BenQ Zowie XL2566K Review – Fast 360Hz, TN Gaming Monitor

Display Design

The Zowie XL2566K has a nice touch to it it has an awesome material, which has a premium fuel to the overall look of the monitor.

In addition, the entire monitor measures 25 inches and will provide you with a lot of real estate and screen space to maneuver around.

The XL2566K looks aesthetically pleasing however the material used is plastic, which is OK and it is also quite durable.

The bezel on all 4 sides of the monitor, is quite thick, however, this shouldn’t be an issue when it boils down to gameplay immersion.

As you can see from both sides, it uses a shield as well to give you a full immersion experience while gaming or watching multimedia, which is an added benefit.

Speaking about immersion, the Zowie XL2566K isn’t curved, but it shouldn’t be an issue when it boils down to your gaming experience.

And if you check on the side of the monitor, you’ll be able to see built-in headphone hooks which keep your headphones at bay and also organizes your wires for a cleaner look.

The stand is solid and the monitor sits on an awesome foundation. The stand is well ergonomically designed because you’ll be able to adjust the monitor in height, and you also be able to tilt, rotate, and swivel.

Also if you want to save more space and go in the fancy route, the monitor is also VESA compatible, 100 x 100.

You’ll be able to find the OSD panel on the rear side bottom left of the monitor, there are three buttons and one joystick to maneuver around with the OSD configurations and menus. The joystick makes it easier to navigate through the screens as well.

In terms of connectivity, the XL2566K has one display port 1.4, two HDMI 2.0, and one 3.5 mm audio out.

Unfortunately, there are no USB ports present however there’s a mini USB port which is located in the back of the display but its only function is for the S-switch remote.

Overall the Zowie XL2566K monitor looks aesthetically pleasing however the materials feel a little bit cheap due to its plastic material. The stand is well ergonomically designed which lets you adjust the monitor in different positions. Also, the display comes with two screen shields which give you full immersion.

Performance and Features

The monitor has a 360 Hz refresh rate, a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and a quick 1 ms response time.

The BenQ Zowie XL2566K gaming monitor is super quick, thanks to its TN panel type, unfortunately, since this monitor is a TN panel, you’ll see a little bit of sacrifice in terms of lower picture quality.

This gaming display also has an awesome fast response time of 0.5m, which will give your gaming sessions an awesome experience also there are no motion blurs when going through fast-paced action scenes.

And you’ll be able to gain the upper advantage when it comes down to owning your opponents.

Also, the display doesn’t support HDR or local dimming in comparison to current monitors.

The colors are pretty on point and accurate, with an SRGB of 95%, the monitor provides you with excellent and accurate colors even before calibrating.

With excellent color accuracy, gamers can experience lifelike pictures and vibrant colors. Also, artists and visual artists can also benefit from this monitor thanks to its awesome accuracy.

The XL2566K input lag is pretty awesome, also the monitor can handle motion blur as well thanks to its 360Hz refresh rate, you’ll be able to gain the advantage within your gaming sessions.

Also, the monitor comes with an S-switch remote, which you’ll be able to navigate through the OSD settings and make the necessary configurations easily.

The overdrive setting for this gaming monitor works really great, you’ll be able to choose four different options which are premium, high, customize 8, and off.

However, we recommend that you use the customize 8 mode, which will give you better motion handling and also you’ll be able to experience better performance without any overshoots or graphical artifacts. But any further than that you’ll experience a lot of graphical artifacts and overshoots.

In addition, the Zowie XL2566K does come with AMD Free Sync and is also G-sync certified as well. You’ll be able to use the G-Sync via DisplayPort and you can use Free Sync throughout both connections. The max VRR rate is 360 Hz with 20 Hz of VRR as the minimum.

Pros

• Superb and quick refresh rate
• Input lag is awesome, very low
• The display is well-ergonomically designed

Cons

• Pixel density can be improved
• Being a TN panel the images will fade away once viewing the screen from certain angles
  
  

Thoughts and Conclusion

Overall the BenQ Zowie XL2566K gaming monitor will give you a slight edge and advantage when it boils down to your gaming sessions. This monitor will deliver all the performances, including the fast response time of 360 Hz needed, to gain the upper hand when versing your opponent.

Also, the display comes with a Free Sync feature, which you’ll be able to experience smoother game plays and experience no screen tearing at all.

In general, the XL2566K is also great for daily use, however, if you want to experience more vibrant colors then you’ll have to choose an IPS panel type of monitor that will provide you with lifelike colors, vibrancy, and awesome image quality.