CONCLUSION

   Because we lack the necessary equipment to perform thorough reviews of LCD screens i was at first skeptical about starting such reviews but almost a full month of using any LCD screen should be enough to at least cover most angles. So after using the U2868PQU by AOC with several games and movies we all agree that it's a good LCD monitor for everyday use but simply put far from perfect. It does offer 4k UHD resolution which can come in handy for professionals but at least for us 28 inches for such a resolution is not ideal (personally i feel that 4k should be used with screens well above 32 inches in size) and ontop of that although the monitor has an impressive response time of 1ms (GTG) there's quite a bit of input lag when playing fast passed games something which will almost certainly annoy serious gamers (this is especially important for online gaming). We also had some issues with the first model we received by AOC (it would just turn off when launching some games in 4k resolution) so we had to wait until they send the revised model to us which indeed worked as it should without hiccups (according to AOC there's a FW update for the first release so if you got one from the first batch you can use that to resolve any issues). The 30Hz limitation when using DVI-D or HDMI is also quite annoying since that only leaves you with DisplayPort but this applies to most if not all 4k monitors right now so we really can't blame AOC for it. Build quality is also quite good but having used two NEC MultiSync screens for the past 5 years the U2868PQU does seem a bit "weak" compared to them.

   With the U2868PQU AOC aims at the masses something which you can tell that the moment you read that it uses a cost-effective WLED/TN panel instead of the more expensive IGZO/IPS ones. Because of that it currently retails for a very tempting price tag of USD509.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 461.16Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Getting a 4k UHD resolution LCD monitor at a bargain price however means compromises and with viewing angles which are good but not great and quite a bit of input lag the U2868PQU is evidently aimed towards people who care not about these downsides or who just don't want to spend more on a technology which has yet to mature sufficiently. Overall however the U2868PQU may not be great but it is a good everyday LCD monitor (certainly amongst the best TN based 4k UHD ones to date) with 4k UHD resolution at a bargain price and that's why it walks with our Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- 4k UHD Resolution
- Overall Image Quality
- 1ms GTG Response Time
- Touch Panel Controls
- Stand (Height/Pivot/Swivel Adjustable)
- 4 USB Ports
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Input Lag (For Some)
- Vertical Viewing Angle