AOC U27P2CA review: The unexceptional middle child

On paper, the AOC U27P2CA is identical in almost every way to its sibling, the AOC Q27P2CA, but one: this monitor has a 4K panel, while the Q27P2CA settles for 1440p.

While the upgrade might sound appealing at first, it’s worth bearing in mind a couple of key caveats. The first is that this monitor is a bit more expensive than its lower-res sibling; the second is that at only 27in across the diagonal, the benefits of a 4K resolution are less pronounced than they are at larger screen sizes.

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AOC U27P2CA review: What do you get for the money?

The U27P2CA costs roughly £370, which is around £70 more than the 1440p Q27P2CA (£300) and £60 less than the larger 32in 4K U32P2CA (£430). For the money, you’re getting a 27in IPS panel with a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, a refresh rate of 75Hz, a response time of 4ms and generic adaptive sync support (including Nvidia G-Sync compatibility).

Like its stablemates, the AOC U27P2CA has two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.2 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio-visual duties.

It also has four USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports (two on the side, two on the rear), a USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 port and a USB-C 3.1 3.2 Gen 1 port capable of carrying a video signal and supplying 65W of power to a connected device simultaneously.

You’re well covered on the adjustability front, too. The stand has 150mm of height adjustment, 90 degrees of pivot, 180 degrees of swivel and 35 degrees of backwards tilt. The box contains USB-C, DP and HDMI cables alongside the power cable and assorted documents.

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AOC U27P2CA review: What do we like about it?

I’m at risk of repeating myself here but, ultimately, this monitor shares most of the same positives as its 1440p sibling, the AOC Q27P2CA. The design is suitably smart: the matte black paint job, slim profile and barely-there bezels might be run of the mill for these kinds of monitors, but it’s still a pleasingly classy overall effect.

I particularly like that the OSD buttons are mounted facing you: I generally prefer a joystick, but that’s simply because most manufacturers hide the buttons away, making them difficult to locate. You won’t need to jab randomly to navigate the OSD here.

It’s also great to see such a strong selection of ports. Many similar monitors settle for either USB-C or a USB hub, but rarely both. The fact that two USB ports are mounted on the side of the monitor for easy access is also a huge plus.

While unfortunately, the U27P2CA’s panel leaves a little bit to be desired, there are clear positives. Chief among these is that this monitor exhibits no backlight bleed and has good overall panel uniformity. Brightness and contrast are also excellent: I measured a peak luminance of 394cd/m² and a black point of 0.38cd/m² for a contrast ratio of 1,036:1. This screen is as bright and punchy as that of its 1440p sibling (more so, in fact).

AOC U27P2CA review: What could be better?

Out of the box, however, the U27P2CA produced a narrower gamut than the Q27P2CA: 109% of sRGB, 77% of DCI-P3 and 75% of Adobe RGB (versus 134%, 94% and 92% respectively from the Q27P2CA). It failed to do so in an accurate manner, too, with the Delta E frequently exceeding 3. This means that, while the panel is definitely vibrant, it’s not displaying content in these colour gamuts as the creator intended.

There’s one more similarity to note between the two panels, but it isn’t a flattering one. Like its sibling, the U27P2CA has a tendency to wobble a bit on its stand. It’s not awful by any means but if you spend a lot of time typing you will notice it bobbing away in time.

The biggest issue, however, is simply that this monitor doesn’t take full advantage of its resolution. For office work, I’d recommend a panel size of 32in or above to make the most of those extra pixels: at those sorts of sizes, the 4K resolution really comes into its own, allowing you to squeeze more in on screen much more comfortably than on a smaller display. Given that AOC’s own U32P2CA fills that niche nicely, however, it’s hard to see where the U27P2CA fits in.

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AOC U27P2CA review: Should you buy it?

There’s nothing disastrously wrong with the U27P2CA. I simply don’t believe that the benefits afforded to you by this 27in 4K panel are worth the £80-ish extra you’re paying for them, particularly given that the U27P2CA’s panel is less accurate than the Q27P2CA’s.

In short, if the features of this monitor appeal to you, buy the Q27P2CA instead. You almost certainly won’t miss the extra pixels and, if you think you will, I’d recommend you pay a little bit more for the AOC U32P2CA. That extra screen real estate will do 4K justice in a way that the U27P2CA simply can’t.