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To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
AOC claims 250 nits peak brightness for the AG276QZD2, which I measured in my test. The issue here is that there is no variable brightness option like most OLEDs have. This means you can’t get the brighter highlights of that feature. It’s not a big deal in SDR mode unless you really need the 300 or 400 nits offered by the other monitors. But for HDR content, you’ll miss that extra impact that comes from small extra bright bits like reflections from rendered surfaces. The good part is that you still get OLED’s infinite contrast and perfect black levels.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Calibration doesn’t change anything except peak brightness. 200 nits is a good level for indoor use in a space with moderate ambient light. When comparing SDR content, all the screens here have the same depth and contrast, whether static or intra-image. HDR is a different story which I’ll tell on page five.
Test Takeaway: The AG276QZD2 has the same SDR contrast and black levels as any other OLED. Without variable brightness, you can’t run up to 400 nits peak, but that isn’t a problem for most environments. And since it has Quantum Dot tech, there’s a good deal more color saturation to provide image impact.
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