Although the ViewSonic ColorPro VP2776 ($799.99) has a lower resolution than many other monitors for creative professionals, it makes up for it with some atypical features. A refresh rate that is more than double the standard rate makes the VP2776 a good choice for video editors or game designers dealing with moving images. Plus, its ColorPro Wheel peripheral, which can be used to navigate the monitor's onscreen menus as well as those of some third-party apps, doubles as a calibration tool when paired with ViewSonic's Colorbration+ software. If you don't have such a tool already and you want to get started in calibrating your own panel, the VP2776 is an excellent option. We dub it an Editors' Choice winner as a pro-grade panel for creative folks on a budget who don't need 4K native resolution. It delivers a lot of value.

An Atypical 1440p Professional Monitor

The VP2776’s 27-inch (measured diagonally) in-plane switching (IPS) panel has QHD (1440p, or 2,560 by 1,440 pixels) native resolution in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. The panel's IPS technology gives it wide vertical and horizontal viewing angles (up to 178 degrees). This ensures accurate color even when viewing the screen from the side or above. The VP2776 uses Nano IPS, an IPS variant introduced by LG—which developed the original IPS—in 2019. Nano IPS adds nanoparticles to a monitor's backlighting, and is said to expand color gamut and lower response times.

The screen’s pixel density is 108 pixels per inch (ppi); all else being equal, the higher a monitor's pixel density, the sharper its image. Both the VP2776’s pixel density and resolution are on the low side for a professional monitor. Its pixel density is just above the 100ppi lower threshold we look for in monitors intended for creators, and most recent photo- and video-editing displays of this panel size or larger pack UHD (4K) resolution.

The refresh rate—the maximum number of times per second at which a screen redraws its picture—for the VP2776's panel is 165Hz, unusually high for a non-gaming-centric monitor. In fact, there's no reason why you can't play a few rounds of your favorite AAA games with it, though of course you won't find many of the flourishes and onscreen display (OSD) activated controls you'd find on a dedicated gaming display. First and foremost, the VP2776 is a professional monitor for photographers, videographers, and graphic artists. Primarily, a high refresh rate makes for a smoother moving image, free of most of the jerking and motion artifacts we often see in panels with a standard 60Hz refresh rate. With more than double that refresh rate, the VP2776 is in good stead for use in video editing or game design.

The all-black VP2776 measures 22.4 by 24.2 by 9.2 inches (HWD) when the stand is extended to its full height. The base, rectangular with rounded corners, has a footprint that measures a generous 11.5 by 9 inches. Near the back of the base, to the right of the shaft, is a circular depression that can fit the ColorPro Wheel. The shaft, bifurcated at the bottom to permit you to snake cables through it, emerges from the base and attaches to the middle of the back of the monitor's chassis.

The stand supports all the standard ergonomic features found in today's monitors. It enables height adjustment of up to 4.7 inches and has a 120-degree swivel range. You can tilt the top of the screen from 3 degrees toward you to 21 degrees away. You can also pivot the panel from landscape to portrait mode in either direction. If instead you want to mount the VP2776 on a moving arm, in back of the monitor's casing is a square pattern of holes, spaced 100mm apart, to which you can attach a VESA bracket (not included).

One nice addition is a removable black hood that magnetically attaches to the monitor's frame, extending 5 inches from the top and sides of the panel. It minimizes the amount of ambient light, from a fluorescent fixture or other source, that reaches the panel. This augments the benefit provided by the monitor's matte screen, which has an antiglare coating.

The VP2776's ample port selection includes one DisplayPort connector, two HDMI 2.0 ports, one upstream USB-C port that supports DisplayPort over USB alternate mode and provides up to 90 watts of power delivery, and an upstream USB-B port. Completing the picture are a hub of one USB-C and two USB-A downstream ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

You can access the VP2776's OSD menu system by using the mini-joystick four-way controller in back of the monitor on the right side. Or, you can use the aforementioned ColorPro Wheel, a disk-shaped, black controller that connects to the VP2776 via a USB cable. We have seen a similar control, the so-called HotKey Puck, on the BenQ PD3220U DesignVue Designer Monitor and BenQ SW320, but the ColorPro Wheel is more versatile. In addition to letting you navigate the OSD menus, you can also use it "mouse" your way around programs such as the Adobe Creative Suite. And, when paired with ViewSonic's downloadable Colorbration+ software, you can use it to calibrate your monitor. You sling it over the top of the monitor from the back and position it so its built-in sensor points toward the center of the screen.

The ColorPro Wheel proved very easy to operate. Once it is installed, you select the monitor, then the colorimeter. (In addition to the ColorPro Wheel, the software supports various X-Rite and Datacolor Spyder colorimeters and spectrometers.) Then, you enter the Calibration menu, where you choose the color space, luminance, and target, and then press Start Calibration. Thirty seconds or so later, a calibration report will appear.

Testing the ColorPro VP2776: Bright, Vivid Colors

I tested the VP2776's brightness, contrast, and color coverage using our standard test equipment: a Klein K-10A colorimeter and Portrait Displays' CalMAN 5 software. ViewSonic rates the VP2776's luminance, brightness per unit area, at 400 nits (candelas per meter square), and it qualifies for VESA's DisplayHDR 400 certification. In fact, the VP2776 exceeded 400 nits in the three color spaces in which we tested it, maxing out at 442 nits in DCI-P3.

In our color coverage testing, the VP2776 covered 95.6% of sRGB, the color space used for web-based art and many other applications (see the chromaticity chart below); 94.8% of DCI-P3, a space used for digital video; and 89.9% of Adobe RGB, which is used by some designers and photographers in preparing art for printing. While the VP2776's sRGB coverage was short of ViewSonic's 100% claimed typical coverage, the DCI-P3's coverage was spot-on, effectively matching ViewSonic's 95% figure, and its Adobe RGB results bested ViewSonic's 87% rating.

The VP2776 has a rated 1,000:1 contrast ratio, which is typical of IPS panels. It tested a little below that, at 891:1.

Delta E (dE) is a measure of color accuracy, namely 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. ViewSonic claims a (dE) out of the box of less than 2 for the VP2776, although the company doesn't specify for which color space this should be the case. An average dE of below 2 indicates color accurate enough that a casual observer may not be able to distinguish any variation between the color on screen and the intended (source) color. In our color accuracy testing, the VP2776 turned in a excellent dE (1.22) in sRGB (see the ColorChecker chart below), and a good 2.15 in Adobe RGB. Its DCI-P3 result was a unimpressive 4.22.

We do our official color accuracy and other quantitative monitor testing out of the box, but in the case of the VP2776 I also used the ColorPro Wheel and ViewSonic's Colorbration+ software to calibrate the monitor in the DCI-P3 space. When the report came in, it showed the dE at a much better 1.28. It is unclear why the dE was so high when we had first tested it, but the calibration tool that ViewSonic provides with the monitor effectively corrected the situation.

In addition to our formal testing, I also viewed a series of images that we use in evaluating a monitor's ability to render photos, as well as several video clips that reveal how well a panel handles color and contrast under a variety of lighting conditions. In both cases, the results were impressive. With photos, color and contrast seemed spot-on, and with video, colors were bold and vivid without being oversaturated.

Verdict: Color Us Impressed

Thanks to the addition of the ColorPro Wheel, which serves as a color calibrator among other functions, the ViewSonic ColorPro VP2776 is a good choice for designers who don't already have a colorimeter. Although on the pricey side for a 1440p monitor for creative pros, the addition of the ColorPro Wheel adds enough value for those who need it to be worth the extra expense, and the panel's 165Hz refresh rate may make all the difference to a video editor or game designer.

If you already have a calibration tool (and therefore don't need the ColorPro Wheel), you may want to opt for a 4K professional panel such as the ViewSonic VP2785-4K instead. Otherwise, you'll find the ColorPro VP2776 easily earns our Editors' Choice recommendation as an excellent 1440p monitor for creative professionals.