MSI’s next-gen 4K OLED monitor is a gift to gamers and creative pros

Best Prices Today: MSI MPG 272URX

OLED monitors had a great 2024, but this year might be even better. The first 27-inch 4K OLED displays based on Samsung’s third-gen QD-OLED have arrived. That’s important for two reasons: 27-inch 4K monitors are popular, and QD-OLED’s pricing will undercut the rare few 27-inch 4K OLED displays that were available before.

MSI’s MPG 272URX QD-OLED is the first of this new breed to land on my desk, and it’s impressive.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED specs and features

The MSI MPG 272URX’s most important feature is its resolution. 27-inch 4K monitors were available prior to this year, but they were rare. The new MSI also has a 240Hz refresh rate, while prior 4K OLED monitors were stuck at 60Hz.

• Display size: 26.5-inch 16:9 widescreen
• Native resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel type: QD-OLED 10-bit panel
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Adaptive sync: Yes
• HDR: Yes, HDR 10, DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certified
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR20), 1x USB-C with DisplayPort and 98 watts USB Power Delivery, 1x USB-B 5Gbps upstream, 2x USB-A 5Gbps downstream, 1x 3.5mm audio-out
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Speakers: None
• Price: $1,099.99

While the 4K QD-OLED panel is the headliner, MSI hasn’t skimped on the extras. The MPG 272URX has a DisplayPort 2.1a port that can handle up to 80Gbps of bandwidth, a USB-C port with 98 watts of Power Delivery, and a pair of downstream USB-A ports. A KVM switch is included, as well.

Read on to learn more, then check out our roundup of the best 4K monitors for comparison.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED design

The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED doesn’t make a strong first impression. From the front, it features slim bezels on the sides and top, while a matte-black plastic chin lines the bottom of the display. Around back you’ll find a mixture of matte-black metals and plastics with some attractive but subtle MSI branding. Thankfully, the monitor includes RGB LED lighting to provide much-needed flair.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Its sturdy and functional stand follows the same understated approach, using matte-black materials that avoid drawing attention. While the stand’s base is large, its flat design means the desk space it occupies remains usable. The stand includes a generous cable management cutout and provides typical ergonomic adjustments: tilt, swivel, and height. It can also pivot 90 degrees for portrait orientation. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for third-party monitor stands and arms.

The MPG 272URX QD-OLED has an internal power supply instead of an external power brick. This slightly increases the monitor’s thickness but eliminates the hassle of finding space for an awkward power brick on your power strip. Personally, I prefer an internal power supply and appreciate MSI’s decision.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED connectivity

MSI doesn’t hold back on connectivity with the MPG 272URX QD-OLED. The monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 2.1a port, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort mode, totaling four video input options. The DisplayPort 2.1a connection supports up to 80Gbps of bandwidth, the maximum this version of the standard can provide.

The monitor’s USB connectivity is equally impressive. The USB-C port delivers up to 90W of power delivery, making it suitable for charging connected tablets or laptops. The monitor also includes two USB downstream ports and a USB-B upstream port, providing connectivity for devices without USB-C. A KVM switch function rounds out the feature set.

While the MSI’s connectivity is excellent, it’s largely matched by what’s available on competing 27-inch 4K OLED monitors entering the market, such as the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. However, the specifications for the upcoming Alienware AW2725Q and Samsung G81SF show they won’t offer USB-C with DisplayPort, which gives MSI and Asus an advantage in connectivity.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED features

Matthew Smith / Foundry

An easy-to-use joystick, centered on the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED’s chin, provides access to the monitor’s on-screen menus. It offers a comprehensive range of quality adjustments including gamma, color temperature, and color settings, as well as color calibration. Competitors usually offer these options too.

However, the MSI notably lacks a uniform brightness mode. This is an option provided by some competitors, such as Asus, which restricts the OLED monitor’s maximum SDR brightness to reduce fluctuations when switching between dark and bright content. The monitor also lacks brightness adjustment in HDR mode. I think both Uniform Brightness and adjustable HDR brightness should be standard for any premium OLED monitor.

MSI provides the standard array of gaming-centric features, including an on-screen crosshair, timer, refresh rate readout, black equalizer for boosting visibility in dark areas, and a scope mode for zooming in to take more precise shots. While these features don’t provide an edge over the competition, gamers who use them will appreciate their presence.

The MPG 272URX QD-OLED takes a pass on audio. The monitor doesn’t include built-in speakers, so owners need to rely on a headset or external desktop speakers. That isn’t unusual for a gaming monitor, and since most people would likely use a headset anyway, the lack of audio output isn’t a significant drawback.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED image quality

The MSI MPG 272URX has a 26.5-inch third-generation Samsung QD-OLED panel with 3840×2160 resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. 4K resolution is the headliner for this monitor and, indeed, its overall performance is otherwise in line with prior QD-OLED monitors (in SDR, at least).

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

We start off with brightness, where the MPG 272URX QD-OLED provides a modest maximum SDR brightness of 269 nits. That’s right in line with most QD-OLED monitors we’ve tested. The Asus ROG Swift PG27QDP, which has an LG WOLED panel, was a bit brighter in this test.

A glossy finish coats the QD-OLED panel. Though it has a good anti-glare finish, reflections will be obvious when a bright light source is opposite the monitor, and in any brightly lit room. The monitor is more than bright enough to use in most settings, but glare could become an issue if your room has large, sunlit windows or bright lights sitting opposite the monitor’s position in the room.

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

Contrast is a strength for all OLED monitors. An OLED panel’s ability to activate each pixel individually makes it possible to achieve a minimum brightness of zero nits. That’s important, as it provides a better sense of realism in depth, as well as more convincing detail in dark scenes. The MPG 272URX does well here, though it also has no advantage, as all its competitors offer the same contrast performance.

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

The MPG 272URX produced a color gamut that spans 100 percent of sRGB, 98 percent of DCI-P3, and 92 percent of AdobeRGB. These figures aren’t much different from prior QD-OLED monitors, but they’re excellent results and show the monitor can provide a vibrant and hyper-saturated image that many people will enjoy. They also make the monitor a good choice for creative work, and the monitor even includes preset modes for sRGB, DCI-P3, and AdobeRGB.

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

Color accuracy is more mid-pack, but the MPG 272URX’s color error remains slight and is unlikely to stand out to most viewers. The color error reading was highest in blue and cyan but, even knowing this, the image looked accurate to my eyes. This level of color accuracy is good for gaming, entertainment, and most creative work. To be frank, shoppers who need better accuracy than this should be looking at a display for creative professionals, like the BenQ SW272U.

The MSI MPG 272URX varied from our gamma and color temperature targets. I measured a gamma of 2.3, off our target of 2.2, which indicates the image is a bit darker than it should be. That is common for an OLED gaming monitor. I also measured a default color temperature of 6100K, which is a bit warmer than our target of 6500K. Personally, I like a warm image, so this didn’t trouble me. The monitor also has several color temperature presets for further adjustment, though they target vague labels like “Warm” and “Cool” instead of specific color temperature values.

The MPG 272URX’s 4K OLED panel delivers a big boost to sharpness over last year’s 1440p OLED panels. More importantly, 4K resolution greatly reduces the sub-pixel oddities that OLED panels can suffer. While 1440p QD-OLED monitors are great, they show unsightly aliasing around small fonts and some high-contrast edges. The new 4K QD-OLED panel doesn’t entirely remove this but, due to the higher pixel density, it’s much more difficult to notice the effect. The MPG 272URX looks about as sharp as any other 4K monitor when viewed from two to three feet away.

That’s good news for the MPG 272URX. Sharpness is the big reason to buy a more expensive 4K QD-OLED monitor over a cheaper 1440p QD-OLED monitor. Whether the improvement is worth the money will depend on your preferences, but there’s no disputing 4K QD-OLED delivers a dramatic boost to sharpness.   

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED HDR image quality

Samsung’s third-gen QD-OLED panels are excellent in SDR, much like the prior generation. But what about HDR? Here, QD-OLED has something to prove as LG’s latest WOLED panels, which entered the market in the second half of 2024, generally served up better HDR brightness.

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

The MPG 272URX delivers solid HDR performance. Like most OLED monitors, it performs best when only a small portion of the display is brightly lit. I measured a maximum brightness of 934 nits when just 10 percent of the display panel showed a bright white HDR image, but that was reduced to 263 nits when that image is shown full screen. Still, the MSI’s peak brightness beats most OLED monitors.

Subjectively, I was incredibly impressed by the monitor’s HDR performance. The lightning strikes that crackle through the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road felt eye-searingly bright. The monitor also teased out subtle gradients of luminance around the black hole in Interstellar’s “Gargantua” scene. While I wouldn’t say the MPG 272URX redefines the standard for the best HDR monitors I’ve reviewed, it certainly ranks near the top of its class, and I found HDR content enjoyable on the display.

MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED motion performance

The MSI MPG 272URX excels in motion clarity, boasting a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz and Adaptive Sync support (with official G-Sync compatibility and unofficial FreeSync support). The result is stunningly smooth motion.

A 240Hz refresh rate strikes a practical balance, as it’s the highest rate that mid-range to high-end GPUs can realistically achieve at 4K resolution in modern games (as you need a consistent 240 FPS to fully benefit from the refresh rate). The monitor’s motion clarity is further enhanced by OLED’s rapid pixel response times, which reduce motion blur during fast-paced action.

In practice, the motion clarity is crisp, though not without limitations. Scrolling test images from DOTA 2 and League of Legends revealed that terrain, character silhouettes, and spell effects were discernible, though some character names and hitpoint bar details were hard to make out. Still, this is a high standard of performance. In titles that ask less of a monitor’s motion clarity, like World of Warcraft, the image approaches perfection in motion.

It’s worth noting that 27-inch OLED monitors with 1440p resolution and a 360Hz refresh rate are available, providing a minor but noticeable improvement in clarity that competitive players will appreciate. However, for most people, the MPG 272URX’s 4K 240Hz strikes an ideal balance between sharpness and motion clarity.

Should you buy the MSI MPG 272URX?

The MSI MPG 272URX is a remarkable 27-inch 4K OLED monitor. It retains the stunning contrast, rich colors, and pinpoint accuracy of previous OLED displays while stepping up with a sharper image and improved peak HDR brightness. The design, though not flashy, is functional and well-equipped, offering a good selection of video and USB connectivity.

However, the $1099.99 price tag might make some hesitate. With older 27-inch 1440p OLED monitors now dipping below $800, the MPG 272URX’s value proposition rests squarely on its 4K resolution. For those who crave extra sharpness and detail, though, the premium is certainly justified.

Best Prices Today: MSI MPG 272URX

Author: Matthew S. Smith, Contributor, PCWorld