AOC releases a quartet of curved gaming monitors — new additions offer up to 280 Hz at 1440p for $399

AOC’s Agon gaming line has been busy this week, announcing a host of new monitors across various sizes and specs. Today, AOC is announcing a quartet of 27-inch high-refresh-rate monitors in the G4 series, starting with 180 Hz.

AOC’s C27G4H and C27G4ZH monitors are a pair of 27-inch 1920×1080 displays, running at 180 Hz and 280 Hz, respectively, for $169 and $189. The CQ27G4H and CQ27G4ZH likewise are QHD (2160×1440) screens at 180 Hz and 280 Hz, costing the pair $209 and $399 each. Based on current Amazon prices, the most exciting monitors within this family seem to be the 280 Hz panels, with $189 and $399 offering competitive value for their segments. The 180 Hz panels, while still solid options for consumers, are caught in the middle of a more competitive pack of options and can be solidly beaten on value.

The four monitors have nearly identical specs besides their different resolutions and refresh rates. All four offer a 1500R curve—meaning the monitor’s arc fits in a circle with a radius of 1.5 meters—a middle-ground option for curved monitors today. The 180 Hz monitors advertise response times of 0.5ms, while the 280 Hz screens reportedly offer a razor-quick 0.3ms. AOC also advertises a Low Input Lag mode for the two 180Hz panels, a mysterious mode that “rewires the monitor in favour of raw response time”. This nebulous marketing speak may refer to an overclock to their big brothers’ 0.3ms speeds, the base-advertised 0.5ms times, or something else entirely.

All four monitors are VA panels, typical for curved displays, with AOC claiming a 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The quartet also comes with AOC’s AdaptiveSync technology to prevent screen tearing, VESA mounting compatibility, and AOC’s Re-Spawned 4-year warranty. The warranty includes a 4-year zero dead pixel guarantee and 1-year accidental damage coverage, a boon to accident-prone gamers.

Each monitor has two HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.4 port, and a headphone-out jack. It also sits on an identical stand with height and tilt adjustment abilities. Of course, for the RGB-inclined, a colored ring emits light from the back, ready for syncing with other AOC components with the bespoke AOC G-Menu program.

The C27G4H, C27G4ZH, and CQ27G4H monitors are all available now from Amazon, with the 280 Hz, 1440p CQ27G4ZH expected to be released in November of this year. Whether AOC’s latest releases will make a dent in a crowded gaming monitor market remains to be seen, but the big numbers on these spec sheets may prove tempting.