BenQ SW271 test

Presentation and handling

The SW271 is delivered in an imposing box including the screen, the base, but also a cap to limit reflections. The assembly of the assembly requires only a few minutes. The screen comes with a factory calibration certificate and a wired remote control that is always practical. Note the presence of a “guillotine” in the foot which allows the various cables to be grouped together and avoids natural scattering.

More than a year ago, we tested the BenQ SW270 also equipped with a 27 ”panel with a QHD definition in 2,560 x 1,440 px. The new model logically provides a higher definition in UHD (3,840 x 2,160 px) more suited to current needs and offering access to HDR video content. Of course, this additional definition can be interesting, especially in video to work natively on UHD content. For the photographer, the question still deserves to be asked, but overall working comfort is also present and now software supports UHD display to adapt the rendering of the interface and fonts (Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere…). You can therefore work on larger areas of the images and benefit from a more natural preview of the latter.

The upper and side edges are very thin and put forward the slab of the SW271. At the bottom, the edge is significantly wider and accommodates the monitor interface. You have several large and easy-to-use buttons. Too bad they are not backlit to facilitate handling in a dark room. You will be equipped with a handy small round wired remote control to quickly change the gamut or make adjustments via the graphical interface. The OSD, precisely, is rather simple to handle.

This is often one of the important points for a screen and the SW271 is pretty well off. You will find two HDMI ports which, HDR requires, are standard 2.0. You will also have a DisplayPort 1.4 input and a USB Type-C connector to transfer the video stream. Like HDMI 2.0, it supports all display frequencies at 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 Hz. Unfortunately, it is not able to supply a device (tablet, smartphone) with electricity. However, the monitor lacks an older DVI connector.

You will find a USB 2 socket to connect the remote control, a USB 3 upstream port and a mini-jack headphone output. On the side, there is an SD card reader and two USB 3 ports.

The foot of the screen allows a rotation in portrait mode, but also some inclinations…

→ 5 ° forward → 20 ° rear → 90 ° portrait pivot mode → 45 ° lateral (right or left) → 15 cm in height

The screen comes with a cap to limit reflections in bright environments. Good point, it adapts to the screen whether in landscape or portrait position.

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Conclusions

The BenQ SW721 is once again a great reference. With a UHD panel, it will interest even more photographers and videographers looking for a relatively space-saving screen. You will appreciate the sharp edges, the many video connectors, including one in USB Type-C format, an integrated SD reader, the wired remote control and the orientation possibilities.

The IPS matte panel is of very good quality with good color rendering via standard settings, which can be improved with a hardware calibration. The Adobe RGB space is well managed and you can also enjoy an HDR video stream whose extreme values will be taken into account.

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Conclusion

The SW271 is undoubtedly located in a fairly high price zone, but it offers a good performance with a quality UHD matte panel, a fair factory calibration and the possibility of improving color rendering with a hardware calibration system. We also appreciate small accessories such as the cap, the wired remote control or the USB Type-C connection. In addition, and even if it is limited to 350 nits, the SW271 is the first screen of the brand capable of displaying an HDR 10 video stream.

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