Acer R271 Review

The Acer R271 is a very slim “ZeroFrame” designed monitor.  I’m not sure terms like zero or frameless are entirely accurate as we know these marketing terms to mean a very thin bezel.  But either way, this model has a very slim panel indeed when viewed from the side.  If you’re looking for something elegant that stands out from the bulkier competitors then you’ll want to take a good look into this.

You’ll see this as listed as Acer R271BMID for the black version and Acer R271WMID for the white version.  As far as I can see we’re all talking about the same 27″ R1 series monitor here but do let us know if you know of any functional differences between these similarly labelled models.

Build Quality

This is one lovely looking monitor, you’ll be the envy of the office with one of these  beautiful sleek screens sitting atop your desk.  Its enclosure is just 6.6mm making it slimmer than some smartphones!  The slim bezels don’t just look cool but they are also practical if you are attempting to setup a multi monitor environment with two or more side by side.

Note that the stand has limited maneuverability with just the ability to tilt it backwards and unfortunately you won’t be able to mount it on a VESA compatible arm either.  It’s easy to see why when you consider just how thin this model really is, if you attached a mount round the back the screws would likely poke through the other side of the screen when you insert them!  It’s also not the sturdiest stand in the world.  The monitor is easy to assemble and requires no tools, but some owners state that it requires reasonable force to click it into place.

Connectivity is fairly standard, you’ll likely be connecting your PC up via the HDMI port but there is also VGA and DVI support for the older graphics cards out there.  Some how they’ve even managed to fit in speakers into the build, a 3.5mm headphone jack is also included.

Performance

The IPS technology used in this monitor is known for its superior colour accuracy and wide viewing angles, meaning you can look from more dramatic angles without experiencing the rapid loss in colour accuracy as per cheaper TN based models.  The downside of IPS can be slower response times but Acer quote a 4ms grey to grey response time which makes this suitable for the gamers out there.  Of course this is not a dedicated gaming monitor, so ultimately it is not optimised for low input lag and does not include adaptive sync technology and is limited to a 60hz refresh rate but it’s still going to give a decent experience to the casual gamer.

Professional testers have reported back good out of the box performance with no real need to self calibrate.  Colour accuracy is adequate for consumers but professionals may require further calibration.  It was noted that Over Drive is used to boost response and minimise ghosting in games but this does lead to some visible artifacts, this is typical of IPS based screens.  A flicker free back light helps to reduce eye strain.