AOC AGON Pro AG276QZD OLED Review: Inky blacks with incredibly smooth 240Hz [Video]

AGON Pro AG276QZD

In February, I got the Mini-LED version of the AGON Pro AG274QZM 27-in 1440p monitor and I’ve been using it ever since. Today, though, we have its brand-new OLED counterpart – the AGON Pro AG276QZD. With the same 1440p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, the OLED version packs an identical price tag of $1,000 but delivers an incredible gaming experience. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

AGON Pro AG276QZD: Specs

  • Name: AGON Pro AG276QZD
  • Price: $999.99
  • Size 26.5 in
  • Resolution: 2560×1440 (QHD)
  • Panel type: OLED
  • Backlight: WLED
  • Brightness: 1,000 nits (HDR)
  • Refresh rate: 240 Hz
  • Response time: .03ms GTG
  • Typical power consumption: 35W
  • Viewing angle: 178/178
  • G-Sync compatible
  • HDR 10
  • Antiglare finish

AOC AGON Pro AG276QZD: Video

Gaming-focused design

While Philips’ new Evnia line focuses on a clean and elegant design, the AOC Agon Pro line is a little more “gamery” and asymmetric. On the front, a thin bezel keeps the display looking sleek, but on the back, the AGON Pro AG276QZD has sharp, jagged shapes that also contain customizable RGB lighting. 

A handy eSports Stand

Recently, all of the monitors that I have reviewed like the AG274QZM and Evnia 34M2C7600MV have had the monitor stand design that juts forward under the monitor with two long legs. And while it’s secure, it gets in the way of my mouse and keyboard when gaming. 

The AG276QZD, though, comes with an “eSports stand” that ditches the legs and leaves plenty of room for keyboard placement and mouse movement. While I typically mount my displays on the Monoprice Heavy-Duty desk mount these days, the eSports stand is a huge upgrade in my opinion over the standard two-prong design. 

AGON Pro AG276QZD: Image quality

One major benefit of OLED panels is that they have extremely high response rates. In this case, the AGON Pro AG276QZD is rated at just .03ms. That fraction of a millisecond might seem like splitting hairs, and in some cases it is, but on the OLED panel, it means that motion is much smoother than the VA mini-LED panel on the other AOC AGON monitor. 

The mini-LED monitor relies on boosted settings to minimize smearing and blur in fast-paced motion, the OLED display has very smooth motion natively without ghosting or smearing thanks to its ability to quickly switch to different colors. 

In-game, that translates to fast and smooth images that make tracking objects easier than panels that do suffer from smearing and ghosting. Besides deep blacks and that speed, it’s hard to explain just how good the image looks from the AGON Pro AG276QZD. I’m totally on the OLED hype train, now. 

Additionally, the viewing angles on this OLED panel are incredible. There was no discernable color distortion when viewing the monitor at extreme angles.

Color and calibration

One downside of this display is a general issue with calibrating an OLED monitor. In the past, for calibrating colors on my monitor, I’ve used the Datacolor Spyder line. Most recently the SpyderX , but Datacolor cannot guarantee accuracy on OLED displays. In my case, the display always looked like it had a slight yellow hue at the end of the calibration. 

Using the “Wide LED” setting on the backlight for display technology and refining the white point on the final page, with a second calibrated monitor, in this case, the NZXT Canvas 27, I was able to get it close enough for what I needed. I’m happy to give up a bit of calibration for the incredible gaming experience that this monitor delivers.

Brightness

On paper, the brightness is listed as 1,000 nits, but it doesn’t look nearly as bright as some of the Mini-LED displays I’ve been using recently like the Evnia 34M2C7600MV that I even tried outside. At my desk where I edit videos and games, I don’t need a display with crazy high brightness. The AGON Pro AG276QZD is a perfect fit for me. 

9to5Toys’ Take

While it’s expensive and I wish I had a better calibration tool for it, I’m hooked on the OLED AGON Pro AG276QZD. The combination of rich color, incredible inky blacks, and crystal clear motion makes it a real treat for gaming. It performs great in fast-paced FPS titles like Battlefield 2042 but also looks incredible in racing and narrative games as well. 

Buy AOC AGON Pro AG276QZD

FTC: 9to5Toys is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links


Subscribe to the 9to5Toys YouTube Channel for all of the latest videos, reviews, and more!

Load more...
Show More Comments