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Add to SafariWhen comparing ASUS PB278Q vs Planar Helium PCT2785, the Slant community recommends Planar Helium PCT2785 for most people. In the question“What are the best monitors?” Planar Helium PCT2785 is ranked 30th while ASUS PB278Q is ranked 58th. The most important reason people chose Planar Helium PCT2785 is:
The black levels are respectively low at 0.16cd/m², which helps the contrast ratio achieve 1100:1 which is much lower than the advertised 5000:1, but still quite good.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Audio I/O
Headphone jack and microphone port available.
Pro QuickFit Virtual Scale
PB278Q has the ASUS exclusive QuickFit Virtual Scale that allows for previewing documents as they would appear when printed.
Pro Sharp, color rich screen
ASUS PB278Q is among the first non-Samsung monitors to use PLS. PLS (plane-to-line) is a Samsung-developed update on IPS. It has a 5ms (grey-to-grey) response time, 16.7 million colors, 1000:1 contrast ratio and is LED-backlit.
Pro DVI, DisplayPort, VGA, HDMI connections
DVI is dual-link with HDCP.
Pro Lightweight
ASUS PB278Q weighs about 8kg. Because of this it is easier to find VESA mounts.
Pro Decent black levels, good contrast ratio
The black levels are respectively low at 0.16cd/m², which helps the contrast ratio achieve 1100:1 which is much lower than the advertised 5000:1, but still quite good.
Pro Pretty fast response times make the system feel quick
The response time is 12ms, which isn't lightning fast, but it's still quick enough to make the system feel more responsive than cheaper monitors. While not fast enough for high-level gaming, this monitor won't make your system feel slow or unresponsive.
Pro 'Massive tablet' design is unique, and versitile
It really does look like a massive tablet with a kickstand - but that's not a bad thing. There's no stand visible, leaving the front looking very clean. The stand can angle anywhere from 15-70 degrees which allows for flexible use, or it can be folded in and used flat on the desk or even mounted using the VESA mounting holes.
Pro Built-in speakers, webcam, and mic
This monitor has many peripherals built-in, and unless you use them heavily they will do the job just fine. Unless you feel the need for dedicated hardware, the built-in stereo speakers work well enough, and the webcam and mic are acceptable quality for occasional recreational use (for business calls or other uses where quality is important, you'll want to upgrade to dedicated hardware).
Cons
Con No USB ports
There are no USB ports.
Con Poor stand
Although the footstand is wide it's rather flimsy.
Con Disappointing color accuracy
The MVA panel (multi-domain vertical alignment: in-between of TN and IPS technologies) doesn't reproduce colors very accurately. It scores just 82% of the sRGB color gamut, while other panels offer high 80s and even above 90%. This display's weakest points are with the green and cyan shades, while reds and blues appeared just fine.
Con Dim display
The display doesn't get very bright - at just 172cd/m² this panel is very dim. Many monitors can achieve 300cd/m² or higher brightnesses.
Con Takes much more power than similar monitors
Without using the ECO mode, this monitor requires about 50 watts to power it. This is double than other monitors. There are different levels of ECO modes, however these dim the display and barely get down to the power level of other monitors when they are all enabled.
