Upgrading to 4K gaming monitor has long been an incredibly pricey move, especially if you want HDR to truly level up those pixels. AOC might be about to change that though, with the reveal of the AOC G2868PQU gaming monitor.
At just £319, the AOC G2868PQU will be one of the cheapest 28-inch gaming monitors available that’s rocking both a 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR support. This combination has long been the holy grail for TV and monitor buyers, but usually forces the price beyond the £1000 mark when it comes to dedicated gaming monitors.
The addition of HDR should theoretically improve contrast considerably and make colours more vibrant and accurate. And with AOC claiming its new monitor has a 102% colour gamut coverage of sRGB and 82% coverage of AdobeRGB, HDR certainly looks to be fulfilling its promise here.
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The AOC G2868PQU also has a slew of gaming features to improve the performance and visuals of all your favourite shooters, racers and RPGs. This includes AMD’s FreeSync technology, which prevents the notorious screen tearing issue for gamers using an AMD graphics card. There’s a possibility this feature will now work with Nvidia GPUs after a recent software rollout – although it’s impossible to say for sure without testing.
The 60Hz max refresh rate, meanwhile, ensures fast-paced action is displayed smoothly, though not at the dizzy heights of 144Hz, offered by other monitors.
That said, it’s unlikely your graphics card would be able to take advantage of such a high frame rate when playing at 4K resolutions, so the cost-cutting sacrifice is certainly forgivable. A claimed 1ms response time should please competitive gamers too, with such a low input lag giving players the edge when dodging bullets.
With a peak brightness of 300 nits, the AOC G2868PQU shouldn’t suffer from brightly lit rooms, so there’s no excuse for keeping your bedroom curtains closed. A Low Blue Mode also gives you the option of reducing the blue light on display, which is often viewed as a culprit for making it more difficult to fall asleep following a late night gaming session.
AOC has incorporated many other colour mode presets, but this time featuring a gaming focus. AOC Game Modes optimises the visuals for specific video game genres such as FPS, racing and real-time strategy, while AOC’s Shadow Control can adjust the brightness of in-game shadows without affecting the rest of the picture, so you can finely tune your experience for stealth titles without consequence.
It’s not just the panel that’s impressive here. The design also looks to be a potential winner, with minimalistic but stylish red stripe and angular stand giving the monitor a clear gaming identity. The stand is practical as well as good looking, being adjustable up to 130mm in height.
The AOC G2868PQU will be available from March 2019, with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of £319. This looks like a potential gaming monitor bargain, but check back at Trusted Reviews for our review so we can dish out our final verdict.
Has this AOC gaming monitor convinced you to make the jump to 4K and HDR? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
