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).
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 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 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.
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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