NEC MultiSync E273F review: A straightforward ergonomic office monitor for businesses
It’s not pretty but the NEC MultiSync E273F is still a solid 1080p business monitor that prioritises comfort and efficiency
Pros
- Versatile stand
- Energy conscious
- Decent panel performance
Cons
- Mediocre build quality
- Dated design
- Dim
The NEC MultiSync E273F is a business monitor through-and-through. Designed to be ordered in batches of anything from ten to 1,000, it’s a practical 27in display that makes the most sense as a relatively cheap addition to a large office space.
That said, there are a few things here that could potentially suit home office workers as well. The versatility and connectivity are not to be sniffed at and although it’s hardly the most attractive monitor in the world it largely delivers where it counts.
NEC MultiSync E273F review: What do you get for the money?
The NEC MultiSync E273F costs £279 (£335 inc VAT) with discounts applicable if you’re buying in bulk. That gets you a 27in IPS monitor with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, a refresh rate of 75Hz and a quoted response time of 6ms G2G.
You’ll find three USB-A 3.0 ports on the rear as well as a USB-C hub port that also carries a video signal and supplies up to 65W of power connected devices. For video and audio duties there are two DisplayPort 1.2 ports, one HDMI 1.4 input and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
There are also a few features aimed specifically at businesses. Chief among them is NaviSet Administrator compatibility, which allows an administrator to control OSD settings remotely. There’s also a carbon footprint meter and an Eco mode, which alongside an energy efficiency rating (EEC) of C should please energy-conscious users.
The stand provides 170 degrees of swivel left and right, 130mm of height adjustment, 90 degrees of pivot (into portrait mode) and 25 degrees of backwards tilt.
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NEC MultiSync E273F review: What does it do well?
Let’s start with that stand. It’s among the best I’ve ever seen on a monitor, topped only by the ergonomic arm mount found on LG’s Ultrawide Ergo. It’s very easy to adjust and guarantees you won’t need to prop the E273F on anything to maintain good posture. Plus, that huge swivel radius makes it much simpler to physically share your screen with others.
I should also direct a bit of praise at NEC’s commitment to energy efficiency. The vast majority of the office monitors I’ve tested have Eco modes of some sort but most only have EECs between E and G, meaning the E273F is much more energy efficient.
Although I have seen office monitors with a more comprehensive selection of ports there’s nothing wrong with what’s on offer here. A USB hub and a USB-C port is plenty for most users. That’s enough to charge most ultraportable laptops, although it might not charge them particularly quickly.
Moving onto panel performance and it’s a largely decent set of results from the E273F. Out of the box with eco settings switched off this monitor produced 93% of the sRGB colour gamut with an average Delta E of 2.3. This was the best result I recorded, even after switching the E273F into its dedicated sRGB mode, which bizarrely produced a worse average Delta E of 2.68. It’s a decent result for an office monitor, though, and indicates that the panel isn’t drastically inaccurate.
This is an IPS panel so viewing angles are very good and there’s a heavy-duty anti-glare coating on the screen which manages to combat reflections well. A contrast ratio of 944:1, meanwhile, is pretty much what I expected from this monitor: not terrible and certainly good enough for office use.
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NEC MultiSync E273F review: What could be better?
I was less impressed by the peak brightness, which sat unmovingly at 223cd/m². That is enough for an office environment, yes, but in bright sunlight – something I get a lot of in the Expert Reviews offices – the E273F becomes hard to view.
The thick anti-glare coating, meanwhile, adds a slight fuzziness to proceedings. This exacerbates the effects of the low pixel density: at 82ppi you’re going to notice the jagged edges caused by individual pixels.
My biggest issue with the NEC MultiSync E273F, however, is the look and feel of it. No two ways about it, this is not a good-looking monitor. The review sample I was sent is chiselled from a lump of matte grey textured plastic that picks up scratches incredibly easily and feels like those horrible chairs you’d find in a primary school classroom. Sure, it has a bezel-less design, but the positives end there.
NEC MultiSync E273F review: Should you buy it?
If you’re a consumer looking for an office monitor for your remote working setup, I don’t think the NEC MultiSync E273F is for you. AOC’s Q27P2CA can be had for £300 and delivers a similarly versatile stand, a better selection of ports, a superior panel and a higher 1440p resolution.
No, the E273F is for businesses and businesses alone. In that field, it becomes a more tempting proposition – it’s hard to make an assessment of the price as an individual consumer but the emphasis on ergonomics, energy efficiency and manageability should appeal to office managers. Just be warned: it ain’t pretty.
