With the Modern MD272QXP, MSI delivers a screen with good picture quality at a reasonable price. The monitor sometimes has tricks up its sleeve.

These days, screens come in all shapes and sizes. For those looking for a simple monitor that simply serves its purpose, the Taiwanese brand MSI has a wide range in its range. In this review we take a closer look at the Modern MD272QXP. This 27-inch model offers attractive image data at a manageable price (288 euros, excluding VAT). You can easily hang your cart (or laptop) on this workhorse, even if it occasionally makes strange jumps.

Stingy with cables, generous with bloatware

We’ll start by hitting up MSI. The monitor supports different connection types: USB-C, USB-A, HDMI and DisplayPort. That’s good, except that MSI is very stingy when it comes to storing cables in the box. For example, the manufacturer does not consider it necessary to include a USB-C cable, even though almost every current notebook supports the standard. MSI, on the other hand, sees the need for a USB-A to USB-B cable for those who are homesick for USB-B. It looks like MSI wanted to get rid of its excess cables from inventory.

We have to pat ourselves a second time for the “extras” that MSI tries to put on your laptop almost immediately after connecting it to the monitor. Without asking, we are offered the antivirus programs Norton 360, Dropbox Redeem Launcher and Adobe Redeem Launcher. It’s already disturbing that MSI is tempted to force bloatware on its laptops, but the fact that it’s doing the same on monitors is nothing short of scandalous.

Slim and flexible

So we didn’t get off to a good start with this review. Fortunately, the monitor also offers many advantages. MSI calls the Modern MD272QXP an “elegant piece of furniture,” which we think is a bit of an exaggeration, but it will fit well into your interior. The thin edges give the screen slim contours and the monitor doesn’t take up more space on your desk than necessary. You can attach a hook on the back to neatly store cables.

The monitor also seems to be very flexible. You can tilt the screen in different angles and directions to determine the optimal position for you. The screen is height adjustable (up to 110 mm), can be easily pushed backwards (max. 20°) or rotated sideways using the neck (up to 30°). Finally, it is also possible to turn the screen upside down by 90° to make it easier to connect cables or display screen content vertically. MSI supports the VESA standard, so you can also install the monitor wherever and however you want using your own stand or mount.

The ports are 2x USB-A, 1x USB-B (including cable), 1x USB-C (without cable), 1x HDMI and 1x DisplayPort. This time it has USB-C compatibility, which was not the case with the MSI Pro MP341CQW, for example. Instead of a joystick, MSI places five control buttons at the bottom of the screen. This isn’t the most elegant way to operate a screen and takes some practice.

Confess

MSI usually manages to integrate a good panel into its monitors, and a nice one was also taken out of the storage cupboard for the Modern MD272QXP. The IPS panel has 2,560 x 1,440 pixels in a 16:9 aspect ratio. A decent resolution, but no more than what you’d expect from a business 27-inch monitor.

With the DeltaE values, this screen makes a big impression. We measured a white balance of 2.1 and a color balance of 2.7. We simply can’t go below the magic limit of 2, but for average office applications this screen is more than excellent. The screen only has a slightly harder time with red tones (DeltaE 5.5), but the deviations remain within acceptable limits. We measured an sGRB color gamut of 125 percent.

The contrast between white and black value is 1000:1 out of the box, which we were able to calibrate to 1281:1. This number tells you that the brightest white is 1000 times brighter than the darkest black. The higher the contrast between black and white, the more vivid the image appears. A contrast ratio of 1281:1 is certainly not bad, but by default the contrast of IPS panels is lower than that of VA counterparts. IPS has additional advantages compared to VA, so one type of display is not necessarily better than the other.

Flicker

Typically you use a monitor indoors, but brightness is also an important feature. Sunlight can make your screen difficult to see if the maximum brightness is too low. MSI specifies a brightness of 400 nits and in our tests this value is between 350 and 400 nits. This should be high enough so that the screen can still be read easily even in different lighting conditions. By the Productivity intelligenceDashboard you can also adjust the image configurations manually.

The final image specification is the refresh rate. 60 Hz is generally sufficient for average office work, but it is still pleasant if you can scroll more smoothly. The 100Hz refresh rate is a nice bonus. Every now and then a pixel will jerk for a while. If this happens frequently, check whether the display drivers are set correctly in Windows.

Sometimes there is electricity, sometimes not

Connecting an external monitor can drain your laptop’s battery more quickly. Therefore, it is nice to have a monitor powering the connected device. MSI offers charging options via the USB-C port, even at 65 W. But when we connected our Microsoft Surface Laptop, nothing happened. We tried with a few other brands of laptops and sometimes the monitor provided power, sometimes not. We have no explanation as to why this is happening as all laptops support USB-C connectivity.

Without power from the monitor, we had problems with our laptop’s battery in the middle of the workday. It was often necessary to disconnect and recharge the device before continuing work. It fits the strange features this monitor has.

Conclusion: Hardworking, but a bit stubborn

The MSI Modern MD272QXP is an option for those looking for more screen real estate but with limited space and a limited budget. The monitor includes an attractive package of image specifications at an equally attractive price (288 euros, excluding VAT). The design offers enough flexibility to find an optimal setup for you.

However, this is a monitor with a mind of its own. Sometimes the monitor returns power, sometimes it just absorbs it. And if MSI wants to be taken seriously in the business hardware market, it urgently needs to stop shipping useless cables and unwanted bloatware.

Warranty: MSI provides a two-year standard warranty (carry in) against functional defects. There is a specific pixel policy against which you can make warranty claims. You are only entitled to a repair or exchange if there are three bright “solid” pixels. For dark pixels, this only applies to five pixels or more.