This Affordable QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Makes Games Look Real

The same deep black levels and rich colors that make gaming a joy also makes for an excellent viewing experience. The contrast between the complete darkness of unlit pixels and the strong color representation is just as effective here as it is on some of our favorite OLED televisions. Any hang-ups I have about writing a very shiny email are erased when I watch my favorite movie.

I’m not as impressed with the stand as I am with the screen itself. The two front legs are nice and long, but they’re fairly light, and the upper end of the stand is quite heavy, so it doesn’t feel particularly sturdy. There’s a loop for cables that goes from front right to back left, but it isn’t high enough to conceal the cables below the screen. I recommend you take advantage of the 100 x 100 VESA mount around back and put it on a mounting arm.

The onscreen display also features a raft of options, many of which pertain to the OLED functions like screen refresh and pixel orbiting. By default, the screen will remind you to run a screen refresh after four hours of continuous use, which will take between six and eight minutes. It won’t run on its own, but the warning will hang out and block part of your screen until you dismiss it. I turned it off to avoid mid-game warnings, but you should run it manually when you finish playing, especially if you play the same game often.

Great Start

Photograph: Brad Bourque

I didn’t feel the need to change many of the picture settings, save for turning the brightness down. Like a lot of screens, it comes out of the box turned almost all the way up, and you’ll save energy and make it easier on your eyes if you drop it a bit. One downside of the deep black levels on an OLED panel is they can make details in darker areas harder to spot. If you’re playing games where that’s important, like multiplayer shooters, I’d recommend adjusting the gamma either in-game, or at the OSD level.

I’m still a big fan of ultrawide screens for some games, but with the option to play on either screen at any time, I’ve found myself reaching for the AOC a lot more than I would’ve thought, and not just for watching movies. The QD-OLED panel really stands out in detailed, cinematic games, and AOC’s version of the screen is budget-friendly and well-equipped. What started as a second monitor has quickly become a primary screen.

I wouldn’t buy this as an everyday work monitor, and I’d opt for a desk-mounted monitor arm, but I’d happily recommend the AOC Q27G4ZD to anyone looking for a well-priced 1440p screen that will use it primarily for gaming and watching movies. Folks who prefer cinematic, highly detailed, immersive games will really appreciate this panel, and may have trouble going back to non-OLED screens. As of right now, it can jump in and out of stock on Amazon, so be sure to set up a reminder to snag one as AOC ups capacity.