BenQ PD2700Q 27-inch QHD Designer Monitor Review

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Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response & Lag

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, please click here.

Our off-axis photos show an IPS-typical result with a roughly 50% light falloff to the sides and a color shift to blue. Some screens turn green and red which is more visible to the eye. The blue shift exhibited by the PD2700Q is preferable, because it won’t affect other colors quite as visibly. The top-down photo shows a more obvious green tint and output reduction but at least detail stays strong in the darker areas of the screen.

Screen Uniformity

The black and white field uniformity tests were the only stumbling block for our PD2700Q sample. This result will vary from monitor to monitor, so buyers may likely wind up with a better panel than we did. It’s mainly due to a center hotspot which is just visible in field patterns but not so much in actual content. Our test is extreme after all. There was no obvious light bleed at the edges of the screen, which we think is worse. Luckily, color uniformity is just the opposite at a near-perfect .69dE. Whites take on a perfectly smooth tone across the entire panel which means no annoying variations are visible in real-world content.

Pixel Response & Input Lag

Please click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

The PD2700Q is a great monitor for just about every possible application, except high-intensity gaming. Pixel response is right where it should be among 60Hz panels, but 89ms of input lag will be a problem for any player with an above-average skill level. For casual play, the BenQ will be fine, and when latency is not a factor, the image quality and resolution are certainly pluses. But for fast-moving frag-fests, you'll want to consider a dedicated gaming monitor that offers greater speed.

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.

  • jammur
    I would be curious to see you compare this or the AOC to the HP Omen 32. It is QHD VA panel, like the AOC, and priced in line with the BenQ and also has FreeSync. During Black Friday, it was on sale for $299, which to me seems like a tremendous value. I know you have 1,000 monitors you could review, but that seems like one that a lot of people can afford to put on their desk with a few bells and whistles thrown in.
    Reply
  • zthomas
    sounds like a deal.. four hundred is cheap compared to others
    Reply
  • LordConrad
    Looks like a decent monitor, but I only buy 16:10 screens. 16:9 just doesn't suit my needs.
    Reply
  • aylafan
    LordConrad - Unless you're talking about 2560x1600 on 16:10... I would choose 2560x1440 over 1920x1200 any day.
    Reply