Finally, a worthy competitor for OLED monitors — Acer Nitro XV275KP with a mini-LED matrix stands on the verge of two worlds and has absorbed the strengths of organic displays and classic IPS panels. However, not everything is so smooth, because this technology has its own nuances, which we will discuss in detail in the review.
Content
| Technical characteristics | |
| Diagonal | 27″ 69 cm |
| Panel type | Mini LED IPS |
| Viewing angle | 178°/ 178° |
| Pixel pitch | 0.16 mm |
| Resolution | 3840×2160 |
| Brightness (typical) | 400 cd/m² |
| Contrast | 1 000 000 000 to 1 |
| Color depth | 10 bits |
| GtG response time | 4 ms |
| Update frequency | 160 Hz |
| HDR support | Display HDR 1000 |
| Audio system | – |
| Audio jack | 3.5 mm jack |
| Display Port | 1 x DP 1.4 |
| HDMI | 2 x HDMI 2.1 |
| USB | 2 x Type A 3.0 |
| 1 x Type B | |
| 1 x Type C 90 W PD | |
| Other | AMD FreeSync Premium |
| Flicker-Free | |
| Sight | |
| Height adjustment | |
| Tilt adjustment | |
| 25° screen rotation | |
| RGB backlighting | |
| Energy consumption | 23-200 W |
| Dimensions | 613.1 x 437 x 267 mm |
| Weight (with stand) | 6.72 kg |
Acer Nitro XV275KP cardboard box without colorful inscriptions, modest, minimalistic, has a carrying handle. Inside is a «sandwich» of foam that holds the monitor and its accessories firmly.
In addition to the Acer Nitro XV275KP, the package includes a leg, a support, a manual, and paper documentation with the results of laboratory tests. It also includes a sticker reminding of the F power class, an external power supply, a power cable, HDMI, Display Port, USB Type C, USB Type B cables.
Well, cables were obviously not spared, and the 210W PSU is huge, as if it were a gaming laptop. Such excessive power is needed not for the monitor itself, but to power laptops connected via USB Type C, which delivers up to 90 watts.
The universal leg allows you to adjust the height, tilt, and swivel in the horizontal plane. It’s not easy to turn the monitor to a vertical position to watch short videos, and who needs it?
The support is «chicken legs», wide, metal, stable, and reliable. The screen does not shake at all when a real man’s hand knocks on the table. The leg with the support is attached to the monitor without using screws with your bare hands.
The engineers decided to implement the cable management in a strange way because the leg has no hole inside, and the wire fasteners are placed vertically. As a result, the cables will still be slightly visible. I would rather not use ties and do it in a «collective farm way» I would rather not do it, especially with such an expensive device.
The bezels of Acer Nitro XV275KP are of a typical size, like all other high-end monitors. The screen surface is matte, which helps on sunny days. On the other hand, in games, when loading on a black background, the player will no longer be able to see his athletic body and beautiful face.
There is RGB backlighting on the back, but it is not «smart», as in some high-end TVs. That is, the color cannot be automatically adjusted to what is happening on the screen for better immersion when watching a video or playing a game.
Although the Acer Nitro XV275KP monitor belongs to the premium class, the build quality is like any other budget computer screen. You can feel a slight creaking of the plastic in your hands, and you can see small gaps between the frame. The build quality is average.
There are separate keys at the bottom to change the settings. It’s strange that the manufacturer abandoned the joystick in favor of several buttons (a rarity for gaming models). Their placement is good, you can get used to it, but the key travel is incredibly tight. You need to press with effort, so it’s easier to control the monitor’s parameters from a computer via a USB cable.
There are no built-in speakers, which is disappointing. Still, this is not a gaming monitor exclusively, but a universal solution for everything and everyone, so the presence of speakers, in my opinion, is almost mandatory. This monitor could have been uncompromising if not for the lack of speakers.
I had to connect external speakers and headphones, which means additional cables in the workplace, extra «work chaos». The port panel is covered with a plastic cover, and under it is a power connector, USB Type B, two USB Type A, two HDMI, Display Port, USB Type C and a 3.5 mm jack.
The 27-inch 4K IPS matrix with a refresh rate of 160 Hz should in theory cover the needs of most computer users, but this type of screen suffers from grayish blacks and corner glare. The Acer Nitro XV275KP Mini-LED does not have this drawback.
This type of matrix has relatively recently started to appear on the mass market (more often in laptops), so many people simply do not understand the features, advantages, and disadvantages of mini-LED.
The incredibly deep black color immediately catches the eye. You might think it’s an OLED matrix, but it’s not. The eyes don’t get tired at all, there’s no risk of burn-in, power consumption doesn’t increase against a white background, and the colors are saturated. It seems like the perfect killer of the much-hyped OLED monitors, but there’s a nuance.
Getting deep black color without flaws, alas, you won’t be able to get a deep black color without flaws. Acer Nitro XV275KP at an angle on a white background begins to give off yellow, which is clearly visible in the photo. Also, for some unknown reason, the manufacturer for some reason set warm colors by default, and not neutral (the main thing is that they are not cold).
White objects on a black background give off light halos, and some areas become too dark. The effect is intensified at an angle. This problem mostly affects low brightness levels. For example, at night, you want to adjust the backlight level so that 400 nits «lamp» does not burn your eyes, but a problem arises.
With the night theme in the center, you read something in a windowed program or watch a YouTube video, and the text becomes barely visible at the edges. The blackout effect is best seen when you move the mouse cursor to the black corners. The mouse becomes almost invisible, and the cursor turns from a light white color to a pale gray with an incredibly low brightness level.
The manufacturer claims a typical brightness of 400 nits and up to 1000 nits in HDR mode. Of course, you can get a thousand nits only in certain points, not on the entire display. The colorimeter showed a little less than 400 nits on a white background, so the manufacturer is only slightly overstating itself.
The coverage of the sRGB color space is excellent, as well as for P3, Adobe RGB, NTSC. The performance is one of the best among all monitors tested with this colorimeter. The Acer Nitro XV275KP is a real find for photographers, artists, or those working in similar fields.
The Acer Nitro XV275KP is also well suited for gamers because it has a high refresh rate. Of course, for games on a 27-inch screen, the 3840×2160 resolution is not necessary at all. You can confidently turn on DLSS Performance and have to use a magnifying glass to look at the slightest antialiasing defects or the so-called «soap».
Playing with «native 4K» on this panel is as pointless as watching 4K video on a 6-inch smartphone, claiming that it is necessary, and the difference is noticeable. The pixel density is incredibly high, so all fonts look super smooth.
It is in the text that you can see the advantage of 4K monitors. After Full HD of the same diagonal, the difference is enormous, but compared to Quad HD, it is no longer impressive, unless you look at it up close and not sit 70-80 centimeters from the display.
The settings menu is in Ukrainian, which is a rarity among devices of this class. The user can choose a ready-made profile or customize the settings on their own. The menu items are arranged in a clear order — beginners can easily figure out what’s what.
However, the tight key stroke will force you to look for alternative methods to adjust the brightness and so on. Fortunately, Acer Nitro XV275KP supports PC connection. We plug in the USB cable, download the Acer Display Widget program from the official website, and let’s get to work.
The software is as simple as possible, has several ready-made modes, and also allows you to control brightness, contrast, color gamut, blue light level, color temperature, volume, black enhancement, and much more.
In addition, you can automatically turn on the desired profile when you launch a particular game or program. It’s a very convenient option when you don’t want to manually change the settings for an online shooter, but still need increased sharpness with dark areas highlighted.
Another interesting item is the sniper sight. If you’re thinking of a dot in the center of the screen, this is not it. Yes, there is a regular reticle, like all other monitors, but Acer Nitro XV275KP also has a kind of «magnifying glass» in the center, which serves as a reticle with several times the magnification. This is the kind of hardware cheat the company is promoting. In some games, it can really give an advantage.
With the minimum backlight level, the monitor draws 22-23 watts from the outlet at 160 Hz. The screen refresh rate has little effect on power consumption, so it’s better not to limit yourself to «slavish» 60 Hz. Turning the brightness to maximum, we get from 40 to 45 watts. Acer Nitro XV275KP is not an economical monitor, and it’s not a glutton either. It’s a typical average monitor with moderate power consumption.
If you add a laptop connected via USB Type C, the power consumption will increase to 140 watts. Also, peripherals connected via classic USB Type A connector can consume a few watts. That is, the PSU has a large margin and will never operate at its limits.
The Acer Nitro XV275KP brought positive emotions from use and proved that IPS can be a worthy alternative to OLED. This is the most versatile monitor that ITS has ever reviewed, although it is very expensive.
It’s hard to find another model that has so few compromises and is suitable for the widest possible audience. For some, the smallest possible screen is optimal, others want an ultra-wide 34 inches, some want 4K with realistic colors, and gamers need a high refresh rate.
So, Acer Nitro XV275KP is the closest to the needs of everyone at once. On the negative side, it is worth noting a defect, which I did not mention in the review because it is an isolated case. At the bottom of the screen on the left is a tiny dash.
You might think that these are broken pixels, but no. It looks like something got under the protective surface and there is some debris on the matrix. Given that the plastic case has small gaps, this is quite possible.
Cost Acer Nitro XV275KP is 29,000 hryvnias. It’s not cheap, but technically, this model has almost no serious drawbacks, and OLED competitors are more expensive. Since there are few mini-LED monitors on the market, let’s consider the classic IPS options with their own compromises.
Asus ROG Strix XG27UCG supports a refresh rate of up to 320 Hz in Full-HD mode, so it’s the best choice for gamers. E-sportsmen will be satisfied. The price is 30,000 UAH.
LG UltraGear 27GP95RP has small bezels, excellent ergonomics and a full-fledged USB hub. Illegally imported copies are sold for 25,000 hryvnias, while official copies are sold for 30,000 hryvnias.
MSI MPG 274URF QD is a worthy QLED competitor with good features at an incredibly nice price. It costs only 21,000 hryvnias in a well-known store with a green smiley face emblem.
An internal competitor Acer Predator XB323QKV has a larger screen (32 inches is optimal for 4K) and built-in speakers. It’s a rare mini-LED option without compromises, although the price is as much as 38,000 hryvnias.
