Acer Predator XB273U V3 180Hz QHD IPS
As an Amazon Associate and Newegg Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the “Buy” button at the bottom of this post. Where possible, you'll be redirected to your nearest store. Further information on supporting our work.Medium refresh rate QHD options remain very popular for their price and versatility. The Acer Predator XB273U V3 (XB273U V3bmiiprx) provides such an experience, with a focus on gaming. The monitor includes a crescent-shaped dark silver coated metal stand, with top and side bezels adopting the popular dual-stage design. This includes a slender panel border flush with the rest of the screen plus thin hard plastic outer part. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick and buttons at the rear of the screen, running vertically downwards towards the right side as viewed from the front.
A 27″ 2560 x 1440 (QHD or 1440p) IPS-type panel is included, with support for a 180Hz refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync. This allows VRR technologies such as AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ to be used, with 48 – 180Hz VRR range plus LFC assumed. Other aspects of note include a matte anti-glare screen surface, 1000:1 static contrast ratio and 178°/178° viewing angles. A flicker-free WLED backlight provides a 95% DCI-P3 colour gamut and 400 cd/m² typical maximum luminance. The monitor is ‘Eyesafe’ certified (2.0 standard) by TÜV Rheinland, with the blue peak shifted to less energetic wavelengths and the amplitude of the peak reduced to potentially improve viewing comfort. A factory calibrated sRGB setting with specified DeltaE <1 is also included.
The monitor responds to HDR10 content at the VESA DisplayHDR 400 level. This allows 10-bit colour processing to be used and for the decent DCI-P3 coverage to be put to good use. Local dimming is not required and brightness is quite limited by HDR standards, however. A 0.5ms grey to grey response time is specified, which as usual you shouldn’t pay much attention to. The stand attaches centrally with a quick-release mechanism and can be replaced by an alternative 100 x 100mm VESA compatible solution if preferred. The stand is fully adjustable, including height adjustment (4.72 inches or 120mm) and pivot into portrait. The ports face downwards and include; DP 1.2, 2 HDMI 2.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 2 x 2W speakers are also included for basic sound output.
Further details can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is listed for ~$350 USD.