Iiyama ProLite XUB2792QSN-B1 review: Superb value for money

In previous reviews, we’ve criticised the fact that, for the most part, Iiyama’s screens don’t include USB-C ports. This can make docking a bit of a pain, especially when compared to USB-C-enabled monitors like the Dell UltraSharp 25 USB-C. Thankfully, that criticism now no longer applies; vive la change, for the Iiyama ProLite XUB2792QSN-B1 is a true docking monitor, and one so cheap it begs the question of why you’d spend more on a 27in screen.

The stand is functional rather than elegant, with a hard-wearing black plastic finish. You can keep things tidy by routing the cables through a hole in the rear of the stand, but it’s no HP Z27u. Others, like the Dell P2719HC offer more height adjustment and slimmer bezels, but there’s 90° swivel and you can pivot the screen in either direction. Think of it as functional Berghaus rather than fashionable Superdry.

This utilitarian focus extends to the port selection as well, where there are no obvious omissions. The power delivery capabilities of the USB-C connections on other monitors often go higher than the 65W offered here - the Philips 329P1H offers 90W, for example - but that’s enough for most laptops, and once connected you also have access to RJ-45 wired Ethernet and two USB-A ports. You can daisy chain a second monitor via the DisplayPort output, with one HDMI and one DisplayPort input available as well. There’s even a pair of half-respectable (if treble-heavy) speakers, but sadly there’s no USB-B input.

The 2,560 x 1,440 resolution is perfectly adequate for most tasks, but one area where Iiyama falls behind is the quality of its OSD, which feels old-fashioned due to its reliance on physical buttons, rather than a joystick. It’s quick to respond, but the left/right buttons don’t make sense when you’re navigating up and down menus. Nor are you swamped with options. For instance, colour temperature comprises a choice of three presets (6500K, 7500K and 9300K) or a user preset, and the only other colour settings involve Iiyama’s prescriptive i-Style choices.

That said, the Standard preset with its blazing whites will satisfy the needs of most people. You can’t adjust the brightness, but if you get tired of 341cd/m2 blasting into your eyes then you can always switch to the more subdued Text mode.

Whichever preset you choose, colour coverage is roughly the same: 97% to 98% of the sRGB gamut, around 76% of DCI-P3 and just over 70% of Adobe RGB. Colour accuracy is strong, with an average Delta E of 0.46 and maximum of 1.32 when we switched to the 6500K preset. The only negative concerns uniformity, with a significant drop-off (up to 16%) at the edges. Still, this is difficult to spot with the naked eye.

Even with its handful of minor niggles, you can’t argue with the value on offer. It’s a superb monitor for the money, that’s ideally suited to office-based tasks but just about competent enough to cope with colour-accurate design work as well.

Iiyama ProLite XUB2792QSN-B1 specifications