ASUS - 27" Widescreen Flat-Panel IPS LED HD Monitor - Black

Got this model particularly because of the reasonable price at a 2K display level, and also because I want to get a monitor that matches both my Mac and my Surface pro's higher-than-HD displays. The set-up was quite easy. I didn't actually have to read any instructions, nor did I need any utensils. The picture output is great. And the decent audio quality gives it a plus. I am very satisfied with the purchase.

This monitor provides a clear, concise picture with excellent connections.

The high resolution of this monitor is excellent, but many cards will not support that. So be sure you have one of these cards. And this resolution can only be attained with HDMI, dp, and DVI (Dual Link). So the manual says. Other reviews have said that it does not come calibrated. I can't tell, and I haven't tried to get and use any calibration software yet. I would recommend this monitor to anyone that wants a great picture.

My new Asus PB278Q 27-inch monitor produces a very good, bright, high-resolution image. The black case and stand are attractive and sit firmly on my desk with no looseness in the gimbal. The setup instructions, however, are very poor -- there is no text, just a few diagrams, and a couple of the steps are nearly uninterpretable. For example, the monitor is shipped with the screen oriented in vertical position relative to the stand, and it does not respond to a modest effort to rotate it. Should one apply more force? Or is there a latch of some sort that needs to be released? The instructions are silent on this question. I took a chance and pulled hard on the screen, and it then rotated into a horizontal position. I also discovered a piece of dirt between the LCD panel and the transparent panel -- it covers more than 3 pixels and moves around if I tap on the monitor. I'm hoping to knock it to the bottom of the panel so it won't show and I won't have to return the monitor for replacement. But the fact that this very obvious problem was ignored during the factory inspection suggests a lack of respect for the customer on the part of the manufacturer.

It works great, remember to get a video card that supports the resolution. The screen rotates to portrait and has templates to setup real size paper images although I didn't need them it was cool. I needed it for music editing and the amount of information on the screen was great.

I am so happy I ordered this monitor. It is easy to handle - I tend to adjust height so being able to adjust the screen up and down,, and tilted - is super simple. The package includes cables for every type of connection. The picture on this monitor is outstanding and it is sleek looking and lightweight.

I purchased this monitor with the expectation of replacing my two 1080p 21.5" monitors. In terms of use, I design websites, author custom web applications, and offer IT support. Unfortunately things didn't work out. Here's why I ultimately returned the monitor: 1) Connectivity. My Macbook supports HDMI and Mini DisplayPort. HDMI offered a very fuzzy picture. Images looked fine but menus and text were blurry. Using Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort solved the issue with clarity BUT as you'll see in other reviews the DisplayPort on this monitor is ridden with bugs (won't wake from sleep, random blinking, etc). 2) Text refinement/clarity. Even when connected with a DisplayPort cable, I was experiencing far more eye strain reading text on this monitor vs my older 21.5" 1080p monitors. Side by side, this monitor produced text that was less sharp. Technically the dot pitch on this monitor is smaller than my old one so it should have been sharper. That's not what I experienced. 3) Backlight bleed. I don't do a lot of gaming but backlight bleed was extremely noticeable on dark images and websites. I found myself moving my head to avoid seeing the washout effect it produced (like old non-TFT monitors). It was not noticeable on the left side of the screen while the bottom right corner was awful. There is a professional review of this monitor on another website that discusses uneven backlighting which might have something to do with what I was seeing. 4) Color accuracy. This is probably a non-issue for average users but as a professional I found it incredibly difficult to work with. I have several laptops and monitors that I test my designs on before sending them to clients. This monitor produced colors that were darker than any other display I own (to the amount of several shades in a color picker). The white balance on this monitor was also very difficult to dial in. I either found it far too cool or warm following calibration. and it was too warm uncalibrated. Whites had a slightly red hue to them out of the box. The sum of these issues forced me to return this monitor. As much as the size and resolution were amazing, these negatives outweighed the extra screen real-estate I gained.

In the world of extreme-definition monitors, the Asus PB278Q almost perfectly hits a happy medium between features and value. The PB278Q is a great assortment of customization features at about the same price. The Asus can't quite match the performance of the $100 more expensive Dell U2713HM and lacks the Dell's USB ports and plentiful assortment of presets, but for $100 less it's a great lower-priced alternative for those looking to save a few bucks on an extreme-definition monitor.