Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN Review

There is now a new category of gaming monitors, as they now have a 360Hz refresh rate even with 1440p, which was previously only offered at 1080p. The leading edge belongs to the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN and the 27-inch monitor comes at a hefty price of $1,049.

Design

The aggressive design language of Asus can be seen in the ROG Swift PG27AQN, which has a thick and beefy display panel that comes with a backlit ROG logo and a stand similar to a wide tripod. It boasts excellent build quality and it stands firmly in place.

You can make adjustments to the stand for swivel, tilt, height and it also pivots 90 degrees if you are interested in viewing it in portrait orientation. It also supports 100mm x 100mm VESA mount, which means you can use a third-party monitor arm, or stand.

Connectivity and features

In terms of ports, you will find that the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN has one DisplayPort 1.4a and three HDMI 2.0 ports. These may seem like a lot, but only the former can handle 360Hz refresh rate, while the others are limited to 144Hz. This might seem like a bummer, but you have to remember that this is the only gaming monitor currently offering this refresh rate.

There is also a USB-B upstream port. The NvidiaReflex Analyzer is also supported and there is a 3.5mm audio output too, as there are no speakers in the monitor. The on-screen menu options are also quite impressive, as both wide color gamut and sRGBmodes are available.

Gaming-centric features can also be found, including NvidiaG-Sync and Nvidia Reflex Analyzer, a timer/stopwatch, a crosshair, an fps counter and a dark booster for brightening dark areas. The monitor also comes with a 25-inch display mode, which gamers might find incredibly useful.

Gaming and HDR image quality

The Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN delivers an excellent performance in most games, as it offers high maximum brightness and offers good color accuracy. You can enjoy vivid and brilliant images, but there are issues with dark scene performance and contrast. It is a VESA DisplayHDR600 certified monitor, which also means better brightness. Nonetheless, the contrast issue remains and Asus has added a dynamic backlight to help, but it does not make a major difference.

Motion performance

While it might not do so great in terms of image quality, it is motion performance where the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN excels. Even at the maximum refresh rate of 360Hz, the gameplay seems very clear. The performance is also impressive at lower framerates. In fact, motion clarity at refresh rates of 60 and 120Hz are some of the best you will ever see.

Everyday use

Gaming may be the focus of the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQN, but it can also deal with everyday tasks quite well. Its good color accuracy, high maximum brightness and 1440p resolution delivers a functional, crisp and clear experience.