Asus VP28UQG Monitor Review: 4K Gaming Savings
Tom’s Hardware Verdict
A good value, the Asus VP28UQG enables casual 4K gaming for rigs with budget graphics cards. But like most TN panels, it lacks contrast, resulting in a washed-out image. Serious gamers will want to look elsewhere.
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Asus VP28UQG: Price Comparison
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When it comes to your home office screen, a lot of compromises have to be made. If you’re looking to futureproof, it makes sense to invest in a monitor with 4K resolution. But the best 4K gaming monitors come at a hefty price.
If you’re more of a casual gamer or non-gamer and have a budget rig running a lower-end graphics card, you might find one of the best budget 4K monitors useful. At $260 (as of this writing), the Asus VP28UQG tries to make that list by offering strong value, as well as what you need to enjoy tear-frame gaming at modest frame rates (it has a 60 Hz refresh rate, 1ms GTG response time and Adaptive-Sync) while offering the productivity benefits of 4K. But to do this at such a low price, the screen opts for a TN panel that lacks the ability to really make games (or other media) pop.
Asus VP28UQG Specs
| Panel Type / Backlight | TN / W-LED |
| Screen Size / Aspect Ratio | 28 inches / 16:9 |
| Max Resolution & Refresh Rate | 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz |
| Native Color Gamut | sRGB |
| Response Time (GTG) | 1ms |
| Max Brightness | 300 nits |
| Contrast | 1,000:1 |
| Speakers | None |
| Connectivity | 2x HDMI 2. 0 |
| DisplayPort 1.2 | |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| Power Consumption | 60W |
| Dimensions (WxHxD w/base) | 26 x 17.6 x 9 inches (660.4 x 445.8 x 229.4mm) |
| Weight | 12 pounds (5.4kg) |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Assembly and Accessories
The Asus VP28UGQ is so easy to put together that you won’t even need a tool belt, nevermind a tool box. You simply insert the panel into the thick stem sticking out of the circular base, paying attention to alignment. A screw with a handle makes it easy to tighten by hand. I used a screwdriver to make sure things were as tight as possible.
- Asus VP28UQG at Amazon for $254.99
The monitor also comes with one HDMI 2.0 cable and a DisplayPort 1.2 cable, plus the power supply.
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Sick of screens eating away at bezels? Well, with the Asus VP28UGQ you won’t be.
Many (often pricier) monitors are moving toward slimmer bezels. But the VP28UGQ’s black, matte plastic border is a proud 0.75 inch (19.05mm) thick. That’s enough space for a shiny Asus logo and, unnecessarily, HDMI and DisplayPort ones. (Sure, brag about the brand, but are we really so proud of our ports?)
Speaking of ports, around back are the two HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.4 and 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also a Kensington lock.
The Asus VP28UGQ’s circular (9-inch/228.6mm diameter) plastic stand has rings all around it, like an old tree trunk. But unlike a tree trunk, it doesn’t feel very thick, and the monitor can get a little wobbly when typing aggressively. Thankfully, the monitor didn’t seem like it was in danger of falling over. The stand allows for a 5 degree backward tilt or 20 degrees forward. There is no height adjustments or portrait mode. If you don’t like the stand, you can use the Asus VP28UGQ with a 100 x 100mm VESA wall mount.
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OSD Features of Asus VP28UGQ
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In the bottom right corner of the monitor’s backside is a bumpy, red joystick for controlling the on-screen display (OSD).
It moves in five directions with firm, loud clicks.
Asus markets the VP28UGQ toward gamers, so the OSD includes some gaming-friendly features. If you turn on GamePlus mode, you’ll get a large pop-up menu with the options to bring up a crosshair, timer, FPS counter and display alignment, for multi-monitor setups. The OSD also always informs you of image mode, input, resolution and refresh rate, so there’s no confusion.
We did our testing in the monitor’s Standard (default) image mode. But there’s also sRGB, Scenery, Theater, Game, Night View, Reading and Darkroom. At a quick glance, Standard appeared to make Windows look best (sRGB was a close second).
There are also four levels of Blue Light Filter, with the first three almost indiscernible from each other and Level 4 representing a noticeable leap in overall look. The effectiveness or usefulness of this will depend on your personal preference and sensitivity to screens.
The OSD’s Color menu has sliders for Brigthness and Contrast when the monitor’s in its Standard image mode.
Here, you can also turn on Smart View, which changes gamma and black levels but made things look washed out. Its main purpose is to increase viewability from side angles. Color Temperature is set to Warm on default, but there’s also Cool, Normal and User Mode, where you can tweak red, green and blue values. Other Image profiles allow for tweaks to Saturation and Skin Tone (3 modes) in the Color menu.
In Standard mode, the Image menu makes available Asus Trace Free, an overdrive setting for fighting ghosting, and VividPixel , a feature that “helps enhance image outlines and reduce noise bars for crystal-clear and detail-oriented viewing,” according to Asus. It’s adjustable by increments of 25 and is set to 25% by default.
Other Image profiles have options for Sharpness, Aspect Control, ASCR (Asus Smart Contrast Ratio ) and Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync.
Finally, the OSD includes an Input Select menu, System Setup, with options for things like language, key lock and reset, and a place for saving four different setting profiles.
Gaming and Hands-On
If you want to game at high frame rates in 4K, the Asus VP28UGQ isn’t for you. With just a 60 Hz refresh rate, the VP28UGQ is better suited for general use, productivity and casual gaming paired with a low-end graphics card. (As such, we didn’t run it through the same gaming tests as we do with the best gaming monitors, but you can expect results comparable to the BenQ EL2870U, another 60 Hz TN screen with 1ms GTG response time.
I paired the VP28UGQ with a PC running a dated GTX 1060 graphics card and fired up Battlefield V at 2160p and medium settings. Frame rates were normally in the low 30s but sometimes dropped to the 20s during intense moments, so I moved down to low settings, where frame rates were typically in the mid to high 30s. Of course, this is a AAA game with complex graphics. In the eSports title Overwatch with medium settings and 4K, frame rates were often in the mid-40s.
With the Asus VP28UGQ’s low GTG response time of 1ms and FreeSync available from 40-60 Hz to fight screen tearing, gameplay was definitely smooth and playable without any distracting artifacts.
The screen kept up whether I was battling an onslaught of bullets and flamethrowers in Battlefield V or making erratic movements in Overwatch. For Nvidia users, note that Asus claims that the VP28UGQ supports Nvidia G-Sync, but it’s not Nvidia-certified. To run Nvidia’s Adaptive-Sync, check out our instructions for How to Run G-Sync on a FreeSync Monitor.
However, both games, especially Overwatch, which has more of a cartoonish look, appeared washed out. For example, Ashe’s gun looked like a very pale olive rather than golden with a hint of green. Sunbathed mountains in the distance also lost some detail. In Battlefield V, orange foliage looked slightly paler, and it was hard to see details in bright areas, like a puddle with sun reflecting off it.
A 4K copy of Black Panther was also missing some of the oomph I’m used to seeing. That said, the Asus VP28UGQ did seem to capture a good range of colors in the film, including a sky with gradients of pink, orange, green and yellow in the background of the Ancestral plane.
When I performed general productivity tasks like web surfing and typing in word documents, this washed-out effect was less noticeable. Word documents and web pages looked as expected, while the Asus VP28UGQ provided ample brightness and detail to read and work, even with the monitor nearly directly perpendicular to a large window. In fact, the monitor’s so bright, that with a lot of white filling the screen, like in Microsoft Word, I could sometimes stand to cut brightness in half after long hours.
TN is known for having poor viewing angles in comparison to IPS and VA screens. Standing in front of my desk and looking down at the monitor text, especially in the lower half of the screen, became very hard to read. From a 90-degree angle, text suffered the same fate, while videos and games weren’t as bright. This isn’t great, considering the already washed out image, but the downgrade wasn’t dramatic. The VP28UGQ is totally usable from a perpendicular angle if you’re not reading.
Brightness and Contrast of the Asus VP28UGQ
Our testing includes use of a Portrait Displays SpectraCal C6 colorimeter. To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.
To see how the Asus VP28UQG stacks up against other budget 4K monitors, we brought in a couple of different 28-inch 4K screens geared toward gaming and including Adaptive-Sync, namely the BenQ EL2870U and Asus VG289Q. The BenQ is a TN panel, like our review focus, but the Asus uses IPS, which is known to have better color and viewing angles.
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The Asus VP28UQG offers ample brightness, even when I placed it perpendicular from a large window. Still, you can find brighter displays, like the IPS Asus, which beat the VP28UQG in max brightness by 48 nits. When it came to black levels, the VP28UQG competed well with the other monitors in our comparison group.
Things get worse when we look at the VP28UQG’s contrast. The VP28UQG’s TN panel can’t compete with the IPS monitor here. With a contrast ratio of just 813.1:1, the VP28UQG isn’t too bad for a TN panel, and when we dropped brightness down to 80%, the default setting, contrast bumped up slightly to 932.2:1. But overall, the VP28UGQ is still lacking in one of the most important areas of image quality. This helps explain that washed out look I’ve been complaining about.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking on Asus VP28UGQ
We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Grayscale error tells us how good or bad a monitor is at keeping white pure across various brightness levels, and this also affects color accuracy. As you can see in the chart above, the monitor has some visible grayscale errors (above the yellow line representing a Delta E (dE) of 3) from 40-90% brightness and then again at 100% brightness. At these brightness steps, the monitor shows a blue-green tint.
Calibration may be able to help both our gamma and grayscale concerns.
The VP28UQG’s gamma average of 1.7 is off the 2.2 mark we prefer, making the image noticeably flat, particularly when it comes to bright highlights. From 40% brightness and higher, we see gamma plummet, with bright highlights more difficult to capture.
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We found that the VP28UQG has a grayscale error of 3.4dE. Errors under 3 aren’t generally considered visible to the human eye. For a budget monitor, this isn’t bad, but the BenQ is exceptional here.
Of course, we want the gamma value range to be as tight as possible, and our review focus struggled here in comparison to the BenQ and IPS Asus screen.
Color Gamut Accuracy of the Asus VP28UGQ
For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The VP28UGQ is sRGB-native, but with the out-of-box settings, we see that while the white point is on-target, blues are oversaturated from the 40% saturation point and on.
Red is also oversaturated at 60 and 80%, but undersaturated at 100%.
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Again, 3dE is the visible threshold for errors, and the VP28UQG certainly surpasses that with a 5.4dE, as does the BenQ. The IPS-based Asus, meanwhile, shouldn’t show any visible errors. Again, calibration may be able to help.
The Asus VP28UQG provides the proper amount of coverage of the sRGB color space at 100.7%. But if you want an extra color punch, the IPS panel, not surprisingly, is the clear winner.
The Asus VP28UGQ is a budget 4K gaming monitor in both price and performance. For casual gamers looking for a cheap 4K screen that’s also fit for work, the VP28UGQ fits the bill. With 60 Hz and Adaptive-Sync, it’s best reserved for systems without high-end graphics horsepower. More serious players, meanwhile, will want something with more hertz.
But in its journey to appealing to gamers, the Asus VP28UGQ makes sacrifices in image quality.
Games and movies looked a little less impressive on the VP28UGQ, with big thanks due to the monitor’s TN-level contrast ratio.
That means if you’re either a serious gamer or serious about image quality there are better alternatives. Our favorite budget 4K gaming screen right now is the Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q, a 60 Hz IPS screen with FreeSync. If you don’t need to game, there happen to be many 28 and 27-inch 4K IPS screens in the same price range as the VP28UGQ, such as the Lenovo ThinkVision S28u-10 . And many offer HDR support, although the difference between SDR won’t be staggering at this price point.
The VP28UGQ’s price is hard to ignore. And if you don’t want much more than a reliable 4K screen that can handle work and (light) play, it’s a good option.
Scharon Harding has a special affinity for gaming peripherals (especially monitors), laptops and virtual reality. Previously, she covered business technology, including hardware, software, cyber security, cloud and other IT happenings, at Channelnomics, with bylines at CRN UK.
Good performance work and play
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7.4
Total Score
GOOD
The Asus VP28UQG is a solid choice for gamers and professional creatives who prefer Freesync technology and short response rate that you get with this panel.
PROS
- Supports AMD’s FreeSync Technology
- Solid gaming performance
- Nice price
CONS
- Slightly skewed color accuracy
- Lacks USB port and speakers
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Asus VP28UQG 28″ Monitor 4K/UHD 3840×2160 1ms DP HDMI Adaptive Sync/FreeSync Eye Care Monitor
Asus VP28UQG 28″ Monitor 4K/UHD 3840×2160 1ms DP HDMI Adaptive Sync/FreeSync Eye Care Monitor
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The Asus VP28UQG is 28-inch gaming monitor that uses AMD’s FreeSync anti-tearing technology and a 1ms response rate to provide smooth gaming action. It uses a Twisted Nematic (TN) panel to deliver clear visuals, and while its viewing angles are not as wide as what you’d find on competing IPS panel like the 27-inch LG 27UK850-W, it still does a good job displaying detail when viewed directly.
In addition to the adaptive sync support and 60Hz refresh rate, it is equipped with three digital video inputs, VESA mount support and 300 cd/m2 peak brightness. Its 4K (3840 by 2160) resolution offers a very sharp hi-res picture, but its colors aren’t as accurate as those of our Editors’ Choice for big-screen gaming monitors, the same price BenQ EL2870U that’s ideal as an all-round entertainment monitor with a gaming bent.
Design
The Asus VP28UQG lacks the sleek aesthetics of the Asus ROG Strix (XG27VQ) and Acer Predator X34 models, but is a great looking monitor nevertheless.
It sports a black, 2.5-inch-thick cabinet with thick (0.5-inch) bezels and a matte, anti-glare coating. On the back of the cabinet are four VESA mounting holes and is supported by a circular base and mounting arm that provides 25 degrees of tilt.
All of the VP28UQG’s I/O ports are located at the rear of the cabinet. Here you find two HDMI inputs, a DisplayPort input, and a headphone jack. While it’s nice having three digital inputs, a couple of legacy ports like VGA and DVI ports included on the BenQ monitor, and even a single USB port would be nice. Again, it lacks built-in speakers, but for the price it’s an acceptable omission.
The right side of the cabinet is home to a five-way jog dial that makes it easy to navigate the settings menus.
AMD FreeSync technology
FreeSync technology is AMD’s answer to Nvidia’s G-Sync anti-tearing and smoothing technology. Except for the brand names, both adaptive sync technologies take control of the monitor’s refresh rates to eliminate screen tearing, an artifact that occurs when a monitor with a fixed refresh rate attempts to match with that of the graphics card.
As a result, tearing causes a split screen effect as the monitor displays portions of two frames concurrently.
Both of the adaptive sync technologies also reduce motion chop and input lag (time it takes for a monitor to react to a controller command). The only difference is that while G-Sync monitors contain a proprietary module that allows the GPU to handle refresh rates, FreeSync monitors utilize DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync, an existing industry standard method for controlling a monitor’s refresh rate via the DisplayPort 1.2 input.
As such, for you to take advantage of FreeSync, you’ll need a monitor that supports DisplayPort Adaptive-Sync, an AMD Radeon graphics card in your PC that supports FreeSync, and AMD’s Catalyst Control Center software and drivers.
Gaming presets and adjustments
The game visual settings include GamePlus feature that consists of customizable crosshair overlays, an on-screen timer and an FPS counter. Another addition feature is HDCP 2. 2 support that lets you stream content from Netflix, Amazon Video among others, all in 4K UHD resolutions.
You’ll also find eight pre-calibrated picture presets for most viewing scenarios including Scenery, Theater, Game, Night View, Reading, Darkroom, sRGB, and Standard mode which you can customize.
Performance
When it comes to gaming, the VP28UQG is an excellent performer. It scores well on PC gaming on Crysis tests, thanks to its 60Hz refresh rate and 1 millisecond (gray-to-gray) pixel response rate. The monitor manages to deliver very smooth motion handling with no noticeable ghosting or blurring. It offers the same clarity on Grand Theft Auto V on Sony PlayStation 4. Colors appears rich and image detail is outstanding.
The rich colors notwithstanding, the VP28UQG’s color accuracy is slightly off on chromaticity tests, with red and green colors missing their ideal targets, and blue is fairly on the fringe. Fortunately, the monitor doesn’t suffer from tinting or oversaturated colors as a result. The IPS panel doesn’t struggle when displaying every shade of gray, no loss of luminance or color shifting when viewed from extreme angles.
Even with impressive test scores, it still benefits from AMD’s Freesync technology. Even with adaptive sync disabled, screen tearing wasn’t an issue on Crysis 3 and Call of Duty: Black OP, but fast action scenes look much smoother and sharper with G-Sync enabled.
The Asus VP28UQG monitor has an input lag of 27.4-milliseconds, which is decent and won’t likely affect your gameplay. Still, it doesn’t match the BenQ ZOWIE XL2540’s short lag of 9.7 milliseconds. The monitor draws 36 watts of power in testing when set to sRGB mode. That’s in line with most competitors who stay in the 38 watts range, but with ECO mode activated it can drop to around 29 watts.
Asus VP28UQG Review: Verdict
The Asus VP28UQG is a solid choice for gamers and professional creatives who prefer Freesync technology and short response rate that you get with this panel.
The 3840-by-2160 resolution panel delivers sharp image detail and a very smooth gaming experience, and the connectivity options are optimal. Color accuracy is a bit off, but not to a point where the picture appears oversaturated.
If color accuracy and viewing angles are a deal breaker, check out our Editors’ Choice BenQ EL2870U. It does offer the 4K resolution you get with the Asus VP28UQG, but is maxed with true colors and a wider viewing angles, and it, too, uses FreeSync technology.
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Asus VP28UQG 28″ Monitor 4K/UHD 3840×2160 1ms DP HDMI Adaptive Sync/FreeSync Eye Care Monitor
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Today we will review the monitor from ASUS VP28UQG.
Contents
- Shield
- External
View - Functions
- Connectors
- Reviews
Screen
Diagonal
screen 28 inches, resolution — 3840 × 2160, aspect ratio 16:9, response time (GTG) 1 ms.
Main
a characteristic of gaming monitors is the response time of the LCD matrix. This
model, this parameter is only 1 millisecond, which allows you to completely
eliminate visual artifacts in the form of dark trails behind moving objects in
dynamic games and movies. In addition, this monitor has
Adaptive-Sync/FreeSync adaptive sync technology, thanks to which
the annoying effect of tearing the frame is eliminated and the display delay is reduced.
This ensures both higher picture quality and improved
the reaction of the game to user actions.
Backlight
W LED. Matrix TN. Color depth — 10 bits. Frequency
updates — 40-60 Hz.
This
28″ monitor with 3840×2160 resolution and pixel density
157 pixels per inch for crisp and colorful images. Despite
on its gaming orientation, this model will be useful for
productive work, because on it a large screen can be conveniently placed
many windows with applications and toolbars at the same time.
External
view
Monitor dimensions — 66 centimeters wide, 38
centimeters in height, thickness — 6 centimeters. Weight 4.6 kg. Black color.
Provided
VESA mount 100×100.
Functions
ASUS GamePlus function. Since the model is aimed primarily at gamers, it has special features designed for gamers. They are activated using the GamePlus button. Aim. You will be able to aim accurately, even if the crosshairs are not displayed in the game itself. A total of four crosshair options are available. Timer. With the help of a timer, you can keep track of events that occur regularly in the game, such as the regeneration of enemies or the loss of a “drop”. The location of its display is set using the navigation joystick, so it will not overlap the elements of the game interface. Frames per second counter. This counter helps track the impact of various graphics subsystem settings on the speed of the game, which helps to find the perfect balance between image quality and frequency of drawing.
Image alignment. When this function is activated, lines will appear at the edges of the screen, with which you can easily set the position of the monitor in a multi-monitor configuration.
Blue light filtering. ASUS monitors have a blue light filtering feature that can be harmful to the eyes. The degree of filtration is set by the user in the on-screen menu.
Minimize screen flicker . To help reduce eye fatigue symptoms, ASUS has developed Flicker-Free technology to reduce screen flicker. Monitors with this technology make interaction with the computer more comfortable.
Connectors
Monitor
equipped with DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 interfaces, which allow you to output
Ultra-HD image at 60Hz refresh rate.
B
This model has several connectors:
- 2
HDMI 2.
0; - 1
display port 1.2; - 1
output for audio and headphones 3.5 mm;
Reviews
Reviews for this model I do not
found.
If you are the owner of this monitor, then in the comments you can share your opinion about this model.
ASUS VP28UQG price, specifications, video review, reviews
- LED backlight LED
- Max. frame rate 60 Hz
- Response time 1 ms
- Max. more than 1 billion colors
- Dynamic contrast ratio 1000:1
- Brightness 300 cd/m2
- LCD type TFT TN
- Screen size 28″
NULL, 1, «12019 - Type of game LCD monitor, widespread
- Step of horizontal point 0.
16 mm - Show all
ASUS VP28UQG
- Settings 10
9016
3
Specifications ASUS VP28UQG
Key features
*
| LED backlight | LED |
Screen parameters
*
| Max. frame rate | 60Hz | ||||
| Response time | 1ms | ||||
| Max. number of colors | over 1 billion | ||||
| Dynamic contrast ratio | 1000:1 | ||||
| Brightness | 300 cd/m2 | LCD panel type | 0181 | Flinking backlight (Flique-Free) | is |
| Lowing Blue | is | Freesync | Freesync | Freesync |
| Inputs | HDMI 2.
|