ViewSonic’s XG275D-4K Gaming Monitor Evaluation: Vivid Colors, Muddy Shadows

Just a number of years in the past, it might have been unimaginable to discover a high-refresh-rate, 27-inch, 4K gaming monitor just like the $500 ViewSonic XG275D-4K, a DFR — dynamic frequency and backbone — monitor that may function at 160Hz in its native 4K decision or 320Hz in a 1080p, 25-inch window. Now, you possibly can select from myriad related opponents at this dimension for beneath $400, a lot of which supply the wonderful textual content and picture sharpness delivered by 4K decision plus refresh charges par for an IPS show in its worth class. 

But, whereas $500 is loads for what it delivers, when the ViewSonic is discounted to compete with fashions just like the Acer Nitro XB273K V5bmiiprx — as an example, at evaluate time it was round $390 at Amazon and Best Buy — it could provide sufficient no-nonsense type for players who need a show that may pull double obligation on the workplace. 

Design and options

Why do not you need to purchase it on the producer’s checklist worth? The monitor skimps on options that cheaper displays have a tendency to incorporate. It has audio system, although they’re low-power, 2W variations that are sometimes discovered on low-cost displays (in the event that they embody audio system in any respect). Speakers are at all times appreciated, although, as a result of they’re at the very least good for system notifications. But the monitor lacks a built-in USB hub. There’s a single USB-C port with 65 watts of energy supply for cellular units and video enter, however that is it. And even for the discounted worth, it is disappointingly dim.

ViewSonic XG275D-4K specs

Price	$500
Size (diagonal)	27 in/69cm
Panel and backlight	IPS with LED
Flat or curved	Flat
Resolution and pixel density	3,840 x 2,160, 163ppi
Aspect ratio	16:9
Maximum gamut	94% P3
Brightness (nits, peak/typical)	300 nits
HDR	HDR10
Adaptive sync	FreeSync Premium, G-Sync Compatible
Max vertical refresh fee	320Hz (1080p), 160Hz (4K)
Gray/grey response time (milliseconds)	2
Connections	1 x DP 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x USB-C in (65W PD)
Audio	2W stereo audio system, headphone jack
VESA mountable	Yes, 75 x 75mm
Panel guarantee	3 years
Release date	March 2025

Setting up the ViewSonic XG275D-4K is easy, and I used to be struck by how strong, if easy, the display’s development and accompanying stand are. The stand could be very sturdy, that means the panel does not wobble whereas typing, and has a big opening for routing cables. Its adjustability is top-notch for a gaming monitor, permitting you to regulate peak, swivel and tilt, in addition to pivot the display vertically. The show and stand each appear very sturdy.

Navigating the built-in on-screen show is easy, and helpfully, the battery lifetime of the connected gadget is proven on the backside of the menu the place relevant, as is the present brightness degree. When you open the OSD for the primary time, it prompts you to enter your nation, and if you happen to’re within the US, it robotically allows Eco Mode and caps the brightness. This is a straightforward change to revert, although.

Performance

It’s a great factor the XG275D-4K’s efficiency largely makes up for the shortage of options. At 4K/160Hz, there’s little discernible movement blur when monitoring fast-moving objects. I sometimes take a look at quick shows with video games like Hades and Enter the Gungeon, the place response time is essential, and the monitor held up admirably. For esports gamers, or players with techniques that are not highly effective sufficient to drive a high-refresh-rate show at 4K, the aforementioned 1080p mode is an effective way to push extra frames. It requires enabling the mode within the OSD after which restarting the connected system to change between resolutions, which could be awkward.

The shade accuracy is extra spectacular. I measured a mean delta E of 1.7 at most brightness, each in a ten% heart window and full display, in addition to a most delta E of 4.7. That’s a wonderful out-of-the-box outcome and makes the XG275D-4K a powerful contender for a show one can each recreation and use for color-sensitive photograph or video work after calibration. ViewSonic does not present a manufacturing facility calibration report wherever; nonetheless, as that is technically a gaming monitor (although increasingly producers provide them lately).

Color gamut protection is about common for an IPS show, though there is not any option to clamp the gamut to sRGB, a disappointing oversight meaning colours seem oversaturated within the default viewing mode, particularly reds. But it additionally implies that colours pop in video games, and shiny titles like Avowed, the Spider-Man sequence, and Hearthstone look vibrant and full of life, whereas the excessive pixel density makes edges particularly sharp. 

But distinction is mediocre at a bit greater than 1,000:1 out of the field (at 70% brightness), about what’s regular for an IPS panel. Those used to OLED shows with their deep blacks and just about infinite distinction ratio could discover darkish areas in video games and scenes in films hazy or muddy, and even the five-year-old Gigabyte M27Q I exploit each day measures 1,200 to 1. Shadows in Alan Wake 2 look washed out, and exploring town of Nokron in Elden Ring was underwhelming, not atmospheric.

Color measurements

Preset	Gamut (% protection)	White level	Gamma	Peak brightness (full display in nits)	Accuracy (DE2K common/max)
Default/Native	93% P3 (128% sRGB)	6400K	2.3	290	1.4/2.0
FPS	n/a	6980K	2.7	284	n/a
RTS	n/a	6400K	3.3	287	n/a
MOBA	n/a	6500K	3.3	288	n/a
Movie	n/a	7000K	2.5	287	n/a

The XG275D-4K is not very shiny, both, topping out at a measured 290 nits at most brightness. Although the show is listed as supporting HDR10, that simply means it might probably do the mathematics for tonal mapping; the low brightness precludes any HDR utilization and would possibly require that customers modulate the quantity of sunshine coming into the room. The low most brightness is very egregious contemplating the $300 MSI MAG 274URFW is VESA DisplayHDR 400 licensed, as is the $349 Asus ROG Strix XG27UCS — and neither will present an ideal HDR expertise, however they may at the very least hit 400 nits and pack the identical specs.

ViewSonic makes use of a really efficient anti-glare coating on the panel, however this has the unintended facet impact of wounding the viewing angles. Looking on the monitor dead-on is nice, however viewing from above, beneath or from the perimeters washes the image out. That’s a doubtlessly necessary consideration for multimonitor setups or off-center placement.

For the value, there are many gaming displays with successfully the identical specs from Asus, Acer, and Amazon-only manufacturers like KTC and KOORUI. And I would not be shocked in the event that they have been all utilizing the identical IPS panel. The reality is, the ViewSonic XG275D-4K is simply alright, and although it is color-accurate out of the field, it is merely costlier and never as shiny because the competitors. Even the 1080p, 320Hz mode is not distinctive; a lot of the displays linked above may also pull that trick off. Unless you discover it for round $350, players seeking to get essentially the most for the cash ought to look elsewhere.

How we take a look at displays

All measurements are carried out utilizing the latest model of Portrait Display’s Calman Ultimate software program, an X-Rite i1Display Pro Plus (rebranded as Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus HL), and quite a lot of included patch units. Additional HDR testing is carried out utilizing a Murideo Six-G sample generator and/or the Client3 HDR patterns inside Calman. We periodically spot-check the colorimeter’s accuracy towards the Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer used for our TV testing. 

Core exams — these we run on each show, no matter intent or worth — embody: 

• The white level, brightness (peak and minimal), distinction and gamma for sRGB and the native shade house have been measured throughout 21 grey patches (0 to 100%), reported rounded all the way down to the closest 50K if there are not any huge variations. A plus or minus 200K variation across the goal shade temperature is taken into account acceptable for all however essentially the most color-critical shows.
• Color gamut protection and accuracy for sRGB and the native shade house utilizing Calman’s normal Pantone patch set, plus grayscale and pores and skin tone patches.
• We add Blur Busters‘ motion tests for gaming displays to guage movement artifacts (resembling ghosting) or refresh rate-related issues.

You can discover a extra detailed description of our take a look at methodology on our How CNET Tests Monitors web page.