Photo overview
The monitor has a handy joystick to navigate relatively quickly through the OSD settings, allowing users to switch display parameters with a flick of a finger, including multiple color adjustments. A lot can be tweaked to your preference.
The buttons and joystick on the backside are accompanied by icons on the front side, so you know what to push at what location. As insignificant as that may seem, lots of manufacturers don't label the buttons and trust me, it's a flurry of random presses in trail and error.
The ROG SWIFT PG27UQ has limited connections, really ASUS needs to step that up with their premium monitors. You have to manage with one HDMI 2.0 and one display port 1.4 and a set of USB 3.0 connectors leading from a HUB connection. And while the screen does have built-in speakers, it seems that they only work on HDMI, we did not get any audio of DP. For 144Hz and/or 3840x2160 you will need to use the DisplayPort connection based on high bandwidth requirements.
The ROG SWIFT PG27UQ comes with a separated power adapter/brick, included in the packaging are an HDMI and DP cable, USB 3.0 cable, manual and smaller ROG kit like a pouch and welcome card. The bag holds the lenses and ROG logo cover for the bottom side projection.
IPS is great - you can sit straight in front of it or even move further to one side as angled views remain good and, yeah, this is a pretty good screen to look at alright. Mind you that the glare comes from some heavy sunlight outside (this was tested during a heatwave). We've not been able to completely dim the room.
You can move your head up/down/left/right and you will see a wide view-port without too much distortion. Viewing angles are rated at 178°(H)/178°(V), more on that later though, but yeah this one is as good as it gets.
Huh? ... Fan Noise?
So, the first time and the first day you will need to get used to something, you're in for a real WTF moment if you're not aware of it, but the monitor makes noise as it has an active fan. Yes, there is active cooling inside the PG27UQ, and you actually hear the fan in quiet surroundings. Even when you power down the PG27UQ it will remain active for a while. I find the fact staggering that in the year 2018 we can fab multitudes of billions of transistors on a chip, yet we cannot keep a monitor silent as it needs active cooling. It's not loud or too annoying, but it is there.
