Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM review: The ultimate OLED monitor

The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM offers a 1440p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, and it might just be one of the most impressive gaming monitors we’ve ever tested.

Asus is no stranger to making excellent gaming monitors, and the PG27AQDM might not have the catchiest name in the world, but it delivers performance in spades thanks to a potent combination of tech on the panel.

OLED is the name of the game here, and with an infinite contrast ratio and some HDR chops, you should expect your PC games to look better than ever before. So long as you have $1000 to drop on a high-end gaming display, the ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM might just be one of the best options out there right now.

Key specs

• • Screen size: 26.5-inches

• • Panel type: OLED

• • Resolution: 2560×1440

• • Brightness: 1000 cd/m2

• • Contrast ratio: 1500000:1

• • Refresh rate: 240Hz

• • Response time: 0.03ms

• • Color gamut: 100% sRGB, 99% DCI-P3

• • Connectivity: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 3.2 (Downstream), 1x USB-B 3.2 (Upstream), 1x 3,5mm audio jack

• • Price: $999

Features include HDR 10 certification and a 100×100 VESA mount in addition to being Freesync and G-Sync compatible.

Design

The Asus ROG PG27AQDM bears all the hallmarks of the brand, with a backside laden with all of the gamer-y sci-fi looks that we can come to expect from the ROG brand. However, the thin OLED panel of the monitor allows for a slimmer frame on the back, with a small box that houses all of the tech goodies housed inside.

The stand of the monitor is huge, and it’s something that we wish more monitor manufacturers bear in mind. Though the monitor has customizable LED lighting, they feel a bit distasteful and gaudy, which we’re not the biggest fans of.

The stand itself houses some neat features including cable management, and height adjustments, but honestly speaking? We’d suggest that if you grab this, to get a monitor mount, since it also has 100 x 100 VESA mounting bracket included. Something we were really impressed with was the included monitor mount included with HyperX’s Armada 27, and we wished it was something that Asus could potentially bring to the table in the future.

Ports, ports, everywhere, but no HDMI 2.1 in sight

You see all the usual suspects when it comes to ports, from a DisplayPort 1.4 port to HDMI 2.0. Though, we do think that not including HDMI 2.1 for connectivity is a missed trick from Asus. This could have allowed the monitor to be an endgame-style monitor for most gamers out there, and for $1000, we expected slightly more.

Features

The PG27AQDM is a stunning monitor, with features like its OLED panel being one of the biggest highlights. When combined with the matte finish of the screen itself, it makes for an unparalleled viewing experience.

The monitor was well-calibrated out of the box, meaning that there was little to no tinkering required on the unit that we reviewed, either. G-Sync and FreeSync both also worked absolutely flawlessly, meaning that as long as you are gaming through a compatible system, the monitor manages to handle variable refresh rates with the utmost ease, too.

HDR content could stand to be brighter, but in our tests in Cyberpunk 2077, we found that despite Windows‘ clunky HDR implementation, we could play the game with gorgeous visuals, thanks to its new Overdrive Mode.

The OSD of the monitor also impresses, with easily navigable rows of functions that can be controlled by the pad around the back of the monitor, too.

Resolution and refresh rate

The monitor manages to output to over 240Hz while being used with a DisplayPort cable, however, you may be limited by the HDMI 2.0 standard if you connect your Xbox Series X or PS5. But, really this was made with PC gamers in mind, and when paired with the fastest hardware available in the RTX 40-series graphics cards, the PG27AQDM absolutely sings.

A quick test on Blurbusters also showcases the benefits of 240Hz over 144Hz too, while some will find it less noticeable, you are able to easily observe how a higher refresh rate could potentially lead to better performance in-game, bested only by panels running at 360Hz and above.

Gaming performance

When it comes to gaming on this monitor, we gave a shot using Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and Street Fighter V. This range of titles gave us an excellent idea of what you should expect from the monitor if you were using it to play both single-player titles and multiplayer, esports focused games, too.

When the streets of Night City are lit up with the gorgeous path tracing from Overdrive Mode in HDR, the monitor looks glorious. The effects of both the HDR and OLED matte panel make for a stunning immersive atmosphere thanks to the near-infinite contrast ratios that only an OLED can provide.

Meanwhile, in games such as Fortnite at 240Hz, we found ourselves bagging more headshots with our trusty Red Dot Assault Rifle more than ever before, this is thanks to the excellent refresh rate of the monitor, when compared to playing at a comparatively slow 144Hz. As long as you have the PC to drive it, the PG27AQDM can deliver performance in spades.

Over in the heated arenas of Street Fighter V, display latency is a huge factor in how you play. Though, we were pulling off tight combos and links without a sweat, thanks to the immense 0.3ms response times of the monitor. You can probably get away with 1ms, but why settle for less?

Should you buy it?

The Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM is costly, and it’s not without its own caveats, either. The stand could be better, and so can its brightness and HDR performance. But the thin design, OLED panel, and wealth of tech features make us prefer it to the PG27AQN, which might have a higher refresh rate, but slightly worse color performance.

We wished that HDMI 2.1 was also present, and for $1000, we really did expect more in some ways. But, for most who want to use the monitor, you will certainly not be disappointed.

The verdict – 5/5

$1000 is a lot to spend on a monitor, and the experience is far from flawless when you look at individual features. However, once you sit back, and enjoy the monitor for what it is, it might just be the most gorgeous gaming monitor that we’ve laid our eyes upon. Just be sure that you have an appropriately powerful PC to make use of the wealth of features at your disposal.

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