AOC Agon Pro AG276QZD2 240 Hz OLED gaming monitor review: A faster and more colorful revision

The Agon Pro AG276QZD2 is a 27-inch QD-OLED display with QHD 2560x1440 resolution, 240 Hz, HDR10, and wide gamut color.

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AOC Agon Pro AG276QZD2
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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When it comes to OLED gaming monitors, it is still true that you won’t find a bad one. They are super consistent in performance and appearance with tremendous contrast, color saturation, accuracy and build quality. That said, I’ll always laud a monitor that offers good value.

(Image credit: AOC)

The AOC Agon Pro AG276QZD2 is that monitor. It has the same contrast as any OLED with its unmeasurable black levels. It has a huge color gamut thanks to Quantum Dot tech which is larger than last year’s AG276QZD. Accuracy comes from a factory calibration that can only be slightly improved with adjustment. It also delivers the best gaming performance available from any monitor with perfect motion resolution and low input lag.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

My only complaints are that it is less bright than the competition and that the most vivid HDR colors are a bit muted. The brightness issue comes down to its lack of variable brightness. Most of today’s OLEDs have this feature, but AOC has left it out. That means SDR and HDR peaks are just over 250 nits which is lower than the competition. But so too is the cost. At less than $600 at this writing, there isn’t a better deal in the OLED category. And in practice, the HDR color issue was minor. For the price, I can forgive.

If you’ve been dying to put an OLED gaming monitor on your desk but balked at the entry fee, the AOC Agon Pro AG276QZD2 is worth serious consideration. It delivers everything OLEDs are known for including that addictive gaming experience, which makes it worthy of your consideration.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Dasboot5
    Does the new model require the Mandatory Pixel refresh maintenance after 4 hours of use, and can that be accessed by the OSD or only the rear OSD button?
    Discussion of Pixel Refresh Maintenance
    Reply
  • GTwannabe
    Dasboot5 said:
    Does the new model require the Mandatory Pixel refresh maintenance after 4 hours of use, and can that be accessed by the OSD or only the rear OSD button?
    Discussion of Pixel Refresh Maintenance
    You can safely disable the 4-hour Pixel Refresh nag screen. The monitor has a power-on counter. When it exceeds 4 hours runtime and you let the screen go to sleep for 2 hours it automatically runs a panel maintenance cycle.
    Reply