PREDATOR X27U: Acer's Best Standard OLED Gaming Monitor

Ashley_Buckwell · March 13

The Acer Predator X27U is one of the latest monitors from Acer to feature advanced OLED technology and an array of features tailored to gamers. The monitor sports a 27-inch panel with a refresh rate of 240 Hz, and it has been tweaked and designed to reflect the Predator branding. Let’s take a closer look to see what this OLED gaming monitor offers.

Acer Predator X27U Specs

Screen Size: 27 inches
Resolution: 2560 × 1440 QHD (16:9)
Panel Technology: OLED
Refresh Rate: 240 Hz
Response Time: 0.01 ms (30 µs GTG)
Contrast Ratio: 1,500,000:1
Brightness: 150 cd/m2 (1000 cd/m2 Peak)
Features: VESA DisplayHDR 400
Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 × 5 W)
Stand: Height – Yes
Stand: Tilt – Yes
Stand: Swivel – Yes
Stand: Pivot – Yes
Connectivity: 1 × DisplayPort 1.4, 2 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × USB-C PD 90 W, 3 × USB 3.2, 1 × 3.5-mm audio jack
Dimensions With Stand: 24.02” × 14.37” × 7.88” (Width × Height × Depth)
Weight: 13.45 lbs

Design and Features

Acer Predator X27U monitor from the back.

The Acer Predator X27U is styled to be discrete and sophisticated. From the front, the 27-inch OLED panel is virtually borderless, having very minimal inner bezels. Viewed from the rear, the monitor adopts a variation of the "central box" design common to several OLED monitors released in 2023, including models by Asus and LG. Extending from the rear central box is the thin OLED panel, housed in a frame that is finished in a combination of matte black and gunmetal plastic that looks decent. Notably, the monitor doesn’t incorporate any RGB LED lighting. The central box is supported by a black plastic stand that has impressive-looking legs made of sturdy metal with a smooth finish. The stand’s pillar allows for the monitor's height, tilt, swivel, and pivot to be adjusted, providing a fantastic range of ergonomic control. There’s an ample amount of height available here that should suit most desk setups.

The build quality of the Predator X27U is excellent, just like most of Acer’s high-end Predator gaming monitors. The monitor looks like it was precisely manufactured, and it is firm and stable.

Display and Performance

The monitor’s 27-inch OLED panel has a maximum resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels (unscaled), a 240-Hz refresh rate, and a 0.01-ms response time. The panel’s brightness is listed at 150 cd/m2 with a 1000 cd/m2 peak, and its contrast ratio is 1,500,000:1. This model isn’t certified for HDR other than HDR10 compatibility, but we all know that it will beat any HDR1000 mini-LED alternative in that regard.

At 1440p, a 27-inch screen is the perfect size: this equates to a DPI resolution of 108.63, which means crisp fonts and sharp graphics. The Acer Predator X27U covers 100% sRGB and 97% of the DCI-P3 for stunning color in games and movies.

The Acer Predator X27U’s brightness is rated at 150 nits for general usage and provides up to 1000 nits when set to HDR 3% mode. Its minimum brightness is 10 nits, with a black luminance at 0.0, making it one of the best at producing compelling dark scenes or truly inky blacks, thanks to OLED technology (more on that at the end of the article).

The monitor is also excellent when it comes to pixel response time, which is perfect for competitive games. Its input lag sits at 3 ms at 240 Hz, making it one of the fastest 1440p monitors around. There are no delays between transitions because the panel takes care of motion handling without relying on a backlight. It is also compatible with AMD FreeSync™ and G-Sync® for tear and stutter-free gaming—great for games like Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant.

OSD

The monitor’s OSD is operated using a directional toggle joystick on the bottom edge of the screen, and within the OSD, you’ll find a respectable range of settings primarily centered around gaming. There are settings for a crosshair, FPS readout, timer, sniper mode, black boosting, low blue light mode, plus an assortment of other color controls and settings.

Connectivity

For inputs, the monitor has one DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a USB Type-C input that supports DP Alt-Mode and a generous 90 W of power delivery, more than enough juice to charge a modern laptop. For outputs, it features a 3.5-mm audio jack. It also has a built-in KVM switch, allowing for easy switching between peripherals and between machines.

Antiglare

The monitor has a relatively heavy matte antiglare coating that does an exceptional job of eliminating reflections, reducing diffuse light, and preserving OLED blacks. This coating improves the viewing experience in brightly lit rooms, in rooms with light sources directly in front of the monitor, and in situations where you can’t control room lighting effectively with blinds—the X27U looks great under all these conditions. In darker conditions, the antiglare coating is less useful, but it still serves to give the monitor that premium feeling that comes with the Predator brand.

Speakers

Acer has given this monitor relatively hefty speakers rated at 5 W, which is quite powerful given that these are just built-in speakers. Although most gamers are likely to have sound systems connected to their machines, it’s nice to know that these speakers are there to fall back on at any time.

Overall, the Acer Predator X27U is a prime example of what high-end gamers demand and can get from the Predator brand. Its OLED panel offers exceptional contrast, low response times, and impressive HDR performance. The monitor is the perfect companion to the latest graphics cards and should serve to provide an optimal viewing experience for many years.

What is OLED? OLED vs. LED

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens, including that used in the Acer Predator X27U, represent the height of modern display technology. Both OLED and LED monitors use thin panels with millions of pixels to deliver crystal-clear picture quality, lightning fast response times, and low lag, and there are excellent variations of monitors in both categories. The major difference lies in how they light the image: with LED screens, a backlight shines through a liquid crystal layer, and each liquid crystal pixel acts like a shutter, either blocking the light or allowing it to pass through. With OLED screens, a separate light source is not needed—each OLED can be turned on and off individually. This is because an OLED’s pixels are emissive. This differs from LED screens, in which the liquid crystal pixels are transmissive. When an OLED pixel is not activated, it emits no light at all. This is what gives OLED monitors the incredible black levels they are known for. It also allows for OLED screens to be thinner than LED screens.

The emissive nature of OLEDs, in which each pixel is individually controlled, translates into providing pictures with a high dynamic range, deep blacks, and a wide color gamut. If you are mostly interested in nighttime use, you cannot beat the absolute black of an OLED display. However, if you are going to be looking at your monitor during the day, it is worth considering an LED monitor, which generally performs better on brightness tests. Check out this article for more information and for examples of other excellent Acer OLED and LED monitors.