BenQ SW272Q review: A professional monitor with a paper-like display

Best Prices Today: BenQ SW272Q

Today’s most alluring displays, like the new QD-OLED, high-refresh displays monitors at CES 2024, are constructed for leisure first. The BenQ SW272Q is completely different. It’s knowledgeable monitor designed for individuals who create or edit photographs, photographs, and paperwork. The SW272Q’s full deal with work makes it a distinct segment show, nevertheless it fills that area of interest nicely.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best home office monitors to find out about competing merchandise.

What are the BenQ SW272Q’s specs and options?

At a look, the BenQ SW272Q’s specs are typical for dozens of mid-range displays. It has a 27-inch panel with 1440p decision and a 60Hz refresh fee. HDR is supported, however the monitor isn’t VESA DisplayHDR licensed. USB-C with video and energy supply is out there however downstream connectivity is proscribed to some USB-A ports and an SD card reader.

• Display dimension: 27-inch widescreen
• Native decision: 2560×1440
• Panel kind: IPS “fine-coated panel”
• Refresh fee: 60Hz
• Adaptive sync: None
• HDR: Yes, HDR10
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 Watts Power Delivery, 1x USB-B upstream, 2x USB-A 3.1 downstream, 3.5mm audio-out
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Speakers: None
• Price: $799.99 MSRP

Which begs the query: Why is that this monitor $800? There are a number of causes for it, as I’ll clarify, they usually outline who this monitor is for.

How is the BenQ SW272Q’s design?

Matt Smith

The BenQ SW272Q ditches the slim, svelte design of shopper shows for a boxy, industrial look. Slim bezels stay on the perimeters and prime, however the backside bezel is chunky, and the show panel is thick (although not unusually heavy).

That doesn’t sound spectacular. And but, the SW272Q struck me as engaging. The monitor’s supplies have a pleasing texture that appears dearer than the toy-like plastic discovered on some. The monitor’s girth additionally provides a utilitarian aptitude.

BenQ ships the monitor with an awfully sturdy ergonomic stand that adjusts for peak, swivel, tilt, and might pivot 90 levels to be used in panorama orientation. It contains as much as 140mm of peak adjustment and 60 levels of swivel, which is a little more than normal (I’d say 110mm of peak and 20 to 40 levels of swivel is typical). A 100x100mm VESA mount is included to be used with a third-party monitor stand or arm.

Further studying: The best monitor arms

The monitor stand’s base is giant, which is often an issue, however BenQ turns it into a bonus. It retains the bottom slim, at just some millimeters thick, and coats the bulk in a grippy leatherette, which provides to the monitor’s luxurious really feel and offers an excellent place to relaxation a notepad or smartphone.

BenQ additionally features a hood that snaps over the show and reduces the quantity of ambient gentle that hits the show. The hood has a entice door that makes it potential to make use of a monitor calibration instrument whereas the hood is put in. It seems a bit clunky, nevertheless it’s straightforward to assemble and does the job.

How is the BenQ SW272Q’s connectivity and menu?

Matt Smith

BenQ delivers acceptable however typical connectivity for a monitor in its worth vary. It contains two HDMI 2.0, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 and 90 watts of USB Power Delivery. That’s an excellent vary of video enter that may deal with a variety of gadgets, from tablets and laptops to desktop PCs and streaming sticks.

Downstream USB connectivity is a bit missing, with simply two downstream USB-A ports, however these are paired with a uncommon function helpful for the SW272Q’s meant viewers: an SD card reader. I can’t keep in mind the final time I noticed a monitor with a built-in reader, nevertheless it’s undeniably helpful for photographers or videographers.

The monitor additionally has a USB-B upstream port, which may drive the USB-A ports in case your laptop lacks USB-C, and a 3.5mm audio-out jack.

Matt Smith

The SW272Q’s on-screen menus could be managed by means of a joystick on the underside bezel, which is true of most displays, or by means of BenQ’s wi-fi Hotkey Puck G3. The puck is a small wi-fi controller that may entry all of the monitor’s choices. It’s faster, extra intuitive, and extra comfy than the joystick, which isn’t unhealthy, both.

Monitor customization is intensive, and BenQ’s on-screen menus are wonderful. The menus look engaging, reply instantly, and are full of helpful choices. The monitor has exact choices for each shade temperature and gamma (that means they use particular numerical values, not obscure labels like “Warm” or “Gamma 1”). It additionally has preset modes for the sRGB, DCI-P3, AdobeRGB, and Rec. 709, Display P3, and DICOM shade requirements.

And that’s simply the tip of the iceberg. BenQ’s choices are so intensive that they frankly tax even my capacity to guage them, regardless of the actual fact I assessment dozens of displays every year, as lots of the monitor’s choices and options goal professionals engaged on tasks that demand shade efficiency calibration to stringent requirements.

The monitor comes with a one-year subscription to Pantone’s Connect Premium cellular app, for instance, and can be utilized with a BenQ app referred to as Paper Color Sync, which is designed to match the monitor’s look to a selected kind of paper.

In fact, most individuals gained’t want such options. I’m one thing of a photographer and videographer myself, since I take photographs for these critiques, however the SW272Q’s function set targets the higher echelons of color-critical work. It’s meant for individuals who create photographs or artwork for print and need their monitor to look as near the ultimate consequence as potential, and it has the picture high quality customization wanted to assist that.

How is the BenQ SW272Q’s SDR picture high quality?

Image high quality is clearly key for the BenQ SW272Q, however the particulars of what it’s attempting to realize differ from most shopper displays. This results in benefits, and drawbacks, which have a huge impact on how the monitor seems in each day-to-day {and professional} use.

The outcomes under measure the default shade mode (Adobe RGB).

Matt Smith

We begin off with brightness, the place the SW272Q achieves a moderately low most brightness of 244 nits in HDR. That’s not excessive for a contemporary monitor, and it implies the monitor might be lower than preferrred to be used in a vivid room with out gentle management.

But that’s not a lot of a shock. The BenQ SW272Q is explicitly meant for use in a room with gentle management, and the included hood additional reduces glare and the intrusion of ambient gentle. It additionally has an efficient anti-glare coating. Because of this, the monitor seems moderately vivid in most conditions.

Matt Smith

I recorded a most distinction ratio of 710:1 in SDR which, just like the SW272Q’s brightness, is moderately low. But not like its brightness, which isn’t a difficulty in real-world use, the monitor’s distinction noticeably degrades its picture high quality. The SW272Q reveals important “IPS glow,” a difficulty that causes scenes which must be pitch black to as a substitute seem as a foggy, hazy grey.

This is a crucial check that ought to give those that don’t want the SW272Q’s superior options pause. Innocn’s 27M2V Mini-LED monitor, which is priced competitively with the SW272Q, delivers a greater sense of depth, immersion, and realism. The SW272Q seems flat and washed-out by comparability.

Matt Smith

The SW272Q’s shade gamut efficiency once more calls for some dialogue. It achieves as much as 98 p.c of the AdobeRGB shade gamut, as much as 99 p.c of sRGB, and as much as 94 p.c of DCI-P3, however not all three on the identical time.

This is each a bonus and a drawback. Tightly controlling the colour gamut can show helpful for professionals who work inside a selected shade gamut. In normal use, nevertheless, the SW272Q’s shade gamut would possibly seem a bit much less vibrant than some options.

Unlike distinction, nevertheless, this can be a nitpick. The SW272Q’s shade efficiency in its Adobe RGB and Custom shade modes, which in my testing have been the widest total, continues to be greater than sufficient to ship a vibrant, punchy picture.

Matt Smith

Next up is shade accuracy, the place the SW272Q’s efficiency is nice, however not unusually so for a contemporary monitor. An common shade error under two is usually not a difficulty, and an error under one is superb for each informal {and professional} use.

With that mentioned, keep in mind that the SW272Q’s on-screen menus present customization not discovered on most displays. That’s essential, because it means you’ll be able to tune the colour efficiency to fulfill your particular wants, which may differ tremendously relying on the place your work will likely be seen.

The SW272Q scored nicely in shade temperature and gamma, because it achieved a default shade temperature of 6200Okay (barely under the goal of 6500Okay) and an on-target gamma curve of two.2. The default picture high quality was ever-so-slightly hotter than my goal, however in any other case on level. Again, the vary of choices is essential: The SW272Q helps shade temperature adjustment in increments of 100 between 5000Okay and 9300Okay, in addition to gamma curve settings between 1.6 and a couple of.6.

All of that is nicely past what a mean residence workplace consumer wants, and greater than typical even from high-end productiveness displays just like the Dell U2724DE, but important for individuals who want most management over their monitor.

Sharpness is nice, however not wonderful, because the monitor has a show decision of 2560×1440. That works out to 109 pixels per inch. Images and video are likely to look sharp, however will appear tender if positioned subsequent to a 4K show, and small fonts can look pixelated. 1440p decision additionally makes the SW272Q a foul selection for enhancing 4K video or very high-resolution photographs. BenQ gives a high-end model of the SW272Q, the SW272U, with a 4K panel, nevertheless it’s twice the value.

There’s one closing X-factor: the SW272Q’s “fine-coated panel.” It’s a matte panel end designed to reduce display reflection and simulate the feel of a printed web page. And it really works. I instantly observed a distinction within the reflectivity of the show, which does the truth is make photographs, and even Word paperwork, look extra like a printed web page. It’s most helpful for photographers, however writers, editors, and publishers who’ve robust opinions on the kind of paper and font utilized by a e book or journal also needs to like what they see.

The BenQ SW272Q’s SDR picture high quality is superb for its area of interest however not well-suited for on a regular basis use and leisure. Alternative displays just like the Dell U2724DE and Innocn 27M2V present higher picture high quality at the same, or decrease, worth level. However, professionals who need an especially correct, customizable picture will desire the BenQ.

How is the BenQ SW272Q’s HDR picture high quality?

Matt Smith

HDR is out there on the BenQ SW272Q, nevertheless it lacks VESA DisplayHDR certification, and its HDR efficiency isn’t nice.

I measured a most HDR brightness of 343 nits and a distinction ratio of 900:1. Both are enhancements over SDR, however far in need of what’s required for an excellent HDR expertise.

That may be a shock, given the SW272Q’s worth, nevertheless it matches inside the monitor’s area of interest. Although it may be utilized by videographers, it’s extra firmly centered on nonetheless photographs and print, the place HDR is much less essential.

How is the BenQ SW272Q’s movement efficiency?

The BenQ SW272Q is a 60Hz monitor with a quoted gray-to-gray response time of 5 milliseconds. It additionally lacks adaptive sync, so it’s not appropriate with AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync.

That’s not nice information for avid gamers. Motion blur is a typical companion and might go away aggressive gamers at a big drawback in multiplayer titles. The lack of adaptive sync can also be sorely felt. You’ll should depend on V-Sync, which may generally result in stutter, or put up with display tearing.

None of this can be a shock. The SW272Q shouldn’t be meant for gaming or leisure. However, I’m more and more reluctant to offer even skilled displays a cross on refresh fee. A 120Hz refresh fee could make a PC really feel extra responsive even on the Windows desktop, and I think these keen-eyed sufficient to care concerning the SW272Q’s nuanced picture high quality may also care about its refresh fee.

To be honest, nearly all of BenQ’s rivals additionally follow 60Hz. But there are some exceptions, most notably in Asus’ ProArt and Dell Ultrasharp displays, the place refresh charges of 75Hz to 120Hz have gotten widespread.

Is the BenQ SW272Q price it?

The BenQ SW272Q is a superb monitor for folks with particular wants. It offers a variety of customization, which is straightforward to entry by means of the included wi-fi puck, alongside a “fine-coated panel” that mimics the look of paper. The monitor additionally scores nicely in shade gamut and accuracy. It suffers a mediocre distinction ratio, nevertheless, and it lacks the sharpness, HDR efficiency, and movement readability a typical residence consumer ought to anticipate from a monitor with a $799.99 price ticket. The SW272Q is an excellent monitor for a really particular viewers.