Sony - 27” INZONE M10S OLED QHD 480Hz 0.03ms NVIDIA G-SYNC Gaming Monitor with HDR400 (DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR10) - Black

TL;DR: Save your money and get the ASUS PG27AQDP. This monitor has broken HDR, lower brightness in SDR and HDR, weak color saturation in HDR, no BFI, a less desirable coating, and burn-in protection that can’t be turned off. It is also $100 more than the ASUS and only comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty that may not cover burn-in. After getting the PG27AQDP first, this model was released a week later, and I decided to get it because I am a total tech member (2-year warranty). The plan was to return the ASUS, which I originally purchased on Newegg, and keep the Sony for the warranty from BestBuy until I found out the Sony is a downgrade in nearly all aspects. The ASUS is slightly brighter in SDR, but when you turn off the burn-in protection on the ASUS, it is easily 15-20% brighter and more colorful in SDR. You cannot turn off the burn-in protection on the Sony at all; it is hard-locked on, and there are no options for it in the OSD or the Inzone Software. In a side-by-side comparison, the difference is quite noticeable. While features like static taskbar detection should be kept on for monitor usage, options like “Outer Dimming Control,” which dims the edges of your screen and creates a distracting vignetting effect, cannot be turned off. Bright elements in SDR and HDR will only be bright in the center of the screen; at the edges, they noticeably dim, which can be very distracting. “Adjust Logo Brightness” also dims the brightness and color saturation in SDR and HDR, affecting everything—even highlights—which doesn’t make sense. These features can be easily turned off on the ASUS, but not on the Sony. On Sony OLED TVs, you can adjust settings like Adjust Logo Brightness, but not on their monitors? Regarding HDR, one would expect a company like SONY, a leader in displays and cameras, to excel in this area! Unfortunately, this monitor's HDR performance is well very bad; in a side-by-side comparison with the ASUS, it appears almost like SDR. The advertised “1300 nits” brightness is not achieved. With the latest firmware (M003, currently M004), the Windows 11 HDR Calibration app hard clips at “2550 nits” in all modes, including the “HDR 400 mode,” which shouldn’t exceed 400 nits. No matter the calibration, HDR looks washed out in all modes, losing detail in highlights. The monitor does not even achieve 2550 nits; not even their flagship A95L OLED TV can reach that brightness. It’s puzzling how this monitor was launched with such HDR issues. Working HDR on an OLED is crucial, as it is arguably the main selling point for consumers! The EOTF also does not track correctly, and it’s evident to the naked eye that something is off—side by side with the ASUS, the Sony appears over-brightened. The HDR implementation is lacking, and colors do not match the ASUS in saturation. The reds appear orange, and golds look yellow on the Sony, which is surprising given they use the same panel. In side-by-side comparisons, this difference is striking. I posted a picture with two red cars from a YouTube video with RTX HDR, and while the camera slightly picks it up, the car on the ASUS is significantly brighter and more colorful than on the Sony. Both are set to “Game HDR,” which should output 1300 nits, with brightness, contrast, and saturation set correctly. There is noticeable black level raise and posterization on dark scenes in HDR, which is not present on the ASUS. Watching YouTube videos with RTX or native HDR reveals pronounced posterization that is hard to ignore. In dark atmospheric games like Tarkov, using RTX HDR is almost unusable because of these issues. I also noticed that the coating is worse on the Sony despite it using the same panel as the ASUS. The ASUS appears sharper, less grainy, and has deeper blacks. The black level issue is subtle—around 5-10%—but still puzzling considering both use the same panel, especially with the Sony priced $100 higher. The coating on the Sony is noticeably grainier, similar to cheaper IPS and TN panels. While it’s not a dealbreaker, it is frustrating given the price difference, especially when the ASUS outperforms in nearly all aspects except for the stand and OSD. Others on Reddit have reported similar HDR issues, so this is not just a problem with my unit. I contacted Sony support about the HDR issue, and they only offered to send me a replacement, despite the fact that the issue isn’t unique to my unit. Interestingly, the agent I spoke with didn’t seem familiar with HDR. Lol. Can this be fixed with a firmware update? Maybe. But in its current state, I personally cannot recommend this monitor. Considering Sony doesn't offer a true HGIG mode on their flagship OLED TVs (A95L) and often has to implement weird tone mapping, I’m skeptical this will be resolved, though I hope I’m wrong. Additionally, this monitor lacks BFI, which the ASUS does have. This feature is beneficial for games that can’t reach 480Hz, and using BFI on the ASUS is really nice to have on games like Tarkov for example, which cannot achieve anywhere near 480FPS despite your hardware. While not a dealbreaker, the ASUS being $100 cheaper and having BFI doesn’t help Sony asking 100 extra dollars for their monitor. The Sony also has unfortunately more dirty screen effect than the ASUS; in dark scenes, the banding is much more apparent. Now this may be unique to my unit only, but I thought I should add it. The only positive aspect I can mention is that the stand is excellent—perhaps the best I’ve ever used on a monitor (like seriously)—and the OSD/knob is significantly better than that of the ASUS. The “FPS Pro +” feature seems to wash out the image to resemble a TN panel, which can be emulated on the ASUS by playing around with the OSD settings. I also prefer the 24.5 cropped mode on the Sony, as it can be centered at the bottom, making it feel more natural compared to the ASUS. Finally, the warranty. The SONY warranty is only 1 year, and it does not state that it covers burn-in. In contrast, the ASUS offers a 3-year warranty that clearly covers burn-in. A 1-year warranty for an $1100 OLED monitor is a joke, especially given the price difference. Marketing this to an eSports audience who will likely use the monitor for hours a day at max brightness and color saturation in SDR, particularly with the 1-year warranty potentially not covering burn-in is a little predatory. If you choose to go for this monitor for whatever reason and plan to use it for several years, I heavily recommend getting the Geek Squad warranty.

So far i went from a ROG Strix XG27AQMR its a 1440p ips 27inch that does 300hz. I got it when it came out. Love it but ive been holding out after for a oled monitor or better. I have two lg oled tvs so ik the experience when i see it. I was confused about the matt and glossy but i wouldnt know till i see it with my eyes. So far its been a few days since i had this monitor and ill try to give the details i have on it Pros, truly colors are nice but my ips wasnt FAR of either but again i havent played on it toooo much. The matte finish isnt a problem to me i think it looks great! I didnt see any color bleed really like another post i saw. The feel of the monitor and its stand is amazing! It feels like i got a lot better at valorant and im happy. Cons, it has a flicker (oh no its not good!) BUT it mainly flickered in the fps mode but the GOOD thing is it already has a software update which fixes it. Vrr/adaptive sync was the problem. I also hate when you go through the different modes like gaming,cinema and stuff itll switch the screen to the one you hover over before clicking the one you want. Butnif you dont click on them itll go back to what you had. I dont like it cause thats changing the screens color over and over imo i dont like. Software. Simple easy i recommend using it when changing screen modes!! It does not need to be open all the time but i use it. Im not to heavy on the whole specific colors stuff i see default options are fine to me so far. I played mainly with light on cause with my ips the light was getting to my eyes/head. With oled you dont have that problem as much. Ill try dark room when i can. For the alt tab thing it aint that bad but i prefer borderless so i dont have that black screen thing. So gaming part. I played a lil bit of bf2042 for the color and stuff since bf2042 was downloaded and i dont really play single player games on my pc mainly on my oled tv. It did look a lot better imo but i wanted to test the fps so valorant i went to. Idk how to tell you this but it felt like i can hit my shots. Ive been doing really good idk why i thought it be my internet but man the colors and stuff help so much for me. I dont wear glasses btw. So far im gold but i think i can get out of it. Minecraft ofc looks good and with max settings still good. Im on a i7 13gen and 4090 build. If anyone got game recommendations i can try for sure! Another somewhat con i have is the screen saver. So far i notice it dim the screen nothing else. I would of preferred the lg c models screen saver where its black and lil fire works pop. Also the blacks are true aswell. Ask any questions or give me some tips ill keep messing with it. RizzyReign discord or twitch

Important: Before you take full advantage of the monitor I recommend updating the firmware (See Sonys website) you will also need a USB flash drive. Mine came on ver 03, and I updated to ver 04 which improved performance. I was super excited to test the Sony Inzone M10S 1440p | 480Hz | OLED gaming monitor, and the highest refresh rate I tried before this was 240Hz, so in theory it should have been a huge upgrade. While I can definitely tell the difference, the 480hz and 0.03 rated response time did not blow me away like I thought they would. I was honestly more impressed by the fact that it’s OLED and I get those true clean blacks. More details about my thoughts on the panel below. Ports: x2 HDMI 2.1 x1 DisplayPort 2.1 (this is the only included cable by the way besides the power cord) 2x USB-A 1x USB-B 1x USB (for updating purposes only) Design: This monitor is very nice looking! It will immediately stand out to you as being slim, but it still holds most of the electrical components in the circular island on the back. The stand is also very nice and can do a full 360 degree turn as well as tilt up/down. Only thing missing which is surprising is not being able to stack it vertically. The panel itself is covered in a matte coating which you will prefer especially during those sunny days. Colors/resolution: At 1440p and 27 inches this is an ideal size for gamers! I have a small desk and I had no problem getting this set up. There is also a built-in 24.5 inch mode that reduces the size if you’re more used to that. In terms of colors you actually get a packet that shows how the monitor was calibrated and checked in the factory which all looked good. I did have some trouble adjusting the colors though to my liking which took a lot of tweaking. Ultimately I settled on the warm preset with max brightness which roughly looked what I’m used to. For any types of games (especially FPS) I liked the FPS Pro Mode which made reds pop out more. Speaking of brightness I found that the monitor gets decently bright but it’s just that - decent. I feel like most people will be left wanting more in this regard. Besides gaming I really enjoyed this monitor for movie watching - the OLED panel provided really clean blacks and the contrast was great! I usually use my laptop and mobile devices to watch movies/youtube because they tend to have better screens, but now I finally have a monitor that’s on the same level, so it’s a win! Performance:Now for the most important aspect for those interested in this monitor - 480hz and those insane response times! I would say that compared to most recent monitors that I’ve used which were between 180-240hz the responsiveness only felt slightly better. I didn’t feel like I was getting 2x the responsiveness and clarity like I was hoping I would. I will say though that it can be highly dependent on what game you're playing as well - for example Valorant felt more smooth than CS2 which are usually my top 2 played FPS games. In the end I can’t complain about the performance though as everything just works and it gives me that peace of mind knowing I have the best of the best. Other notes: The settings for the monitor are very easy to navigate with the little joystick on the back Inside those settings you will find all your color profiles, and there’s even a setting you can adjust the intensity of which is called “pixel shift” that helps prevent burn-in Firmware updates are really easy to do Despite using DisplayPort 2.1 which not many GPUs currently support, DSC is still being used So for my final thoughts i feel like this monitor is the definition of “the point of diminishing returns” it’s perfectly smooth, perfectly responsive, it’s even OLED, but is it that much better than other monitors with worse specs? For me the answer is honestly no. I definitely feel future proof though and will enjoy this monitor for years to come! Pros: * Extremely high refresh rate and response times * OLED * Slim design * Awesome base * Easy navigation * Burn-in protection Cons: * Brightness * Questionable value