Design and Build
The AGON Pro AG276FK looks remarkably similar to other AOC monitors that have been released in recent times, including the AOC Gaming Q27G4XF and AOC GAMING 27G4XE. It also adopts an almost identical rear panel to the AGON PRO AG346UCD. This includes a special lighting setup that illuminates your desk area in various colours. Glowing colours and patterns can also be customised and even synced up with other AOC devices.
The panel itself is fast IPS, which is an improvement upon standard IPS displays. It enables monitor manufacturers like AOC to deliver amazing colour accuracy and wide viewing angles while also offering enhanced response times. It is the panel technology that allows for the whopping 520 Hz refresh rate.
The case itself is made of matt grey plastic and is robust enough to endure any knocks it might face during its lifetime. The screen can be raised or lowered with an easy-to-adjust mechanism.
Features and Performance
The standout feature of the Pro AG276FK is its 520Hz refresh rate and swift response times of up to 0.5ms GtG and 0.3ms MPRT. None of this will be of any relevance to creatives but to gamers; these are truly drool-inducing specifications.
These deliver beautiful, clear motion clarity with minimal input lag and I’ve not seen a monitor that performs better in this regard. I’m no esports professional but I imagine this will provide you with everything you need. According to AOC, fast-paced FPS titles such as Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant display one frame every 1.92 milliseconds. Impressive.
The refresh rate means that AOC has had to limit the resolution to FullHD. Current-gen GPUs just couldn’t perform adequately enough if it was pushed higher. I imagine and would expect that in future years we’ll see higher resolutions being paired with extreme refresh rates.
Along with this IPS technology, the Pro AG276FK produces a beautiful image quality. As a creative, I loved the vibrant and bold colours that are a result of the DisplayHDR 400 certification and peak 400 nits of brightness. Most of my creative workflows were not hindered by the Full HD resolution but problems do arise when working with 4K video footage. Again, it’s worth keeping in mind that this is primarily a monitor for gamers.
With that in mind, gamers will love a range of other included features, including the built-in Frame Counter and Shadow Control that allow players to monitor their performance and fine-tune their visual experience. There are also Motion Blur Reduction (MBR) and MBR Sync technologies, which can be turned on to further enhance motion clarity in competitive scenarios.
Price
The AGON Pro AG276FK is currently available at an MSRP of £499.99 / $530. At this price, you’ll have to be sold on having a monitor with one of the quickest refresh rates in the world. At only 27 inches and FullHD resolution, there are better alternatives around, especially if you want to go curved. For example, you could grab the Philips Evnia 34M2C5501A monitor for only £299.99.
Buy it if
- You’re a professional gamer
- You need a next-level refresh rate
- You like monitor’s with USB hubs
Don’t buy it if
- You work with high resolution video files
- You’re on a budget
