An in depth look at the Professional range 27", high resolution monitor from Asus. The PLS panel, LED backlighting and decent specs make this an interesting choice. How does it perform in our tests?

Great range of connections and stand adjustments (including all cables provided; Very good pixel response times; Very good contrast ratio; the best we've seen from a PLS panel so far

Useless dynamic contrast ratio in practice; PWM used for backlight dimming; Not great default setup; and no sRGB emulation

Asus' PB278Q is quite nice indeed for the price, offering a no-frills premium panel for those who are looking to save pennies.

PLS screen has great viewing angles; Matte screen without sparkling anti-glare; Full range of adjustments for the stand

Light bleed shouldn't be an issue on a panel like this; Mode switching on HDMI makes the monitor think there is no signal; Slight banding across gradients; High power consumption in standby and off modes

A growing number of graphics professionals, gamers, and all-around power users are turning to WQHD (Wide Quad High-Definition) monitors as cost-conscious alternatives to , and is all too happy to oblige.

Initially, an unedited version of this review was posted on Hardware Canucks. The article has since been updated. We apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused. ASUS has never been one to shy away from pushing the envelope when it comes to development of their monitors.

I was very happy to see that Samsung was going to start making their own flat panels with a new technology so that someone could put some pressure on LG to innovate more or reduce prices on their panels, which only helps consumers.

Unlike the gorgeous Samsung Series 9 S27B970D , another 27-inch PLS monitor, the PB278Q is fairly plain looking. The 27-inch panel resides in a 2.8-inch thick matte black cabinet with relatively thin (0.75-inch) bezels and a thin, barely noticeable strip of glossy black trim around the edge.

Great color quality; Lots of video ports; Ergonomic stand; Wide viewing angles

A bit pricey; No auto-pivot function; No USB ports

The Asus PB278Q 27-inch HD monitor utilizes the relatively new PLS panel technology which results in excellent color quality and wide viewing angles. While it is quite pricy and has no automatic pivot function, it's still a decent monitor that provides a good quality image.

Many video inputs; Wide viewing angles; Very good image quality

Expensive; No automatic screen rotation

ASUS has a number of monitors specifically geared towards photo and video editing, but none with a resolution in excess of Full HD. The PB278Q has exactly that, with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels on a 27-inch display.

Plane to Line Switching (PLS) is a relatively new panel technology developed by Samsung as an alternative to LG's popular IPS panel. Both technologies claim to offer very good colour quality and wide viewing angles, and both are more expensive to manufacture than the TN (Twisted Nematic) panels that...

Great colour quality; Display isn't reflective; Lots of video ports; Ergonomic stand

A touch pricey; Lack of USB ports

Monitor choice is thankfully a lot easier in recent times. Even a cheap TN panel will be reasonable quality.