We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, with units that we buy completely on our own, without any 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 and custom tools to measure various aspects with objective data-based results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance against the competition, and whether or not it's easy to find.
Our Verdict
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.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Very good contrast ratio.
- Impressive out-of-box color accuracy.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Doesn't support HDR.
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.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 04, 2022: There was a mistake in the 60Hz input lag results. We remeasured the input lag at 60Hz, and it's 0.4ms higher than our original results.
- Updated Mar 25, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Mar 20, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 20, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27 inch AOC CQ27G1, which is also available in a 32 inch size, the AOC CQ32G1, but we expect the results to be valid for both sizes. There are similar 144Hz models available from AOC, which are listed below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their CQ27G1 doesn't correspond to our review, please let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as gray uniformity may vary between units.
Update 08/31/2020: We've also tested the AOC CQ27G2, which is very similar to this one, but with a slightly more aggressive curve.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Curve | Europe Availability |
| C24G1 | 24" | 1080p | 1500R | Yes |
| C27G1 | 27" | 1080p | 1800R | Yes |
| CQ27G1 | 27" | 1440p | 1800R | No |
| C32G1 | 32" | 1080p | 1800R | Yes |
| CQ32G1 | 32" | 1440p | 1800R | Yes |
| CU34G2X | 34" | 3440x1440 | 1500R | No |
You can see the label for our unit here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The AOC CQ27G1 doesn't perform well compared to some of its competitors. Although it performs great as a gaming monitor, it doesn't perform well as a monitor for many other types of use. The Samsung CHG70 and the MSI Optix MAG271CQR are also 27 inch curved screen, 1440p monitors and both are better choices that the AOC.
See our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 1440p monitors, and the best 27 inch monitors.
The AOC CQ27G1 and the AOC CQ27G2 are nearly identical, and most of the differences we measured can be attributed to panel variance. The newer CQ27G2 uses a slightly different panel structure and has clearer text than the CQ27G1, and it has a slightly more aggressive curve (1500R vs. 1800R).
The ViewSonic VX2758-2KP-MHD is a bit better monitor than the AOC CQ27G1, but their differences mainly come down to different panels. The ViewSonic has an IPS panel, so the viewing angles are better. It can also get brighter, the response time is quicker, and it covers more of the sRGB color space used in most content. The AOC has a VA panel, so it's better suited for dark rooms thanks to its great contrast ratio, and its colors are more accurate out of the box.
For most uses, the LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B performs much better than the AOC CG27G1. The LG has an IPS panel that provides wider viewing angles and it can't get a lot brighter, making it more suitable for bright environments. Also, the LG supports HDR and has a much faster response time, at both maximum refresh rate and at 60Hz. On the other hand, the AOC has a VA panel that has significantly better dark room performance and it has an impressive out-of-the-box color accuracy.
The MSI Optix MAG271CQR is a slightly better monitor than the AOC CQ27G1. Both are 144Hz, 1440p monitors, but the MSI has a much better response time for gaming, it can get brighter, does a better job at handling reflections, and it has better viewing angles. Meanwhile, the AOC has much better black uniformity, better ergonomics, and much more accurate out-of-box colors. The MSI is better suited for bright rooms, while the AOC performs better in the dark.
The AOC CQ27G1 is a slightly better monitor than the Dell S2719DGF. The AOC uses a VA panel, so it has a much better contrast ratio and black uniformity, and the colors are more accurate. Meanwhile, the Dell uses a TN panel, so it has a much quicker response time at its max refresh rate of 155Hz and at 60Hz. Both monitors have native FreeSync support, but the Dell is also compatible with some NVIDIA graphics cards.
The Samsung CHG70 is better than the AOC CQ27G1. The Samsung supports HDR, can get much brighter, has much better gradient handling, and the response time is quicker. The Dell is also compatible with NVIDIA graphics cards despite having native FreeSync support, while the AOC isn't. On the other hand, the AOC has a bit better contrast ratio and the out-of-box colors are more accurate.
The AOC CQ27G1 is a bit better overall than its bigger variant, the AOC CQ32G1. The CQ27G1 has a different stand with much better ergonomics and it has a quicker response time. However, the CQ32G1 gets much brighter, it has wider viewing angles, and it handles reflections in really bright rooms a bit better.
Test Results
The AOC CQ27G1 has a gamer-friendly look with a black finish and some red on the front, back, and the stand. It also has thin bezels on three of the sides.
The stand is wide and there's space to put stuff in front of it. It supports the monitor well.
Okay ergonomics. The AOC CQ27G1 has a wide swivel range but limited tilt range, and as is the case with most curved monitors, you can't switch it into portrait mode.
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.
As is the case with most VA panel monitors, the AOC CQ27G1 has a very good contrast ratio. Blacks appear as they should when viewed in the dark.
Unfortunately, there's no local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks.
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.
Excellent gray uniformity. The screen's slightly darker around the edges, but it's not very noticeable. There's no visible dirty screen effect, so panning shots or fast-moving objects, such as in sports, will look great.
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.
Excellent SDR color gamut. It covers almost all of the sRGB color space used in most content, and it has great coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing.
Outstanding color volume. Thanks to its very good contrast ratio, it can display deep colors, and it can also display rich, saturated colors.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
As with most VA panels, there are no issues with temporary image retention or permanent burn-in.
Great gradient performance, but there's some banding with dark gray, dark blue, and dark green.
There's no visible sign of color bleed on the AOC CQ27G1.
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.
The text clarity is decent. It can be improved using ClearType (top photo), which makes the diagonal or curved lines on the letters R, N, G, and S clearer.
| 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 is flicker-free at all backlight settings, which helps reduce eye strain.
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.
The AOC CQ27G1 has these extra features:
- Shadow Boost: Boosts the shadows in dark areas, mainly used for gaming.
- Low Input Lag Toggle: Lowers the input lag, and it's on by default.
- Custom Crosshairs: Puts crosshairs on the screen, mainly for shooter games.
