The HP Z27k G3 4K USB-C Display ($534) is a formidable productivity monitor, with UHD resolution, an ergonomically supreme stand, accurate color for web-based art, and a wide variety of ports. It's similar to several monitors we've reviewed recently, including the Philips Brilliance 279P1, but sells at a considerably higher price than that winner of our Editors' Choice award. If the Z27k G3's feature set and menu-control scheme are more to your liking, however, it may be worth the premium.

4K With All the Twists

The heart of the Z27k G3 is its 27-inch (measured diagonally) in-plane switching (IPS) screen. It features a native resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels, better known as UHD or 4K, which makes for a very high pixel density: 163 pixels per inch (ppi). All else being equal, the higher the pixel density—how closely pixels are packed together—the sharper the image, and the Z27k G3 should be fine for working with very small text, intricate diagrams, graphics, and photos. It also showed accurate colors in covering the full sRGB color gamut—more on this later.

As is typical of IPS panels, the HP offers wide viewing angles, with a rating of up to 178 degrees for both vertical and horizontal viewing, meaning that colors should remain reasonably true—free of shifting or posterization—even if seen at extreme angles from the side or above. This was indeed borne out in our anecdotal testing for off-axis viewing.

The Z27k G3 has a thin, sturdy aluminum frame, and it measures 21.9 by 24.1 by 8.1 inches (HWD). Surrounding the screen are narrow black bezels, plus an additional thin border, on all four sides. The stand supports the full range of ergonomic features. You can adjust the monitor’s height by up to 5.9 inches and tilt the top of the panel up to 5 degrees toward or up to 20 degrees away from you. You can swivel the panel up to 45 degrees in either direction, and pivot it from landscape to portrait mode.

If you want to mount the Z27k G3 on a wall or movable arm, it has a square array of holes spaced 100mm apart, plus a VESA mounting bracket in the box. VESA-mount compatibility is not unusual, but this is one of the few monitors of its class we have reviewed that includes the actual mounting hardware.

You navigate the monitor's onscreen display (OSD) menus via a miniature joystick controller located in back. It's easier to use than the button-based navigation system found on many business monitors, including the Philips Brilliance 279P1.

Connections Galore

The Z27k G3 has a wealth of ports. They include an HDMI port, one DisplayPort-in and one DisplayPort-out connector, and an upstream USB-C port. That upstream port supports DisplayPort over USB alternate mode, as well as USB power delivery (PD) of up to a whopping 100 watts to compatible HP laptops. (For non-HP models, PD maxes out at a still-healthy 65 watts.)

Also included is an RJ-45 Ethernet jack, which supports Gigabit Ethernet and provides internet connectivity to a laptop that lacks its own Ethernet jack, when it is plugged into one of the monitor's USB-C ports. That can be especially useful in environments where there is poor or no Wi-Fi. Supported network manageability features include PXE Boot, LAN/WLAN switching, Wake-on-LAN (WoL), and MAC address pass-through (MAPT). The first (for Preboot eXecution Environment) allows a computer to boot directly from the network. LAN/WLAN switching disables the laptop's Wi-Fi when the monitor is connected to a LAN. WoL, meanwhile, enables a computer to be awakened remotely from a low-power state. And the MAPT function lets a connected laptop bypass the monitor/dock's MAC address so it can be uniquely identified on the network with its own MAC address. These functions require that the PC to which the Z27k G3 is connected be in a wake or sleep state, not off.

There are four USB 3.2 downstream ports, two of which can provide up to 7.5 watts to charge a phone or other small device. The ports are downward-facing in back, but they can be reached easily enough by pivoting the monitor up into portrait mode.

Although HP doesn’t market it as such, the Z27k G3 is an example of what we have variously seen called USB hub, USB-C hub, or docking-station monitors. In addition to having an upstream USB-C port that can charge or power a laptop at the same time as displaying content from it, monitors of this kind have a hub of downstream USB 3 ports and an Ethernet jack, in addition to DisplayPort and HDMI connectors. In effect, they can perform all the functions that you would expect from a laptop docking station while also serving as a monitor. Examples include the Dell UltraSharp 27 USB-C Hub Monitor (U2722DE) and the aforementioned Philips 279P1, as well as the Philips Brilliance 272P7VUBNB (another Editors' Choice winner) and HP's own winning E24d G4 FHD Advanced Docking Monitor.

Recommended by Our Editors

Philips Brilliance 279P1 - Review

HP E24d G4 FHD Advanced Docking Monitor - Review

Philips Brilliance 272P7VUBNB - Review

HP backs the Z27k G3 with a three-year standard warranty, which is the same as the E24d and typical of higher-end productivity monitors. Dell includes a three-year warranty for the U2722DE, while Philips does it one better, backing both the 279P1 and 272P7VUBNB with a four-year standard warranty.

Testing the Z27k G3: Super Color and Contrast, Solid Brightness

I tested the Z27k G3's brightness, contrast ratio, and color accuracy using our standard test equipment: a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays' CalMAN 5 calibration software. The charts in this section were generated in CalMAN.

HP rates the Z27k G3 at 350 nits (candelas per square meter) of luminance, and it came very close to that in our testing (338 nits). It did better than its rated 1,000:1 contrast ratio, tallying a 1,333:1 score. 

According to HP, the Z27k G3 covers up to 99% of sRGB, the color gamut for web-based art and numerous other applications. In my testing, it covered a full 100% of that color space—see the chromaticity or color-coverage chart below. The panel is also rated as covering 85% of DCI-P3, a color space used for digital video; our test sample did a bit better, covering 88.2% in our testing. (See more about how we test monitors.)

For the Z27k G3, HP claims a Delta E of less than 2, representing good color accuracy, for the sRGB color space. Delta E (dE for short) is the difference between the hue of a displayed color and the color input that the monitor received. The dE figure that appears in monitor specs is the average of a large number of individual color readings from across the spectrum; the lower the value, the more accurate the color. Many professional monitors tout a dE of less than 2 in various color spaces. The Z27k G3 hit that mark for sRGB with room to spare, with an average dE of 1.65. (See the ColorChecker chart below.)

I also did my usual ad-hoc testing, consisting of viewing a selection of film clips as well as photos from our test suite. Movie colors were rich, and contrast was good in both bright and dark areas. Colors in photos looked accurate and vivid.

Productivity Panels Are a Tough Crowd Now

Its 4K resolution, full sRGB coverage, and high color accuracy makes the Z27k G3 a good fit for processing photos and graphics for the web, and its boundless connectivity and ergonomic chops add to its draw. But other manufacturers are equipping productivity displays along the same lines.

The similarly featured Philips 279P1, our latest Editors' Choice prize-winner among productivity monitors, costs about $180 less and carries an extra (fourth) year of warranty coverage. (Both models are fairly new to the market, and are frequently out of stock due to pandemic-related demand.) The Z27k G3 does have an easier and more convenient OSD navigation joystick, while the Philips sticks to the more awkward button-based control system. We're not sure we'd consider that the deal-changer between the two, given the difference in list prices, but the HP Z27k G3 is a solid enough alternative, especially if you can find it at a discount.

[Editors' note: After we published our review of the HP Z27k G3, it came to light that our review unit was a pre-production model. HP has since sent us the full commercial version of the product, which we retested at the company's request. In light of some changes in the results, we are amending the review. Most notably, we're increasing the rating from 3.5 to 4 stars. Also, the commercial unit was considerably brighter than the earlier one; we tested it at 338 nits (up from 235). It also did better in DCI-P3 color testing, covering 88.2% of that color space instead of 80.3%.]