The Predator XB253Q GW, revealed today during the Next@Acer press conference, is a 25-inch FHD display built for competitive gaming. We got hands-on with the monitor ahead of the reveal and have fallen in love with the sleek style and impressive performance.
The XB253Q GW is packed with all the newest feature Predator displays have come to be known for. In the past, I praised Acer's Predator line for including useful features like BlueLightSheild, gaming mode presets, and performance overclocking, and all of those great features return in the XB253Q. This is a performance display first and foremost though, and when it comes to performance features, this monitor is at the top of its class.
The Need For Speed
Acer made this display for hardcore competitive gamers, and to that end, it has all the things fps and driving game players need: absolute speed. The display can natively refresh at 240Hz and can be overclocked up to 280Hz, far beyond the "gold standard" of 144Hz that so many gaming displays are targetting. If you've managed to score one of the new GeForce RTX 30 series video cards or if you're holding out for the new AMD Radeon RX 6000, a 280Hz target is not at all unrealistic. Even if you're happy with your current video card, the XB253Q GW is a "future-proof" investment; get the highest refresh you can now so that you'll have it when you need it in the future.
Of course, the display can also be set to either 85Hz or 120Hz as well if you can't quite hit those targets. You won't be wasting performance though, as the .9ms response time and G-Sync compatibility make this a fantastic choice no matter what FPS you're targetting.
No Slouch On Visuals Either
The Predator XB253Q GW is a full 1080p monitor with an IPS display. LED screens typically offer much more vivid and bright colors and better viewing angles than other types of LCD displays and this monitor is no exception. While it's not the best choice for a multi-media display, I was nevertheless impressed by the color range and detail. 25-inch feels like the best way to still get the most out of 1080p display and I have no complaints at all about the resolution or color.
On the other hand, the 400-nit HDR leaves much to be desired. Of course, an impressive dynamic range is not really the target for a display like this, but as someone that plays both competitive shooters like Apex Legends and cinematic games like Horizon Zero Dawn, it would be really nice to have more than the bare minimum for a Vesa-certified HDR display. This would certainly add to the price and I think this particular monitor is at a really great price point of $429.99, but I would personally take a 144Hz display with 1000 nit HDR any day. Again, if you're a Valorant player that puts everything on the lowest settings to get the highest frames possible, you probably won't care very much about a high dynamic range — you probably turn shadows off completely in your games. For those who play a wider range of games though, this monitor may be overkill.
The Best Predator Build I've Seen Yet
Probably my favorite thing about this monitor is actually the design of it. The Predator monitor bases are some of the most adjustable I've ever seen but that typically comes at the price of being big and bulky. That's not the case with the XB253Q GW, partly because it's 25-inch monitor, but I also think Acer has really refined the design on their stands and displays.
The monitor has 4.5 inches of height adjustment and can also be titled and rotated for the perfect viewing angle. The 3-point legs have a low profile and, though the front legs extend a couple of inches past the screen, do not take up nearly as much space as other Predator monitors.
Acer's ZeroFrame design looks fantastic as well. The bezel itself is maybe a quarter of a centimeter thick, and while you still have a half-centimeter black space on the sides and top, the total effect is a near edge-to-edge display.
The bottom bezel extends out about a centimeter from the display and houses a lighting strip that will flash red when powering on the monitor with a cool visor-effect. The strip can be customized using Acer's RGB Light Sense Support to react to audio in games and music. A cool bonus feature I don't assume many will get much use out of, but as an RGB junkie I really appreciate it.
The Predator XB253Q GW is an absolute powerhouse of a display and a great way to future-proof yourself even if you're machine can't quite get the most out of the outrageously high speed this monitor offers. You can learn more about the Predator XB253Q GW on Acer's website.