The Shark IQ Robot is a simple robot vacuum. It clears an impressive amount of debris on bare floors, delivers fair overall performance on carpets, and does a decent job of maneuvering itself. That said, while it feels well-built, there are a few parts that require regular maintenance or periodic replacement, so recurring costs can add up quickly over time. Still, if you're looking for a reasonably versatile robot vacuum, this is a good choice.
Our Verdict
The Shark IQ Robot is a satisfactory option for cleaning bare floors. It does a fantastic job of sucking up pet hair as well as small debris like rice. However, it can have a hard time clearing bulky material like cereal as its dirt compartment fills. In addition, recurring costs are high since quite a few parts need to be replaced frequently. Thankfully, it feels sturdily built and offers decent maneuverability.
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Outstanding performance on bare floors.
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Good build quality.
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Superb battery life.
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Demanding maintenance requirements.
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High recurring costs.
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Struggles to suck up bulky debris with a partially-filled dirt compartment.
The Shark IQ Robot is mediocre for low-pile carpets. It easily clears debris like pet hair and larger material like sand. That said, it may need to make an extra pass to clear fine material like baking soda. It also has many parts that need to be cleaned regularly, not to mention high recurring costs. However, it's a well-built vacuum.
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Good build quality.
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Superb battery life.
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Maneuvers effectively on carpeted floors.
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Demanding maintenance requirements.
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High recurring costs.
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Struggles to suck up bulky debris with a partially-filled dirt compartment.
The Shark IQ Robot is alright for high-pile carpets. It clears a good amount of pet hair as well as larger debris like sand, even as its dirt compartment fills. Unfortunately, it struggles with sucking up fine material like baking soda on this surface type. It also has quite a few parts that need routine replacement or maintenance.
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Good build quality.
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Superb battery life.
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Maneuvers effectively on carpeted floors.
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Demanding maintenance requirements.
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High recurring costs.
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Struggles to suck up bulky debris with a partially-filled dirt compartment.
The Shark IQ Robot is a satisfactory choice for dealing with pet hair. It has no issue picking up pet hair from low-pile carpets and also does a good job of sucking it up from bare floors and high-pile carpets. It lacks an allergen-trapping HEPA filter and incurs fairly high recurring costs but is equipped with a self-cleaning brushroll, which should reduce the risk of hair wraps building up.
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Very good pet hair cleaning capability.
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Good build quality.
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Superb battery life.
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Demanding maintenance requirements.
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High recurring costs.
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No HEPA filter to trap allergens.
The Shark IQ Robot is a robot vacuum that isn't designed for stairs.
The Shark IQ Robot isn't designed to clean car interiors.
- 6.3 Bare Floor
- 6.1 Low-Pile Carpet
- 6.0 High-Pile Carpet
- 4.3 Pets
- 5.6 Stairs
- 4.7 Cars
- 3.8 Workshop
- Updated Dec 14, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 0.7.
- Updated Nov 22, 2023: We've added the RV1002AE model to the 'Differences Between Variants' section of the review.
- Updated Oct 30, 2023: We've added a link to the Shark IQ 2-in-1 in the 'Physical Automation' section of the review to provide an alternative with LIDAR mapping.
- Updated Jan 16, 2023: We've changed the full product name to 'Shark IQ Robot' in order for the review to encompass all model variants.
- Updated Jul 29, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.6.
- Updated Mar 18, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.5.
- Updated Aug 11, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Apr 23, 2021: Corrected input error in the 'Remote Controller' field of 'Automation (Robot Vacuum)' section.
- Updated Feb 12, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Nov 19, 2020: Fixed Companion App field input error.
- Updated Nov 12, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Nov 06, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 05, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Oct 02, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 27, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are four variants of the Shark IQ Robot, though they differ very little regarding included equipment. We tested the RV1001 model, and you can see its label here.
| Model Code | Included Accessories | Color | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RV1000 | 2x side brushes, 1x filter | Black | |
| RV1000C | 4x side brushes, 2x filters, 1x BotBoundary strip | Black | Canadian-market exclusive |
| RV1001 | 4x sidebrushes, 2x filters, 1x BotBoundary strip | Black | |
| RV1002AE | 2x side brushes, 1x filters, 1x BotBoundary strip, 1x Self-Emptying Base Station | Black | Exclusive to Walmart retailers for Black Friday |
If someone comes across a different variant of this vacuum, let us know in the comments below so that we can update our review.
Compared To Other Robot Vacuums
The Shark IQ Robot is a simple robot vacuum. It's a sturdily built vacuum with a remarkably long battery life, though the latter can vary in the real world. It also delivers impressive cleaning performance on surfaces like hardwood or linoleum. Unfortunately, it struggles more with finer debris on carpeted surfaces and loses suction performance as its dirt compartment fills up, especially in regards to bulkier material like cereal.
If you're looking for alternatives, take a look at our list of recommendations of the best robot vacuums for hardwood floors, the best robot vacuums for pet hair, and the best robot vacuums for carpet.
The iRobot Roomba S9 is better than the Shark IQ Robot. The iRobot is better built, easier to maintain, charges faster while offering similar battery performance, and delivers much stronger performance across a variety of surface types. It also has a far more advanced suite of automation features, allowing you to configure its coverage map with no-go zones or schedule cleaning times for specific rooms.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better-performing vacuum than the iRobot Roomba i3. The Shark picks up more pet hair from bare floors and has a better performance on low- and high-pile carpets. It also has fewer recurring costs. On the other hand, the iRobot is better built and has an automatic dirt disposal feature.
The Shark IQ Robot and the iRobot Roomba j7 each have advantages, meaning one might suit you better than the other, depending on your needs. The iRobot j7+ does have a self-emptying function that allows it to dump debris from its internal dustbin into an external dirt compartment mounted to its docking station, reducing hands-on maintenance requirements. A similar feature is available for the Shark at an additional cost. The iRobot also feels better built, maneuvers itself more effectively, and has more advanced automation capabilities, most notably its hazard recognition capability and ability to organize its cleaning sessions around your schedule. However, the Shark delivers better performance on bare floors and low-pile carpets and incurs lower recurring costs.
The Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty is slightly better than the Shark IQ Robot. The EZ has an automatic dirt disposal feature, charges a lot faster, gets caught on rug tassels less frequently, and delivers better overall cleaning performance on low and high-pile carpets. Conversely, the IQ incurs fewer recurring costs, and is easier to maintain.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better robot vacuum than the Shark AI Robot. While both robot vacuums are well-built, the IQ Robot has superior overall performance on all surface types. However, the AI Robot has fewer recurring costs and has better maneuverability as well as a longer battery life.
The Shark IQ Robot is better than the iRobot Roomba 694. The Shark has a slightly bigger dustbin, lasts a little longer on a single charge, delivers superior performance on bare and carpeted floors, and comes with physical boundary strips to keep it out of certain areas. You can also use its companion app to direct it to a specific room. Conversely, the iRobot feels better built, incurs lower recurring costs, and has fewer parts that need regular cleaning. The 690 variant of the iRobot also comes with a virtual barrier device to keep the vacuum from entering certain spaces.
The Shark IQ Robot is better than the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series. The IQ is better built, does a better job of cleaning pet hair from all surfaces, is more effective on carpeted floors, and uses a smart-pathing navigational system that results in superior maneuverability and a more advanced suite of automation features. You can use the IQ's companion app to send it to a specific room, and it's capable of resuming a cleaning session from where it left off if it needs to charge partway through.
The eufy RoboVac X8 is better than the Shark IQ Robot for most uses cases. The eufy has fewer parts requiring regular maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs, lasts longer on a single charge, and delivers notably better performance on bare floors. However, the Shark is a little better at maneuvering itself, clears more debris on low-pile carpets, and has a larger dustbin.
The Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum is better than the Shark IQ Robot for most uses. The Xiaomi has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs, charges much faster while offering similar overall battery life, maneuvers itself more effectively around obstacles, and cleans more debris on bare floors and low-pile carpets. Conversely, the Shark can clean high-pile carpets and comes with physical boundary strips that you can use to prevent it from entering certain areas.
The Roborock S7 is better than the Shark IQ Robot. The Roborock feels better built, has less demanding maintenance requirements, incurs fewer recurring costs, has a longer maximum battery life, and does a better job of maneuvering itself. It also performs better on bare floors and has a mopping attachment for dealing with sticky messes. Conversely, the Shark clears more debris on carpets and has a bigger dustbin.
The Roborock S6 MaxV is better for most purposes than the Shark IQ Robot. The Roborock is easier to maintain, incurs fewer recurring costs, and delivers significantly better performance on bare floors. It can also automatically adjust its suction power depending on the surface type. However, the Shark is lighter and does a better job of cleaning carpets.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better robot vacuum for most purposes than the Shark IQ Robot AV992 Series. They're very similar in most ways, except for performance: the AV992 does a better job of handling pet hair on most surface types.
The Shark IQ Robot and the iRobot Roomba i4 each have their own advantages, so one may suit you better than the other depending on your needs. The Shark has a bigger dustbin and performs better on both bare floors and low-pile carpets. It also has a longer maximum runtime, though this can vary in the real world. Meanwhile, the iRobot charges much faster, has an automatic surface type adjustment feature, feels better built, and incurs fewer recurring costs. It also does a better job of maneuvering around obstacles.
The iRobot Roomba 960 and the Shark IQ Robot have different strengths. The Shark performs better on bare floors as well as low- and high-pile carpets and has longer maximum battery life. Meanwhile, the iRobot is better built, easier to maintain, incurs fewer recurring costs, has a larger dust bin, and recharges in less than a third of the time.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better option for most uses than the Shark ION Robot AV753 Series. The IQ clears debris more effectively on all surface types, uses smart-pathing to plot more efficient cleaning routes, and comes with boundary makers to prevent it from moving into certain areas. Meanwhile, the ION has a much longer battery life while taking less time to recharge.
The Shark IQ Robot is a better overall robot vacuum than the eufy RoboVac G30. The Shark does a better job of cleaning debris on bare floors as well as low- and high-pile carpets, feels better made, and maneuvers over obstructions like electrical cords more effectively. Meanwhile, the eufy is a little easier to maintain.
The Roborock S6 is better overall than the Shark IQ Robot. The Roborock is better built and has superior battery performance. It also delivers better overall cleaning capability on bare floors and low-pile carpets while maneuvering far more effectively. That said, the Shark picks up a little more material on shaggy carpets.
The Roborock S5 is a better vacuum than the Shark IQ Robot. The Roborock is better built, is easier to maintain, and has lower recurring costs. It also has better battery performance, with a longer overall battery life despite a shorter charging time. It performs better on bare floors and even comes with a mopping attachment to clear sticky messes, though we don't test for that. However, the Shark clears more debris on carpeted surfaces and is a little more compact.
The Shark IQ Robot and the iRobot Roomba E5 have different advantages. The Shark performs better on all surface types, has a larger dirt compartment, and has a longer battery life. The iRobot is better built, easier to maintain, and charges substantially faster. It also has a HEPA filter to trap allergens as it cleans.
The iRobot Roomba i7 is slightly better than the Shark IQ Robot. The iRobot is better built, is less demanding in terms of maintenance, maneuvers itself around obstacles far more easily, is equipped with an allergen-trapping HEPA filter, and delivers better performance on low- and high-pile carpets. The i7 also comes with an external dirt compartment mounted to its charging dock that the vacuum can automatically empty its internal dustbin into. Meanwhile, the Shark clears more debris on bare floors and has a significantly longer maximum runtime, though it takes a lot longer to recharge.
Test Results
The Shark IQ Robot vacuum has good build quality. It has a body made of a mix of glossy and matte-finish hard plastic, along with a rubber front bumper and rubber-treaded plastic wheels. Its dirt compartment is also made of hard plastic, but it scratches easily and feels as though it could break if it were dropped. It doesn't require too much assembly out-of-the-box, requiring only that you snap in the two included side brushes and place the appliance on its charging dock.
The Shark IQ Robot has many parts that need maintenance, but they're easy to access.
- Dustbin: The dustbin can be removed by pressing the release button on the rear. There's an anti-tangle comb attached to the dust bin that can collect hair wraps, which can later be removed by hand. The bin itself should be emptied after every use.
- Pre-motor filter: The pre-motor filter is located inside the dirt compartment and can be pulled out via its release tabs. It should be cleaned regularly by tapping it against the side of a garbage bin since it shouldn't be rinsed under water.
- Brushroll: The brushroll can be accessed via a door under the vacuum and then removed. While it's advertised to be self-cleaning, you may still have to cut out tangled debris with scissors or by hand.
- Side brushes: The side brushes can be simply pulled out of their socket for maintenance. They should be cleaned with a dry cloth whenever you notice a buildup of debris.
- Drive wheels: The drive wheels should be dusted regularly. Make sure to rotate them in their housing to clean them properly.
- Front wheel: The front wheel can be pulled from its housing, though this may take a bit of effort and the assistance of a tool. Thankfully, it's easy to click back into place. It should be cleared of debris regularly.
- Sensors: The sensors on the vacuum should be cleaned periodically with a dry cloth.
- Charging pads: The charging pads under the vacuum and on top of the dock should be dusted whenever you notice a buildup of debris .
Take a look at the eufy RoboVac X8 if you're looking for a robot vacuum that has slightly fewer maintenance requirements.
The Shark IQ Robot has quite a few recurring costs.
- Pre-motor filter: No replacement interval is specified for the filter. However, the user manual states that the filter should be regularly cleaned and periodically replaced in order to maintain peak performance.
- Brushroll: The brushroll should be replaced whenever you observe visible wear or every six to 12 months.
- Side brushes: The side brushes should be changed when bent or damaged.
- Front wheel: The front wheel requires replacement after 12 months.
You can purchase any one of these parts, as well as additional accessories, on Shark's website.
The Shark IQ Robot is incredibly easy to store. It's small enough to easily fit under couches and tables, and its charging dock is small and low-profile.
The Shark IQ Robot's dirt compartment is mediocre. As with most robot vacuums, it's quite small, so you need to empty it fairly often. It holds more debris than some other models, like the Shark AI Robot, but doesn't have an indicator to let you know when it's full. Since it's made of opaque plastic, you can't check its fill status at a glance.
- Shark IQ Robot vacuum
- Dust bin
- Filter
- 4x Side brushes
- Brushroll
- Brusroll door
- Charging dock
- Boundary strip
- User guide
The Shark IQ Robot vacuum has an effectively unlimited range as long as it has room left in its dirt compartment and remaining battery life, but it can't climb or descend stairs.
The Shark IQ Robot Vacuum is quite portable. It doesn't weigh too much, but it lacks a carrying handle to make it easier to lift from room to room.
The Shark IQ Robot's battery performance is superb. On its high-suction 'Max' mode, it can provide over an hour of continuous runtime. On its more energy-efficient 'Eco' mode, it can run for over 160 minutes, which should be more than enough to clean big rooms. Of course, it's worth noting that battery life can vary drastically in the real world. Unfortunately, it takes over four hours to completely recharge, which is very long. The lights on top also provide a rough estimate of its remaining battery life. When both lights are blue, the vacuum is at max battery capacity. At a partial charge, one of the lights turns off. At low battery levels, one of the lights turns red. For a robot vacuum that lasts longer on its 'Max' mode and charges more quickly, consider the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series.
The Shark IQ Robot has few quality of life features. It has three power modes. The energy-saving 'Eco' mode, the default 'Normal' mode, and the high-power 'Max' mode. You can swap between these modes in the companion app only when the appliance is running.
The Shark IQ Robot uses two side brushes to bring debris on the edges of the vacuum's body into the path of the main brushroll. It comes with two spare side brushes in case either needs replacement.
The Shark IQ Robot Vacuum performs impressively well on bare floors. It clears most pet hair as well as small debris like rice and bulky material like cereal. However, as its dirt compartment fills up, it struggles with sucking up bulky debris and pushes it around instead. If you want something that can suck up bulky debris even as its dirt compartment fills, check out the yeedi K650.
The Shark IQ Robot delivers poor performance on low-pile carpets. It performs similarly to the Shark ION Robot RV700 Series and struggles with fine and debris like baking soda or sand on this surface type.
This robot vacuum offers decent performance on high-pile carpet. It clears most pet hair and coarse debris and does an overall fair job when it comes to dealing with finer material like baking soda. Still, if you're looking for a robot vacuum that delivers better performance on this surface type, consider the Shark EZ Robot Self-Empty.
The Shark IQ Robot's maneuverability is satisfactory. It cleans in an organized manner, starting by moving in large sweeping patterns before doing smaller sections individually as it approaches obstacles, and finishes by cleaning the outermost edges of a room. It's low enough to squeeze under couches and tables and shouldn't bump into furniture. It can climb over low-lying obstructions like electrical cords without getting stuck, but rug tassels can get caught in its brushroll. If you're looking for a robot vacuum that's better at maneuvering itself, take a look at the iRobot Roomba i3+, which has a smart pathing feature.
The Shark IQ Robot has excellent automation features. It works with a companion app that allows you to see the vacuum's remaining battery life, receive push notifications about its status, pause or resume cleaning, and control it with voice commands if you have an Amazon Alexa or Google Home device. You can also direct it to a specific room, change the power mode, and send it back to its dock. The vacuum also comes with physical boundary marker strips you can use to keep it out of certain areas. Unlike the Shark IQ 2-in-1, it doesn't have a LIDAR mapping sensor, which would allow for quicker, more precise mapping, even in the dark.
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Comments
Shark IQ Robot: Main Discussion
Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.
- 21010
A brief summary of my experience with this monitor:
- My unit had a very loud and annoying relay.
- Pixel fringing was still visible to me. Looking at OLED panels in laptops with 200+ DPI, I don’t think the future generation of panels with 5k resolution will ‘solve’ this problem. Also, in my experience, WOLED pixel fringing is much less annoying.
- My eyes started to hurt after 10-15 minutes of use. From what I’ve seen, this is a relatively common occurrence with QD-OLED panels. Unfortunately, this monitor was unusable for me, so I’ve returned it.
A relay when you turned it on and off? If so, that’s normal. Sorry to hear that it didn’t work for you.
- 21010
I’ve read some reviews about this monitor and noticed concerns regarding the coating on Samsung’s 4th-generation WD-OLED panel. It appears that the coating is unusually fragile and quite difficult to clean. If possible, I would appreciate it if you could test this aspect.
The key is not touching it or spitting on the display. If you need to wipe away dust or dried spit a little bit of breath and a magic microfiber cloth from Amazon works perfectly and does not scratch the display.
- 21010
What? Samsung makes QD-OLED, LG makes WOLED. Also, it’s important to note that “QD-OLED 4th generation” is nothing more than a possibly higher pixel density; it’s equal to 2024’s panels in terms of brightness and pretty much anything else, you can’t really call it a new generation.
That’s actually not true. 4th Gen is what allowed 166 PPI QD-OLED to be possible with the same power consumption as 110 PPI 3rd Gen. 110 PPI 4th Gen coming this summer is HDR True Black 500 meaning 300 nits full field white which is 20% brighter than Gen 3 with the same PPI.
- 21010
Can’t wait to see the finished review! I’ve had mine for a month and it’s been the best gaming monitor I’ve ever owned.
Would y’all test the color accuracy and gamma tracking using Racing-sRGB and sRGB Cal? There are two color calibration reports (one included in the box and the other via the OSD) that were done using these two modes.
I’m also really curious to see what y’all measure for 60Hz input lag as I predict it’ll be below 15.0ms which will be a welcome upgrade over the PG32UCDM.
Edited 15 days ago: Grammar - 32120
Hey there! Thanks for letting us know of the new firmware udpate. We did a quick sanity check to see if any improvement was done to input lag since the changelog does not mention anything on that end and it did get a little bit better. We will update the review to reflect those changes!
Thank you for doing that!
- 32120
Can y’all retest input lag using firmware MCM108?
- 21010
Hi. Why is the MSI MPG 271QPX recommended as the 2nd best monitor when it suffers from bad black crush using the SRGB mode? Forcing you to use 3rd party tools to fix it. It’d also be good to mention it on the review
Exactly! My MPG 271QPX suffered greatly from this as well as the MPG 321URX I have tested. The PG32UCDM has the best shadow detail I’ve seen as you can adjust the gamma from 2.2 to sRGB.
- 32120
Hey, you definitely have a good point that it’s better than the other 27-inch, 1440p WOLEDs as there’s less fringing. But we didn’t notice it to be a significant difference to the point where we would bump up the score to 7.0.
But it’s better than 26.5” QD-OLED text fringing and they score a 7? It has to be at least a 7.0 if 110PPI 3rd Gen QD-OLED is a 7.0 the way I see it.
- 21010
Again, great point, especially if you’re comparing glossy monitors to glossy TVs. That said, in terms of monitors, there’s a distinction between this display and other glossy coatings, like the XG27AQDMG or the AW2725DF, so we want to make that distinction clear in reviews.
I’m confused, both the AW2725DF and XG27AQDMG should be labeled semi-glossy.
- 21010
Also this coating is matte whereas the QD-OLED monitors should be labeled semi-glossy aside from the Samsung G60SD and G80SD.
- 32120
Hi, thanks for the test results.
I think the text clarity is as least as good as the 26.5” QD-OLED monitors in my experience and should be rated at least a 7. It’s noticeably better than the LG 27GR/27GS WOLED monitors.
All of the 27” OLED monitors are technically 26.5” at 110 PPI.
Did y’all test the brightness with uniform brightness enabled? Thanks again!
- 21010
From my experience - Save yourself the headache of viewing text on a hazy/grainy white background of the PG32UCDP. The AG MLA coating is too aggresive.
For work PG32UCDM is much clearer and FPS gaming PG27AQDP 240 ELMB / 480hz is King.I have both monitors as well but someone reported that even the XG27AQDMG still has that strange effect of shimmer with 100% APL due to MLA so it wouldn’t matter a whole lot even if the PG27AQDP was glossy.
- 21010
Nope it is with the insider card. The nyc store mentions it. You only get that price with the insider card.
I’m not sure where you’re seeing that but I can buy the monitor for $720 before tax at the Dallas store. They don’t list prices on their website with the insider card so not sure what’s going on at your location.
- 21010
I bought one and I really regret it. I’m probably going to return it and wait a bit longer as much as it breaks my heart. or get an LG 42" tv or the 32" ones after Rtings reviews them. I’d advice waiting for something better. it’s fine for SDR use, but lets face it you don’t drop 2000CAD on a monitor for generic SDR use, the HDR brightness is really awful. a lot of daylight scenes look just meh on it. It’s not bad don’t get me wrong. but it’s just meh. and if I want a meh experience I’d get an IPS. the issue is the aggressive ABL. the 5-25% range is very dim. the black levels which are the other left advantage of OLEDs get ruined in anything but a pitch black room. Honestly I’d recommend a good IPS and specially a MINI led over this. a Mini LED will CRUSH this thing in HDR. my macbook pro 14" mini led has better black levels and contrast in most scenarios.
Have you updated to firmware MCM105 and tried Gaming HDR?
- 21010
A question please to rtings team. Does it “hurt” or any “side effects” to using 12bit color depth in Nvidia control panel with HDMI 2.1? In my FO27Q3 (as well as several recent OLED monitors with HDMI 2.1), NVCP allows to pick 12bit (on HDMI 2.1) with max refresh rate, and it works (no obvious issues like no signal, distorted image, etc). Would that potentially cause issues? Or lower panel life? Or any problems? Also is it best to stick to 10bit? Thanks
It’s only a 10 bit panel so there’s no need to select 12 bit.
- 21010
4080, DP, Halo 3, SDR-sRGB, latest Windows 11 build.
Yeah this is different than a black screen for a few seconds the monitor is suddenly shutting all the way off.
- 21010
Thanks for the work y’all are doing! I purchased one of these yesterday and before putting two hours of use on it the monitor completely powered off on two separate occasions. Once was in the main menu and the other while playing. This was with VRR and V Sync turned off.
Pixel shift is also too aggressive and cuts off part of the display which is annoying. Hopefully future firmware updates will fix these issues.
- 21010
Im sorry if this is very clear in the review. But can you highlight recommend settings in SDR and HDR? Contrast, brightness, colors ect.
You have four viable modes for SDR content. Racing-sRGB, Racing-DCI-P3, Racing-Wide Gamut, and sRGB Cal. Two out of the four are sRGB modes that target two different gammas being a flat 2.2 for Racing-sRGB and an sRGB gamma for sRGB Cal.
The other two are to be used if you like saturated and inaccurate colors for consuming content and gaming in SDR with DCI-P3 specifically pulling back a bit on the red saturation level.
Note if you turn uniform brightness off Racing mode will boost the brightness above 233 nits in game up to 286 nits as shown by Rtings data but sRGB Cal will be limited to 233 nits in line with uniform brightness being on.
Edited 9 months ago: Grammar - 32120
If you want colors to look as the game developer intended use sRGB mode.
The PG32UCDM will have much better color accuracy and color volume compared to your LG C1.
- 21010
Hi everyone. I currently have a PG27AQDM and I’d like to know why the colors in games are better in SDR than in HDR? Everything is more contrasted and nicer to look at. Question for the person who edited the review of the 32UCDM: is it the same for this monitor? Does SDR have better colors in games than HDR? Thanks.
The reason is because your PG27AQDM out of the box displays colors beyond the sRGB color space so colors will appear overly saturated in contrast to HDR content which will appear more “washed out” in comparison. You’ll especially notice this increase in saturation with reds when you’re not using sRGB mode within the OSD.
If you want SDR and HDR to look accurate use the sRGB mode within the monitor OSD that clamps the color gamut to the sRGB color space for SDR games so colors appear as the developer intended.
- 43230
Really curious how this compares to something like a 42 inch C4 OLED in regards to HDR performance. There doesn’t seem to be a 42 inch C series OLED that has been tested using the new testing methodology 2.0 to compare to. Personally, I prefer the size of a 32 inch monitor, but since I mostly play single player games I am much more interested in HDR that the refresh rate. And if the C4 does have better HDR, is the difference significant enough to warrant sacrificing the preference in size?
None of the games are spectacular in HDR unless they are low APL such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps or No Rest for the Wicked in my opinion.
Where this monitor excels is in SDR with impressive brightness and a variety of picture modes depending on the game you’re playing. From two sRGB modes targeting two different gammas to DCI-P3 or wide gamut this monitor kinda has it all. Lastly, the sharpness in game is simply spectacular! It’s hands down the best gaming monitor I’ve ever used.
- 43230
Looking at TFT Central’s results, it seems that enabling the sRGB clamp in Racing mode results in similar results than with it off regarding color temperature and white balance, so we don’t expect our results to be much different with it on. But like I said before, it seems that their testing is a bit different from ours, so it’s hard to compare results. That said, if you have this monitor you should choose the picture mode setting that you feel is best, as after all you’re the one using the monitor :)
Thank you for the reply. Yeah, I was just curious if it might improve the white balance as TFTCentral’s unit did using Racing-sRGB.
- 43230
Hey, we did test it in Racing, but noticed that colors are oversaturated. Keep in mind that different reviewers use different testing methods and benchmarks, so it’s hard to compare results between us and TFT Central. The sRGB mode is still pretty accurate, but it’s the white balance that’s off.
Hi Nicholas, thank you. In Racing mode you have to set the color space to sRGB and then it keeps the color gamut clamped to sRGB while targeting a flat 2.2 gamma and 6500K white point. The other two color space options available in Racing mode are DCI-P3 and Wide Gamut.
- 32120
Hey y’all,
Did you happen to test the color accuracy using Racing-sRGB? That mode targets a flat 2.2 gamma whereas sRGB-Cal targets the sRGB gamma and has shown to improve the accuracy slightly.
I’m so confused how TFTCentral reported exceptional color accuracy even beating out the AW2725DF in their testing. Is the color calibration report for sRGB-Cal included in the OSD just not accurate?
- 43230
Any issue with the ‘raised blacks’ stuff??
The black shadow detail is the best I’ve ever seen from an OLED monitor and you can change the level of detail using two sRGB modes that target a flat 2.2 gamma and an sRGB gamma. Flat 2.2 gamma allows me to pick out black square 2 in the Lagom’s Black Level Test and sRGB gamma starts from square 1.
- 21010
Hey y’all, the active screen measurement is the exact same as the AW2725DF at 26.5” not 26.6”. The AW2725DF has a total diagonal screen measurement of 26.7” which I’m assuming is the same for the MSI for screen move but only 26.5” is active for both displays.
- 21010
Hey y’all, I’m confused at the measured brightness measurement in SDR. The results were after calibration using the sRGB preset with brightness set at 100% and peak brightness set to low.
In the color accuracy measurements using the sRGB preset you show the monitor only measuring 125 nits at 90% brightness. Does this mean at 100% brightness we can expect an additional 130 nits of brightness? That doesn’t sound right. Thanks!
Edited 12 months ago: Grammar - 32120
“Pixel Refresh: The monitor will run a pixel refresh cycle after 4 hours of use. You can also activate this function manually. It takes approximately 6 to 8 minutes to run.” Is this automatically activated after 4h? If so, is there a way to deactivate it? This behavior is not optimal at all :( Imagine you are in a meeting at work an suddenly you are without a monitor for 5-10 mins. Or you are in a online match, that match is as good as lost. The PG27AQDM prompts you for a pixel refresh every 8h, but you can chose NO, and manually run it when it’s convenient.
It doesn’t prompt you to do a pixel refresh. After 4 hours of continuous use you could play another 3 hours and when you put your computer to sleep/standby/shut down it will automatically run the pixel refresh when the monitor stops receiving a signal.
When you bring up the OSD, the panel health will either show green or yellow. Yellow means it will run a pixel refresh the next time it goes into standby.
- 21010
We already tested it, and yeah you’re right, the Real Scene result was 233 nits. That said, the individual test slides were very close to Custom Color, and the difference was negligible.
Oh sweet, thanks! I wonder why the AW3225QF didn’t dim as much in the real scene test using the Custom Color preset?
- 21010
Hey! Thanks for bringing this up to us. We actually looked into it and it was a mistake and that measured brightness was actually with the brightness setting at 100. With it at 75 the brightness is 130 nits, closer to the results from TFTCentral. The results will be updated once we publish the full review. As for the SDR Brightness test, this is with Custom Color after calibration.
Awesome, sounds good! Thanks for clarifying.
Would y’all be able to test the real scene brightness using the Creator-sRGB preset? I’m very curious as I think it would yield a bit higher brightness value around 230 nits.
- 21010
Hey y’all, something doesn’t look right with the Creator-sRGB brightness measured at 238 nits at a standard brightness value of 75. TFTCentral measured 138 nits with the same setting.
Also, were the SDR brightness measurements recorded in Creator-sRGB or the Standard color preset? The reason I ask is because there is logo detection dimming when not using Creator-sRGB which could affect the real scene brightness value. Thanks!
- 32120
I bought an early batch 1 Phantom and had noticeable side flex on the left and right bottom sides. After a few days of it feeling a bit squishy I sent the mouse in for RMA and now it’s solid as can be after the 0.3mm tolerance adjustment.