BenQ GL2706PQ Review - Quick Verdict
The BenQ GL2706PQ is an excellent gaming monitor that comes at a reasonable price. This is a widescreen display so you can use this for stuff other than gaming as well. The contrast ratio is nice and makes this display suitable for the consumption of media. The response time of 1ms minimizes motion blur and ghosting while display. If you’re looking for a monitor that is perfect for gaming without spending a lot of money, then this is a good one.
- Affordable yet feature-rich
- Stand is strong and versatile
- Perfect for gaming and media consumption
- Not much at this price point
Author's Rating
Looking for a gaming monitor that won’t break your bank? Then the BenQ GL2706PQ might the answer to your search. Priced under $250, this BenQ model comes with excellent specs and features that can satisfy most gamers. It may not be the most affordable monitor out there, but it does bring a lot of good that is justified by this extra cost.
In this BenQ GL2706PQ review, we’ll take a look at the construction and the performance of this new gaming monitor from BenQ. Is this monitor good for high-end gaming? How well does this display handle fast-moving objects? Is there support for G-Sync or FreeSync? We answer all these questions and more in the full review below.
Design
The design of the BenQ GL2706PQ model is as simple as it gets. The monitor comes with a matte black finish which looks both minimalistic and premium. The first thing you notice about the design is the thickness of the bezels. Though they are not as thin as in some monitors, you can see that they’re reduced in size which is a step in the right direction.
The stand here is made of aluminum and is one of the most wholesome stands we’ve seen in monitors. It is pretty sturdy and doesn’t allow wobbling of any kind. You can tilt the display front and back and also swivel it right and left. A good thing here is that the stand allows you to adjust the height of the display up to 4.7 inches. This is a great thing to have especially when you’re coming to monitors that don’t allow this. Also, the BenQ GL2706PQ allows you to pivot this display into a vertical one. The vertical display is great for coding, designing, and many other things.
The display weighs around 14 lbs which is not that bad. You can move this around if that’s your thing. If you want to mount this monitor on the wall, you can do so with the help of a VESA mount as this one is compatible with it.
Specs and Performance
The BenQ GL2706PQ is a 27″ monitor that comes with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. For this resolution, we find this screen size to be perfect as you get a pretty good pixel density. The images and text on the screen are sharp and make up for a good visual experience. The panel here is an IPS panel which gives you excellent viewing angles.
The display is excellent for media consumption. You will have a good time watching your favorite series on Netflix and Prime Video. Thanks to the widescreen, the monitor can be a real productivity booster. You can have two windows side by side and can still continue to work looking at windows that are actually legible.
The native contrast ratio of 1000:1 is pretty impressive considering the price of the display. At maximum brightness, the contrast ratio will go down. But you get excellent contrast at 50 to 60% brightness which is what most people use. The dynamic contrast ratio of 20M:1 definitely helps. You get bright whites and deep blacks which is neat. The grayscale performance of the display is also commendable as it can distinguish between most shades of gray.
The refresh rate of the monitor is 60Hz which is something you’d expect in a gaming monitor. In fact, higher-end gaming monitors that are priced higher come with a refresh rate of 144Hz. As this is more of an affordable gaming monitor, we get only a 60Hz refresh rate. This refresh rate keeps the gaming smooth and you don’t see a lot of stutters.
The response time of the BenQ GL2706PQ is 1ms. Usually, gaming monitors with an IPS panel would have response times in the range fo 5ms or 4ms. Having a response time of 1ms certainly improves the performance of the display especially when gaming. Thanks to this 1ms response time, you see very little motion blur when playing games. The amount of ghosting on the screen is also reduced to a minimum.
Other Features
The zero flicker feature is an impressive feature in the BenQ GL2706PQ model. If you’re going to spend a lot of hours in front of the display, then flickers on the screen will have a really bad effect on your eyes. With this zero flicker feature, BenQ has almost eliminated this problem.
Another problem with displays is the emission of blue light. In this BenQ GL2706PQ model, you can reduce the amount of blue light that comes out of your display. You can set different modes that emit different amounts of blue light. For example, the multimedia mode reduces blue light emission by 30% while the reading mode reduces blue light emission by 70%.
Connectivity
The BenQ GL2706PQ comes with a nice set of ports for connectivity. We have a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 1.4 port and also a DVI-D port for connectivity. Most of the gaming consoles and desktop computers can be connected to this monitor with the help of these ports. If your device doesn’t work with these connectors, then you can solve the issue with the help of an adapter if required.
Bottomline
The BenQ GL2706PQ is a solid gaming monitor that comes under $250. You can find better monitors for gaming than this one, but we can guarantee that the price is going to be at least 70% higher. At this price, this monitor comes with very good specs and allows you to do some excellent gaming and also enjoy visual content. If you’re looking for a feature-rich gaming monitor that comes at an affordable price, then this is the one.