ASUS introduced the industry’s first 4K HDR gaming display with a 144 Hz refresh rate using a quantum dot film at CES. The ROG Swift PG27UQ will be a new dream gaming monitor from the company because it features all the modern display technologies and a very fast refresh rate. Since the product is not set to hit the market immediately, ASUS decided to stay quiet about its price and availability timeframe, though expect it to be around $1500-$2000.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ is based on AU Optronics’ AHVA panel with a 4K (3840×2160) resolution, up to 1000 nits brightness, and a 144 Hz refresh rate with G-Sync. The manufacturer gave the panel a quantum dot treatment via a 3M film in early samples, but as of yet we do not know the exact color gamuts support as these have not been announced yet. ASUS has stated that the panel will offer support for HDR10, which means it might end up offering settings HDR-related color spaces, but at this time it is unconfirmed. Additionally, the monitor is equipped with NVIDIA’s G-Sync HDR variable refresh rate technology for smooth gameplay. Finally, the PG27UQ received a new direct LED backlighting with 384 zones that enables the high brighness and should lend itself to better contrast ratios (this enables localized dimming as a result).

In the recent years, monitors tailored for gamers have gotten increasingly popular because they offered key features important for the target audience: a large diagonal, high PPI, a very high refresh rate and a variable refresh rate technology. Meanwhile, to enable all of the aforementioned, manufacturers had to make certain design tradeoffs when it comes to resolution, brightness and at times even viewing angles due to panel selection, which may have compromised other types of experiences. The new ROG Swift PG27UQ packs everything that ASUS had to offer when it comes to gaming and multimedia, enabling users to have premium experience across the board. The novelty is not absolutely tradeoff-free, though: the display is smaller than the ROG Swift PG348Q.

Specifications of ASUS 4K Ultra-HD G-SYNC Gaming Monitor
  ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ
Panel 27" IPS
Resolution 3840 × 2160
Refresh Rate 144 Hz on DP
60 Hz on HDMI
Variable Refresh Rate NVIDIA G-Sync
Response Time Unknown
Brightness 1000 cd/m²
Contrast Unknown
Backlighting Direct LED, 384 zones
Quantum Dot Yes
HDR HDR10 Support
Viewing Angles 178°/178° horizontal/vertical
PPI 163 pixels per inch
Colors Unknown
Color Saturation sRGB
 DCI-P3 (percentage unknown)
Inputs 2 × DisplayPort 1.4
1 × HDMI

To take advantage of all the features that the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ has to offer, owners will have to use an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-series graphics card with a DisplayPort 1.4 connector that supports 4K/144 output (albeit, with DSC) and HDR. NVIDIA’s previous-gen GeForce GTX 9-series GPUs have an HDR-supporting HDMI 2.0a display controller, but the HDMI port on this panel is only good up to 60 Hz at 4K.

While we do not know when ASUS intends to mass-produce the ROG Swift PG27UQ, it is highly unlikely that this is going to happen shortly for several reasons. Firstly, ASUS and AU Optronics demonstrated the prototype of the panel that powers the display at Computex 2016 and so far, we have not seen any indications that AUO has started mass production of its 4K/144Hz panels. Secondly, contemporary high-end graphics cards barely deliver 60 fps at 4K in games - without sufficient grunt, the monitor will simply not use all of its potential in high-end titles, which could affect demand. On the price side, keep in mind that the Swift PG348Q will remain the flagship ASUS ROG display and therefore the new PG27UQ will unlikely cost more than its bigger curved brother does. We've heard murmurs around the $1500-$2000 price point, but we will see. Given the timescale of a device like this, I suspect we will have more information around Computex time (early June).

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Source: ASUS

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  • DanNeely - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    I suspect better GFX quality may make 4k120+ and 5k60 aspirational for even longer (unless 4k screens get traction a lot faster than I expect them to). OTOH as the refresh rate gets higher GSync/Freesync compatibility matters less because tearing is visible for half as long or the VSync's max latency penalty is half as high. Mostly for that reason I'm leaning to 4k120/144 over 5k60 as my next display even though for all non-gaming uses the latter would be preferable.
  • Guspaz - Friday, January 13, 2017 - link

    I'll agree that it's ugly, but 4K/144Hz is pretty much the perfect combination. Because you can do 4K for light stuff like general use and web browsing and videos, but do something like 1080p144 or 1440p144 for gaming. Best of both worlds.
  • R7 - Thursday, January 19, 2017 - link

    I assume you have not seen any Acer designs? They are much much worse. Besides this only affects the backside. The front (you know the side you'll actually end up looking 99,99% of the time) is rather understated. The LED-s can all be turned off in OSD like on previous models.
  • JoeyJoJo123 - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Bezels are a bit large, but hopefully this is done on purpose, given that their "ultra thin" bezels on the PG279Q had terrible IPS backlight bleed, as the bezel frame didn't have enough mounting pressure around the border to properly seal in the backlight.
  • DanishDevil - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Check your PPI figure. Should be 163.
  • TEAMSWITCHER - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Yet another 27" monitor. The PC display industry is hopelessly stuck at that size. I switched to a 40" 4K Samsung TV and don't think I can ever go back to 27" again. The high refresh rate is one feature, but 40 inches of screen space is the desktop equivalent to iMax, providing a more immersive experience. But do your research, not all 4K TV's have low input lag and support uncompressed color (chrome 4:4:4) for crisp text.
  • Hxx - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Agree on the 27 inch size but Dont forget high input lag and yeah low refresh rate of TVs. If or better said When they make a 30+ inch display with the same specs, its gonna be epic.
  • UltraTech79 - Friday, January 13, 2017 - link

    My 50" TV has under 20ms lag 4k @ 60hz. $700. Much better deal than a 27" 144Hz 4k that would require 2k in GPU to even push.
  • damianrobertjones - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Your story is all well and good but it might have been nice to have informed people of the MODEL number for your Sammy screen!
  • TEAMSWITCHER - Thursday, January 12, 2017 - link

    Sorry. The full model number is: UN40KU6300. The display is not perfect by any means, Only the HDMI 1 input can handle a PC at 60Hz and uncompressed color with minor ghosting, but there are other benefits. The remote is great for adjusting settings - better than buttons on most every PC monitor. The VA panel produces good color, contrast, and respectable viewing angles. It has it's own speakers, WiFi/ethernet, and Apps. And best of all, it was on sale at Best Buy for only $399. When you take everything into consideration ... it's a good experience.

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