Acer K272HUL 27" WQHD LED Display Preview

With all the talk of 4k and Ultra HD, it's nice to be reminded that some manufacturers are still putting out displays we can afford. This year's CES was full of curved screens and resolutions that no one really needs. We've seen technology like this come and go in the past but, while we're sure 4K is here to stay, it's really not all that exciting. Who cares that you can put your nose to a 50" 4k display and not see a pixel? Who puts their nose on a 50" display? And if you do, who is cleaning that screen because that's just rude. With other, less pixelly (made the word up) dense screens you don't have to pay $4k (or much, much more) for a curved display you can't hang on your walls or view from off-axis.

Acer is a name we are very familiar with from their budget computers and monitors. They've recently announced a brand new 27" WQHD display for just under $450. So, what's the big deal? WQHD is a better than 1080p resolution in a display that is meant for your desk giving you more pixels in the situation where you'll actually need it - when you are very close to your display.

The K272HUL is a 27" LED display with a 2650 by 1440 resolution screen. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio for additional screen space reducing your need for multiple monitors. While using the DisplayPort and either an HDMI or DVI port simultaneously, you can use two sources in PiP (Picture-in-Picture) mode. No word if it supports split screen though we would guess that it does.

The K272HUL has Acer's "ComfyView" screen which reflects less ambient light. For many people, this is a huge selling point. In an office, you might not worry about off-axis viewing and glare, but in just about every other situation, it can be a huge problem. The anti-glare screen makes its 16.7 million colors seem even more vivid. The K272HUL has an impressive 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically viewing angle. It has a snappy 6ms response time for reduced motion blur. The K272HUL is VESA-compliant for easy wall-mounting and had a stand that can adjust from 5-25 degrees. This makes it very easy to find the perfect viewing angle for any use.

Acer brags an incredible 100,000,000:1 maximum contrast ratio (technically it is probably infinity to one since turning it off is zero light). The K272HUL has Acer's Adaptive Contrast Management system for optimizing contrast frame by frame. The Acer K272HUL has a DisplayPort and DVD input and two HDMI ports. Unusual for computer monitors, the K272HUL has two built-in speakers. Like all Acer displays, it has a 3-year warranty.

We did a quick search on Amazon for WQHD, 27" displays and found that the MSRP of the Acer K272HUL falls in line with the current offerings. Of course, knowing how display prices often act after release, we expect the street price of the K272HUL to be very competitive.

Conclusion

We like seeing displays that can be used in your bedroom or your office. The 27" Acer K272HUL has a better-than-1080p WQHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, two HDMI inputs, and integrated speakers. While its intended use is certainly at a desk, the K272HUL has everything you'd need to watch movies. As more people are using their computer monitors for gaming or other content, having a good all-purpose display is a must. At $450 MSRP, the Acer K272HUL certainly fits the bill. We're curious to see what the street price ends up being on this one.

For more information, please visit www.acer.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.