Gigabyte M27U review: an all-rounder monitor to rely on

Relying on what’s under the plastic frame, the Gigabyte M27U doesn’t look like much at first glance but that does mean you can make it your own. With a wealth of connectivity options and fast responsiveness, it was perhaps designed with gamers in mind but is strong enough for work and entertainment too, making it ideal for our best monitor for working from home list.

Gigabyte M27U review: Key specifications

Design and build

The Gigabyte M27U opts for a simple but sleek design, with a narrow frame that will fit smoothly into an existing set-up. There are no bells and whistles to write home about in terms of aesthetics but that helps the monitor do what it sets out to do: be a versatile option to suit a variety of needs.

In terms of quality, the plastic body is suitably sturdy and reliable, with low flexibility through the plastic when setting up. The height is fully adjustable so you can tweak it to your preference, although there’s no movement from side to side. Still, height is what most people are adjusting for, so you can easily slot it into a multi-monitor set-up if you so choose.

You’ll need a wide desk for that, however, as the stand takes up more room than you’d think you’d need for a relatively lightweight monitor. The V-shape of the base means it stands solidly but isn’t the most space-efficient.

Features and performance

When it comes to performance, the Gigabyte M27U is a pretty impressive all-rounder, capable of displaying 99.3% of sRGB, 92.4% of P3, and 88.3% of AdobeRGB. Those numbers could be higher and there are certainly issues with colour contrast that make viewing dark scenes or pictures tricky, however.

As long as you’re not planning on watching the final season of Game of Thrones, you should be okay and the colour accuracy is strong. For video or photo editors who work largely with light or bright images, you likely won’t encounter too many issues. For darker subjects, you might lose some clarity.

Another disadvantage of the Gigabyte M27U is the edge-lit local dimming features. It only works in HDR and even the recommended settings don’t do a lot for picture quality – especially where you need it for dark images. It picks up black details well but loses a lot in highlights, meaning contrast and crispness are lost.

Still, those issues are only noticeable in certain scenarios and we didn’t pick it up during day-to-day use. Colours remain crisp and brighter contrasts are more powerful.

A slight issue for those with good hearing is that some features, like backlight strobing, result in a coil whine. There’s enough flexibility to turn off the feature to reduce background noise but if you want them in action all the time, it does get grating.

As already noted, the main appeal of the Gigabyte M27U is its versatility. It boasts a wealth of connectivity options, once again lending itself well to a multi-monitor set-up. Two HDMI ports, one display port, four USB ports, and one USB-C port means that there’ll be little you can’t plug into this monitor. Gaming, editing, sharing files – you name it, it can handle it without the need for a bulky adaptor.

Price

Priced at £428.99, you’re paying a premium for an all-rounder. While there are some compromises on quality you wouldn’t want at such a mark-up, the sleek design and sturdy quality mean you’ll likely be able to rely on the Gigabyte M27U for a long duration. It’s timeless and perfect for day-to-day use, with enough performance to switch seamlessly from work to gaming to entertainment.

Should I buy the Gigabyte M27U?

If you want to invest in a flexible monitor as part of a wider, multi-device set-up, the connectivity potential of the Gigabyte M27U will be a major draw. Intense use of the screen might reveal its performance issues but for the average day-to-day user, you’ll be impressed by its handling of bright colours and responsiveness while gaming.