ASUS PB Series PB278Q 27" 5ms (GTG) WQHD HDMI Widescreen LED Monitor 300 cd/m2 80,000,000:1 Built-in Speakers

Pros: Resolution, contrast, response...everything is fantastic. And putting it in portrait mode is pretty cool too. Pretty good bang for buck, considering most other high resolution monitors could easily be twice this price. Worth the investment in quality.

Cons: When showing darker scenes / black transitions in cinematics, games, movies etc. there is very noticeable back light bleed in all corners. Only for the very darker sections though.

Other Thoughts: Enough to dock one egg for the "engh I blew $XYZ and you'd figure they'd check for this in QC :P " but still a 4/5 because its not a big enough deal to return, I love it and would make the purchase again, and is probably just my individual product. Overall its a pretty good monitor.

Pros: Every port available with a cord makes it easy for anyone to plug right out of the box.

Very nice blacks if it wasn't for the back light bleed.

No bright spots.

Samsung PLS tech has matched normal IPS tech but not better.

Newegg paid for return shipping. Kudos.

Cons: Colors aren't factory pre-calibrated.

Colors aren't 100% sRBG as advertised but it does match U2713HM sRGB 99% levels.

3 dark dots.

Low contrast, other monitors display more vibrant colors.

Returned after two tries, gave up.

No cross shipping. Glad I still was within 30 day window for return with Newegg.

Back light bleed aside from the normal IPS glow as a bit too much. No longer have monitor.

Other Thoughts: Qauliy is a hit or miss with all monitors. PB278Q just isn't as high of QA control as other vendors like DELL.

When it works it works, just have to try getting a good one. A lot of people just plug and play without inspecting their monitors, that's why they are happy.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Meh,

You may want to try the ICC profile on this website: http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/articles/icc_profiles.htm and look for ASUS ICC profile for your monitor, PB278Q. ASUS monitors carry 3-year warranty with the option of hassle-free, rapid replacement that includes 2-way shipping on us. If you’d like to discuss this issue further, please contact me at cl-celeste@asus.com and include ref#1072-10883 in the subject line.

Sincerely,
Celeste
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: The images look beautiful. Adjusting the viewing angle and the height of the screen is very easy. The stand is very stable. Every cable you are liable to need is included.

Cons: The the ports on the back could be slightly easier to reach. The enclosed information could be a little clearer. The on-screen menu for the adjustments is a little confusing, although I did finally figure it out.

Other Thoughts: None of the cons were serious enough to take off an egg. Just minor annoyances, but, now that it's set up and I'm looking at this large, high resolution screen, I'm starting to forget about them.

If you're a digital artist, designer or someone who works with a lot of visual information, you will seriously want to consider this monitor.

Pros: Good picture, high resolution

Cons: Bad display port cable, all other inputs work except display port. I will have to get another display port cable.

Pros: Words cannot do this monitor justice, it is simply amazing and worth every penny. I use this in a business setting as I am a data scientist and spend 10+hrs a day staring at this screen. Flawless detail throughout, the PLS panel technology is far superior to any of the TN panels I have used. Very easy on eye strain over TN panels (like none) and the brightness and color appear flawless. ASUS even supplied wires for every type of connection, a convenience factor I suppose though I have never used supplied cables for any of my electronics.

Cons: None really. The swivel isn't ideal and the speakers suck, as do all speakers manufacturers wrongly continue to attach to displays.

Other Thoughts: I do not believe displays should do anything other than display video. The fact this monitor has some 'added features' are great though I bought this solely for the video capabilities.

Pros: I will never go 1080 again. Image is crisp, the colors are vibrant and ASUS's zero bright dot guarantee seems pretty legit. I love all of the extra screen space for multitasking while I'm writing papers. I also game and have to admit that I wouldn't want to game on any monitor I have previously owned any longer.

Cons: None so far!

Other Thoughts: Wish it would have had a USB 3.0 hub

Pros: Perfect panel out of the box :). No dead pixels. Resolution is fantastic, clarity and sharpness at 2560 x 1440 is awesome! I've owned a bunch of average monitors like you get at any computer/retail store. This is far far better. Colors are vibrant and much more accurate. Text is so sharp and defined, no blur around the edges. The anti-glare is near perfect, no rainbow effect and little glare. they really nailed the anti-glare. I can work all day with out eye fatigue. I only use it for work so I can't comment on game performance but in a MS word/excel/browser/visual studio environment it's fantastic. I didn't know how dull the whites of my old monitor were until I saw it next to this one, I almost can't bare to keep it as my second monitor. If it was $150 cheaper I think I would have gotten two.

I just hope the quality is as good as the picture, only time will tell (fingers crossed).

Cons: Speakers are not powerful enough, might as well not be there can't use them anyway. they should either remove them and lower the price or make them acceptable. Or add an optional sound bar like Dell! that would rock.

swivel is odd, the whole foot turns and disturbs the junk on my desk.

Other Thoughts: Would have liked to see a USB hub. even 2.0 would have been nice. monitor mounted usb is the ideal place to plug in your wireless kb/mouse transmitter or charge your phone while working. Ya I have a little hub on the desk for that but one less thing on the desk is always a plus.

Pros: Outstanding color presentation and blacks presentation. Absolutely top notch. A lot of technology and adjustment capability in this monitor. If you do your research you'll find settings that will reduce both ghosting and tearing to very minimal levels. No, it's not to the point of eliminating these factors like they do on the 144 Hz capable panel but unless you put these side by side on the same signal you won't notice.

Cons: The price. But, all things considered, you won't find a better value on 2560 x 1440. Especially when you take into account the quality of the picture and the relatively low response time and lag.

Other Thoughts: For all those single monitor users who run single video cards with over 2GB of GDDR; there is finally an affordable reason to justify your purchase. Running the highest graphic capable titles with everything juiced up will push the 2GB threshold. I myself and not big into multi-panel gaming. I value a single panel at the best resolution & picture quality I can get. My keen eyes soak it all up! Keeping it simple yet pro.

Pros: This monitor is, by far, the best monitor I've ever owned. I switched from a 1920 x 1080 27" monitor to this one and the difference is like night and day. Honestly, it looks like I upgraded my graphics card just from having the higher resolution of this monitor.

It was a REALLY tough decision for me between going for higher resolution or going for a 120hz monitor. I'm glad to say that after owning this monitor, I know I made the right choice in the higher resolution. What's the point of the game running at a smoother framerate if it's still not high-res? The difference this monitor has made on all my video games has been astounding.

Additionally, this monitor provides so much more real estate than my previous monitor and doesn't hurt my eyes when I'm on it for a long period of time. Getting a 27" monitor that is only 1080p isn't the appropriate resolution when you're sitting so close to it. It used to hurt my eyes after long sessions but not anymore.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: Can't wait until they have a monitor with this resolution AND 120hz. I'm guessing that's a few years off, though, so for the time being I'll enjoy just the higher resolution and will surely upgrade once one of these monitor's comes out that also has 120hz.

Pros: The IPS panel is beautiful. Mine came to me with zero dead pixels and worked right out of the box, no messing with connections and preferences. The swivel function is great for webpages and pdf files. The raising and lowering mechanism is really smooth and sturdy. I've loved this monitor ever since I picked it up. (I got it at a local distributer and I didn't get it through Newegg but I wanted to share how much I love the monitor).

Cons: The cable management bracket on the back was a nice touch but it's finicky and I've kept it off. The monitor is only 60 hz; all IPS panels are but I mention this because it might not be the most ideal monitor for gamers due to the input lag and the motion blur it MAY cause. However, using this monitor mainly for gaming, I've had zero problems. I'd take a little motion blur with vibrant colors over any 120 hz TN panel.