AOC monitors are something that I love and hate at the same time. However, these monitors have some brilliant features, like a top-notch refresh rate.
On the flip side, these monitors also have a cheap directional toggle. In other words, this brand has both bright and dark sides.
Are AOC monitors excellent or bad?
Depending on the purpose, the answer can be both yes and no. In this article, we will explore the AOC monitors’ good, bad, and ugly to help you decide whether to buy this device or just pass.
By the end, you should stumble upon a firm decision.
“The Good” I Found in AOC Monitors
Once you look hard enough, you’ll find a lot of positives in these monitors. Brightness level, the display technology used, the flexible stand in place… are just some of them out of many. Let’s discuss them in detail, shall we?
Brightness adjustment settings on AOC Monitors are on a Different Level
Generally, we are used to modifying the brightness of monitors in percentages or by plain numbers on the screen. But for graphic-intensive tasks, adjusting the brightness in nits is comparatively more convenient.
AOC offers such advanced features. For example, instead of percentage values from 0 to 100, you can adjust the brightness directly in nits.
The display here can get up to 700 nits which are bright enough for you to do any kind of task with pictures. And, if you are extremely sensitive to light, you can set the display to only 42 nits which are impossibly dim.
Professionals and experts will find such a feature useful.
As I said, the Display Technology Use Here is Awesome!
AOC has some of the best display screens available right now. Its seamless audio and picture quality competes with leading LG and Samsung. However, this is not the only impressive thing here.
This amazing display allows local dimming separately for HDR and SDR modes. It’s a unique feature. Although there are only 32 horizontal dimming zones. However, this shouldn’t be an issue for watching regular videos and movies or doing visual editing.
I Could Adjust the Stand in Any Way I Can!
AOC only manufactures huge monitors. In most cases, adjusting the big displays to the right angle can be a pain in the neck. But that’s not the case here.
The AOC monitor stand offers the flexibility to perform all ergonomic adjustments.
No matter what angle you are looking for, the monitor will never fail to meet your need.
Height, tilt, pivot, and swivel, everything can be easily modified with buttery smooth flexibility. You can even rotate the device all the way to 90 degrees.
In other words, it’s possible to get more vertical and horizontal screen space with AOC monitors.
Picture-Perfect Image Quality with Smart Technology Impressed Me!
The image quality here is a pleasure to the eye. The colors look perfectly vibrant and well-saturated on AOC Monitors.
All these are possible because it’s a “White Gamut” monitor. So, the color accuracy is right on the mark except for the white point.
However, this can be corrected in the adjustment settings.
Unfortunately, no matter how you set things up, the average ΔE will still be too high. Why? Because we are talking about a white gamut monitor tested against sRGB color specs. The higher the ΔE, the more there will be a color mismatch.
Surprisingly, AOC successfully tackled this issue with an intelligent move.
No, they haven’t implemented a dedicated sRGB mode. If AOC did make a dedicated sRGB mode, it would have blocked tons of settings. Instead, AOC installed a toggle option to simply disable or enable the sRGB clamp.
Other settings aren’t blocked or affected in any way by this modification.
It’s a straightforward trick. Of course, other monitors should implement this option. But what benefit does this offer you?
Well, you will surely get more color accuracy and perfect sharpness for photo and video editing or anything else that deals with the image.
AOC Monitors Should Cater Gamers with Amazing Features
The overall gaming performance of this monitor is really satisfying. In addition, some amazing features make AOC Monitors the top choice for gamers.
The G-sync module of the AOC monitor has the G-sync ultimate certification.
As you probably already know, G-sync pushes the graphics card to adjust the display’s output rate when the monitor’s original refresh rate gets out of sync.
As the AOC monitor has the perfect G-sync performance, you can hope for the best gaming experience on this screen.
There was no sign of flickering (link to Monitor Flickering) or other issues the entire time I played with this monitor.
In addition, the AOC monitors come with a built-in Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer.
This program can accurately measure the in-game delay caused by the monitor and the PC. How’s this useful? You can adjust your PC and game settings based on this information and reduce the overall latency.
As a result, you will end up with a smoother gaming performance no matter what you are playing.
The Crisp Built-in Speaker Sounds Good Enough
AOC monitors have decent built-in speakers. They are loud enough and sharp for gaming or movies. Although not all models are equipped with a sound system, a few are just great.
The speakers are positioned on either side of the monitor. They create an immersive atmosphere with sound. Despite being small in size, they can form decent bass and treble.
AOC’s sound quality should be sufficient for video editing, movies, or gaming. However, don’t expect to work on sensitive tasks like music design or music mixing with these speakers. They are not that accurate.
For such purposes, you have to get an external sound system.
AOC Monitors are what I call “Good Components at a Good Price”
AOC manufactures value-for-money monitors. Their price range extends from $150 to $1,000. Given the impressive internal components, this price is reasonable. The IPS panel and the extra added features are just amazing.
Though there are tons of other monitors in this same price range, you may not get all the amazing features from them.
What are Some of the Bad Sides of AOC Monitors?
Look: No monitor is without its flaws. AOC has its negatives as well. Contrast ratio and Random Noise issues are just some of the problems you might face. Let’s go over them in detail (and the others), shall we?
The directional toggle on the back feels cheap
The directional toggle on the back is very low-quality. And its clicks sound cheap as well. Overall, the experience of using these buttons on the back feels like playing with a broken toy.
The feedback of these toggles is not that good as, well. They feel loose and fragile.
In a word, the directional toggle here is a turn-off. It failed to match the amazing features the buttons can control.
Poor Contrast Ratio Makes Some Pictures Dull
The contrast ratio of AOC monitors is usually not that good. With 1000:1, AOC is nowhere near being an outstanding display.
The colors don’t feel alive most of the time. Here the 32 dimming zones are the main culprit why AOC can’t offer an astounding HDR experience.
You can get a better contrast ratio with Alienware monitors at the same price.
I Noticed Annoying noise coming out of the back of the monitor
Whenever the AOC monitor is on, this high-pitched noise never fails to bother me. Though this issue is not present in all the AOC monitor models, it’s an issue with most devices, especially the flagship ones.
This noise probably comes from either the fan or the coil wire.
However, weirdly enough, this buzzing is only audible when the brightness is under 250 nits. Anything brighter immediately cancels the noise.
If you prefer working with mid-range brightness, you have to adjust to this irritating sound or play something in the background while working or watching a movie.
Disappointing build-quality in Some Cases
AOC monitors are value-for-money, but that’s only true regarding interior components. The story is different when it comes to the external parts.
The build quality of AOC monitors feels cheap. Even the most expensive models feel like a $200 device. Also, the light and thin plastic casing broke my heart. AOC would have been the ultimate monitor only if it focused a bit more on the casing.
The Downright Unredeemable Aspects of AOC Monitors
I’d not lie to you. AOC has some unforgivable features. Purchase their monitor only if you can adjust with the following flaws. To be honest with you, I doubt anyone can.
The Service Network is Trash
AOC boasts a lot about their service network. Well, it’s undeniable that they provide amazing service in the cities.
But it can take AOC a while to reach urban regions. You may have to wait up to a week if you live in the countryside. This is a real problem.
As I Said: The Brightness Adjustment Thing is a Big Bummer
Though the brightness setting of AOC monitors is highly sophisticated, controlling and maintaining them is difficult.
Firstly, the control software of AOC is very sluggish and doesn’t work as effectively as you may expect. Moreover, AOC doesn’t allow third-party apps to control the brightness or perform any adjustment settings.
All these issues force users to utilize the buttons/joysticks dedicated to such settings. As already mentioned, these buttons on the monitor’s back feel really cheap. In addition, the flimsy toggles somewhat demotivate me from using the fantastic settings AOC offered.
However, AOC includes a remote in the package to compensate for this disaster.
This remote should resolve the issues, right? Well, not really. This remote is another disaster.
The dedicated remote is connected to the monitor with an unusually long wire. I found it difficult to hide the wiring. But this isn’t the major problem I faced with the remote. The most irritating part here is the absence of a hold-button option.
If you want to adjust the monitor’s brightness from the lowest to the highest, you have to keep pressing the button until you reach your desired point. Just keeping the button pressed won’t get you anywhere.
It means if you want to get the brightness from 42 to 400 nits, you literally have to press the button on the remote around 400 times. So overall, the remote isn’t much of a help.
My Final Thoughts on the Topic
What do you think now? Are AOC monitors good? Well, it certainly is if your need involves gaming and editing.
Mainly the graphics-intensive tasks are the stronghold of this monitor. However, given the annoying control settings and the irritating noise, this isn’t the best option for regular everyday tasks.
Even if your priority is divided between gaming and casual browsing, Alienware monitors will be a better option, given the price point.
But if you are sure you will only game on it and do heavy photo and video editing, get an AOC monitor without hesitation.
Hello Good People! This is Pavel and Welcome to PC Delight!
I’m an Electronics Engineer by profession with a passion for Gaming & PC builds. When I came up with the idea for PC Delight, it was my goal to share & offer the very best PC building ideas to tech-loving people like myself.
Since my school days, I’ve been just addicted to gaming & PCs. That leads me to experiment with various ways around the very niche, resulting in great productivity. And I’m here to share those practical experiences. So that next time you start some experiment with your PC builds or struggle to cope with a certain game, I’m here with the solutions. With these philosophies, I started my journey in 2017 and just kept going.
