Acer Predator X27U F5 evaluate: A extra inexpensive 500Hz OLED monitor

Finest Costs Right now: Acer Predator X27U F5

The arrival of 1440p 500Hz QD-OLED screens within the fall of 2025 has been fascinating to look at. A monitor with a refresh fee this excessive would’ve appeared unique a pair years in the past, however now you’ve roughly a half-dozen choices to select from. Acer’s entry into the gang chooses to chop again some options to offer the 500Hz panel at a decrease MSRP.

Learn on to be taught extra, then see our roundup of one of the best screens for comparability.

Acer Predator X27U F5 specs and options

The Acer Predator X27U F5’s fundamental specs are acquainted by now, because it’s a part of a fleet of recent 500Hz QD-OLED screens arriving on retailer cabinets. These screens obtain a rare refresh fee whereas sticking to a extra modest decision.

• Show measurement: 26.5-inch 16:9 facet ratio
• Native decision: 2560×1440
• Panel kind: QD-OLED
• Refresh fee: 500Hz
• Adaptive sync: Sure, AMD FreeSync Premium Professional
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500
• Ports: 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort and 65 watts of Energy Supply, 1x USB-B upstream, 2x USB-A downstream, 1x 3.5mm audio
• Audio: 2x 5-watt audio system
• Further options: Headphone stand
• Value: $799.99 MSRP

One facet of the Predator X27U F5 that stands out, although, is connectivity. It has two DisplayPort ports, two HDMI ports, plus USB-C with DisplayPort, for a complete of 5 video inputs. Most opponents solely have three, and lots of lack USB-C.

Acer’s Predator X27U F5 is transport with an MSRP of $799.99. That’s decrease than most options: The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 lists an MSRP of $999.99, the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG is $899.99, and the MSI MPG 271QR can also be $899.99. Gross sales are frequent, although, so keep watch over present offers earlier than you make a purchase order—pricing can drop to a number of hundred {dollars} below MSRP.

Acer Predator X27U F5 design

The Acer Predator X27U F5’s design is nothing particular even by the requirements of laptop screens, which not often make a daring design assertion. From the entrance it’s a easy slab of shiny glass with skinny black bezels and an nearly unnoticeable Predator emblem. It’s not a lot totally different from the rear, because the monitor is usually constructed from fundamental, although sturdy, black plastics.

There’s nothing mistaken with a easy strategy. Personally, I are likely to favor refined design, as I not often see the rear of my monitor as soon as it’s on my desk. Nonetheless, you must be aware the X27U lacks even fundamental RGB-LED lighting, a characteristic widespread at this value level. It does have a flip-out headphone stand on the stand neck, although its location makes laborious to achieve.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I’m not a fan of the stand. It’s sturdy sufficient, however the stand has a deep neck and a large base that takes up extra desk area than vital, notably for a 27-inch monitor. The stand may be an issue when you have a slender desk, because it locations the show nearer to the person than most stands that ship with 27-inch screens.

The stand offers the standard vary of top, tilt, and swivel adjustment. It will probably additionally pivot 90 levels to be used in portrait orientation. All of that is typical at this value level. The VESA mount differs barely from the norm, as a 75x75mm VESA mount is used as an alternative of the extra widespread (amongst screens, no less than) 100x100mm VESA mount. Most monitor stands, arms, and wall mounts help each, although, so it’s not a lot drawback.

Acer Predator X27U F5 connectivity

Connectivity is an space the place the Predator X27U F5 stands other than opponents. It has two DisplayPort 2.1 ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, plus a USB-C port with DisplayPort and 65 watts of Energy Supply. That’s a complete of 5 video inputs; most direct opponents solely present three. The twin DisplayPort inputs are additionally uncommon, as most screens supply only one.

The wide selection of video connectivity will stand out in case you’re utilizing the Predator X27U F5 like each a monitor and TV. With this many ports you possibly can join two recreation consoles, two desktop PCs, and a laptop computer.

The USB-C port connects to 2 downstream USB-A ports. These may also be pushed by a USB-B port, and the monitor has a KVM change. It might’ve been good to see a USB-C downstream port as properly, however most opponents additionally lack that characteristic.

Acer Predator X27U F5 menus and options

The Acer Predator X27U F5’s on-screen menu system is managed by a responsive joystick centered behind the decrease bezel. The menu system is properly organized and options are well-labeled. I can nitpick in regards to the font measurement, which is a bit small, however it’s a very good menu system.

There are fairly a couple of choices to tinker with. The monitor has quite a few colour modes, gamma, and colour temperature presets. They’re not good (there’s no DCI-P3 or AdobeRGB colour mode and the colour temperature presets are imprecise values corresponding to “Heat” as an alternative of tangible values like “6500K”), however they’re not unhealthy. Additional picture calibration is obtainable by means of six-axis colour adjustment.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Acer additionally offers a spread of gaming options like on-screen crosshairs, a refresh fee counter, a darkish stabilizer, and the choice to lower the display’s viewable space if you wish to simulate a smaller monitor (which could be helpful in sure esports titles or some retro video games).

One characteristic notably absent right here, however discovered on opponents corresponding to Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG, is a proximity sensor. A handful of OLED screens now embody this as a solution to fight OLED burn-in, because the sensor will robotically dim or flip off the show once you’re away out of your desk.

Acer Predator X27U F5 audio

Acer offers a pair of 5-watt audio system with the Acer Predator X27U F5. They’re not nice, however they’re not the worst, and that alone is excessive reward on this class. Most screens on this class don’t present audio system in any respect. I wouldn’t need to use the built-in audio system for many video games and music, however they’re advantageous if I simply need to take heed to ambient tunes at low quantity, or need to play a recreation the place audio isn’t the main focus.

Acer Predator X27U F5 SDR picture high quality

The Acer Predator X27U F5 has a Samsung QD-OLED panel with 1440p decision and a 500Hz refresh fee. This panel first appeared in screens this fall, and most main producers now have a monitor with it. In brief, it’s a identified amount, and the Predator X27U F5 performs as anticipated—which is to say, it’s glorious.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up we now have brightness, the place the Predator X27U F5 delivers a end in extra of 300 nits. That’s in the direction of the excessive facet for an OLED monitor, although additionally one thing the most recent QD-OLED panels are starting to attain with consistency.

A brightness of 300 nits is normally greater than enough and, in a darkish room, you could find yourself utilizing the Predator X27U F5 at simply 20 or 30 p.c of its most. The panel has a shiny end, although, so vivid room efficiency can nonetheless really feel strained.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Distinction is all the time nice on OLED screens, and the Predator X27U F5 isn’t any exception.

The actual fact is that SDR distinction efficiency is maxed out right here. It actually can’t get higher than this. Distinction is expressed as a ratio that defines the distinction between a show’s minimal and most luminance. However OLED screens obtain an ideal minimal luminance of zero nits, which breaks the ratio.

In sensible phrases, meaning the Predator X27U F5 delivers a way of depth, immersion, and shadow element you received’t discover on any IPS-LCD or VA-LCD show. Even Mini-LED screens can’t match it.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Coloration gamut can also be a power for QD-OLED screens, as they use a expertise referred to as Quantum Dots to spice up colour protection. The result’s an extremely vast colour gamut. That’s helpful if you wish to create content material in vast colour gamuts and likewise offers a vivid, saturated picture in all different content material you’ll view.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Subsequent up is colour accuracy. Technically, the Acer Predator X27U F5 lags the pack right here, however the colour accuracy of OLED shows is usually so glorious that you simply’ll be laborious pressed to note any distinction. I personally can’t inform a distinction in colour efficiency or accuracy between fashionable QD-OLED panels, even with them side-by-side.

The Acer Predator X27U F5 hit a gamma curve of two.3, barely off the goal of two.2, and a colour temperature of 6400K, barely off the goal of 6500K. These once more are refined variations, although I personally do discover the gamma curve noticeable. It means content material will look ever so barely darker than on a monitor that hits gamma 2.2. Most OLED screens have the identical gamma and colour temperature efficiency, although.

Sharpness is just not a perk for the Acer Predator X27U F5. The monitor’s 1440p decision works out to about 110 pixels per inch throughout the 26.5-inch panel. That’s enough however actually not spectacular for a contemporary monitor, as 4K panels are extensively out there even at a lot lower cost factors. Whereas this may after all imply video games and flicks are a bit softer than at 4K, I discover the downgrade most blatant on the Home windows desktop, the place small fonts and interface particulars can look a bit jagged and blocky.

In abstract, there’s no surprises with the Acer Predator X27U F5, and that’s a optimistic. The picture seems to be vivid, saturated, deep and immersive. All of it provides as much as a unbelievable expertise when enjoying video games or watching motion pictures in SDR.

Acer Predator X27U F5 HDR picture high quality

The Acer Predator X27U F5 is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 licensed and has an HDR 1000 mode to attain a promised most brightness of 1,000 nits. Like most screens I check, the X27U F5 doesn’t fairly get there, however it will get shut and is usually very vivid for an HDR monitor.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Because the graph reveals, the Predator X27U F5’s efficiency lands in the identical vary as most fashionable OLED shows. You possibly can anticipate a peak brightness near 1,000 nits in HDR, however solely when a fraction of the show is brightly lit. HDR brightness drops considerably when bigger areas of a show are lit. The excellent news is that vivid, fast HDR highlights are sometimes what contribute most to the sense of HDR pop, notably in PC video games, so the general degree of HDR efficiency is nice.

One characteristic lacking from the X27U F5’s HDR mode is brightness adjustment. HDR sometimes provides content material management over brightness, however some fashionable screens present an override. That’s helpful if you’re enjoying in a really darkish area, or you’re enjoying a recreation with an uncomfortably vivid HDR presentation. The dearth of HDR brightness management on the X27U F5 isn’t a deal breaker, however I might’ve most popular to see it.

Acer Predator X27U F5 movement efficiency

The Acer Predator X27U F5 has a 500Hz refresh fee which, after all, is unbelievable for movement readability and responsiveness. A 500Hz refresh fee is manner larger than the outdated 60Hz normal, after all, and likewise twice that of a 240Hz show.

It makes a noticeable distinction, no less than in video games able to hitting as much as 500 FPS (which is important to benefit from the sooner refresh fee’s advantages). Quick-moving objects are extraordinarily crisp, with even particulars a couple of pixels in measurement seen, and fast digital camera pans in 3D video games look hardly totally different from standing nonetheless. The advance in movement readability might be stunning if you’re coming from a 60Hz show, and sure nonetheless noticeable even when upgrading from a 240Hz show.

One factor lacking from the Predator X27U F5 is a backlight strobing mode, corresponding to ELMB on the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG or MPRT on the MSI MPG 271QR. Backlight strobing can enhance movement readability at decrease refresh charges, and its absence might flip off some players.

Adaptive sync is supported by means of AMD FreeSync Premium Professional, although Nvidia G-Sync was detected once I related the monitor to an RTX 5050 laptop computer. I might have most popular to see each FreeSync and G-Sync badges on the field, although.

Buyers ought to remember that the X27U F5’s movement readability is just not a lot totally different than different screens with the identical QD-OLED panel. This arguably works to the X27U F5’s favor, as a result of it’s on the decrease finish of pricing.

Must you purchase the Acer Predator X27U F5?

The Acer Predator X27U F5 is one other nice entry within the swelling ranks of QD-OLED screens with 1440p decision and a 500Hz refresh fee. It has excellent distinction and colour efficiency and very good movement readability.

In comparison with its friends, corresponding to Samsung Odyssey G6 OLED and Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG, the X27U F5 is much less eye-catching and has an inferior stand. Nonetheless, the Acer Predator X27U F5 strikes again with a aggressive MSRP of $799.99 (although the Samsung is presently inexpensive on sale) and extra connectivity together with a complete of 5 video inputs.