The AOC CQ27G1 is a 27 inch curved screen, 1440p monitor. It's a great choice for gaming thanks to its incredibly low input lag and quick response time, resulting in clear motion, and it supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing in games. With a VA panel, it has a very good contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks, but that comes at the cost of its viewing angles, which are poor and you'll lose image accuracy when viewed from the side. The lack of HDR support might disappoint some people, but it has impressive out-of-box color accuracy and it displays a very wide range of colors in SDR. Although it doesn't get very bright to combat glare in most rooms, it has decent reflection handling, so it will still perform well in an average-lit room.
Decent monitor for mixed usage. Gamers will love the incredibly low input lag and great response time, plus it supports FreeSync for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. The 27 inch screen is big enough for productivity, but the viewing angles are poor. It's a decent monitor to watch videos or edit photos with since it displays a wide range of colors and has great out-of-box color accuracy, but it doesn't support HDR content. The contrast ratio is great for dark room viewing and in bright rooms; it doesn't get very bright, but has decent reflection handling.
The AOC CQ27G1 is okay for office use. The 27 inch, 1440p screen is big enough to open multiple windows at once, but the poor viewing angles means it's not ideal to share your screen with coworkers. However, the gray uniformity is excellent, so solid colors, such as on a web page or a document, look great. It's best suited for moderately-lit rooms since it has decent reflection handling and it doesn't get very bright.
Great monitor for gaming. The AOC CQ27G1 has an incredibly low input lag, great response time at its max refresh rate, and it supports FreeSync VRR technology to reduce tearing in games. The 1440p screen provides an immersive gaming experience, but unfortunately, the viewing angles are poor, so it's not suggested for co-op gaming. However, it performs well in dark rooms thanks to its very good contrast ratio, displaying deep blacks.
The AOC CQ27G1 is alright for multimedia use. The 1440p resolution displays fine details and the 27 inch size is big enough for you to sit back and enjoy your favorite videos. Unfortunately, it doesn't support HDR and the viewing angles are poor, so it's not good for watching content with others. However, it displays a very wide range of colors and it has a very good contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks when viewed in dark rooms.
Decent for media creation. There's plenty of screen space on the 27 inch curved monitor, and it has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing. Sadly, it's not ideal to share your screen with others due to its poor viewing angles. However, it has excellent gray uniformity, so the screen won't darken around the edges.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
The back of the AOC CQ27G1 has a gamer-friendly design on it. It can be VESA mounted and there's a quick-release on it. There's cable management through the stand.
Since the AOC CQ27G1 has a curved screen, it's thicker than most flat monitors. However, it's much thinner than the Samsung CHG70.
The AOC CQ27G1 has a good build quality. It's entirely built out of plastic, which feels solid. There's not a lot of flex to it except near the inputs, and the bezels don't bend either. However, there's a bit of a gap between the bottom bezel and the back, but overall, it's well-built. The MSI Optix MPG27CQ has a similar design and has a better build quality.
There's no local dimming feature. The video above is provided for reference only.
Decent SDR peak brightness. Overall, the AOC CQ27G1 doesn't get very bright, which might not be enough to combat glare in most rooms. However, the brightness remains fairly consistent across different content, although small highlights are slightly less bright. The Samsung CHG70 can get much brighter.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
As is the case with most VA panel monitors, the horizontal viewing angles are disappointing on the AOC CQ27G1. You'll lose image accuracy when viewed from the side. If you're looking for a 144Hz monitor with great viewing angles, check out the ViewSonic VX2758-2KP-MHD.
Poor vertical viewing angles. The edges of the screen will appear darker if you sit close to the monitor.
Poor black uniformity on the AOC CQ27G1, much like the Samsung CHG70. There's visible backlight bleed along the top and bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, there's no local dimming feature to improve the black uniformity.
Impressive out-of-box color accuracy. Most colors appear accurate, although the color temperature is colder than the 6500K target, so some colors will have a blue tint to them. Overall, the gamma curve follows the target well, but dark scenes will be darker than they should, and bright scenes will be brighter.
Post calibration, the color accuracy is outstanding. Most colors will be accurate, and the color temperature is only slightly warmer than the 6500K target. The gamma curve follows the target better than it was before calibration.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and shouldn't be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model, due to manufacturing tolerances.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
Okay reflection handling. The matte finish does an outstanding job handling a moderate amount of light, but really struggles with a lot of light. The AOC CQ27G1 is better suited in average-lit rooms.
Mode | Response Time Chart | Motion Blur Photo | Response Time Table |
Off | Chart | Photo | Table |
Weak | Chart | Photo | Table |
Medium | Chart | Photo | Table |
Strong | Chart | Photo | Table |
The AOC CQ27G1 has a very good response time at its max refresh rate. With the Response Time setting at 'Strong', motion looks clear, although there's some overshoot on some of the darker transitions. With the other settings enabled, there's some ghosting and artifacting, but still not very noticeable.
Mode | Response Time Chart | Motion Blur Photo | Response Time Table |
Off | Chart | Photo | Table |
Weak | Chart | Photo | Table |
Medium | Chart | Photo | Table |
Strong | Chart | Photo | Table |
Decent response time at 60Hz. The best Response Time setting is 'Off' but there's obvious blur trail behind fast-moving objects and there's undershoot in most transitions. If you want a similar monitor with better response time at 60Hz, check out the Gigabyte G27QC.
The AOC CQ27G1 has an okay black frame insertion feature, which is called MBR in the settings. The backlight flickers whenever the MBR is enabled, and it dims the screen quite a bit. FreeSync can't be used when MBR is enabled.
Amazing refresh rate. It supports FreeSynch variable refresh rate technology to reduce tearing in games but unfortunately isn't G-SYNC compatible. Its max refresh rate of 144Hz can't be overclocked and the VRR range can go as low as 20Hz.
The AOC CQ27G1 has an incredibly low input lag. It's slower with variable refresh rate enabled, but it still responds to your actions quickly. It's also slower when the refresh rate is 60Hz, which is normal, and the input lag is still very low.
The AOC CQ27G1 has a great resolution. The 27 inch screen provides enough screen space to open multiple windows and the 1440p resolution delivers a clear image. If you want a bigger screen, check out the larger variant, the AOC CQ32G1.