Earlier this week, Asus announced two new 27-inch monitors; the PG279Q and PG27AQ. After years of slow improvement in the monitor business, we are finally seeing an influx of 4K models with superb image quality and amazing display speeds. Yes, speeds. With 27 inches of sizes, both these beasts are somewhat smaller than the 30 inches sized flagships we’ve grown a custom to see lately. But overall, nobody should take this as a drawback.
Out of these two, the ASUS ROG PG279Q is the more run of the mill product. It features a 2560×1440 resolution, but it also comes with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. But, if you pair it with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or higher graphics end card, the panel can hit a refresh rate of up to 165Hz “to deliver unrivaled gaming smoothness and overall responsiveness,” ASUS says. It includes NVIDIA support for G-Sync, making it one rather interesting product. The PG279Q uses an 8-bit panel that is able to display 16.7 million colors. It comes with a 1,000:1 contrast rato, 350 nits brightness, 4ms response time, 178-degree viewing angle, DisplayPort and HDMI inputs. As far as connectivity goes, they feature two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack and two 2W stereo speakers.
The PG279AQ is the top of the line option which boasts a 4K (3840×2160) resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. It uses a 10-bit panel capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors and also supports G-Sync as well. All the other specifications, connectivity and display ratings are rather the same. The ASUS ROG PG279Q will go on sale next month. Price is set at $700 for this model. On the other hand, the PG279AQ is yet to be announced price and availability wise for now.
