Hands on: Acer Vero CB272K bmiiprx review
This review first appeared in Issue 357 PC Professional Edition.
You can generally be confident with aggressive pricing from Acerand it did not disappoint. next cheapest 4K screenBenQ’s PD2706U costs £399, while the BenQ BL2790QT costs £270 and only includes the 1440p panel. There must be no competition, right?
In some ways, no. Detail-loving photographers or film buffs will appreciate the level of detail on display here, as will the same for commercial use if you have good eyesight and read spreadsheets – or are inclined to use two windows side by side.
Technically, this is also a superior panel, as it’s a true 8-bit display that uses FRC to increase color coverage to 1.07 billion colors. In comparison, the BenQ BL2790QT is a 6-bit panel with FRC and a color range of 16.7 million colors. In fact, there’s little difference between them: the Vero covers 75% of the DCI-P3 space, while the BenQ covers 73% of the peak, and both offer similar levels of (excellent) color accuracy.
The higher the brightness, the whiter the white will look, but this will increase power consumption: 200cd/m22 Vero requires 20W and can reach up to 24W at full brightness of approximately 280cd/m22though heading to the OSD you can activate maximum brightness, taking it to a searing 420cd/m22. That is 70cd/m22 More than Acer claims.
switch to high dynamic range Modes and displays will enhance black and white contrast in movies and games. While it only offers a 60Hz refresh rate, it has a 4ms response time and AMD FreeSync support makes motion look smoother. Have a mediocre set speaker Internally, though, you’ll need to take advantage of the 3.5mm jack located next to the two HDMI inputs and a DisplayPort on the back. Here’s your fate: There’s no USB-C, no USB hub, and no RJ45 port.
The stand is nice and sturdy, with a huge 165mm height adjustment range and an amazing amount of movement: up to 35° tilt and almost 360° rotation. We also like the OSD, which features three shortcut buttons (two of which can be reassigned) and a mini joystick for quick control.
One final note about the Vero brand. This marks Acer’s most Environmental friendly The product, ultimately, uses more recycled plastic than a typical monitor. It’s a move worth taking, but ideally we would seek an EPEAT Gold rating rather than a Silver rating, and make some design adjustments to make it easier to repair and recycle at the end of its life.
But let’s not be too picky. Only Eizo truly leads the way in this regard, and this is reflected in its price monitor. You may not come across too many frills, but a premium IPS panel has 4K Priced at £269, the resolution is undisputed.
