A Closer Look
This is a really well-made monitor, and you can see and feel the quality from the moment you take it out of the box. Firstly, it’s pretty damn heavy for a 27″ monitor, it feels robust and overbuilt, and I guess that’s one thing I would expect from such an expensive model.
The screen is well presented, with a very slim bezel on the edges, making this well suited to multi-monitor configurations.
However, it just looks better too, huge bezels can just look unsightly and old-fashioned.
There’s a slightly thicker bezel along the bottom edge, but again it’s well presented. The plastics have a nice muted look about them, so no changes of unwanted reflections or fingerprints showing up on the surface.
There’s a small textured AORUS logo in the middle, but again, no bright colours or distractions to be found.
Tucked under the bottom edge and in the middle, you’ll find a small analogue stick controller, which can also be clicked like a button. This will provide all the controls for the UI and power of the monitor, and it’s straightforward to use too, which is always a welcome bonus.
The stand offers a good range of ergonomics, too, allowing you to put the monitor surprisingly high up should you feel the need.
It’ll drop down completely to the point that it touches the stand too, should you feel like slouching really low in your chair.
You get a good degree of movement to the left and right, all without moving the stand. Actually, given how heavy the monitor is, it moves around easily enough, and I didn’t have to brace the stand with my other hand while moving the panel, which I like.
The monitor also supports a portrait mode, and again, the mechanism for doing so feels extremely well engineered. It turns, and a small bump in the rotation helps hold it in place once you get to the full 90-degrees.
You can still adjust the height too, and even still drop it down to touch the desk and tilt forwards/backwards; it’s a very flexible setup!
Around the back, albeit I still have the monitor in portrait mode, you can see all the I/O ports; it’s very well equipped in that regard too.
You get two HDMI and a DisplayPort, all supporting the latest standards. There’s also a USB hub, allowing for two full-speed USB 3 devices.
The power is just a 3-pin kettle lead too, no ugly power bricks to deal with here!
The rear design looks awesome too, and it’s a shame my desk is against a wall really. But, of course, if you have a more open desk layout, then you’ll be happy looking at the back once in a while. That handle at the top is functional too, you can pick up the whole monitor and carry it around with it quite safely; remember to detach your cables first, of course.
There’s some RGB here on the glossy parts of the monitor, but also built into the stand too.
At the top, there’s quite a bit of ventilation, but a lot of those lines are overemphasised for aesthetics rather than all being vents. I’m not expecting the monitor to get hot, but it is a higher refresh rate display, so it’s bound to use a bit more power than most.
The stand is awesome, with a heavy-duty cast metal design that provides a really stable base for the monitor. It doesn’t wobble or creak and that’s always a good start.
