Acer KB272 G0bi Review: 1080p 120Hz IPS Monitor

The Acer KB272 G0bi is a budget 27″ 1080p monitor with an IPS panel for accurate colors and a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth motion clarity.

Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Image Quality

Based on an IPS panel with 99% sRGB color gamut coverage, the Acer KB272 G0bi delivers accurate and vivid colors without oversaturation.

It also has 178° wide viewing angles, meaning that the image won’t degrade in quality when viewed at skewed angles.

This makes it suitable for entry-level color-critical work, but if you need a display for professional work, you’ll still need a colorimeter to calibrate the screen – or get another monitor with tighter factory calibration.

Further, the panel supports 8-bit color depth via dithering (6-bit + 2-bit FRC) and while this isn’t noticeable during everyday use, some minor moving patterns in darker tones can be detected if you’re really looking for them. Most users won’t be bothered by this, but we find that it’s worth mentioning.

The 1920×1080 Full HD resolution on a 27″ sized screen provides you with a pixel density of 81 PPI (pixels per inch). As a result, the image appears a bit pixely in comparison to 24″ 1080p or higher resolution displays.

Related:What Is Pixel Density And Pixels Per Inch (PPI)?

In games and videos, this is less noticeable, so if you mainly plan on using the monitor for entertainment, it may not be an issue for you. If you want sharp text and details, a higher pixel density display will suit you better.

If you have an entry-level graphics card, the 1080p resolution is a plus since it’s not very demanding on the GPU, allowing for higher frame rates.

Moving on, the Acer KB272 G0bi monitor has a peak brightness of 250-nits, which is the minimum as far as modern LED-backlit LCDs go, but the screen can still get more than bright enough for most users under normal lighting conditions.

In case you plan on using the monitor in a particularly bright room (facing a big window without curtains or under studio lighting), it might not be able to mitigate glare in those conditions, and you’ll need a brighter screen.

Next, the Acer KB272 G0bi has a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, as expected from an IPS panel display. This means that blacks won’t be as deep as that of VA panels with a usual contrast ratio of around 3,000:1, but these panels have their disadvantages, such as narrower viewing angles.

Another expected drawback of IPS panels is IPS glow, which can be characterized as visible glowing around the corners of the screen at certain viewing angles. It’s mainly noticeable when displaying dark content in a dark room with a high brightness setting, so it’s manageable.

Performance

The Acer KB272 G0bi has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, which provides you with a significant boost in motion clarity as opposed to typical 60-75Hz displays.

The bump in increased motion clarity is not only noticeable in games, but just moving your cursor around and scrolling through web pages feels a lot smoother as well.

You also get lower input latency of around 4ms, which makes for responsive gameplay and no noticeable delay between your actions and the result on the screen.

Moving on, the monitor also supports variable refresh rate over HDMI for tear-free gameplay up to 120FPS. Sadly, since the monitor doesn’t have HDMI 2.1 or a DisplayPort input, you cannot use VRR with NVIDIA graphics cards (or the PS5).

VRR does work with AMD GPUs and Xbox consoles over HDMI.

Alternatively, you can use VRB (Visual Response Boost), which uses backlight strobing to reduce perceived motion blur at the cost of image brightness. VRB cannot be active at the same time as VRR, and it introduces flickering that’s invisible to the human eye but can cause headaches to sensitive users after prolonged use.

Lastly, the monitor has a fast response time, meaning that there’s no prominent ghosting behind fast-moving objects, making it ideal for fast-paced games.

There are three overdrive modes: Off, Normal and Extreme. We recommend sticking with the default Normal mode to prevent more ghosting or overshoot.

Features

On the rear of the monitor, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Besides the typical image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature), the Acer KB272G0 offers several advanced settings, including sharpness, gamma, 6-axis hue and saturation, aspect ratio control and automatic input detection.

Other useful features include PiP/PbP, Black Boost (improves visibility in dark scenes) and a refresh rate tracker.

The monitor is flicker-free (unless VRB is enabled) and there’s a low-blue light filter, ensuring a comfortable viewing experience.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy, but it’s tilt-only by -5°/25°. Luckily, the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern, allowing you to easily attach it to a third-party stand.

Connectivity options include one HDMI 1.4 port and one VGA port (limited to 60Hz). There’s also a headphone jack.

Price & Similar Monitors

The Acer KB272 G0bi price ranges from $110 to $150. There’s also a 24″ version, the Acer KB242Y G0bi, and the SB series with different stands, the Acer SB270 G0bi and the Acer SB240Y G0bi.

If you want a 27″ 1080p IPS display, we recommend the Sansui ES-G27F2 instead. It has a higher 165Hz refresh rate and a DisplayPort input.

In case you’d rather have a smaller 24″ sized 1080p display with a higher pixel density, the KTC H24F8 with 190Hz and a DP input can be found for $105.

For $110 – $150, you can also find 27″ displays with a higher 2560×1440 resolution, such as the KTC H27T13 with 100Hz and the KTC H27T22S with 180Hz.

For more options and information, check out our dedicated best gaming monitors buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

The Acer KB272G0 is an overall decent monitor, but there are better options in this price range.

Specifications

Screen Size	27-inch
Resolution	1920×1080 (Full HD)
Panel Type	IPS
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	120Hz
Response Time	Not specified
Visual Response Boost	1ms MPRT
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync (48-120Hz)
Ports	HDMI 1.4, VGA
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	250 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	1000:1 (static)
Colors	16.7 million (6-bit + FRC) 99% sRGB
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)