AOC has released another brilliantly priced monitor for competitive players. The new model keeps the sought-after high refresh rate but swaps the stand for a more esports-friendly design.
AOC seems to be on a streak lately with multiple affordable monitors coming one after the other. The latest one, C27G4ZXE, once again features a super-fast 27in Full HD VA panel boasting a 280-Hz refresh rate. This speed is complemented with 1ms GtG and 0.3ms MPRT response times plus Adaptive Sync for a tear-free experience.
This 1,500R curved VA boasts an above-average contrast of 4000:1 that should deliver nice deep blacks on dim game scenes. However, while AOC claims HDR10 support, the brightest scenes won’t be as impactful due to the 300nits of brightness and lack of dimming zones. What is not lacking is connectivity, with one DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0 ports.
As you can see, the general specs of the C27G4ZXE are fairly similar to the previously announced C27G2Z3/BK. The main difference resides in the stand, which takes into account esports players’ need for desk space to freely and comfortably position the keyboard and mouse. AOC claims that it co-designed this stand with esports professionals.
In my opinion, this comes at a hefty price as the stand now only supports -3°/+2° tilt, no height or swivel options. For any additional adjustments, you can always use the 100x100mm VESA mounts, though, at this point, I would rather go with the cheaper C27G2Z3/BK. The stand also features a cable routing channel if that’s important to you, and the back shell takes a more gamer style made from angled triangles.
Just to be clear, if you are into competitive games or like to position your keyboard in a special way, yet you don’t own a monitor arm, I think this new model would better serve you. My daily driver is CQ27G2U, which uses an X-shaped stand foot, and I can tell you it gets in the way more times than I can count. That said, thanks to its large size, the monitor is fairly stable.
The C27G4ZXE will be available from July 2024 at £219.99, backed by a three-year warranty. Even though it costs more than the C27G2Z3/BK, this new model is still cheaper than its closest competitor which sits at £248.