MSI Modern MD272UPSW: A Smart Monitor That Won’t Break the Bank

The MSI Modern MD272UPSW carves out a niche as a budget-friendly smart monitor. In 2025, the landscape of monitors includes an increasing number of ‘smart’ options, essentially marrying the functionality of a computer monitor with the entertainment capabilities of a smart TV. These monitors typically run a smart TV operating system, often Google TV OS, granting users access to streaming apps and other smart features without needing a separate device.

The MD272UPSW aims to deliver this blend of functionality at a more accessible price point compared to some competitors. While its image quality might not be top-tier, the monitor’s overall feature set and Google TV integration make it a worthwhile consideration for specific use cases.

Design and Features

The MD272UPSW sports a clean, contemporary aesthetic. Its crisp white finish allows it to integrate seamlessly into various environments, from living rooms to home offices. The build quality appears solid, with sturdy plastics used for both the monitor’s rear panel and its stand.

MSI provides an ergonomic stand with a full range of adjustments: height, tilt, swivel, and 90-degree pivot for portrait mode. This flexibility is common in modern monitors and enhances the user experience. The stand itself is compact, minimizing its footprint on the desk. For those who prefer alternative mounting solutions, the monitor includes a 75x75mm VESA mount.

The monitor boasts a reasonable selection of ports for its price. Connectivity options include one HDMI 2.0 port, one DisplayPort 1.4, and a USB Type-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65W USB Power Delivery. This is a great feature, enabling users to charge laptops or other devices directly from the monitor.

Two USB-A ports are also present, though limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which means data transfer will be slow. A 3.5mm headphone jack completes the audio connections.

Given its smart TV aspirations, the MD272UPSW incorporates both an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 5 for internet connectivity, alongside Bluetooth. It’s worth noting that the Ethernet port doesn’t extend connectivity to a connected laptop.

Importantly, the MD272UPSW lacks a traditional TV tuner. It relies entirely on internet-delivered content, meaning it’s not compatible with coaxial TV signals, cable set-top boxes, or over-the-air TV broadcasts.

Google TV OS Integration

The integration of Google TV OS is central to the MD272UPSW’s identity. The setup process is similar to that of other Google TV devices. Upon initial power-up, users are guided through pairing the included remote control and connecting to a Google account. The remote control allows you to not only navigate the Google TV interface, but also to control other monitor settings such as the display’s preset profiles and brightness level.

Once configured, the Google TV interface offers a familiar and user-friendly experience, providing access to popular streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube. In essence, the monitor can function as a standalone smart TV, eliminating the need for an external input device in certain scenarios.

The review found the monitor was adept at detecting and switching between input sources, so connecting a desktop PC or a laptop wasn’t a cumbersome process. Input devices were recognized quickly, and the monitor switched to the appropriate source automatically.

The Google TV OS experience isn’t perfect. Navigating the menus to adjust monitor settings, such as brightness, can feel somewhat clunky, requiring users to delve into several submenus. Occasional slight delays when navigating through the menus were also noted, although they are only fractions of a second.

Audio Performance

The MD272UPSW includes built-in speakers that deliver adequate audio quality. While the maximum volume isn’t particularly loud, and the speakers struggle with demanding audio content like music, they’re sufficient for casual viewing on YouTube and many streaming shows. The speakers are best suited for smaller rooms due to their moderate volume output.

Image Quality

The MD272UPSW utilizes a standard IPS LCD panel with an edge-lit LED backlight. This panel technology is typical for affordable monitors, but it does affect the display’s overall image quality.

Brightness

The monitor excels in brightness. It sustains an SDR brightness of 440 nits, which is quite impressive for a monitor in this price range. This high brightness level contributes to the monitor’s versatility, making it suitable for use in brighter environments.

Contrast

The contrast ratio, however, is more ordinary. The monitor achieved a contrast ratio of 1170:1 at 50% brightness. This is a mid-range result, typical for IPS-LCD monitors. The contrast is limited by the monitor’s inability to produce truly deep blacks, which can result in a hazy or greyish appearance in dark scenes, particularly noticeable when gaming or watching movies in a darkened room ("IPS glow").

Color Gamut

The monitor’s color gamut is somewhat limited, covering 99% of sRGB, 75% of DCI-P3, and 76% of AdobeRGB. While these figures were impressive several years ago, they are now considered average for the current market. This limitation means that colors won’t appear as vivid as on some more expensive monitors, though they’re sufficient for general viewing.

For content creators, the MD272UPSW might not be the best choice. The restricted color gamut can hinder accurate color reproduction when editing digital images and videos.

Color Accuracy

Color accuracy proved to be another area of weakness. The monitor’s average color error was close to 2.0, and certain colors deviated even further. While the image appears reasonably realistic overall, critical viewers might notice that greens and cyan appear somewhat faded and skewed towards blue.

On the positive side, the monitor performed well in terms of gamma and color temperature. It achieved a default gamma curve of 2.2 (the ideal target), ensuring that content is displayed with the correct brightness levels. The monitor also maintained a precise color temperature of 6500K at 50% brightness, avoiding any overly cool or warm color cast.

Sharpness

The monitor’s 4K resolution (3840×2160) across its 27-inch panel yields a pixel density of around 163 pixels per inch, which is commendable. This high pixel density results in crisp visuals and relatively readable small fonts.

HDR Performance

HDR (High Dynamic Range) support is present but unremarkable. The monitor is advertised as "HDR Ready" but lacks VESA DisplayHDR certification. This signifies that it can accept an HDR signal but doesn’t guarantee significant HDR performance enhancements. HDR content can be viewed, but the visual improvement over standard SDR content will be minimal.

Gaming Performance

The MD272UPSW isn’t designed specifically for gaming. Its 60Hz refresh rate and 4ms gray-to-gray pixel response time are typical for monitors in its class. Fast-moving objects will exhibit noticeable blur, and scrolling text may appear difficult to read.

However, the monitor does support Adaptive Sync for smooth frame pacing in PC games. While official AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync certification isn’t mentioned, the review unit detected the monitor as FreeSync compatible when connected to an AMD Radeon 7800 XT graphics card.

Conclusion

The MSI Modern MD272UPSW is a budget-friendly 4K monitor with Google TV OS. While it may not be ideal for users requiring top-tier image quality or serious gaming capabilities, it presents a compelling option for those seeking an affordable smart monitor for general use. Its image quality is acceptable, on par with similar monitors in the same price range. However, better traditional monitors such as the Dell S2722QC or Gigabyte M27Q ICE exist if you only need a standard monitor.

The MD272UPSW is best viewed as a 27-inch smart television disguised as a computer monitor. It is most suited for environments such as a studio apartment, guest room, or kitchen where a single display might serve as both a computer monitor and a television.