The AOC 24G2 is an excellent budget gaming monitor. It delivers incredibly smooth and responsive gameplay due to its low input lag, 144Hz refresh rate, and exceptional response times. Its small screen size and 1080p resolution are a bit limiting for productivity, and its viewing angles are somewhat narrow, resulting in a washed-out image when viewed from the side. It handles reflections well, though, and it gets bright enough to combat glare. Unfortunately, it doesn't support HDR, and while its contrast is quite good for an IPS panel, blacks still look grayish in the dark.
Our Verdict
The AOC 24G2 is good for most uses. It's a compact monitor with excellent gaming performance due to its low input lag, high refresh rate, and quick response times. It's good for general office use as long as you don't do any heavy multitasking because it's limited in screen real estate. Its 1080p resolution might not be good enough for some when it comes to content creation and consumption, and it doesn't support HDR at all.
- Great ergonomics.
- Gets bright enough to fight glare in most settings.
- Great reflection handling.
- Decent text clarity.
- Small screen size not ideal for multitasking.
- Blacks look gray in the dark due to low contrast.
- Image looks washed out from the side.
The AOC 24G2 is good for office use. Its 24" 1080p screen is big enough if you only work with a few windows open, but it isn't ideal for heavy multitaskers. The ergonomics are great so that you can get a comfortable viewing position, and it gets bright enough to combat glare in well-lit settings. The viewing angles are just okay and should be fine for sharing text documents or spreadsheets, but not for work that requires image accuracy.
- Great ergonomics.
- Gets bright enough to fight glare in most settings.
- Great reflection handling.
- Decent text clarity.
- Small screen size not ideal for multitasking.
- Blacks look gray in the dark due to low contrast.
- Image looks washed out from the side.
The AOC 24G2 is excellent for gaming. It has a low input lag, a high refresh rate, and an exceptional response time to deliver a smooth gaming experience. The 1080p screen isn't very immersive, but it makes it easier to see the whole screen at once, and the lower resolution puts a lighter load on the graphics card, achieving higher frame rates. While its contrast is quite good for an IPS panel, blacks still look gray in the dark.
- 144Hz refresh rate.
- Exceptional response time.
- VRR support.
- Great ergonomics.
- Blacks look gray in the dark due to low contrast.
- Image looks washed out from the side.
The AOC 24G2 is decent for media consumption. Its 24" 1080p screen doesn't feel particularly immersive, and it has narrow viewing angles that make the image look washed out from the side, which isn't ideal for sharing content with others. The contrast ratio is quite good for an IPS panel, but blacks still look grayish in the dark. Sadly, it doesn't support HDR.
- Great ergonomics.
- Gets bright enough to fight glare in most settings.
- Great reflection handling.
- Blacks look gray in the dark due to low contrast.
- Image looks washed out from the side.
- No HDR support.
The AOC 24G2 is decent for media creation. Its 24" screen might feel a bit cramped if you work with multiple windows simultaneously, and its 1080p resolution is limiting. It has full sRGB and great Adobe RGB coverage, but the latter might still not be good enough for professional photo editors. Unfortunately, the image looks washed out from the side, so it's not the best for showing your work to clients and colleagues.
- Great ergonomics.
- Gets bright enough to fight glare in most settings.
- Full sRGB coverage.
- Great reflection handling.
- Small screen size not ideal for multitasking.
- Blacks look gray in the dark due to low contrast.
- Image looks washed out from the side.
- No HDR support.
Changelog
- Updated May 02, 2022: We tested the monitor with the PS5's new variable refresh rate feature and confirmed that it's not compatible, since the PS5 only supports HDMI Forum VRR.
- Updated Apr 13, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Jun 03, 2021: Review published.
- Updated May 28, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 23.8" AOC 24G2 monitor, and it's the only size available. There's a 24G2U variant available in some regions that should perform similarly, but it includes a USB hub and built-in speakers. Due to panel shortage, AOC had switched from using a Panda panel to a BOE panel briefly in 2020, but they seem to have resumed using the Panda panel, which is what our unit has. The easiest way to tell the versions apart is by looking at the serial number. The Panda version has a serial number that starts with 'ATN', while the BOE version starts with 'AWB'. Other reviewers have noted some differences in performance; however, we didn't test the BOE version, so we can't confirm their findings.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24G2 | 23.8" | 1920 x 1080 | 144Hz | |
| 24G2U | 23.8" | 1920 x 1080 | 144Hz | 4x USB 3.0, built-in speakers |
If you come across a different type of panel or your AOC 24G2 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in March 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The AOC 24G2 is one of the best budget gaming monitors we've tested. Its performance is similar to the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx, but the Acer has a slightly higher refresh rate, better response times, and much wider viewing angles.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 24-25 inch monitors, the best budget gaming monitors, and the best 1080p monitors.
The AOC 24G2 and the Samsung Odyssey G4/G40B S27BG40 are both good gaming monitors. The Samsung monitor has a higher 240Hz refresh rate compared to the 144Hz refresh rate of the AOC, but the AOC still has better motion handling. While they each have a backlight-strobing feature, the one on the AOC is more versatile.
The AOC 24G2 and the ASUS TUF Gaming VG259QM are both 1080p IPS gaming monitors. For the most part, the ASUS performs better because it has a much higher refresh rate of 280Hz and faster response times at max refresh rate. However, it has slower response times and higher input lag at 60Hz than the AOC, making it less ideal for playing 60fps console games. The ASUS supports HDR, but it doesn't add much because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
The AOC 24G2 and the ASUS TUF Gaming VG249Q1A are similar 24" 1080p gaming monitors. Despite the AOC scoring higher, the ASUS performs better gaming-wise because it has a slightly higher refresh rate of 165Hz and better response times. The ASUS' main drawback is its terrible ergonomics, making it hard to place the screen in a comfortable viewing position. The AOC's ergonomics are much better, and it also gets brighter to combat glare.
The AOC 24G2 and the Dell Alienware AW2521HF are both 1080p gaming monitors, although the Dell has a slightly bigger 25" screen versus the AOC's 24". The Dell delivers a better gaming experience because it has a much higher refresh rate of 240Hz and faster response times. It also has wider viewing angles for sharing content, a USB hub with four USB 3.0 inputs, and it gets brighter to fight glare.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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