Design
BenQ Zowie XL2731 measures around 25 x 22 x 2 inches and weighs approximately 7.5kgs, this weight actually goes up to 10.5 kgs after including the stand. The weight is largely because the power brick has been built into the display instead of the power cable to make the monitor better suited for travelling. Near the bottom base on the right, there are six analogue buttons - tactile buttons, not touch buttons. We love that they are facing the user, which means one doesn’t have to feel around the bottom of the screen to find them. Like many budget-friendly gaming monitors that focus more on visuals, with XL2731 BenQ has opted to go without speakers entirely. The inclusion of a headphone jack allows users to connect their own audio options.
Stand
The base of the stand is a large, flat square that doesn’t take up a lot of desk space. We love how it allows us to place objects on the stand almost as if weren’t there. Above the square, there is a large hole meant to be used to help route cables. The XL2731 uses a stand whose height is adjustable by about 5.5 inches – a very rare feature for a monitor in this price range. Apart from being height adjustable, the stand is also tilted adjustable - from -5 degrees to 20 degrees. It can be swivelled around 45 degrees and rotated 90 degrees to deliver a portrait orientation. It is also possible to use the standardized 100x100mm VESA mounting for those who want to change the mount it comes with.
Connectivity
BenQ Zowie XL2731 comes with - a single DisplayPort 1.2 jack, a 3.5mm mini-jack for headsets, and a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports. We couldn’t help but notice that there aren’t any legacy ports, like VGA ports, available. While not including legacy ports is acceptable as one cannot access higher refresh rates on those anyway, something we couldn’t overlook is the exclusion of USB connections. A couple of USB ports could have proven to be quite helpful on this. Although we admire how each of the existing ports has been cleverly positioned – they ensure that the cords can be directed from the panel in a downward direction, which is great for people using non-standard mounting.
Gaming Performance
BenQ Zowie XL2731 has been designed to provide 1080p resolution i.e. full HD. Moreover, the XL2731 provides a 144Hz refresh rate option which is becoming increasingly common among gamers. Running 144Hz on this is great as it means a flawlessly smooth, lag-free screen. It allows users to disable V-sync in all their games. The monitor also comes with support for AMD FreeSync, making it easy for us to recommend the gaming performance of this panel. The XL2731 is also capable of delivering a 1ms response time, which really does away with problems related to ghosting or interlacing during games. This is especially useful for gamers who play fast-paced action games. However, since the XL2731 is a TN panel, the contrast ratio is nothing out of the ordinary at - 1:1000. This isn’t a great concern for gamers though, it’s just not the best for streaming video content online.
Conclusion
BenQ’s Zowie XL2731 has a bunch of attractive gaming features - 1ms response times, 144Hz refresh rates, and adaptive sync technologies. We feel that is pretty much everything one needs for a solid gaming monitor. It also comes with an impressive monitor stand. The BenQ XL2731 is certainly an excellent value-for-money system.
