Bottom Line
The Sceptre U275W-UPT is the best budget 4K monitor if you don’t need features such as variable refresh rate and wide color gamut.
If you’re looking for a cheap 4K UHD monitor, the Sceptre U275W-UPT is the most cost-effective model available!
Image Quality
Based on an IPS panel, the Sceptre U275W-UPT monitor offers consistent and accurate colors with ~99% sRGB color space coverage.
Moreover, thanks to its 178° wide viewing angles, the image will remain consistent regardless of the angle you’re looking at it.
Therefore, you can use the monitor for basic photo and video editing. For professional color-critical work though, you’ll need a colorimeter to create an ICC profile for proper accuracy or buy a more expensive monitor with better factory calibration.
On a 27″ sized screen, the 4K UHD resolution provides you with a high pixel density of 163 PPI (pixels per inch). As a result, you get exceptionally sharp text, crisp details and plenty of screen real estate.
Keep in mind that you will need to apply some scaling in order for small text to become readable. Also, note that 4K UHD is very taxing on the GPU, so if you plan on gaming, make sure you have a good enough graphics card.
Next, the Sceptre U275W-UPT has a strong peak brightness of 350-nits, meaning that it can get more than bright enough to mitigate glare, even in well-lit rooms.
As expected from an IPS display, there’s some IPS glow. It’s mostly visible when displaying dark content in a dark room with a high brightness setting. Its intensity varies across different units of the monitor, but it’s manageable.
IPS monitors have a low 1,000:1 contrast ratio (excluding IPS Black and FALD panels), so you won’t get as deep blacks as that of VA panels, which usually have a contrast ratio of around 3,000:1.
VA panels, on the other hand, have other disadvantages, such as narrower viewing angles and (usually) slower pixel response time speed. What’s more, there are no ~27″ 4K displays with VA panels currently available. So, if you want to go with VA technology, you’ll need to pick a display with a different resolution or screen size.
Performance
The Sceptre U275W-UPT has a maximum refresh rate of 70Hz, which offers a small but noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to 60Hz.
It also has a fast pixel response time speed as there’s no visible ghosting behind fast-moving objects. There are only two overdrive modes (on and off). We recommend enabling the overdrive for optimal performance.
Input lag is low at around 9ms, so you won’t be able to notice or feel any delay between your actions and the result on the screen.
Of course, motion clarity and responsiveness are not even close to that of 120Hz+ gaming monitors, but games will still look good and run smoothly on the Sceptre U275W-UPT.
Sadly, variable refresh rate is not supported, so if you wish to eliminate screen tearing, you’ll have to use V-Sync, which introduces input lag.
Features
Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen on the right side, there are four hotkeys for navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, and a power button.
The OSD menu looks a bit outdated, but it has all the basic adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature, input source selection, etc,) as well as a few advanced settings, such as gamma, sharpness, saturation and aspect ratio.
Lastly, the backlight of the monitor is completely flicker-free and there’s an integrated low-blue light filter mode.
Design & Connectivity
The stand of the monitor is tilt-only (by -5°/15°), but the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern. The screen also has a matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without adding too much graininess.
Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, two HDMI 1.4 ports (limited to 4K 30Hz), a headphone jack and dual 2W integrated speakers.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Sceptre U275W-UPT price amounts to $200, which makes it the most affordable 4K UHD monitor. There’s also the Sceptre U275W-4000R model with FreeSync support, but it goes for ~$320 – in this price range, we recommend something else.
The MSI G281UV is a 28″ 4K 60Hz IPS model with a wide color gamut and FreeSync support that can sometimes be found on sale for $200.
You can also find 32″ 4K 60Hz VA monitors in this price range ($250 on sale), such as the LG 32UL500 and the Samsung U32J590.
A high refresh rate 4K monitor, such as the MSI MAG274UPF will cost you at least $400, so for gamers, we recommend getting a 27″ 1440p 144Hz display in this price range, such as the Acer XV271U M3.
Conclusion
Overall, if you don’t need a variable refresh rate, a wide color gamut, or any fancy features, the Sceptre U275W-UPT is an excellent budget 4K monitor.
Specifications
| Screen Size | 27-inch |
| Resolution | 3840×2160 (Ultra HD) |
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
| Refresh Rate | 70Hz |
| Response Time | 5ms (GtG) |
| Speakers | 2x2W |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 1.4 |
| Other Ports | Headphone Jack |
| Brightness | 350 cd/m² |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 16.7 million (true 8-bit) |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Good value for the price
- Consistent colors and wide viewing angles; strong peak brightness
- High pixel density
- VESA mount compatible design
The Cons:
- Tilt-only stand
- IPS glow and mediocre contrast ratio (as expected from this panel technology)
- No AMD FreeSync
