AOC launches a trio of affordable and ‘frameless’ FreeSync monitors
These 'frameless' monitors are easy on the eyes and wallet.
For the most part, FreeSync monitors cost less than G-Sync ones, all other things being equal. This is on full display in AOC's new V2 series consisting of three relatively affordable models, each built around an IPS panel.
The V2 series consists of 21.5-inch (22V2H), 24-inch (24V2H), and 27-inch (27V2H) models. Other than size, the specs are the same across the board. All three serve up a 1920x1080 resolution at 75Hz and support AMD's FreeSync technology. They also share the same 'frameless' design, meaning no chunky bezels on the top and sides.
AOC isn't marketing these specifically as gaming monitors, though on paper they look like decent options for the money. Over on Amazon, the 22V2H sells for $99.99, the 24V2H for $129.99, and 27V2H for $169.99.
We haven't tested the new V2 series, so we can't attest to image quality. However, IPS displays generally deliver better color accuracy than TN panels, sometimes at the expense of speed. In this case, all three have a rated 5ms response time. AOC hasn't provided details on any of the color gamuts though, such as the rated coverage of the sRGB color space.
At these prices, you'd be hard pressed to find HDR support, and even if you did the brightness probably wouldn't do it justice. Such is the case here—HDR is not part of the package, and brightness is rated at just 250 nits. That's on the low side, and quite a bit dimmer than the 400 nits VESA requires to be considered for its entry-level DisplayHDR 400 certification, let alone its DisplayHDR 600 and 1000 badges.
Other features include a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast, and tilt support. Connectivity consists of HDMI 1.4 and VGA inputs, and a 3.5mm headphone output.
All three can be found now on Amazon and Newegg.
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Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).