I took way too much time before buying this. Yes, it's totally worth it.
1. The colours are outstanding. Please don't let people throw you off by remarking on a pinkish hue. For me, I've not noticed it. Colors look vibrant, darks are indeed dark and all that jazz. How this translates for you most likely:
+you want to play games way too long,
+watch movies for way too long,
+sink hours upon hours needlessly web surfing.
Why? Just cuz. The screen looks that freaking amazing! And you can't believe it costs under $300.
Then there's the stand. It's proven more useful than I would have predicted. Sometimes I like to feel super official and read my kindle books on a bigger size screen - especially for DK books or you know, those cool "coffee-table" kind of books I think they are called. Anyway, this monitor is AMAZING for that. I thought adjusting the screen to different orientations would prove more challenging and keep me from wanting to do it often, but not at all. Luckily it doesn't take massive strength or strain or anything to move the monitor around, and sometimes that allows for experimentation using your monitor in ways that you may not even realized you'd appreciate. Again, for me, that's proven true in regards to reading kindle books on this monitor. I think I'd now ALWAYS prioritize having a useful, functional stand. I know that monitor arms are a thing, but for some of us, we just want to buy the monitor and be able to use it for as long as possible without having to buy anything else ;) With this, you have one of the very best monitor stands I could imagine.
I also want to mention the warranty - a 3 YEAR WARRANTY that goes so far as to cover ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE in the first year. Now that is value unparalleled, and provided that they folow through on those promises to the customer, it's really hard for me to recommend anything else. To anyone who is shopping on a budget but wants something that doesn't feel budget WHATSOEVER, I'd say go this route.
When I was monitor shopping, I tried an array of different monitors. Initially I was going for a 42 inch monitor, trying to go for the "best of the best". The Gigabyte Aorus 43vu, for instance, is a great monitor as is the LG C3 in that size category. I tried 34" and 32" inch monitors. Interestingly, even if price wasn't a consideration, I'd still argue that this 27 inch screen provides the better QUALITY and VALUE, which is kind of crazy to be getting both things at once, you know? I kept thinking that a 27 inch screen wouldn't be as "fun" as a bigger screen, but as it turns out, for gaming from a desk, I will now ALWAYS choose 27 inches over 32 inches and anything bigger. Basically, I was wrong thinking bigger translates to a more enjoyable experiencd. ! I know these are specific details, but there may be someone else out there going, hey! I love this monitor, but it's ONLY 27 inches! I can't tell you for sure that it is enough, but for me, the 27 vs 32 inch monitor debate ends with the 27 being the clear choice. Compared to the 43 and 42 inch sized monitors, I definitely prefer gaming on this 27 inch monitor too, I occasionally game on the bigger television I own. I so prefer gaming on the 27.
Look, I don't want to encourage anyone to buy this who is gonna hate it. I'm sorry if this love letter to this monitor leads you astray and your experiences end up different than mine. But for real, if you want to skip skimming all the reddit forums and the few reviews you can find on this monitor, just take this recommendation. I came in to this skeptical and am seriously blown away.
Let me address a couple of things I was worried about:
+it being too big, too thick. It isn't. For me, it's perfect. It doesn't remind me of the 1990 CRTV days, and the depth it does have...it just feels right for the picture it creates, as strange as that is to say that way. I have a desk depth of 30 inches. I'll try to upload photos later in case that will help someone determine if it seems too big.
2. pinkish hue: totally don't see it. Nothing distracts, nothing makes me go oh, this monitor has a bad picture. It's good. For the money, it's great! You could tell me this should cost someone $600, and I'd believe it. It performs far above its asking price.
Think about that. How often do you buy something that feels really like it should cost twice the price even?
Not often enough! Do yourself a favor! Go for it.
(To everyone who wants to make a size matters joke, ditto. Enjoy your day and this review!)
Derek Folds
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