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A professional monitor is an absolute must when it comes to working with graphics or video. The question here is not just about convenience, but also about the correctness of the performance of the result of the work. However, if you can combine a high-quality picture and convenience, why deprive yourself of this pleasure? Today we are presenting the Lenovo Qreator 27 review, a new Lenovo 4K monitor that is distinguished not only by its high characteristics but also by very thoughtful design decisions – those little things that make up the concept of “comfort”.
The Lenovo Curator 27 is the best 27 inch monitor in terms of resolution (4K, 3840×2160). When working at a regular desk, the entire monitor falls into the field of view and doesn’t make you turn your head, as is the case with the 32-inch model. On the other hand, the pixel density is so high that they are not visible even when you move closer to the screen. The image looks completely detailed and extremely clear. The IPS panel supports HDR and 10-bit color.
Design
The design style of the Qreator 27 UHD monitor is dominated by minimalism. Traditionally for modern monitors, you won’t find anything on the front panel, no logo, no decorations. Does it have thin frames? The sides and on top are 5 mm thin and about 9 mm thick at the bottom. The screen covering is matte, which is fine and does not cause a crystalline effect, but also does not glare. Everything is as it should be for a professional model.
There is a glossy logo on the back panel, but it looks very harmonious. The rest of the space is made of non-stained matte plastic.
The Lenovo monitor is fastened to the stand with a snap without using a screwdriver. But a hex wrench is still needed when assembling the stand. That, of course, comes in the kit.
The monitor is compatible with any optional VESA 100×100 mount. It is important to note because the basic stand doesn’t offer height adjustment, only tilting from -5 to 22 degrees. The height of the lower edge of the screen above the table is 130 mm, which does not allow using one of the classic working options when the laptop screen is located under the lower edge of the monitor.
And yet the original Lenovo Qreator 27 stand deserves attention and even praise. Firstly, it looks great. A thin metal stand shifted to the right isn’t considered part of the monitor at all, and looks like the screen is floating in the air.
Secondly, the stand is extremely functional. It has built-in 15W wireless charging. You can charge your smartphone or other Qi-compatible gadgets.
Also, there is a notch on the front of the stand to hold the smartphone at an angle. You can simply hold your smartphone in front of your eyes, or you can use it, for example, to make calls. The angle of installation is such that the face comes into the camera’s field of view. You won’t be able to hold most smartphones vertically, there won’t be enough height. So only the horizontal orientation remains.
Connectivity
The Lenovo Qreator 27 inch 4K monitor is connected to a network using a bulky power supply. Its power is 170 watts, and the Lenovo 4K monitor itself consumes only about 40 watts. The stock is made for wireless charging or powering a laptop connected via USB-C with Display Port support.
The laptop can get up to 80W in Normal mode and up to 96W in Super Charge mode when the backlight is low. These are solid numbers that allow you to realize almost the full potential of the PowerDelivery power standard. A powerful laptop connected to a monitor can do without its own power source, which reduces the number of wires on the table to two: one from the adapter to the monitor, the other from the monitor to the laptop. Both cables are easily attached to the rack with plastic clips.
In the case of a USB-C connection, the Lenovo 4K monitor can also act as a USB hub with one USB-C and two USB-A ports, which are convenient to use for connecting peripherals: a card reader or a mouse. There is also a separate 3.5 mm jack for the headset.
From the alternative methods of video signal delivery, we note the full-size Display Port connector and a pair of HDMI. But, unfortunately, they no longer provide the conveniences that USB-C provides.
Operation
There are several buttons on the rear panel to control the parameters of the Lenovo Qreator 27. It’s hard to say that the interface is intuitive. Remembering what button is responsible for (and even more so clicking on the right one) is not so easy. One miss, and you have to re-enter the menu. It’s good that you don’t use this menu very often.
Of the important points, we note the direct choice of the color space in which the monitor will operate. Choose from DCI-P3, sRGB, and BT.709.
Image quality and capabilities
Lenovo claims the Qreator 27 is factory calibrated with a Delta E <2. We measured with the i1Display Pro and HCFR software to average a Delta E of 4.3 for a screen brightness of 120 nits. However, the monitor was new for our testing, and we don’t know anything about its past. For professional work, it is advisable to calibrate any monitor.
After calibration, Lenovo Qreator 27 easily goes to the figures stated in the specifications. Thus, the average Delta E for all fields was only 0.6, and the maximum value did not exceed 1.8. These are indicators worthy of professional equipment.
When using the DCI-P3 mode, the coverage of the corresponding area was 92%. That is very close to the 98% stated in the specification. As expected, sRGB is covered by 99%.
In sRGB mode, the corresponding color space is covered by our measurements at 95% – just below the declared 99%, but also very good.
The maximum measured brightness was 299 cd/m² versus 320 from the specification. Such a stock of brightness is definitely enough for working in a bright room with large windows.
In HDR mode, the peak brightness can reach 400 cd/m², the Lenovo 27 inch monitor complies with the DisplayHDR 400 standard. But here, we have to simply rely on the specifications, since we were unable to measure the peak brightness in HDR mode. Viewing HDR videos looks very impressive, and the monitor itself allows you to additionally select several profiles for displaying HDR content.
Finally, backlight uniformity. In general, when working in the dark everything is visible to the naked eye: the backlight is even. The calibrator confirms this by recording the maximum decrease in brightness in the upper left corner at 7% from the center. The rest of the corners “eat” even less. It is a very good result for a large 27-inch IPS panel.
In the description of Lenovo Qreator 27, 10-bit color support is declared without clarification: we are talking about FRC-anti-aliasing or full 10-bit support. When connected via USB-C, the monitor is detected as 10-bit.
Audio
Lenovo Qreator 27 is equipped with built-in speakers, the power of which is not indicated in the specifications. Most likely, we are talking about standard 2-3 watts for a monitor. The volume and sound quality are sufficient for everyday tasks: nothing wheezes or rattles, the sound is clear, you can listen to music at work. The accent in the sound is, as expected, shifted towards the middle frequencies. Bass is quite weak, which is common with built-in speakers.
Final line
Lenovo Qreator 27 is a comfortable 4K monitor for professional work. It will also help you get rid of unnecessary wires and organize your workplace more conveniently. The cradle has a built-in 15-watt wireless charger. It is possible to connect and power a laptop via USB-C, a built-in USB hub.
Against the background of such cool options, a non-adjustable in height and, at the same time relatively low stand looks very strange, which does not allow a laptop screen to be placed under the lower edge of the monitor.
The image quality matches the professional positioning of this model. After calibration, color accuracy falls within the Delta E <2 range with a decent margin. The coverage of the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces is slightly less than the declared 99 and 98%, but enough for serious work. The IPS panel is distinguished by high uniformity of illumination for its size. There is support for HDR content and 10-bit color depth.
Lenovo Qreator 27 price and availability
The Qreator 27 Lenovo 4K monitor is now available to buy at $599.99 on the Newegg.com store for a limited time, and you can also buy it via Bestbuy.com for $749.99 or £927.44 on the Amazon.co.uk website.
Lenovo Qreator 27 specifications
- Display: 27-inch Anti-glare IPS panel, 4-side NearEdgeless
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Response Time: 4ms (extreme mode)
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Brightness (typical): 400 nits
- Color Gamut: 98% DCI-P3
- Color Support (typical): 1.07 Billion
- Color Depth: 10-bit
- Ports: 1 x USB Type-C Gen2, 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A (1 with BC 1.2), 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x DP 1.2
- Audio: Panel Built-in Smart Crystal Sound Speakers
- Features: AMD Radeon FreeSync, DisplayHDR 400, QI Wireless Technology support, Smart Power
- Stand: Tilt Angle (front/back) -5° / 22°
- VESA Mount: 100 x 100 mm
