ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV Review – 5K Resolution, Now More Affordable

Unboxing

ASUS has recently introduced the new ProArt Display PA27JCV, a 27-inch 5K monitor designed for content creators. As expected with monitors of this class, color gamut and accuracy is a must, and they usually come with a bunch of creature comforts to help sweeten the deal. In any case, opening the box (by lifting it open) reveals the accessories and the stand assembly tucked inside the paper-based packaging, with the monitor stored below it. Here’s all the items you’ll get:

– Quick start guide
– Warranty card
– ProArt welcome card
– Color calibration report
– AC (C13) power cable (Type G, UK / Malaysia)
– AC (C13) power cable (Type I, Australia / New Zealand / China)
– HDMI cable
– USB-C (DisplayPort, Power Delivery) cable
– Cleaning cloth
– Stand base
– Stand strut
– Stand mounting plate
– ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV main unit

Walkaround

Usually, the display stand assembly is divided into two parts, the base and the strut. In this case, the strut is further split into the strut itself, and the mounting plate that must be first installed on the strut first due to an unusual locking mechanism (the white plastic hook on the bottom right of the first image). You must first install the plate at an angle as demonstrated, and rotate it upright to lock it in place. Other than that, the installation process is the exact same as most monitors. The stand itself also integrates a cable management channel as well.

The monitor itself comes with an anti-glare low-reflection (AGLR) matte panel, as shown with the diffused light from the pair of studio lighting we use; all the controls are located on the bottom right, with a front-facing joystick and an ambient light sensor located on the left side of the power button, responsible for color temperature and brightness adjustment based on the room’s lighting conditions.

Interestingly, ASUS has included a separate power switch next to the AC input connector – based on their marketing materials it’s likely that this is designed for sockets in regions where there are no switches present. In such cases, having a hard switch allows for more power savings (though standby usage is already very low), but that’s not something we have to worry about since the standard we use (Type G) already have switches present on the wall.

Moving on to the I/O, it’s pretty expansive. ASUS has included one HDMI port and a native DisplayPort, but you can tap into DisplayPort signals through the first USB-C connector next to it. The second USB-C serves as an data upstream port if you’re connecting via HDMI or DisplayPort instead, which is not necessary if you’re connecting to the display via the USB-C connection.

There’s also a single 3.5mm headphone jack plus a pair of USB-A ports for powering additional peripherals. But that’s not all: under the left side (facing front) you can also find another USB-C that supplies 15W, enough to charge smartphones and small gadgets, plus a USB-A port if you need to plug a USB drive right away.

Specifications

ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV

Full specifications available on product page.

Display Panel Type	27″ flat IPS
Display Surface Type	AGLR (anti-glare, low-reflection) matte
Resolution	5120 x 2880 (16:9, 5K), 218 PPI
Refresh Rate	60Hz
Pixel Response Time	5ms
Gamut Coverage	100% sRGB 99% DCI-P3 95% Adobe RGB Factory color calibration, ΔE <2
Color Depth	10-bit (1.07B colors)
HDR Support	HDR10
Brightness	400 nits (typical) 500 nits (HDR peak)
Contrast Ratio	1,500:1 (typical) 3,000:1 (max)
Viewing Angle (CR≧10)	178°(H) / 178°(V)
Variable Refresh Rate Support	Adaptive Sync
Display Certifications	VESA DisplayHDR 500 VESA MediaSync Display Calman Verified TÜV Flicker-free TÜV Low Blue Light
I/O	Rear: 1x HDMI 2.1 1x DisplayPort 1.4 1x USB-C (DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode, 96W Power Delivery) 1x USB-C upstream port* 1x 3.5mm headphone jack 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-A (4.5W) 1x AC-in Bottom: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-A (4.5W) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type-C (15W) *USB-C upstream port usable HDMI and DisplayPort connections only.
KVM Switch	Yes
Onboard Speakers	2x 2W stereo
Power Consumption	31.04W
Stand Articulation	Tilt: +23° ~ -5° Swivel: +30° ~ -30° Pivot: +90° ~ -90° Height Adjustment: 0~130 mm
VESA Mounting	100 x 100 mm
Dimensions & Weight	Monitor only: 612.2 x 44.1 x 362.9 mm, 4.14kg Monitor with stand: 612.2 x 215.0 x 538.1mm, 5.91kg

Performance

Brightness Uniformity

Surprisingly, the brightness uniformity result didn’t fare too well for the ProArt PA27JCV, and we repeated this test several times just to be sure it’s not a random glitch. The left side of the display can lose up to 12% of luminance overall, though it looks like the deviation is more apparent between 50% to 75% brightness.

Color Accuracy & Gamut

Measurement: sRGB	Preset: sRGB
Whitepoint	6931K
Average ΔE	1.41
Maximum ΔE	3.56

Measurement: DCI-P3	Preset: DCI-P3
Whitepoint	6966K
Average ΔE	0.83
Maximum ΔE	1.95

The PA27JCV already comes with preset profiles for sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, so we’re using the presets given for our respective color accuracy tests. We found that the DCI-P3 color is overall good enough to be considered indiscernible to the human eye, though its maximum Delta-E does slightly exceed that threshold; meanwhile, sRGB profile shows very accurate colors right out of the box.

DisplayCAL Measurement	Gamut Coverage	Gamut Volume
sRGB	100.0%	156.5%
Adobe RGB	90.9%	107.9%
DCI-P3	99.4%	110.9%

The color gamut is right in line with ASUS’s claims, though not quite so for the Adobe RGB (95% claimed, ~91% measured). In all cases, the color coverage exceeds the maximum from all respective color profiles, so it’s only the calibration that you need to do (which ASUS has already done for you) to get picture-perfect colors.

The Good

As you’d expect from a creator monitor, there’s a lot more than just the accurate colors that you’re getting from the ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV. The 5K resolution – four times the pixel count of QHD – in a relatively small 27-inch display meant the texts are very sharp even when you’re looking at it at an unnaturally close range. Factory calibration also keeps the colors accurate and ready to go as soon as you power it up, while the onboard light sensor can compensate color and brightness for various lighting conditions.

Like the ROG monitor we previous reviewed, the ProArt monitor’s OSD menu is very detailed and offers easy to use controls via a joystick located at the bottom bezel. No complaints here – adding to that, another convenience they added for this monitor is the additional USB ports under the display, so you don’t have to spend time fiddling with the ports at the back in tight spaces (plus, you can charge your phone too).

Speaking of charging, if you have a laptop with you, it should have no issue supplying enough power to keep the laptop running while receiving the display signal through the same USB-C cable. It supplies up to 96 watts, more than enough for most lightweight laptops, and should be fine for gaming laptops if you keep the CPU and GPU power usage in check. (The power draw is also displayed on the OSD for easy reference.) Additionally, if you have more than one systems connected, there’s KVM mode built-in to control both devices one set of keyboard and mouse.

The Bad

There are some minor details to point out for the PA27JCV, mainly about the display. For one, we find it surprising that the 5K panel’s brightness uniformity didn’t perform as expected, though it’s hard to say this is specific to our unit (as backlight bleed can differ on a unit-by-unit basis).

The second point is more of a nitpicking, but we think it’s about time professional monitors start to adopt higher refresh rates like 120Hz, or just 90Hz – premium laptops have largely moved past the 60Hz standard by now, so it’s time for professional monitors to catch up, perhaps?

Verdict

The ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV will retail for RM3,550 when it launches sometime within this November, and for the price, it’s fairly reasonable for a 5K monitor – this class of monitors is still pretty rare to find in Malaysia’s market right now (unless you’re part of Team Cupertino), though 27-inch 4K monitors still offer pretty good bang for the buck if you’re willing to sacrifice 43% of total pixels 5K displays can offer.

Special thanks to ASUS Malaysia for providing the ProArt Display PA27JCV monitor for this review.