A Closer Look
The new AOC U27G3X doesn’t look particularly fancy, it uses the slim black and red frame we see on a lot of their cheaper monitors, but on the plus side, it’s their Zero Frame design so there isn’t actually that much monitor to look at beyond the panel. The bulk of your budget is going towards the panel and the processing, which is ok in my book.
There is no silly RGB or anything like that, just a printed-on AOC logo on the front.
Even the stand is pretty minimal, with an X-shape base that has two longer front arms and two shorter back arms. It’s a good and sturdy design too, but the monitor supports VESA mounts too, so you can mount it on an arm, wall mount or similar.
The monitor is flat rather than curved, but for a 27″ monitor I’m OK with that, I prefer my curves on larger panels and ultrawide displays (as you can see on my monitor in the background). There’s an anti-glare coating on the panel, which does diffuse the reflections a bit, but it’s bright in here right now so you can see me reflected. However, the panel having a partial gloss finish to it is going to make the picture pop just a little better too.
There’s a good range of ergonomics built into the stand, allowing you to move it up nice and high with a decent amount of backwards tilt.
There’s even a little cable routing hole in the stand to help keep everything tidy.
The monitor supports portrait mode too, and I love how easy the panel is to adjust. For some monitors, you have to hold the stand down while you adjust it, but this one is very smooth and easy to operate. In portrait mode, it’s great for using a second monitor or doom-scrolling reddit.
There are five buttons under the monitor to control the OSD, pretty simple stuff, but the buttons are easy to index and simple enough to use. I would prefer all monitors to use the far superior thumbstick design on the back, but it’s hardly a deal breaker.
There are two DisplayPorts and two HDMI ports on the back too, allowing you to hook up multiple computers and consoles with ease. Keep in mind that 4K 160Hz is only supported on DisplayPort, while the HDMI maxes out at 4K 120Hz.
It uses a single power cable too, so there’s no need for an external power brick. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I reviewed a monitor that came with an external brick, they’re certainly less common.
The back of the panel is a simple matte black and a few red highlights, it’s very clean looking overall, and there are no RGB distractions here either.
