ASUS PB278Q 27-inch WQHD PLS LED Monitor Review

Details: Written by Evan Hiner on February 11th 2013 at 10:36pm

Manufacturer: ASUS
Price as Reviewed: $699.99
Manufacturer's Warranty: 3 Years
Amazon: $633.99

Page 1 of 7

ASUS-PB278Q WQHD LED PLS 27-inch 2560x1440 Monitor Review - Intro Iso View

IPS displays have been around for quite some time now, and have long been the standard in color accuracy and overall vibrance. However, they suffer from poor input lag and response time performance, and those who watch movies or play games on IPS displays often complain of ghosting. PLS display technology promises color accuracy and contrast ratios which will rival IPS while reducing input lag, ghosting, and power consumption, making it a jack-of-all-trades display. This is our first PLS panel we've gotten our hands on, so let's dive right in.

ASUS PB278Q Overview

Envision bigger with 2560 x 1440 WQHD, packing four times the pixel density of 720p! New premium 16:9 wide-format PB278Q LED displays with PLS panel afford 178° wide viewing angles for better productivity, opening extra multitasking space to fit more windows and projects on-screen. ASUS exclusive Splendid Video Intelligence Technology, QuickFit Virtual Scale, and 100% sRGB fidelity ensure reality-defining color and image accuracy, giving you true “what you imagine is what you create” power. HDMI, DisplayPort, and dual-link DVI support WQHD natively, accentuated by room-dominating audio via twin 3W speakers. To help you stay naturally focused, ergonomic design includes tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustment, plus streamlined cabling that keeps clutter off your desktop.

Impeccable lifelike visuals with 27” 16:9 2560 x 1440 with 100% sRGB
178° wide-viewing angle
Extensive connectivity with native WQHD content support with HDMI,
DisplayPort, and Dual-link DVI
ASUS-exclusive QuickFit Virtual Scale and Splendid Video Intelligence Technology for true ‘what you see is what you get’
Ergonomic tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustment plus smart cable management

Specifications

Display	Panel Size: Wide Screen 27.0"(68.47cm) 16:9 Color Saturation : 100%(sRGB) Panel Type : PLS Panel True Resolution : 2560x1440 (HDMI/DisplayPort/Dual-link DVI) / 1920x1080 (D-sub) Pixel Pitch : 0.233mm Brightness(Max) : 300 cd/㎡ ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) : 80000000:1 Viewing Angle (CR≧10) : 178°(H)/178°(V) Response Time : 5ms (Gray to Gray) LCD ZBD Warranty : Yes
Video Features	Trace Free Technology SPLENDID Video Intelligence Technology SPLENDID Video Preset Modes : 5 Modes Color Temperature Selection : 4 Modes Gamma adjustment : Yes (Support Gamma 2.2/1.8 ) QuickFit (modes) : Yes (Letter/A4/Alignment Grid/Photo Modes) HDCP support
Audio Features	Stereo Speakers : 3W x 2 Stereo RMS
Hotkeys	SPLENDID Video Preset Mode Selection Auto. Adjustment Brightness Adjustment Volume Adjustment Input Selection QuickFit
I/O Ports	Signal Input : HDMI 1.4, D-Sub, DisplayPort 1.2, Dual-link DVI-D PC Audio Input : 3.5mm Mini-Jack AV Audio Input : HDMI 1.4 Earphone jack : 3.5mm Mini-Jack
Signal Frequency	Analog Signal Frequency : 24~89 KHz(H)/ 50~75 Hz(V) Digital Signal Frequency : 24~89 KHz(H)/ 50~75 Hz(V)
Power Consumption	Power Consumption(Typical):<60W Power Saving Mode:<0.5W Power Off Mode:<0.5W Voltage: 100-240V, 50/60Hz
Mechanical Design	Chassis Colors : Black Tilt : +20°~-5° Swivel : Yes Pivot : Yes Height Adjustment : Yes VESA Wall Mounting : 100x100mm
Security	Kensington lock
Dimensions (WxHxD)	With Stand: 643x552.3x218 mm Without Stand: 643x386.2x69.6mm (For VESA Wall Mount) Box: 755x470x224 mm
Weight	Net Weight (Esti.):8.8kg Gross Weight (Esti.):12.0kg
Accessories	Dual-link DVI cable VGA cable Audio cable Power cord DisplayPort cable Quick start guide HDMI cable Warranty Card
Certifications	Energy Star®, BSMI, CB, CCC, CE, C-Tick, FCC, Gost-R, ISO-9241-307, J-MOSS, PSE, RoHS, TCO5.2, UL/cUL, VCCI, WHQL (Windows 7)

Included Accessories

Being a higher-end monitor, we'd expect some good breadth of accessories included in the box. ASUS doesn't disappoint by providing a cable for each of the inputs, so it's ready to get hooked up to whatever you will have available, be it VGA, DVI, HDMI, and/or DisplayPort. An included audio cable will allow you to use the speakers (rather unlikely) with DVI and VGA connections. Other than that, since there are no drivers necessary, the only other inclusions are the power cord and warranty card.