Should You Invest In A Smart Monitor In 2025? This Acer Makes That Decision Easy For Me

Acer Nitro 27-inch smart show GA271U

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Acer's Nitro GA271U P smart show is disposable now for $299.
• It's a coagulated fund smart show pinch a matte, 27-inch IPS WQHD show and 180Hz refresh rate.
• However, nan speakers time off overmuch to beryllium desired.

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When Acer entered nan smart show marketplace pinch nan Nitro GA271U P smart display, it took purpose astatine competitors for illustration Samsung, LG, and Asus pinch a comparable but much affordable action starting astatine $299. Available successful achromatic aliases achromatic colorways, nan Nitro GA271U P is simply a coagulated fund smart show for students, gamers, aliases anyone pinch constricted space.

The much accessible value couldn't beryllium much applicable now -- successful nan look of marketplace uncertainty and nan threat of accrued prices connected user goods. I precocious went hands-on pinch it by mounting it up successful my location agency and utilizing it for some activity and intermezo complete nan people of a fewer weeks, and it's grown connected maine arsenic a tin fund action -- pinch a fewer important notes. Let's dive in. 

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A bully smart show should beryllium capable to spell backmost and distant betwixt activity and play: swapping seamlessly betwixt your laptop aliases desktop, and past Netflix aft hours. By design, they consolidate aggregate screens into 1 instrumentality and are perfect for mini spaces for illustration apartments aliases dorms, aliases successful dens, location offices, aliases impermanent rooms. 

In that sense, Acer's Nitro GA271U P understands nan assignment, swapping easy betwixt modes and looking bully while doing it. Featuring a matte, 27-inch IPS WQHD show pinch a adaptable 180Hz refresh complaint that's compatible pinch some AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, it caps retired astatine 250nit brightness truthful it's not nan brightest connected nan market, but this is simply a show geared toward mundane use. 

In different words, it useful arsenic good for some productivity and gaming aliases entertainment, but it's evidently not nan best in either arena. For work, connecting your laptop aliases desktop is arsenic easy arsenic hooking nan HDMI (which caps retired astatine 144Hz refresh rate) aliases DisplayPort (the aforementioned 180Hz) and utilizing nan distant to switch modes. 

The WQHD show (also known arsenic QHD) offers a pixel solution of 2560 x 1440 and a 16:9 facet ratio, providing nan widescreen effect that looks awesome connected TVs. This solution is little demanding connected hardware than 4K, truthful older laptops aliases devices pinch lower-end graphics capabilities will still nutrient a bully ocular experience, albeit pinch a somewhat different one. 

It useful good arsenic a activity monitor, but there's a glitch present that makes it problematic. If you link a laptop via nan HDMI port, past fto nan laptop spell to sleep, nan show will many times effort to reconnect, momentarily turning connected nan surface (even erstwhile it's switched off) to show "Can't link to HDMI" earlier going dark, and past popping backmost connected minutes later. 

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This relationship effort rhythm results successful nan personification having to physically disconnect nan HDMI cablegram from nan laptop to extremity it, which whitethorn not beryllium a problem for users who usage it successful azygous sessions, but nan show seemingly does not for illustration being connected to devices that are turned disconnected aliases hibernating.  

Other than that, location are different ways to link your device, namely via DisplayPort aliases Bluetooth, which is awesome for further devices for illustration keyboards, mice, aliases speakers (more connected that successful a minute) truthful you tin activity nan measurement you want. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

As pinch astir smart monitors, nan Nitro GA271U P has immoderate productivity apps, including a portal to entree Microsoft Office programs for illustration Word and Outlook – ace adjuvant if you want to do immoderate activity aliases cheque email but don't person your laptop pinch you. You'll conscionable request to link a rodent and/or keyboard via Bluetooth. 

But this is simply a 27-inch monitor, let's not walk each time successful Excel. The previously-mentioned 144Hz refresh complaint and QHD solution make for a bully show for gaming and entertainment, though there's 1 point that holds it back: nan built-in speakers time off overmuch to beryllium desired. 

The dual 5-watt speakers sound comparable to a laptop's speakers, and though it gets loud, nan audio is tinny and shallow, moreover for voice-only audio. 

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After connecting nan Nitro to my soundbar successful nan room, however, nan bump successful audio value made a monolithic quality to nan experience, making it consciousness overmuch much for illustration a due TV. In that consciousness I highly urge users link an outer speaker – moreover a portable 1 for illustration nan JBL Charge 6 will spell a agelong measurement toward making this instrumentality consciousness much premium. 

Other useful features see surface mirroring – a accelerated and reliable measurement to stock contented from your smartphone aliases different instrumentality – and nan Multiview function, a staple for smart monitors that let you to disagreement up nan screen's existent property pinch different applications, doubling down connected its work/play duality. 

Regarding nan monitor's beingness form: it's sturdy and errs connected nan gaming/entertainment artistic broadside pinch Acer's signature V-shaped show legs. The surface itself is easy adjusted by sliding up aliases down connected nan Y-axis, and further rotates connected nan X-axis for nan optimal viewing angle. 

ZDNET's buying advice

I'd urge Acer's Nitro GA271U P smart display for anyone looking for a multipurpose show but wants to support things affordable. On its own, it's a bully monitor, but adhd nan truth that it's besides a 27-inch TV pinch each your favourite streaming services -- and it quickly justifies its price. 

You'll astir apt want to get an outer speaker of immoderate kind, though, since nan speakers connected nan instrumentality aren't nan best. The visuals, however, look awesome for nan value and it's sturdy, easy to adjust, and plays good pinch peripherals and some Android and iOS smartphones.