Acer's 27in Predator OLED just hit my gaming monitor sweet spot

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OLED tech has all but conquered the TV world by this point, and has been making inroads into PC monitors for a few years now – but perfect blacks and instant response times don’t come cheap. Or rather, they didn’t: Acer’s new Predator X27U X1 is the first sensibly-priced OLED gaming monitor I’d actually consider buying, thanks in part to the realistic resolution.

Not everyone has thousands to spend on an RTX 5090 graphics card, or wants to rely on upscaling tech just to get playable frame rates at their monitor’s native resolution. That makes the Predator X27U X1’s 2560×1440 panel far better suited to more mainstream GPUs, like the RTX 4060 currently ranked number one on Steam’s hardware survey. The 26.5in screen size means it doesn’t demand a huge amount of desk space, either.

You’re still getting an esports-worthy 240Hz refresh rate, which combined with the 0.03ms response times and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro variable refresh support, should mean screen tearing is entirely eliminated. HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort connections play nicely with PS5 and Xbox consoles as well as PC gaming setups, while the quantum-dot OLED panel promises 99% DCI-P3 colour coverage. VESA has also given its VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 seal of approval.

It might be a gaming monitor first, but the ergonomic stand means it has home office appeal as well. It’s tilt, height and swivel adjustable, with picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture for multitasking.

The Predator X27U X1 is on sale now in North America for $600; it’ll hit the UK in April for £699, and Europe in June for €699.

Need a bit more screen real estate? Acer also has the larger Predator X32 X2 on thew way. This 31.5in monitor steps up to a 4K resolution, but keeps the 240Hz refresh rate, QD-OLED colour and contrast, and ultra-adjustable stand.

It’ll launch in North America first, in June, for $1000. Expect to pay £999 or €1199 when it hits the UK and Europe in August.

Related: I wanted to love Samsung’s Odyssey 3D monitor, but glasses-free 3D still has a long way to go

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A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews. When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.