Acer K3 (K273) review

The Acer K3 K273 monitor tries to carry high quality to a variety of on a regular basis situations regardless of its eye-catchingly low worth of $169 within the US and £159 within the UK.

A fast have a look at the spec sheet reveals that you just’re getting a good quantity of {hardware} for the low worth. The 27in diagonal is large enough to sate most typical house, workplace and bed room conditions. On the within, the Acer serves up IPS know-how, a 75Hz refresh price and even built-in audio system.

Our present price range favorite is the BenQ BL2780T, which is a 27in rival that at the moment prices $320 within the US and £221 within the UK as a consequence of important worth rises since its launch means again in 2019. Can the Acer K3 K273 compete with its older and dearer rival – and earn a spot on our greatest monitor chart?

Design & Construct

• Plain however engaging
• Gentle for a 27in panel
• Restricted adjustment

The Acer’s low price implies that this panel isn’t eye-catching, nevertheless it doesn’t go the opposite means and arrive with ugly appears to be like both. Its base is a delicate, discreet curve of shiny black plastic with a matte entrance part, and across the show the bezel is barely thicker than the BenQ.

Acer pairs its middle-of-the-road appears to be like with a weight of 4.5kg. That’s impressively mild for a 27in panel, and it’s about 2kg lighter than the BenQ. In case you battle with mobility or simply need to transfer the Acer round to totally different spots, that’s a boon.

The K3 is straightforward to construct, too. The stand merely snaps into the again of the display screen utilizing a tool-free mechanism, and the bottom attaches utilizing a tool-free screw.

Whereas the monitor is straightforward to deploy, it’s much less helpful in another sensible areas. It has 20 levels of backwards and forwards tilting motion and helps 100mm VESA mounting, however that’s it for adjustment. The BenQ presents extra tilt motion alongside left and proper swivel, 90 diploma pivots and 140mm of peak adjustment.

The Acer K3 isn’t appropriate if you’d like a panel with motion versatility.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

Construct high quality isn’t good, both: it’s too simple to maneuver the plastic rear, and the display screen has noticeable flex. That’s not ruinous if you’d like a display screen to simply sit in your desk, nevertheless it’s not superb for frequent redeployment.

The Acer won’t compete with the BenQ for adjustment choices and construct high quality, however the K273 is mild, appears to be like first rate and it’s simple to construct – for $169/£159 that’s about as a lot as anybody can ask for.

Specs & Options

• Full HD decision
• 75Hz
• AMD FreeSync

The 27in Acer has a Full HD decision (1920 x 1080), which is fully typical at this worth. In case you look carefully you possibly can actually see the person pixels, however they’re not massive sufficient to show distracting and the decision is excessive sufficient to offer first rate house for on a regular basis workloads.

IPS know-how on the within ought to assist the Acer ship first rate color high quality, however this specification presents no surprises. It’s obtained 8-bit color fairly than 10-bit color, so that you don’t get the depth you’ll discover on pricier screens, and the matte coating retains irritating reflections at bay. The K3 additionally boasts AMD FreeSync with a peak refresh price at 75Hz.

If the point out of AMD FreeSync has woke up gaming ambitions, although, don’t get carried away. That 75Hz refresh price is barely larger than the 60Hz that you just’ll discover on even the most affordable display screen, and it makes on a regular basis animations a bit smoother however presents no massive enhance in video games. This display screen is barely appropriate for informal video games, entry-level esports and mainstream single-player titles.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

Across the rear, you’ll discover an HDMI enter alongside a VGA socket – an archaic port that might nonetheless show helpful with previous or entry-level {hardware}. There’s an audio jack, too. There aren’t any USB or DisplayPort choices right here, although, and the audio system are dreadful – too quiet and really tinny.

A joystick and a trio of buttons across the rear navigate the Acer’s on-screen show. The menu is primary, it responds slowly and the buttons are stiff, however you possibly can nonetheless simply get round this OSD to regulate mainstream picture settings.

By way of show specification, there’s little or no between the Acer and pricier BenQ, not less than on paper – the BenQ additionally has a 1080p IPS show with 8-bit color, and its barely slower refresh price of 60Hz gained’t make any distinction in real-world use. However the BenQ does have DisplayPort alongside its extra adjustment choices and extra sturdy construct high quality.

Show High quality

• Okay brightness
• Good contast
• On a regular basis color

Out of the field, the Acer achieved a brightness stage of 204 nits, which is cheap for on a regular basis house and workplace use if there isn’t a supply of notably sturdy mild, and that determine was paired with a black level of 0.2 nits – one other good consequence that creates suitably darkish areas in pictures and movies.

These figures mix for a distinction ratio of 1,020:1. That’s a very good determine for any inexpensive IPS panel, and it implies that the Acer can deal with on a regular basis duties with affordable depth and vibrancy – web sites, Workplace apps and on a regular basis media information will all look first rate.

The common Delta E of 4.09 is mediocre, and the panel rendered 84.4% of the sRGB color gamut. These outcomes are, nice for on a regular basis use, and make sure that this display screen will produce most shades wanted by on a regular basis conditions with acceptable accuracy.

However it’s not ok when it comes to breadth or accuracy to deal with colour-sensitive artistic workloads, and the BenQ is noticeably higher, with broader sRGB rendering and superior accuracy.

Mike Jennings / Foundry

There are different areas the place the inexpensive Acer can’t deal with something past primary duties. Its backlight power dropped by 20% on the right-hand edge and was almost as unhealthy elsewhere. That doesn’t hinder on a regular basis use, nevertheless it means this display screen doesn’t have the uniformity for artistic work. Don’t look to the choice display screen modes for assist, both: the sRGB mode delivers a minor Delta E enchancment however the remainder largely regulate the brightness stage with out some other enhancements.

If you wish to use this show for on a regular basis computing duties then you definately gained’t must fiddle with settings and show modes. Out of the field, the Acer is suitable, however should you want a display screen for content material creation, you’ll must spend extra.

And, if you wish to play video games on this panel, persist with informal, sluggish or single-player video games fairly than eSports – the Acer has noticeable ghosting and the 75Hz refresh price isn’t ok to ensure crisp gameplay, with far an excessive amount of apparent blurring all through.

Value & Availability

The Acer might need its faults, nevertheless it’s nonetheless completely serviceable for on a regular basis workplace and residential use and is likely one of the most inexpensive 27in IPS panels you’ll discover anyplace: it prices $169.99 within the US and £159.99 within the UK from Acer and Amazon, albeit at an inflated worth. If you wish to purchase the Acer, seek for mannequin quantity UM.HX3EE.006.

Be aware that there’s additionally a K3 K243 which is a smaller 23.8in mannequin at £119.99 within the UK.

The Acer is way cheaper than the BenQ, which prices £221 within the UK and $320 within the US. That show could have extra adjustment choices, higher construct high quality and a broader vary of colors, however many individuals merely don’t want these options in an on a regular basis display screen – so choosing the Acer is an efficient means to avoid wasting fast money.

One other inexpensive choice is the Huawei MateView SE which comes with a selection of stand and costs beginning at £139.99 nevertheless it’s not out there within the US.

Examine our chart of the perfect screens for extra choices.

Verdict

The Acer K3 K273 doesn’t have the color high quality, the gamut protection or the refresh price capability to work properly with extra demanding content-creation duties or the most recent fast-paced video games, nevertheless it does have the distinction and colors to make typical computing duties look first rate.

Mix that with its 27in diagonal, first rate appears to be like and low worth, and also you’ve obtained a rock-solid on a regular basis show.

Look to that pricier BenQ and related alternate options if you’d like higher colors or extra adjustment, however think about the Acer K3 K273 should you want stable workaday efficiency with out spending a great deal of money.

Specs

• Panel dimension: 27in (69cm)
• Decision: 1920 x 1080
• Show Know-how: IPS
• Facet Ratio: 16:9
• Typical Brightness: 250 nits
• Static Distinction: 1000:1
• Variable Sync: AMD FreeSync
• Response Time (MPRT): 1ms
• Most Refresh: 75Hz (with adaptive sync)
• HDR: n/a
• Video Ports: 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x VGA
• USB Ports: n/a
• Different Ports: Headphone jack
• Audio system: 2 x 2W
• Weight: 4.5kg