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The Good The Acer Predator XB272 provides a convenient maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz in addition to G-Sync support and offers a decent selection of hardware controls.
The Bad Its resolution is low enough for a 27-inch monitor, and the input jacks do not meet the latest standards.
The Bottom Line If you just need it for high frame rate games, the Acer Predator XB272 is a great option. But otherwise, it’s a little unfortunate for money as a general purpose monitor.
Acer raises the bar for gamers at high frame rates, extending the 25-inch Predator XB252 to 27 inches and bringing the maximum upgrade to 240 Hz. For $ 680 (about £ 620, $ 1050) It’s not the cheapest G-Sync monitor around, but at the moment it’s one of the few that updates so quickly. And for the TN panel, it’s pretty good. (Don’t confuse this with the XB272-HDR, which has a completely different panel, is not yet available.)
However, a trade-off is a resolution that is also similar to a smaller panel. This means that you can ride a truck between pixels – okay, not really, but it means that doing something besides playing games is not very sharp. For games, you can use G-Sync DSR to increase the perceived resolution.
Basic specs
| Price (MSRP) | $680, approximately £620, AU$1,050 |
|---|---|
| Panel type | TN |
| Backlight type | WLED |
| Size (diagonal) | 27 |
| PWM backlight dimming | n/a |
| Resolution | HD (1,920 x 1,080) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Pixel pitch (mm) | 0.31 |
| Maximum gamut | 100 percent sRGB |
| Rotates vertically | Yes |
| Bit depth | 8 |
| Typical brightness (nits) | 400 |
| Selectable/custom picture modes | Yes/No |
| Sync standard | G-Sync |
| Maximum vertical refresh rate (at HD or higher resolution) | 240Hz |
| Gray/gray response time (milliseconds) | 1 |
| Black/white response time (milliseconds) | n/a |
| Release date | April 2017 |
The layout of the XB272 is pretty typical, on the back right – the screen controls. The buttons are a bit flat and heavy in feel, but they are complemented by a joystick, which makes it much easier to navigate the menu than typical up and down arrow buttons. You can map the two buttons directly to the menu options, a nice benefit.
It has a fairly wide range of options. There are three game presets that change the brightness, refresh rate, and white dot settings. There is also a choice of three optional target overlays, responsive contrast, and a decent set of color and brightness options.
Acer Predator XB272 covers the basics
Four USB 3.0 ports and built-in low power speakers complete the feature set. The biggest disappointment here is the inputs: one HDMI and one DisplayPort, both based on the latest generation standards. Not a contractor, but if you spend so much on a monitor, you probably want it to last for a few years; at least the high speed of future updates protects it a bit.
Connections and equipment features
| HDMI | 1 x 1.4 |
|---|---|
| USB Type-A (out) | 4 x USB 3 |
| USB 3.0 (in) | 1 |
| DisplayPort | 1 x 1.2 |
| Built-in speakers | Yes (2 x 2W) |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
In most ways, the XB272 is a typical TN display, covering about 95 percent of the sRGB color gamut, measuring a maximum (static) contrast of about 720: 1 and a peak brightness of about 445 bolts.
The maximum refresh rate of 240 Hz goes a long way to leveling the game; even with G-Sync I saw a little more stuttering than I expected when frame rate rose above refresh rate. But at 144Hz and above it handled the GTX 1080’s fast gameplay well. I didn’t see a single flicker, even when trying to get it, but I think I’m just not sensitive to it. And the sound is great if you have limited space, at least managing its low-power speakers.
Conclusion
At 27 inches, the Predator XB272 is the size of a “sweet spot” and its 240 GHz refresh rate raises it above the crowd if you need to reach high frame rates, but it’s a fluke. In addition, the G-Sync DSR helps compensate for the otherwise low resolution of the display, but this is only an option for games.
