AOC Agon Pro AG276QZD review: The cheapest OLED gaming monitor

OLED gaming displays have steadily been getting extra reasonably priced, with 2024 seeing an explosion in choices. Nonetheless, most of them nonetheless price nearer to $1,000 than, say, $500. The AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD, then, is a breath of contemporary air, as though its MSRP was once a bit larger, it’s now usually accessible for simply $599.

This extremely low value for this caliber of show means this AOC display screen leaps onto our greatest gaming monitor information because the clear go-to choice for these in search of the gorgeous colours, distinction, and gaming pace of an OLED panel with out the excessive price. Nonetheless, just like the LG 27GR95QE, its poor textual content readability means it’s not an amazing all-rounder show for work in addition to play.

Specs

Options

The principle characteristic of the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD is, in fact, its OLED panel, which is technically a 26.5-inch display screen with a 2,560 x 1,440 decision, making for a pixel density of 110 pixels per inch (ppi). Ordinarily, that’s an excellent pixel density for common use, being sharp sufficient to not look blocky and pixelated, however not so superb that you just basically waste display screen house by having to make use of Home windows Scale settings to stretch the picture, as is the case with 4K screens of this measurement.

Nonetheless, OLED panels have an Achilles heel, which is that they aren’t fairly as sharp for any given pixel density as LCDs. This impacts Samsung’s QD-OLED screens, such because the Samsung G95SC, however it’s even worse on the LG WOLED panel used on this show. We’ll discuss extra about how this impacts this monitor within the picture high quality part of this assessment.

The place this monitor’s panel isn’t missing in any respect is in its gaming specs, with it boasting a 240Hz refresh fee and a 0.03ms claimed response time (that’s roughly 100x sooner than most LCDs). There are technically sooner screens accessible, such because the 360Hz MSI MPG 271QRX, however for the overwhelming majority of avid gamers, the efficiency you’ll get right here is loads.

The display screen makes use of a matte end, which helps restrict the affect of reflections however can scale back the perceived distinction of a show when in comparison with shiny panels. Whether or not you favor a matte or gloss end will largely come down to non-public choice, however we did discover the matte end had some downsides, as we’ll once more talk about within the picture high quality part.

Elsewhere, the AG276QZD is filled with extras. In addition to providing peak, rotation, pivot, and tilt adjustment, the stand has a carry deal with on the highest, which is basically helpful for shifting a high-value display screen comparable to this one.

It additionally homes a flip-down headphone stand on the again, which is a useful addition, although relying in your setup and arm size, it’s not all the time in probably the most handy spot to succeed in. Detach the stand and you too can affix an adapter that allows you to mount the show on 100 x 100mm VESA mount-compatible monitor arms and stands – AOC even features a little screwdriver to help set up.

Around the again, you’ll additionally discover the RGB lighting, which consists of roughly 50 RGB lights in a hoop. To the left of this (when dealing with the again of the panel) you’ll additionally discover the one mini D-pad/joystick used to regulate the onscreen menus.

In the meantime, the connections sit alongside the again backside fringe of the panel. These encompass two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs and two HDMI 2.0 ports, together with a USB 3.2 (Gen 1, so principally USB 3.0) hub with two downstream ports. There’s additionally a headphone jack, together with a pair of 5W audio system contained in the monitor.

The audio system are a helpful addition for many who haven’t but managed to purchase a pair of the very best laptop audio system, and so they can get surprisingly loud. Nonetheless, they’re skinny and shrill sounding sufficient that we wouldn’t actually wish to use them for correctly listening to music or gaming.

Internally, there aren’t too many additional options, such because the sensible TV modes you get on the Samsung G95SC or the KVM options you discover on another shows. Nonetheless, you get a picture-in-picture mode, plus this show helps Freesync Premium Professional, and it’s additionally G-Sync appropriate, so it may possibly synchronize its refresh fee with the body fee output out of your graphics card.

The same old little gaming extras can be found too, comparable to an on-screen crosshair – helpful for basically dishonest just a little in FPS video games the place there’s no on-screen reticle. Nonetheless, this crosshair doesn’t have a intelligent automated color-shifting characteristic to make sure it’s all the time seen on any background, comparable to on the MSI MPG 271QRX. There’s additionally a “Sniper Zoom” mode, which zooms in on the central portion of the display screen. We’ve by no means discovered a lot use for these modes, although.

Lastly, there’s in fact HDR help. The display screen is barely rated to the HDR10 customary, which ensures it may possibly deal with and ship the 10-bit extensive shade vary of HDR. Nonetheless, the display screen has no VESA DisplayHDR ranking, which is stunning for an OLED panel.

Design

It is a very smart-looking monitor, apart from one actually unusual addition. Can you notice it within the picture beneath? Sure, it’s that stand. It has a wonderfully fetching shade, and we applaud AOC for making it compact and low-profile – it’s utterly flat so you possibly can put desk adornments on high of it – however its lopsided form is simply odd.  For those who have a tendency to finish up with a messy desk, you in all probability gained’t thoughts, because it’ll quickly get coated up, however if you happen to wish to hold a clear house you could discover it distracting.

In AOC’s protection, the thought right here is similar as on the funds esports stand monitor it launched just lately, the principle characteristic of which was merely its small stand that leaves loads of room on your mouse and keyboard to be near the display screen. AOC highlights the identical characteristic on this show, and we expect it’s an amazing idea, however would favor a symmetrical model of the identical common concept.

That apart, the AG276QZD actually is elegantly appointed and well-made. The stand options numerous sturdy metallic components, with a silver paint end that appears just a little extra fascinating than plain black plastic with out being too peculiar.

Likewise, the again of the panel has just a little little bit of aptitude to it, because of its angular form, with out being garish (assuming you flip off the rainbow LED results). The perimeters of the OLED panel are very slim, which has been a priority with dealing with some bigger OLED panels, however the stand’s deal with saves you from having to select up the show by these skinny edges.

The lighting right here is additionally well-integrated, so it’s principally an invisible characteristic when it’s turned off utterly, and it doesn’t look too foolish when turned on. It’s additionally vivid sufficient to supply a satisfying wash of lighting on the wall behind the panel, although it doesn’t have a mode that makes the lighting match the colours displayed on the display screen, as with a few of Philips’ new OLED displays. As such, we simply left it set to a heat white glow to supply a little bit of backfill lighting.

Onscreen show menus

AOC has a poor observe document in terms of its onscreen menus, at the least if you happen to return fairly a while. The corporate has improved its menus extra just lately, however the usability of this one appears like a step again.

The issue is the way in which the mini d-pad is used to navigate the menus. There’s an inconsistency with what every path does, relying on which a part of the menu you’re utilizing. Press on any path button with out the menu open, and also you activate the short capabilities assigned to these instructions, and also you additionally open the principle menu by urgent the d-pad inwards. You possibly can then navigate the principle menu with the instructions, and enter a menu part with one other press of the d-pad, however from right here the capabilities change.

When you’re in a sub-menu, urgent proper is now how you choose a perform, and urgent left is the way you exit a perform, besides typically you additionally should press within the d-pad. This may result in complicated conditions, comparable to when adjusting the amount or brightness setting, the place it’s important to press proper to activate it, press left or proper to regulate the setting itself, then press in on the d-pad to exit the setting earlier than urgent left to exit the sub-menu. It’s a large number.

Fortunately, the menus really present entry to almost each setting you want or have to get the show setup how you want. This contains complete shade customization, with fast modes for switching to sRGB and DCI-P3 shade areas – with picture high quality that’s adequate to go proper out of the field.

There are additionally a number of OLED care choices, together with a pixel orbiting mode that simply barely shifts which pixels are illuminated to scale back the onset of display screen burn. There aren’t fairly as many choices as you discover on some displays, such because the somewhat helpful AI-enhanced crosshair or different AI-enhanced static picture anti-burn-in choices on MSI’s newest screens, however there are ample choices to only get the display screen arrange and get going.

Picture high quality

Let’s lower proper to the chase. The LG WOLED panel on this monitor just isn’t nice in terms of textual content readability. It suffers from coloured fringing showing across the edges of high-contrast components like textual content, which might result in a fuzzy look that’s troublesome to learn.

You possibly can see examples of this difficulty within the two photographs beneath, one in all which exhibits a bigger textual content, as you may discover used for headlines, and the second of which exhibits the smaller textual content you normally discover on customary information articles, emails, and so forth. On the left is the AG276QZD, whereas on the precise is a 27-inch LCD panel of the identical measurement and backbone.

In these photographs, you’ll see that the left edges of the bigger textual content on the left facet of the picture have pink/inexperienced/blue coloured dots/fringing all alongside them. It is because the show is struggling to work out which of the panel’s white, pink, inexperienced, and blue sub-pixels to light up to attain the graceful gray edges of the textual content. On the LCD on the precise, the pink, inexperienced, and blue sub-pixels are organized in a extra standard manner that copes higher with these high-contrast edges.

The coloured fringing can look just a little distracting for bigger textual content and different high-contrast edges however is downright disruptive to your capacity to learn textual content when it’s smaller. Within the above picture, you possibly can see how the textual content takes on a very mushy, smudgy look on the left however seems to be a lot sharper on the precise.

All that mentioned, the above photographs additionally present that textual content remains to be completely readable, so it’s not like this show and others prefer it are utterly unusable. It’s extra that if, like me, you spend all day working at a display screen studying quite a lot of textual content, the dearth of sharpness is a significant adverse. For those who’re solely studying the odd webpage right here and there, or catching up on Discord and Twitch chat between gaming periods, although, it’s far much less of a problem.

What’s extra, whereas it’s not superb for textual content, this show is superb at most different duties. The inherent capacity of OLED shows to provide true inky blacks means you get superb distinction, particularly when viewing the display screen in a darker atmosphere.

In lighter rooms, the matte coating of the display screen could make black tones look just a little gray, however that is largely eradicated at midnight. In the meantime, the matte end does an amazing job of lowering the affect of vivid reflections in comparison with shiny screens. On stability, I nonetheless desire the shiny end of many of the QD-OLED panels I’ve reviewed just lately, however the matte end right here nonetheless seems to be nice.

Colours are additionally actually punchy and vibrant, enabling this show to present HDR content material with all of the vividness you’d hope for. That mentioned, the general brightness stage right here, and thus the affect of HDR, just isn’t all that prime. On common it may possibly solely hit 280nits brightness when at its most, which compares to usually round 400nits for a fundamental LCD display screen. Most QD-OLED shows I’ve examined additionally go just a little larger, although this display screen is notably brighter than the LG 27GR95QE, which makes use of an analogous LG WOILD panel. That mannequin topped out at simply 200nits in regular non-HDR modes.

In HDR, this panel’s brightness can enhance even larger however once more not as excessive as QD-OLEDs. What’s extra, non-white peak brightness is way decrease than on QD-OLEDs so very vivid, vivid colours lack just a little punch in comparison with this display screen’s rival OLED expertise from Samsung.

One other key issue to notice in terms of total picture high quality is that, by default, the display screen comes with an OLED care mode that continuously varies the brightness of the display screen, relying on what it’s exhibiting on the time. All OLED screens do it to a level, however this panel – and that of the LG 27GR95QE – is especially aggressive. This may be fairly distracting however fortunately there’s a repair, which is to have interaction the Uniform Brightness mode. This might in principle scale back the lifetime of the panel barely, however we discovered the display screen was principally unusable with out it.

Gaming efficiency

The place this display screen’s OLED panel actually shines is in terms of gaming efficiency. The mix of its 240Hz refresh fee with a ridiculously quick 0.03ms response time makes for extremely crisp and fast-feeling movement in video games. In our checks, the response time really averaged at simply over 1ms, however that’s nonetheless far sooner than any LCD panel in real-world checks.

With adaptive sync taking good care of display screen tearing and stuttering, you additionally get a very easy picture. The flexibility of a 1440p decision at this display screen measurement and total pace can be ultimate. It means this show can flip its hand to delivering blistering body charges and response occasions in CS2 or Apex Legends, then ship gorgeous visuals in additional cinematic titles, with which 1080p screens with sooner refresh charges battle to compete.

It’s not absolutely the final phrase in peak gaming efficiency, as screens that hit 360Hz and even 540Hz do inevitably sooner nonetheless – particularly these with backlight strobing blur discount modes – however it’s nonetheless sufficient efficiency for all however elite stage aggressive avid gamers.

Value

Though it launched at a barely larger value, the AG276QZD is now bought at $599.99 in each store we might discover. That makes it both the most cost effective mainstream-brand OLED panel of its kind, or the joint most cost-effective with the LG 27GR95QE, relying on whether or not the LG display screen has been discounted. As such, though there are some facets of its efficiency that aren’t best-in-class, it’s an amazing worth choice if you happen to simply wish to get in on the OLED enjoyable with out spending over the percentages.

Options

MSI MPG 271QRX

For those who’re trying to get an OLED display screen however need barely higher textual content high quality, even punchier colours, and a good larger refresh fee, the MSI MPG 271QRX is a superb purchase. It’s costlier than the AOC, at round $800, and has fewer additional options however it’s a greater display screen total.

Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQML1A

For an amazing all-rounder display screen that’s significantly extra reasonably priced than the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD, the Asus TUF Gaming VG27AQML1A is a superb choice. It makes use of an IPS LCD panel, so it may possibly’t attain fairly the identical ultra-fast response time and excessive distinction of an OLED, however it nonetheless has a 260Hz refresh fee, 1440p decision, and G-Sync compatibility, all for slightly below $400.

Verdict

The AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD doesn’t excel in each doable manner. Its greatest Achilles heel is its textual content high quality, which seems to be just a little tough in comparison with an LCD panel with the identical measurement and backbone, in addition to QD-OLED shows. It’s additionally missing just a little in peak brightness which, together with its matte coating, barely dulls the depth of its black ranges in brighter environments, and means it doesn’t have fairly the HDR punch of some QD-OLED screens or miniLED shows.

Nonetheless, in each different manner, the AG276QZD is a superb purchase. It’s filled with options, together with audio system, a USB hub, and a headphone stand, and it gives incredible gaming efficiency. Its response time is blazing quick and its 240Hz refresh fee could be very nippy too.

As such, the AOC Agon Professional AG276QZD comes extremely advisable as a pure gaming show, balancing efficiency, picture high quality, and worth to perfection. For extra of an all-rounder show for work – or anything the place quite a lot of textual content is required – although, there are higher decisions accessible elsewhere.