Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG Review – Glossy life

It seems that in 2024, OLED displays are as ubiquitous as AI. Once exclusive to high-end TVs, OLEDs are now available in various forms and sizes. At PowerUp, we’ve reviewed several, with many more to come. Today, we’re examining the world’s first Glossy WOLED gaming monitor: the Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG.

Most gaming monitors have been either QD-OLED or WOLED, typically with Matte or Semi-gloss finishes to minimize distracting reflections. In contrast, LG’s OLED TVs use a glossy panel for more vibrant colors and richer blacks. Asus has brought this vibrant picture quality to gamers with the XG27AQDMG, though it’s puzzling why they chose a 27-inch, 1440p display instead of a 32-inch 4K. Perhaps it’s a market test or a financial decision.

Priced at $1,499 and coming in the coming weeks, it competes directly with the cheaper, $1,150 MSI MPG271QRX I recently reviewed. Besides its WOLED Glossy panel, the XG27AQDMG features a slower 240Hz refresh rate, lacks KVM functionality, and omits USB Type-C. In these areas, the MSI clearly has the edge. However, is that enough to sway you? And more importantly: does a Glossy panel really matter?

Design and Build

The Strix XG27AQDMG is a 27-inch display that closely resembles its sibling, the ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM, which I reviewed last year and loved. While that monitor featured a traditional OLED panel with a faster 360Hz refresh rate, the XG27AQDMG is impressively thin—thinner than a pinky finger. It also includes a passive heatsink on the back, housing the ports and other necessary electronics, and features Aura Sync RGB lighting on the back panel, though it’s not particularly useful for illuminating surfaces behind the monitor.

One notable difference between the XG27AQDMG and PG27AQDMG is the stand. The XG27AQDMG has a solid base stand instead of the usual Asus triple-leg setup, resulting in a more compact footprint. The base allows the monitor to swivel 45° in either direction smoothly and includes a slot roughly 7 inches wide for holding a smartphone or small tablet. The monitor also supports height and tilt adjustments and can pivot 90° into portrait mode.

The display has minimal bezels and the standard Asus chin with an ROG eye logo on the front and monitor controls on the back. Port-wise, the XG27AQDMG includes DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, 2x HDMI 2.0 (which is sufficient for QHD), a 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-B upstream, and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. The monitor comes with all necessary cables and a 1/4 inch tripod socket mount on top of the stand for a camera or light.

Display Quality

The XG27AQDMG features a 27-inch Glossy WOLED panel with a resolution of 2560 x 1440p and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It offers 10-bit color with 99% DCI-P3 and 135% sRGB, making it excellent for color accuracy, ideal for content creators.

During daily use for design work, I was impressed with the text clarity. While OLEDs typically suffer from text fringing, the XG27AQDMG’s Clear Pixel Edge tech effectively removes these unsightly lines. Mac users will notice even less fringing, suggesting it’s primarily a Windows font rendering issue.

The display is rated VESA TrueBlack HDR400 with a peak brightness of 400 nits in HDR. Utilizing LG’s Micro Lens Array+ tech, first seen on the LG G3 OLED EVO TV, it enhances viewing angles and increases brightness by 20% in SDR full white windows. Combined with the inky blacks of the glossy panel, HDR content looks fantastic, with crisp darks and bright highlights. SDR performance is also impressive, often requiring a brightness reduction in darker environments.

Gaming Features

Whether you prefer AMD or Nvidia, the XG27AQDMG supports both AMD FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatibility. Additionally, Asus’s Extreme Low Motion Blur black frame insertion reduces ghosting and motion blur, improving responsiveness, especially for consoles that struggle to hit 120FPS.

The monitor comes with a full suite of gaming features to ensure optimal frame rates and picture quality. These are easily accessible via the user-friendly OSD, which can also be navigated using the Asus DisplayWidget for Windows 10/11.

GameVisual modes cater to different game genres, and GamePlus provides crosshairs, timers, sniper mode, fps counters, and more. Dynamic Shadow Boost, powered by ROG custom AI, enhances dark areas of the screen. The monitor can also change the display size to a 24.5-inch image, a 4:3 aspect ratio image, or a full-screen 4:3 aspect with deep black OLED borders.

Most of the tech in the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG isn’t new, as we’ve seen it in other Asus OLED displays. What sets this monitor apart is its new glossy coating. While LG’s big-screen OLED TVs have used glossy coatings for years, gaming monitors have typically favored matte or anti-glare finishes to minimize reflections.

Glossy coatings offer richer contrast and more vibrant colors but often suffer from distracting reflections. Surprisingly, the glossy finish on the XG27AQDMG isn’t as reflective as one might expect. I used the monitor with large windows behind me and experienced minimal glare or reflections. There were some shadowy glimpses of movement behind me, but nothing that ruined the picture quality.

The glossy coating on the XG27AQDMG hits a sweet spot for color vibrancy and picture quality. While there’s been debate over glossy vs. matte displays, this panel will impress most users. Even with bright lights nearby, reflections are manageable, making the glossy XG27AQDMG a stunning and practical choice for gamers and content creators alike.

Verdict

However, the XG27AQDMG does have some drawbacks: it lacks a 360Hz refresh rate, USB Type-C with Power Delivery, and a KVM switch—features that give the MSI MPG271URX an edge. For users with a laptop, desktop, and a PlayStation 5, this might be a dealbreaker.

And if those features are crucial to you then the MSI easily wins over the Asus. Overall, the XG27AQDMG adds to an impressive lineup of OLED gaming monitors. This is the year of OLED, and it’s exciting to see what Asus will bring next.

Asus ROG Australia kindly loaned the the Strix OLED XG27AQDMG to PowerUp for the purpose of this review

Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG

LIKES

Gorgeous glossy WOLED isn't as distracting

Excellent picture and colours

Fantastic gaming performance on PC and console

Great stand with storage and full 90-pivot

Excellent for productivity and creative work.

DISLIKES

Hard to see the benefit of glossy without side by side

No built in speakers

No Type-C or KVM switch

4.5