BenQ SW271C Evaluation by Jeremy Daalder

The SW271C is an excellent monitor.  It's a near ideal combination of size and performance for image editing work, presented in an elegant and well thought out package.

It has nudged up noticeably in price over the previous model, but the reality is even at the new price point it offers excellent value for professional and serious amateur visual artists alike.

To get anything better, you have to spend about $800 more for Eizo's CS2740 + Hood.  That is ultimately a better, more refined monitor package (particularly the software), and has a five year warranty, compared to three, with the BenQ.  But it's also well on the way to a thousand dollars more expensive - so it would want to be!  And it's not drastically better, at all.  No, in the quality race, the SW271C is nipping at Eizo's heels. 

At this price point it would be hard to argue it's not the best value option available for image makers looking for a professional level, colour accurate 4k display, as of the time of writing.

Going lower, you'd compromise on specs significantly, by going back to a 2.5K 27" monitor like the Eizo CS2731 or BenQ's own SW270C - and it's true.  in the quest for high quality results with the visual arts, that colour accuracy is a LOT more important than having a lot of pixels.  But it is also true that the time of 4K has come, or at least is fast approaching, and thus a lot of people are trying to make the best choice from the limited 4K colour accurate options.  Going higher, you'll have to spend a solid third of the price again, to get something distinctly better.

Slowly but surely BenQ continue to improve their options for the professional imaging monitor market.