2024 has been flushed with OLED gaming monitors and with the year coming to an end, ASUS has thrown one last 27-incher to my face in the form of the ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG. While not a part of the ROG Swift family, the brand has seen fit to toss in as much eye-pleasing magic as it can into this piece of hardware.
What Am I Looking At?
While it sports an OLED panel, the XG27AQDMG stands out from the sea of OLED displays by being one of the only gaming monitors with a glossy WOLED panel. It’s a hit-or-miss physical feature, meaning some gamers may not find it as conducive to their gaming experience, while some do. In my case, I don’t hate it.
Other than that, the XG27AQDMG follows the industry standard 16:9 ratio, is a 1440p (2560 x 1440) monitor, has a 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time, is NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible, and even comes with the ROG-exclusive anti-flicker technology that ASUS designed to prevent burn-in. It also comes with a healthy amount of ports – HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-A hub that gives access to the two USB-A 3.2 Gen1 ports, but no USB-C PD charging, sadly. Oh, and it also supports HDR10.
I’m not spending too much time talking about the monitor’s design. It’s clear to me that since late last year, ASUS found a cyberpunk-ish aesthetic it liked and applied across the ROG Swift monitor lineup for this year. This is evident in the PG27AQDM, the PG49WCD, the PG34WCDM, and the PG32UCDM.
The only thing that separates the XG27AQDMG from these gaming monitors, design-wise, is the base.
What’s Good About It?
I’ll come out and say it: I love that ASUS chose to give the XG27AQDMG a flat solid base, instead of the horrid three-prong leg design, and it even has a recess for your phone on it! It’s not rocket science: if you don’t plan on mounting your monitor on to an arm, having a flat base means that you can put things on top of it. No, really, it’s a lot more ergonomic than having three legs that are uneven in length just take up unnecessary space on the table.
Putting that gripe aside, the glossy WOLED panel pushes saturation levels that such panels can only achieve. Blacks are deep and border on light-consuming, whites are practically paper accurate, and every colour on the spectrum pops out in your face. On another note, the bezels around the edge are thin and unobtrusive which, obviously, adds to the gaming immersion.
Another feature that comes with the XG27AQDMG is AI functionality although this is just limited to two functions. The first is Dynamic Shadow Boost which automatically ensures details aren’t lost in dark scenes, and it does this by adjusting the contrast around said scene. The second is the Dynamic Crosshair function, which changes the colour of the crosshair to stand out from the background it is being overlaid on.
What’s The Catch?
One of the more obvious downsides to having a glossy panel is that the XG27AQDMG tends to be slightly reflective. Sure, against white backdrops, you don’t see anything, but turn on dark mode and you’ll see the glare of the office bulb or the outline of myself snapping a shot to prove my point.
One downside, if you can even call it that, is that, unlike other gaming monitors, the XG27AQDMG doesn’t come with HDMI 2.1 support. Again, I don’t personally see this as a total loss; it’s only a 1440p display with a peak refresh rate of 240Hz, which is more than plenty for a monitor of this calibre.
Another issue that has proven to be prevalent with ASUS’ OLED displays is the clarity and sharpness of words on screen. Be it from an acceptable viewing distance or up close, words on the monitor always look fuzzy. They’re still readable, don’t get me wrong, but it is still a gripe I have with ASUS.
Then there’s the price of the XG27AQDMG. This monitor costs RM3,999 brand new and while it isn’t the most expensive ROG gaming monitor I’ve tested, it’s still a bit steep for a 27-incher.
Should I Buy It?
Compared to other monitors in the brand’s portfolio, the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDMG’s RM3,999 asking price is arguably relatively affordable, considering the features it comes loaded with.
At that price, you’re not just getting a glossy WOLED but also high refresh rate, a thin panel, and again, if you have no intention of mounting it on a monitor arm, a spine with a sensible flat base that can be used to house a soundbar, given that the monitor doesn’t come with speakers either. All in all, I say it’s a fair deal.
Photography by John Law.
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