Xiaomi recently released a series of new gaming monitors aiming to provide an impressive gaming experience at a budget-friendly price point. I recently had the opportunity to take a look at and test out the new Xiaomi G Pro 27i gaming monitor. This impressive mini LED display is built from the ground up to provide an immersive 1440p gaming experience without the high price tag of OLED equivalent monitors.
While OLED has been all the rage these past couple of years, it seems Xiaomi is taking a different approach and attempting to offer a competitive alternative at a much more budget-conscious price. While the specs of the G Pro 27i look great on paper, and its $330 price is pleasantly surprising, it's time to see just how well it performs.
Specifications
- Current Price: $329.99 (Amazon)
- Display Size:27"
- Display Viewing Angle:178(H)/178(V)
- Peak Brightness:1000 nits
- Static Contrast Ratio:1000:1
- Colours:1.07 billion colors
- Aspect Ratio:16:9
- Resolution:2560 x 1440
- Maximum Refresh Rate:180Hz
- Response Time:1ms (TYP)
- Local dimming zones: 1152
- HDR: HDR1000
- Product Dimensions (including base):613.35mm (L) x 169.45mm (W) x 526.5mm (H)
- Product Net Weight (including base):6.8kg
- Wall Mount Dimensions: Supported (VESA 75mm x 75mm)
- Tilt Angle: Forwards 5°+2 / Backwards 21°±2
Sharp Looking Display
Xiaomi aims to stand out with its design of the Monitor G Pro 27i. Featuring a sleek and thin bezel along with a sharp-looking white rear panel, the G Pro 27i looks great. It features a clip system attachment between the display and stands that, once attached, offers both a sturdy and flexible mounting point for the 27” display. With full vertical and horizontal tilt, vertical adjustment and portrait mode options, the G Pro 27i gives gamers the ultimate flexibility to accommodate their setup.
A single circular RGB-enabled backlight encompasses the mounting point offering gamers a little extra customization. RGB Light control along with a host of other monitor functions are handled from the onboard menus which are easily accessed and navigated thanks to an included mini joystick located on the rear panel in the lower right corner. Navigating the menus is a straightforward affair and Xiaomi has made sure to give you complete control over every setting. This is perhaps one of the nicer features of the monitor's design and makes configuring the monitor a painless experience.
The included stand is sturdy and like the white backplane offers a stylish look that compliments the rest of the design. While Xiaomi could have easily gotten away with a generic backplane and stand I appreciate the extra character that was added to the look and feel of the G Pro 27i. As someone who is a sucker for a black-and-white-themed setup the G Pro 27i feels right at home with the rest of my current rig.
Xiaomi G Pro 27i - Setup, Specs and Features
Setting up the G Pro 27i is quite simple and takes only a moment to complete. The base of the stand attaches to the center shaft and mounting plate via a screw in the bottom of the latter. As for attaching the monitor to the stand the G Pro 27i offers a simple clip system that secures the monitor in place nicely. Once assembled, a single power cable and preferred video cable can be fed through a single cable management passthrough at the center of the stand shaft. While it's not the nicest or cleanest monitor cable management system I’ve worked with it functionally keeps the cables out of sight when looking at the monitor head-on.
On that note, there are four video inputs to work with on the G Pro 27i, 2 HDMI 2.0 and 2 DP 1.4 ports. Additionally, there is a 3.5mm audio out jack that routes the HDMI audio through to headphones if desired. One nice feature is the inclusion of a clipped-in cover plate that hides all of the ports and connections once set up. It helps provide a clean look to the back of the monitor.
As for features, the G Pro 27i is packed to the brim with some impressive ones. For starters, as mentioned, Xiaomi has opted for a mini LED panel. This comes with some spectacular upsides; cost being one of the biggest ones. Featuring an impressive 1152-zone mini LED system, the G Pro 27i produces an incredibly detailed and vibrant image at 1440p. Mini LEDs offer an advantage over traditional LED displays because of the sheer amount of LEDs that can be packed into the backlight module. In the case of the G Pro 27i, that number is 4608 beads which offers a seriously impressive display.
With full HDR 1000 and a buttery smooth 180 Hz refresh rate, the G Pro 27i offers a seriously impressive gaming experience for gamers. To make sure not to miss a beat, gamers can also expect a 1ms GTG (how long it takes a pixel to change from one color to another) further boosting the overall picture quality being presented. To round out this already impressive display, the backlight panel is a QD panel allowing the G Pro 27i to produce a richer color experience for gamers. Finally, the display is FreeSync enabled so gamers won’t have to worry about visual tearing during intense gaming sessions. The G Pro 27i has all the right stuff to create a beautifully immersive gaming experience.
Xiaomi G Pro 27i - Performance
While this all sounds great on paper, performance is the real measurement of success. In testing, the G Pro 27i performed quite well across the board. The color tests on the G Pro 27i were absolutely gorgeous with images presented being rich and vibrant. The QD display is on full display when it comes to color representation. Games looked exceptional with DOOM Eternal (a personal favorite) on full, beautifully gorey display. As for the refresh response, the monitor once again performed splendidly. Movement felt smooth and seamless with no screen tearing in sight. The G Pro 27i manages performance exceptionally well.
While this was all impressive it was the brightness and picture clarity that was more impressive still. The HDR1000 feature is on full display here offering an impressively bright display experience. So much so that I had to scale back the overall brightness a bit during gameplay. As for the black-and-white spectrum, the G Pro 27i presents some solid blacks and whites again bolstering the overall image quality. It is one of the brightest gaming monitors I’ve worked with.
One interesting performance note of the G Pro 27i relates to the aforementioned 1152 local dimming zones. They are what help produce the incredible darker and brighter areas and help create that immersive gaming experience I had during testing. While local dimming is wonderful for gaming (and I highly recommend turning it on for this application) I did note an interesting phenomenon while using the G Pro 27i for office use.
If the monitor is set to medium or high local dimming, there is very noticeable blooming that follows the cursor around the display. It is only noticeable on dark backgrounds but is very noticeable as it activates its array of local dimming zones. This is a normal aspect of mini LED displays, so Xiaomi recommends disabling local dimming unless you’re gaming or watching a movie. In those settings, the effect is almost invisible.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed at how well the mini LED display performed. Gaming was absolutely beautiful on the G Pro 27i and offered some of the richest and most immersive visuals I’ve seen on a non-OLED display. It's an incredible option for those wanting a high-quality image without having to purchase an OLED monitor.
The only other note from testing is that while there is a volume control option found in the onboard menus there are no onboard speakers. This is a bit disappointing considering how many other features the G Pro 27i has going for it. Instead, this volume control manages the 3.55mm audio output jack which is quite convenient if you are using wired headphones which was the case during testing. It simply offers another option for connecting headphones without needing to extend the audio cable to your PC.
Final Thoughts
The Xiaomi G Pro 27i is a solid gaming monitor at a beyond reasonable price. It manages the tension of quality to price point exceptionally well -- seriously, monitors with these specs are usually $500+ and usually significantly higher -- providing a beautiful visual experience with impressive refresh rates, rich, vibrant colors and an impressively bright display. The local dimming needs to be turned off outside of gaming but overall the G Pro 27i is an excellent choice if you’re in the market for a 1440p gaming experience.
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