Katarzyna Petru
AOC and Philips have officially presented what the industry has been anticipating for several weeks: the world's first gaming monitors with a refresh rate of 1000 Hz. Yes – one thousand. This is no longer an evolution but a brutal break through the current technological ceiling.
Information about such constructions emerged in leaks a month ago. At that time, it was said that AOC and AntGamer were working on something that would surpass the current records (750 Hz). AntGamer, however, is keeping quiet, whereas AOC and Philips are not. Both brands operate under the umbrella of TP Vision, so it's no surprise that their new models utilise the same IPS LCD panel.
New models: AOC AGP277QK and Philips 27M2N5500XD
According to DisplaySpecifications, the monitors were announced at a special event in China. They will appear in that market first. Both models offer:
27 inches
resolution 2560×1440 px (1440p)
response time 1 ms G2G
contrast 2000:1
wide colour coverage + factory calibration Delta E < 2
VESA DisplayHDR 400
On paper, this looks solid, but… well – paper has its limits with this class of products.
Dual-mode: 500 Hz at 1440p or 1000 Hz at 720p
To achieve the legendary 1000 Hz, a price must be paid: lowering the resolution to 720p. At native 1440p, monitors operate at "only" 500 Hz. Sound familiar? The same applies to top OLED monitors in 720 Hz mode. It's simply a matter of bandwidth and pixel control – to push the panel to its limits, the number of displayed points must be reduced.
1000 Hz? Sounds cosmic, but the reality is more complex
In theory – fantastic. In practice? IPS LCD is still IPS LCD. As noted by FlatpanelsHD, the declared 1 ms G2G is only the best possible result under ideal conditions. To maintain a real 1000 Hz, the response time would need to drop closer to 0.1–0.5 ms. And this IPS will not be able to achieve in 2025. The effect? The motion on the screen will probably not look better than today's 720 Hz OLEDs. This results from several factors:
An LCD pixel does not turn off instantly like an OLED, so moving images will always be more "blurry",
Differences in perception at such values are becoming less and less noticeable,
OLED has significantly higher contrast, perfect blacks, and faster pixel switching.
In other words: LCD has to race OLED in speed because it stands no chance in quality.
Who are these monitors for?
Not for cinephiles. Not for graphic designers. Not even for playing AAA games, as hardly anyone wants to watch their games in 720p these days. This is pure e-sports equipment, and it’s for the most demanding FPS players: CS2, Valorant, Apex. Every fraction of a second counts there, every slightly faster position change. For them – it could be a step forward. For the rest – more of a technological curiosity than an everyday monitor.
Nevertheless: a historic moment. A few years ago, the industry was excited about 240 Hz. Today we have 1000 Hz… and faster than anyone predicted. The next stage? The first 1000 Hz OLEDs. When that happens, we will truly be able to talk about a real revolution.
