Monitor Review - Acer Nitro XV272U

[genghisquan]

Preface:

Really wanted to post this review because it seems like a lot of people are buying this monitor (as I've seen it sold out very often on Newegg, Amazon, & Micro Center), but I haven't heard of anyone mentioning these issues that I'm having.

 

Pros:

• Affordable price point as a refurb;
• 1440p;
• 144 Hz;
• FreeSync;
• 1 billion colors;
• IPS;
• full ergonomic adjustments;
• metal stand

 

Cons:

Two major issues that made me return the monitor:

1. Couldn't get 10-bit color enabled through Radeon Software settings even when I adjusted the refresh rate down to 120 Hz as suggested by the bandwidth limitation. I've tried enabling "HDR" in the color space, and that didn't do anything either.
2. A large portion of the screen had a serious temperature uniformity issue. The right half of the screen warmer than the left. Specifically, the top right is slightly green, bottom middle is slightly magenta, and the bottom right is yellow. The best spot is in the top left. Even the bottom left has some slight uniformity issue. This is unacceptable. The temperature difference is glaringly obvious when you're looking at a site like this one (LTT forums main page) because there are a lot of white and light grey spanning across the screen.

Other minor reasons contributing to the poor experience:

1. Out of the box, the monitor's default settings are confusing. Is "Standard" mode the one that's factory-calibrated? Why does sRGB mode or HDR mode automatically enable the sharpening feature (which looks terrible). Why does adjusting brightness switch me from sRGB mode back to Standard?
2. The stand is metal and seems strong at first, but the position isn't locked tight; in the default position, the screen slightly pivots to the right as if it's heavier on the right side.
3. No cable management cut-out.

 

Overall:
Specs look good on paper, but there were complications. I'm not sure if the color accuracy is due to it being a refurb product, but this color performance isn't acceptable. I got this monitor because I hoped it would serve me in creative work during the day and high-end gaming during the night. If color accuracy and screen uniformity is a primary concern, then this monitor might not be for you.