This 27-inch QHD 165Hz monitor nails it for $235, but you probably can't buy it

Fancy a 27-inch 1440p 165Hz gaming monitor with a VA panel for $235? Sure you do, and so do we. Give it up, therefore, for the Lionine X27Q-165, which nails all those metrics including that price.

The catch? As spotted by DisplaySpecifications, it’s being offered as an own-brand model by a South Korean online retailer. As far as we are aware, it’s not likely to land on these or any other shores anytime soon.

That’s a pity because the spec and price combo looks pretty killer. For many gamers, a high refresh 1440p or QHD panel is very much the sweet spot. Sure, you get more detail from a 4K panel. But you also put a huge load on your GPU and that means lower frame rates.

Even the very latest Nvidia RTX 30 Series and AMD RX 6000 graphics cards struggle to crank out the triple-digit frame rates in the most demanding titles you need for really buttery smooth gaming. And you know, they're almost impossible to find as well.

Other highlights include a static contrast of 4000:1, which is the highest native LCD panel contrast ratio we’ve seen, plus GTG and MPRT response of 5ms and 1ms respectively. Inputs involve a pair of DisplayPort 1.2 connections, plus an HDMI 2.0 port.

All that for well under $250 is just what a lot of gamers would love and a welcome relief given how prices of GPUs have rocketed of late. Indeed, any monitor with 1440p or higher resolution plus 144Hz-plus refresh still costs a pretty penny. Pricing on such gaming-centric high-refresh panels and been frustratingly slow to become truly affordable.

Still, the Lionine X27Q-165 proves that it can be done. So here’s hoping it’s a harbinger of things to come in the gaming monitor market, rather than a temporary blip that can’t be bought outside of South Korea.