Iiyama ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP Review

The Iiyama ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP is a 27in 4K monitor aimed at content creators and imaging professionals. Its IPS Black panel and an exceptionally complete connection panel — including a 96 W USB-C port — are the two arguments it makes against long-established rivals in this segment.

Iiyama is a familiar name in gaming displays, but the manufacturer is also well established in the office market, and the ProGraphic range extends that catalogue towards graphic designers, photographers and video editors. The HB2701UHSNP is built around a 27in IPS Black panel running at an Ultra HD 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.

The manufacturer's priorities are image quality and a generous set of inputs and outputs. That includes a DisplayPort-capable USB-C port supplying 96 W of power delivery, a full USB hub, a KVM switch that lets one keyboard and mouse drive two computers, and daisy-chain support so that several screens can be linked together. All of these are genuinely useful in a professional environment. A 32in version also exists under the reference HB3201UHSNP-B1.

The brightness and colorimetry figures quoted below were recorded with a Calibrite Display Plus HL probe and CalMAN Ultimate software.

The design is restrained, as is customary for this manufacturer's monitors. The whole chassis is plastic, mixing matt black with silver elements around the stand. The overall impression is workmanlike, although the plastic used for the black base does feel somewhat low-rent.

Ergonomics, on the other hand, are beyond reproach. The stand adjusts for height and tilt, rotates through 360 degrees thanks to a turntable beneath the base, and allows the panel to be switched into portrait orientation. Photographers and developers in particular will appreciate that last option, which is essentially a requirement on a screen intended for professional work.

The connectivity is arguably the monitor's headline argument. There is an HDMI input, a DisplayPort, two USB-C ports, a USB hub with five ports in total — two of them USB-A on the side edge — and a headphone output, all rounded off by an Ethernet port. The main USB-C port delivers up to 96 W, enough to power a laptop while carrying the video signal thanks to its DisplayPort compatibility. It is not, unfortunately, supported by Apple's Macs. Daisy chaining allows a second display to be added without multiplying cables, while the KVM switch makes working across two machines — a desktop and a laptop, for instance — considerably easier.

Few competitors offer connectivity this complete in the same class. The Asus ProArt PA279CRV also has an excellent selection, while the Dell S2725QC is rather less generous on this front. Iiyama has not forgotten integrated speakers either. As ever, they will do for video calls or the odd YouTube clip, but they are no substitute for a real audio system or a headset. Menu navigation is handled by a joystick on the rear of the monitor, comfortably the most pleasant solution and the quickest route to the different image profiles without juggling multiple buttons.

Selecting the Rec.709 SDR mode produces an excellent performance. The measured average delta E was just 1.9, comfortably below the threshold of 3 — and even below the stricter figure of 2 — generally taken as the point at which colour deviation becomes visible to the naked eye. Colours are therefore very accurate straight out of the box, with little need for calibration.

Average gamma landed at exactly 2.2, the reference value expected of a monitor. The curve lacks stability, though: dark greys are rendered noticeably brighter than they should be, which is a shame. Average colour temperature was measured at 6100 K, slightly below the 6500 K reference and giving the image a marginally warmer cast than expected. The deviation is small enough not to disrupt professional work, particularly since the most demanding users will calibrate with a probe regardless.

The real surprise is contrast. The latest-generation IPS Black panel returned a ratio of 2270:1, which is simply excellent for an IPS screen. Blacks gain considerable depth compared with conventional IPS panels, which typically top out around 1000:1. It does not reach the level of a high-end VA panel, let alone an OLED, but it represents genuine progress for the technology. The associated benefit is viewing angles, which are far better than VA panels manage: colours barely degrade off-axis, a significant asset for collaborative work. The anti-reflective treatment is effective, with a measured reflectance of 19% — a respectable figure by current standards, keeping reflections relatively discreet.

HDR is a weaker story. The monitor supports HDR10 but, like many PC displays, skips HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. HDR measurements were not convincing: EOTF tracking proved fairly poor, with light tones once again considerably brighter than they should be. Peak brightness was measured at 403 cd/m² on a 10% window, in line with the DisplayHDR 400 tier, but a long way from the Mini-LED and OLED screens that comfortably clear 1000 cd/m². Average delta E in HDR came in at 3.9, which is not really acceptable on a monitor sold to professionals.

Colour space coverage, by contrast, is an excellent surprise. The panel covers 100% of Rec.709, 99.2% of DCI-P3 and 79.8% of Rec.2020 — very strong results that allow photographers, designers and video editors to work confidently in most of the spaces used across the industry.

This ProGraphic was not designed for gamers, but a slightly higher refresh rate would still have been welcome given that some office-oriented models now reach 100 Hz. The panel is limited to 60 Hz, so there is no competing with current gaming displays running at 180, 240 or even 320 Hz. For single-player games, role-playing titles and undemanding indie releases that is still sufficient, but competitive gaming is off the table.

Display lag was nonetheless measured at only 8.9 ms in Full HD at 60 Hz, an excellent figure that guarantees very good responsiveness with no perceptible delay between mouse input and what appears on screen. Persistence reached 21 ms under the same test procedure — unsurprisingly high for an office-focused IPS panel, so some ghosting may trail fast-moving objects. There is no Adaptive-Sync, FreeSync or G-Sync support, which is hardly a shock given the monitor's positioning.

With brightness set to 150 cd/m², the HB2701UHSNP drew only 17.4 W on the standard test pattern. Related to its display area, that works out at a relative consumption of 86.6 W/m², a very good result for a 27in 4K screen and one that will appeal to anyone working several hours a day. The monitor also runs without an external power brick, which is another point in its favour.

With the ProGraphic HB2701UHSNP, Iiyama has produced a good monitor for content creators and imaging professionals. The IPS Black panel delivers a particularly convincing image thanks to accurate colours and near-perfect DCI-P3 coverage, and the connectivity is a genuine strength, with the 96 W USB-C hub, KVM and daisy chaining rarely gathered together on one screen. As with any display aimed at professionals, calibration with a probe is still advisable to improve gamma and, above all, HDR — the monitor loses ground in that mode. Gamers will naturally look elsewhere given a refresh rate capped at 60 Hz.

Against the competition, the Iiyama answers the Asus ProArt PA279CRV with even more generous connectivity and markedly better contrast thanks to the IPS Black panel, though the Asus retains better calibration. The Dell S2725QC is another interesting alternative, but it is aimed more at office work than at creators, offering a 4K image at 120 Hz.