There isn’t any two ways about this: the ViewSonic VP2780-4K is one thing of a deal by the standards of professional monitors. It nevertheless isn’t cheap, but this 27in monitor packs in everything you could fairly expect for the cash. Simply take a 3,840 x 2,160 IPS panel, add a decent selection of features and inputs, throw in a zero pixel-defect guarantee. As a member of ViewSonic’s professional VP range, the VP27804K comes perched atop a fully adjustable stand that provides tilt, swivel and 150mm of height adjustment, and fl ips around into portrait mode. It isn’t as solid feeling as pricier models, but it works well: the massive claw-like base keeps the monitor rooted to the location, yet still enables for easy one-handed adjustments. Connectivity hits the mark, too. The Display Port, miniDisplayPort and HDMI 2 inputs all support 10-bit color and 60Hz refresh rates, and a further set of MHL 2-compliant HDMI inputs provide extra scope for linking smartphones, pills and other devices. That may sound like overkill, but the ViewSonic’s picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture functions are designed for showing up to four Full HD video sources simultaneously onscreen. Element into the presence of a four-port USB 3 hub – there are two ports positioned during the back and a further two on the left-hand edge – as well as the VP2780-4K has all the essentials nailed. ViewSonic is also confident about the VP2780-4K’s image quality: it claims that the IPS panel provides 100% sRGB coverage with a Delta E color difference of less than 2. Subjectively, there’s very little to complain about. The VP2780-4K’s semi-gloss, anti-glare layer adds a slight graininess to on screen images, but the flipside is that viewing angles are excellent: we saw small evidence of the typical of -axis IPS glow. Blacks remain deep and true also when viewed from an angle. This might be something of a coup at the price, as you normally pay a hefty premium for IPS panels with glow- defeating polarizing layers.
Color fidelity is just about bang on ViewSonic claims. In the factory-calibrated sRGB mode, the VP2780-4K covered 98% of the sRGB color gamut, with an average Delta E of 0.73 and a maximum deviation of 1.3. Contrast reaches an extremely impressive 1,207:1, and also the only frustration is the fact that color heat was means of on our review model, measuring at a 6,029K rather compared to intended 6,500K. The effect is that images are reproduced with a warm, reddish tint; a shame offered the solid performance elsewhere. Unfortunately, the panel’s back lighting is not up to expert requirements either. We calibrated the monitor to a brightness of 120cd/m 2 calculated at the center of the screen, then tested the brightness across 15 points on the panel. Our X-Rite colorimeter revealed that the entire lower third of the display was between 9% and 18% dimmer than at the center, and that the upper left and right corners were unevenly lit, too, measuring 11% dimmer than at the center. In comparison, the most readily useful expert monitors normally deviate by not as much as 5% over the whole panel. One final chink in the VP2780-4K’s armour is its on screen display: it’s incredibly basic. The crude-looking interface doesn’t instill much confidence, as well as the touch-sensitive buttons on the monitor’s front are annoyingly unresponsive at times, requiring several prods to ultimately achieve the desired results. Fortunately, it’s not something you may need to battle with on a regular basis, but the clunky controls allow it to be something to interact the various picture-in picture and picture-by-picture modes. Despite its faults, the ViewSonic VP2780-4K has much to recommend it. The array of features and connectivity is impressive; the image quality is pretty good; as well as the zero-pixel-defect guarantee is a major plus point. This is not a real professional display – those whom need superior color fidelity would be well advised to spend the extra on a monitor with more refined backlighting, such as the NEC MultiSync PA272W – but when you can live with all the compromises, the VP2780-4K provides solid value for money.