clarity6. Input Latency7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Having focused on so many OLED monitors lately, it's been great to see what's happening in the LCD market. I was pleasantly surprised to be sent a 4K/160Hz monitor that costs less than £280, and certainly didn't expect it to offer dual-mode functionality at that price. But that's exactly what the AOC U27G4R brings to the table, and it is well worth buying if you're in the market for a new LCD.

Fundamentally, this panel offers impressive response times for an IPS screen, enabling it to deliver the goods at either 4K/160Hz or 1080p/320Hz, depending on your preference. On top of that, AOC's backlight strobing mode has been well configured and offers a significant improvement to motion clarity, while input lag is nice and low at either refresh rate.

Overall colour accuracy and general panel performance is decent, too. We did find a few areas that could be improved – gamma is generally low, for instance, and we actually got better results using the 2.4 mode instead of the 2.2 setting. The sRGB mode could also be improved, given it locks out gamma settings and also clamps the gamut over-aggressively. Overall brightness is decent though, hitting just under 400 nits in our testing, while contrast hovers around 1130:1, so that's better than what AOC claims.

Apart from those niggles, there's not much else that could be improved. Yes, the design is a bit plasticky and not particularly inspiring, but we have to remember the price-point this screen is targeting. That said, I do wish AOC had opted for a joystick to control the OSD, as opposed to the five small buttons which I find very fiddly.

Other boons include a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, so this could be an option if you have a current-gen console, while it even supports upgradable firmware from within AOC's GMenu software.

Overall then, the AOC U27G4R is a very solid LCD monitor. The dual-mode functionality is the standout feature, but it backs it up with well-configured overdrive and backlight strobing settings for a great overall gaming experience, making this a very good buy indeed at under £280.

Pros

• Dual-mode functionality works very well.
• Well-configured overdrive modes.
• MBR Sync (backlight strobing) offers a noticeable improvement to motion clarity.
• Decent brightness and contrast for an IPS LCD at this price.
• Colour balance is very good out of the box.
• Pair of HDMI 2.1 ports.
• Supports firmware updates.

Cons

• Default gamma tracking is too low.
• sRGB mode needs improvement.
• Lacks a joystick for controlling the OSD.

KitGuru says: If you're in the market for a high refresh-rate 4K LCD, this one is less than £280 and offers dual-mode technology. Well played, AOC.

Become a Patron!