Choosing the right components for your setup can sometimes be a bothersome process, especially when it comes to picking where you want to make compromises. TCL has come up with a solution for the display in the C2A Pro Premium QD-Mini LED 27” monitor to make that decision very easy to make indeed.
Designed to be a premium addition to your gaming setup, the 27C2A Pro Premium packs a lot of punch into a relatively small package. Featuring a 27-inch QD-Mini LED display using TCL’s expertise taken from their premium TV models, a 0.2ms grey-to-grey response time, and a dual-mode refresh rate that offers either 160Hz native 4K or 320Hz for those highly competitive moments.
The C2A Pro Premium has a mildly high price point at $799 USD, though it’s still considerably lower than some other gaming options from brands like LG, Samsung, and ViewSonic. That alone makes the C2A Pro Premium an attractive option, and the display quality amplifies the difference even more. Speaking of the display, as I mentioned earlier, the C2A Pro Premium features a 27-inch QD-Mini LED display capable of 4K picture quality, some of the deepest blacks I have ever seen on a monitor, plus over 2300 local dimming zones and 2000 nits of peak brightness.
“Designed to be a premium addition to your gaming setup, the C2A Pro Premium packs a lot of punch into a relatively small package.”
TCL’s Colorful Quantum Crystal technology gives the C2A Pro Premium exceptional colour quality and range, allowing for up to 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, and up to 99% of sRGB. All this helps provide better picture quality through vibrant colours and deeper contrasts. All told, every single game I played using this monitor looked incredible from a colour and visual standpoint.
What I want to talk about most, though, is the dual-mode refresh rates. Natively supporting a 4K 160Hz refresh rate, the C2A Pro Premium is perfect for those regular nights when you’re on with the squad, and you need to see as much as you can as clearly as you can. I noticed it the most when I was playing MLB The Show 26, as I had heard so many people say that hitting is so much easier when using a monitor with a decent refresh rate compared to a TV.
It was not until I actually loaded up the game and experienced it for myself that I realized exactly how much easier it was to hit. It felt like I was seeing the ball in slow motion, and I could time my swing considerably better to make stronger contact. I was suddenly winning online games more frequently and scoring more runs than I ever had on a TV. I hate to think that it is all down to a monitor, but the results speak for themselves at this point.
In addition to the native 4K 160 Hz refresh rate, there is an FHD 320 Hz Pro eSports mode designed specifically for those ultra-competitive moments where every single frame matters. I managed to turn it on once, and it felt like I was inside a simulation because everything moved so smoothly. Knowing I would never be good enough at any game to require the level of performance this mode offers, I switched back to the native refresh rate and happily went on my way. If you are an ultra-competitive player, though, this is a monitor worth considering because the speed and visual fidelity are second to none.
The C2A Pro Premium offers a useful feature found on many other gaming monitors: a persistent on-screen crosshair. What helps it stand out, though, is the Smart Crosshair Colour Inversion feature. Essentially, the built-in crosshair dynamically changes colour in real time based on what’s displayed on the screen, helping ensure it stays visible no matter what is happening at any given moment.
All of these features are great, but they can only go so far if the monitor is not easy on the eyes. As someone who spends upwards of 10 hours a day in front of a screen for work, having a monitor that does not make me want to physically remove my eyes at the end of the day is a definite plus. The C2A Pro Premium is one of the easiest monitors to look at that I have used in a very long time.
The matte finish on the screen is easy on the eyes and makes whites feel less blinding, even when switching from dark mode to light mode in applications that do not support a dark theme. Even though it is not a curved screen, the C2A Pro Premium is still a top-tier choice for daily tasks in addition to gaming. The C2A Pro Premium also offers strong connectivity, with two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort for video, plus one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and an auxiliary input.
The TCL C2A Pro Premium delivers high-quality visuals, casual and professional-level performance and bare-minimum aesthetics, and that’s all it needs to do.”
Physically, the C2A Pro Premium is pretty standard for a monitor of this size. It is only available in a 27-inch model, so you need to make sure your setup can accommodate that amount of space. The central stand connects easily to the back of the monitor and can be adjusted vertically by up to 125 mm. It also rotates horizontally by approximately 20 degrees in either direction and can pivot 90 degrees for a vertical configuration.
On the back is a gorgeous ambient RGB lighting pattern that TCL calls the “Wings of Light,” and I can see exactly where the name comes from. With several different lighting presets, you have plenty of options to choose from, but in practice, I do not really see the point. I am not looking behind my monitor at any point, and in a brightly lit room, unless you are staring at the wall behind it, you are unlikely to notice the lighting pattern anyway.
As for sound, the C2A Pro Premium offers a pair of built-in speakers, but they are about as standard as you would expect. The two 5 W speakers do a serviceable job of playing audio, but most gamers are likely to have either a dedicated audio setup or use headphones anyway. The speakers sound good enough, and that is about all I expected from them, so there is nothing too special to write home about.
The TCL C2A Pro Premium delivers high-quality visuals, casual and professional-level performance and bare-minimum aesthetics, and that’s all it needs to do. At a price of $799 USD, the C2A Pro Premium is so easy to recommend, even if it is on the more expensive side for the more casual-leaning portion of the audience.
