In recent years, OLED technology has continued to gain ground with its superior black levels, contrast, motion resolution, and vividness. In the PC space, however, OLED displays have only recently started to go mainstream. But there’s a catch: OLED displays tend to cost significantly more than competing LCD monitors and are primarily targeted at larger sizes.
The KTC G27P6 is a 27″ 1440p monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. The same panel is also used in monitors from Corsair and LG, with the difference mainly stemming from price. I’ve been testing this monitor for the past few months, comparing it to other OLED monitors I have on hand. This included testing with static images on the screen for long periods of time, just to see if it would burn in. In the process, I discovered some interesting benefits that might be worth considering if you’re interested in entering the world of OLED.
The first thing to consider is the general state of OLED displays – OLED technology comes in less sizing variations than LCD. There are small portable displays under 20 inches, but these are mostly 60Hz and lower resolution, and there are also larger displays available above 32 inches. While I prefer large monitors myself, many people prefer 27-inch panels, which do have their benefits – especially when it comes to gaming, which I’ll discuss in a moment.
The G27P6 has an MSRP of $799, but is currently on sale for $570/$590, making it one of the lowest-cost dedicated OLED gaming monitors on the market. In comparison, most other monitors using this 27-inch OLED panel are priced closer to $1,000.
Now, it’s not a cheap monitor by any means, but it is a way to get a very fast OLED display at an affordable price. The problem is, when it comes to LCDs, low prices are often a red flag because of the low quality of the panel and lack of features, but with OLED, there is an inherent quality to the panel itself that ensures that even the lowest cost option will look great.
Inside this colorful box, you’ll find everything you need: an easy-to-use stand with pivot and height adjustment, the necessary HDMI and DisplayPort cables, the power cable, and the monitor itself. KTC also provides VESA mounting holes directly on the back, which I used in the setup shown in this review. The rear panel also offers multiple inputs: two HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C with 65W power delivery, USB-B, and 3.5mm audio out. The monitor also houses a pair of speakers, which, while nothing impressive, are useful in a pinch.
Aesthetically, the front is completely devoid of any details that identify the display – it’s a thin black rectangle, as you’d expect from a thin OLED panel. Once mounted, it’s particularly sleek, as it really does look like a thin, floating display that sits comfortably on the wall. The back of the device may not be as attractive, but it’s fully functional. This is only something you need to consider if your display is facing the room.
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Along the bottom right corner you’ll find an LED that lights up depending on the status of the display, followed by a small joystick for accessing the display’s GUI. The menus themselves are simple and responsive, with plenty of options for adjustment. The main menu displays the current refresh rate, whether adaptive sync and HDR are active, and the current resolution. Sadly, it doesn’t support any features like black frame insertion, but if you’re able to hit higher frame rates, it becomes less necessary.
Once you sit down with the KTC, you’ll notice that it presents a very different look than other OLEDs I’m used to, and that really detracts from the experience. First, the screen is completely matte, a stark contrast to the glossy panels commonly seen on OLED displays. I’m not always a fan of matte screens, but in this case, the combination of a high-contrast OLED with a matte finish produces a very impressive effect… so much so that I found myself wanting a matte finish on the 42-inch LG C2 OLED that I use as my primary monitor. It reduces reflections, but still looks vivid.
Secondly, there’s the 240Hz refresh rate. I’ve used a lot of high-refresh-rate LCD monitors, but this is my first time experiencing an OLED panel capable of hitting over 120Hz, and it’s truly amazing. The sheer smoothness and speed are impressive, and it also helps explain the lower 2560×1440 resolution. Hitting 240fps at native 4K resolution is extremely difficult, but at 1440p it’s fairly easy to achieve on a powerful PC, especially when you deploy features like frame-gathering. Furthermore, 1440p at a 27-inch diagonal is still crisp and sharp, with a pixels-per-inch count of around 108 – the equivalent of 104PPI on a 42-inch 4K monitor. I think 27 inches is the sweet spot for this particular resolution.
Seriously, looking back at popular games like Doom Eternal, 240 frames per second, coupled with the vibrancy of the OLED panel, is truly astounding. At 240fps, persistent blur is also greatly reduced, and even without relying on black frame insertion (a technology designed to eliminate persistent blur), the display’s motion clarity was satisfactory to me.
However, the real winner of this monitor in my opinion is its versatility. I currently use it in three ways. First, it can serve as a secondary display on my PC, which I can use for any number of tasks, as well as playing games on if I want 240fps action. Second, although it is a 1440p panel, it can accept 3840×2160 input at 60Hz, which means it is perfect for playing console games while capturing at the same time. For someone who uses their main display for both PC and console, this compatibility is key. The downscaled quality looks great. Finally, with a 65W USB-C connector, the KTC can both charge the Steam Deck and display its video at 1440p60 without any problems. Therefore, it provides a larger display for using the Steam Deck, especially if you delve into desktop mode. Switching between these different use cases is simple, and the whole system works very well.
So what about the nature of the panel itself? HDR performance, input lag, and burn-in handling, for example? Firstly, the monitor has held up well over the past four months, with no signs of burn-in or even image retention. I’ve sometimes turned it on and left it on the main menu of the Steam Deck for hours while I worked. That has proven to be a non-issue.
Next up is HDR, which is interesting. When configured correctly, the KTC can deliver vivid HDR presentations, with small highlights reaching nearly 900 nits. This is excellent performance for a monitor that makes HDR content come alive. There is a caveat to the configuration and tone mapping capabilities of the monitor, though.
First, you lose the ability to do things like brightness and contrast adjustments with HDR enabled. Instead, you get two modes: HDR Standard and HDR Cinematic. I recommend using Cinematic mode for the best picture quality, but even then, the monitor’s performance depends on the content. There’s no equivalent of dynamic tone mapping here, nor are there any other options to increase overall brightness levels. Instead, all of this has to be handled on the software side. Most HDR games I tested ran fine, including AutoHDR games, but some lacked the ability to adjust settings – resulting in a somewhat dim picture outside of highlights. So if you want to use HDR, you’ll need to make sure your PC or console is configured correctly.
Next, I want to mention input lag. The monitor has a “low input lag” option in the menu that you’ll need to enable. I noticed no drop in image quality, but a huge improvement in response time. When displaying a native 240Hz image at 1440p, you can get results under 3ms, which is very fast. However, if you drop content down to 60Hz, I found that this increased latency to 13ms – still less than a frame, but slower. However, if you disable low input lag mode, the same 60Hz signal rises to nearly 33ms, which is insanely slow. Make sure this option is enabled!
Despite these shortcomings, I’m still impressed by the overall quality of this monitor. It’s flexible, offers great image quality, has a small form factor, minimal RGB lighting, and boasts super-smooth 240Hz action. Honestly, I feel like we’ve finally reached a point where just about anyone can enjoy an OLED display. There’s a lot to like about this monitor in terms of image quality and performance, so I highly recommend it!
