Whether it is for gaming or work, a good desktop monitor affects your daily productivity, and in ways that most of us can’t imagine. If your job is to stare at the screen all day, or you are just a passionate gamer, you will need a screen to suit that task, which is why the BENQ EW227HDR fits the task perfectly and this time, we took this monitor out for a run to see how well it performs.
Design and Usage
All the usual ports you would see on a HD monitor
Out of the box, the BenQ EW227HDR is a 27-inch 1920×1080 monitor which is not too wide and probably the optimum size for a workplace/gamespace monitor. It is equipped with a VA Panel and sports an ultra-slim bezel display. At a closer look, it is also equipped with VGA, two HDMI ports, headphone jack and a line-in audio as well as built-in speakers. The monitor requires some small assembly and a screwdriver but other than that, we got it set up within 5 minutes.
Features
EW277HDR features High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology to increase the overall dynamic range between true black and bright white to duplicate what your eyes see in the natural world. The ultra-high 3000:1 native contrast, which is 3 times higher than normal panels, adds stunning colour depth and detail to dark images with exquisite subtlety and clarity. BenQ’s exclusive Brightness Enhancement delivers unprecedented visual quality by increasing luminance up to 33% for significantly higher contrast performance.
This monitor also guarantees an optimal colour performance covering 100% of Rec. 709 and 93% of DCI-P3 standards to ensure HDTV and Digital Cinema accuracy to match your defined authentic colours. EW277HDR is created to bring visual wonders to the video enthusiasts.
Eye strain is also no longer an issue with BenQ’s exclusive Brightness Intelligence Plus Technology (B.I.+ Tech.). It detects ambient brightness and colour temperature to adjust display settings to deliver balanced brightness and colour temperature to match the environment. B.I.+ Tech. effectively adjusts brightness to avoid overexposure and enhances details in dark areas; furthermore, the adjusted brightness and colour tone can reduce eye strain due to the harsh contrast and offer productivity and eye comfort
With just a press of a button, watch your screen brighten, and bring out even the most minute details
Here is a video that shows you more about the capabilities of the B.I+ Technology:
The movie watching experience is amplified with the EW277HDR’s Super Resolution Mode which simulates high-resolution images by boosting the pixel density of the original video source to deliver a image performance of high clarity and vivid colors for your video enjoyment.
Performance
One of the first things one would notice about this monitor is how dim it feels at default settings, but that was instantly negated after we turned on the HDR mode and Brightness Intelligence settings, the visuals began to brighten up. The images are crisp and brimming with colour and the Brightness Intelligence feature helps to detect the ambient settings and corresponds it with the proper brightness, creating an organic effect that is pleasing to the eyes.
The visual enhancements from the BenQ EW277HDR were astounding as you can see some of the comparisons with and without the enhancements:
Without HDR and B.I+:
With HDR and B.I+:
From the comparison images, you can see the dark areas are more defined while more details can be seen in the brighter areas. The ship’s lining looks smoother and more details can be seen.
While playing and working on the EW227HDR, the in-built Eye Care technology really did help in reducing eye strain and fatigue, as the images felt soft while the glare was manageable. We could stare at the screen for long durations without feeling as drained. This is especially true when it comes to gaming, as there are many flickers and transitions when playing a modern game like Fallout 4 or PUBG, but with this monitor, we felt at ease.
Conclusion
When all is said and done, the BenQ EW277HDR is a monitor that stands apart from the rest. It gives good, crisp visuals with even better connectivity support for a wide range of inputs. If you are looking for a gaming monitor, or just a movie screen, this would be the monitor for you.