ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV: An Affordable Monitor Deal for Creatives

WQHD IPS panel and factory calibrated for the upstart creative. At just a few dollars south of 300$, is the price enough to justify this monitor purchase?

ASUS’ ProArt Display PA278QV is the next tier entry-point to the much-lauded ProArt line of photo and video-focused monitors. It boasts wonderful color accuracy out of the box and doesn’t ask as much for the privilege.

It possesses a similar true color heritage as its more venerable siblings, minus a few big-ticket features to maintain an accessible price for a larger number of buyers.

Let’s dive in to see if this monitor is worth your time.

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Overview

See Latest Price on Amazon: Asus ProArt Display PA278QV 27″

Released in 2020. PA278QV is probably an answer to the pandemic-driven demand for quality budget options. The monitor is among a line of budget reference displays that can be considered as the closest step up in the market for improved material referencing.

ASUS’ decision to produce an accessible ProArt monitor is a godsend for a long line of people:

Photographers, video editors, animators, graphic artists; the work from home crowd, you name it.

Anybody who does color-critical work for web content, as well as enthusiasts who want a truer representation of what their seeing on-screen, will see the advantages with this kind of display.

In The Box (varies by region)

DisplayPort-to-miniDP Cable
HDMI Cable
Audio Cable
USB3.0 Type-B
Dual-link DVI cable
Power Cord
Quick start guide
Warranty guide
Warranty card
Calman verified certification
Color calibration testing report

Build

Solid-grade plastic is used all around to hold the viewing panel in place. It’s in non-reflective black with a brushed metal look around the back side. Thanks to the bezel reduction boom, it is also equipped with three slim side panels to hold the top and sides of the screen.

A slightly thicker bottom bezel prevents it from getting an ideal ‘frameless’ look, however, it does give a much needed support structure for the panel.

One striking contrast is ASUS’ choice to package the PA278QV with a silver support base. While capable at carrying a heavy load, I prefer all-black to keep distracting colors to a minimum. The monitor is VESA wall mount capable, so there’s that.

To be fair, the stand support’s construction inspires confidence. Chances are slim that the square monitor base will falter under typical working conditions.

Note that this display also includes built-in 2W speakers — the tinny nature of this kind of built-in is very much anemic for listening purposes. Nonetheless, the stock audio option could be useful in a pinch.

Portrait Mode Done Right

The monitor gets the basics right in terms of positioning.

What’s noteworthy is how you can tilt it up to a 90 degree angle; this vertical orientation is certainly not just a programmer or writer’s friend.

It’s very much useful for unusual perspectives in art design and photography. It’s a refreshing way to look at your work.

Art that gets space that’s native in dimension and accurate in color rendition, is an infinitely easier thing to process. One only needs to think about finishing the piece, instead of adding the extra step of visualizing the canvas.

Display

Here’s the meat of the matter. With both 100% sRGB and 100% Rec. 709, this display will do you good.

It doesn’t have the full 10-bit color depth of its higher-end ProArt stablemates, however, this gets you close as far as picture accuracy is concerned.

100% sRGB means this is a friend to rely on for content creation. You can go make content for PC users, MAC users, and the smartphone viewing audience at large.

No need to worry as hard about translating your perfectly edited works, because these can be portrayed under the same sRGB color spectrum that most consumer-oriented devices support.

Unfortunately, its AdobeRGB color space is not as wide, yet it’s something you’d only really have to worry about about if you do print work.

This 27” IPS monitor is a great size for its native 2560×1440 resolution. Even though 4k options are out there, this panel will help you dip less into your savings.

Calman Verified

PA278QV displays go through Calman software testing. The evaluation helps keep monitor levels under a respectable Delta E < 2 color accuracy, which is great news for any prospective buyer who wants to get a monitor that is dependable for color work.

This kind of measurement level ensures that you get as far away as possible from bad color reproduction. You won’t need a color calibration tool for the short term, as the extra quality checks ASUS has done with this monitor already provides peach of mind.

Note: Other reviewers have stated that this monitor has higher out of box color scores compared to what ASUS states.

Response Time

The bump to 75 Hz actually works with this monitor. 60 Hz is sufficient for many editing tasks, but the bump in refresh rate is a nice thing to have. Especially for graphics and animation that contain fast-moving elements.

Response can also be further refined if you take advantage of its AMD Freesync capability through DisplayPort or HDMI.

Issues like screen tearing are tamed so you get a smoother viewing experience.

Since NVIDIA video cards are often the preferred choice for content creators, you also have the option to activate G-Sync through a DisplayPort connection.

Note: To point out the elephant in the room. Yes, this is very much usable as a gaming monitor. More open-world slow burns, less first person shooter, and this will play beautifully.

Rec. 709 Mode: Compatible with Rec. 709 color space.
Scenery Mode: Best choice for scenery photo display.
Reading Mode: This is the best choice for book reading.
Darkroom Mode: This is the best choice for a weak ambient light environment
Rapid Rendering Mode: Simulates display as high refresh rate performance togenerate different backlight frequencies. (Only available at 75 Hz)
User Mode 1/User Mode 2: Allows you to make color adjustments in the Advanced Setting

As is standard with many monitors these days, there is also an included blue light filter for evening work convenience.

ProArt Palette

Many of the parameters you need are present for adjusting color to your liking.

Basic Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Color Temperature adjustments are all covered.

But black level and six-axis hue and saturation adjustments are also available for extra tweaking.

All of these add up, especially when it’s finally time to get your own X-Rite or Spyder calibrators.

Measuring with your Monitor

Being a ProArt Display, the PA278QV similarly has the QuickFit function.

It’s basically a way to view your graphics and photos to how they will look in true size.

A couple of options are present:

1. Customization – Frame Height and Frame Width can be tweaked in millimeters and inches.

2. Ruler – Virtual rules from the top, left, and right sides work in tandem with a physical ruler in the bottom bezel. Mode of measurement can easily be switched between metric and imperial.

3. Alignment -You can preview your work with an alignment grid so you balance and overall layout on a page.

4. A4/B5 Modes – These simulate standard A4 and B4 paper sizes so you can look at them as they would look in real life.

Sound

As mentioned earlier, there are built-in speakers. It’s easy enough to configure with the simple volume, mute, and source options.

Ports

Now that you’re a bit more familiar with what this monitor can offer, what can you connect to it?

Closing an eye over the omission of USB-C, which would have made this an even more capable recommendation, this PA278QVhas the works.

I/O

Three USB 3.0 Type A, for peripherals
1 USB 3.0 Type B, upstream
1 DVI
1 HDMI
1 DisplayPort
1 Mini DisplayPort
1 Audio-in
1 Earphone Jack

There is also a Kensington lock slot for extra safety.

Conclusion

How much quality can you get for a monitor under 300$? A lot, apparently.

A ProArt label display is more expensive than the ones you get for normal viewing; it doesn’t even have the high refresh rates that are already conventional with monitors at this range.

Yet, buying into a product that’s clearly aimed at professionals (or entry-level professionals), will payoff in the long run.

Getting an IPS monitor that’s as high accuracy as you can get for your money, is a fantastic stepping stone into the big leagues.

The road is long, and can be very dark. Bringing the right tools for the journey is always smart idea.

Alternative Suggestion

ASUS ProArt PA248QB

Under 200$ and shares many of the features that make PA278QV a serious contender, you cannot go wrong with the smaller 1920×1200 WUXGA ProArt sibling.