AOC Agon AG272FCX Monitor Review

When a monitor exceeds around 26 inches, most manufacturers will opt for a Quad HD display to ensure that pixels aren’t too visible. Yet, at 27”, AOC have created the AG272FCX which looks to combine 144Hz, a curved display and 1080p for an incredibly reasonable price. Has AOC struck gold with this recent product? Read on to learn more.

To begin with, we’ll start with packaging and setup. Everything you pay for arrives in a very tough cardboard box which illustrates the fundamental selling points on the surface. Time to dig in. Lifting up the top flaps reveals a few diagrams which clearly demonstrate how to mount the stand if you wish; note that wall-mounting is an option. Below the flaps is an incredible amount of clever padding using thick Styrofoam and cardboard; AOC must be commended for how secure the product is. Attaching the screws to the stand and base is seamless – no need to be a carpenter. Just like that, it’s ready to use, but there’s so much more that’s included in the box.

Cables consist of an audio cable, microphone cable, displayport cable, HDMI cable, USB Cable, Quick Switch Keypad and power cable. The amount of times the word “cable” was used shows how thoughtful AOC were when designing the packaging, while sorting all of them in little plastic bags of their own and arranged with zip ties. Not to forget the CD Driver which is optional thanks to online availability. Setting up and unboxing is a fantastic experience.

Moving on to aesthetics, it looks amazing.  The front face is a powerful 27” of screen outlined by a frameless design around the top three sides with a defined chin at the bottom. Exact measurements are 597 by 336mm. It’s also quite slim, in turn needing an external power brick to supply the power. A red AGON logo sits at the centre between the sexy light strips – more on those later and has the only manual button directly under it. Checking the behind, it’s equally as attractive.  Four more strips of lights sit symmetrical to the bracket in the middle and create a glowing effect below a headphone stand to the top left.

Now we can discuss the I/O. We’ll go from left to right.  First is a microphone in, audio in, a couple USB 3.0 out with fast charging and one USB 3,0 in. Next come two HDMI ports, a display port and VGA. The only connections left are the power line and a microphone out to the PC. Back to looks, the optional stand is brushed metal and looks phenomenal. It provides a total lean of 33 degrees and full swivel along with vertical adjustment. The stand even provides a small handle at the top to facilitate transportation. However, all these connections and physical additions are useless if the viewing experience is unsavoury, but is it?

Of course not. AOC’s mission is to provide the best displays on the market using top notch technology and performance. At a native 16:9 display ratio, the MVA screen is a sight to behold due to many factors. A refresh rate of 144Hz makes the pixels fresher than ever with a snappy picture that dances in the 1800mm of glorious curvature. The matte display fights glare at all 178 degrees of viewing angle. It’s safe to say that media consumption and gaming becomes an immersive experience on the AG272FCX. Apart from immersion, there is also the sharpness of the images thanks to a 3000:1 contrast ratio and 50million:1 dynamic contrast ration. The only thing which is a small drawback is the input lag of 4ms, it’s still very fast but it may not satisfy serious gamers who are looking for a 1ms input lag.  Also, at 250 nits it doesn’t get too bright and full brightness was kept throughout usage.  With the voluptuous curvature, it’s a superb ergonomic experience.

Before proceeding to the plethora of features, the pixels must be discussed first. At 27 inches, it’s unusual to use a 1080p on such a wide screen due to the pixels becoming much more visible. So are they visible? Yes, but in certain situations. If one enjoys gaming roughly 10 cm away from the screen; then the pixels are quite noticeable. Yet, on the other hand, if you prefer gaming laid back at around 30cm, then the pixels are invisible and not a nuisance at all. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the features and software on this beast.

Beginning by naming the display features, there is Shadow Control; a fancy term for adjustable gamma. Then there is Game Colour which allows the gamer to load preset display settings for game genres and even create personal profiles too. Moving on to syncing, Adaptive Sync or Freesync favours AMD graphic cards in every frame. To lower strain, AOC has also implemented Flicker Free Technology and low blue light option. Making use of the large estate is Screen+, which creatively slices the creen into pieces for increased productivity. Physical features include lighting options of red, blue and green at various intensities.

The final and extremely welcome addition is the internal speakers that provide acceptable linear audio to a surprising volume; this is always useful to have on a monitor but won’t be used too much by gamers and serious audio users. So how does AOC provide the means to access and toy with all the onboard settings?

This is where the driver and Quick Switch Keypad come into play. Honestly, the downloaded or installed driver appears a tad old from its interface. External software such as Screen+ and eSaver which aren’t unique to this monitor are linked and easily downloadable. That’s all the driver is used for apart from directing oneself to the manual. After a careful read through it, use of the Quick Switch Keypad and the single manual button is possible but still a bit cumbersome.

The manual button below the chin of the screen is wobbly and feels as if it’s ready to fall off, purposely designed like this so that it could be moved in different directions for movement and options. Remembering the designated button movements is easy enough after the first few times. Utilising the keypad is similar, requiring some memory too. Thankfully, everything is explained in the simplest of vocabularies to assist all consumers closely.

Prior to finishing the review, a small gripe needs to be addressed. AOC is providing the three colour options so that the monitor can blend into different colour schemes easily. However, the red “AGON” text and the blue power buttons tend to throw of the homogeneity of the colours. It will be said that this is nitpicking at its finest.

To summarise, the AOC Agon AG272FCX is tailor made for gamers who prefer the lower 1080p resolution to bump up frames per second. Being such a new product, just released this May, it’s packed with the highest quality technology and features to ensure that you’re comfortable at all times. Pros outweigh the cons severely, with only the pixel density forming a slight problem. For around €450, you may not be getting Quad HD yet you’re getting the whole package for 1080p gaming having perfect ergonomics and build quality.

Who it’s for:

• PC gamers who prefer 1080p for higher framerates wand may also have a console to plug in
• Those who want the curved experience at a reasonable cost
• Gamers who want a great looking monitor with lighting
• Those who need 144Hz

Who it’s not for:

• PC gamers who need less than 4ms input lag
• Those who’d rather spend the money on Quad HD.

For more information and a specification sheet check out this link:  
http://eu.aoc.com/en/gaming/products/ag272fcx

If you're interested in purchasing AOC Gaming monitors, we suggest you to visit this link - http://shop.gamers.com.mt/search?keyword=Aoc