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At around $600, the AOC GAMING Q27G4ZD is a superb little monitor, offering decent quality high dynamic range (HDR) and solid gaming performance. Rated up to 240Hz, 1440p, the Q27G4ZD slipped incredibly easily into the rest of my setup, becoming my portal into the world of Pragmata. I played through the whole game, with the only issue stemming from Linux conversing with the panel about said HDR.

For a budget brand like AOC, it's neat to see them diversifying the roster of gaming monitors into the upper-echelon range. $600 isn't anything to sneeze at, but the Q27G4ZD really impressed me with how low-key it is.

Design

Future Future Future Future Future Future I think for a $600 monitor, when I am in the process of connecting it to the base, the back, decorative ring shouldn't fall off. There's a definitive cheapness to the entire device, with its thin, harshly angled back not masking the small whining noise that came when the monitor was on. Once speakers were blaring or headphones went on, this wasn't as noticeable, but it was very much present.

As you'll begin to find as I discuss this monitor more, it just is a quiet soldier. It gets the job done, and isn't filled to the gills with frills. There are four USB-A ports, which connect over USB-B, rather than C, all situated underneath the monitor, but can easily be accessed thanks to the stand featuring a 90-degree swivel. This is a boon for those of us who sometimes like to go "TATE mode" when playing retro games. That said, it's just a very bog-standard monitor with very little fanfare.

Features

(Image credit: Future) Playing through Pragmata was a real treat and a real stress test for the color on this monitor. Despite not getting HDR to work, the game was played with full ray tracing and path tracing turned on. Out of the box and with just a few minor tweaks to the brightness, the AOC GAMING Q27G4ZD showed off that game to the best of its ability that I had given it. I'm sure that it would have looked even better with HDR, but the QD-OLED panel allowed the clinical sci-fi areas to shine in their best light and popped with vivid colors.

I found a lot of the additional features these gaming monitors seem to pack in now a little on the useless side. I'm not an esport player, and also don't need a fake on-screen reticle from the monitor to interfere with the gaming side of things. Another feature to potentially steer clear of is AOC Game Color, which is a series of presets that all seem to lean into the saturated range a little too often.

Using the Switch 2 for HDR showed off some of what I'd been missing on PC, but using a Windows device confirmed that it's a serviceable monitor in HDR. For work-related usage, this would be one I'd steer clear of, as it's just not bright enough at 400 nits. To work and grade HDR, it's recommended to use 1000 nits at a minimum. As such, the short videos I recorded to test out editing in HDR on the monitor came out a little too off base in looks.

Speaking of HDR, much like the other AOC monitor I've reviewed, this is a nagging monitor. Every four hours, a warning to get the pixel refresh sorted popped up. AOC needs to take another look at this, as gaming sessions were continually interrupted by an irritating reminder.

Performance

(Image credit: Future) As with most gaming panels at this point, the performance is just peachy. From 120Hz to 240Hz, the monitor never showed any obvious signs of latency or unresponsiveness. Going lower on consoles also didn't seem to introduce any issues that impacted gameplay. It's, again, that quiet soldier, never really rocking the boat.

Even on Linux, using CachyOS presented no issues outside of HDR. Again, with the QD-OLED behind it, those colors looked just fine to me, and when the corridors in Pragmata would gradient into darkness, it truly kept the atmosphere up. My current go-tos to test the pace of monitors, like TerraTech Legion and Tetris: The Grandmaster 4, showed this monitor off in its best light. For those needing performance but don't want to sacrifice how everything looks on the screen, AOC might have the panel for you.

Retro games via the MiSTer or SuperStation One looked generally good, despite a lack of black frame insertion. Everything played smoothly enough, with older games like Earthbound and Mother 3 in their element with the vibrancy from the monitor.

Again, in Pragmata, I was able to hit every shot and complete every puzzle without ever feeling as if the monitor was fighting against me. The way the AOC Q27G4ZD manages to melt away into the background, despite beaming directly into the eyes, is a good thing. It just never let me down in my time reviewing it.

Should you buy the AOC GAMING Q27G4ZD?

(Image credit: Future) OLED monitors have, despite the world's ongoings, somehow managed to come down in price at a steady clip. AOC can feel like a bit of a crapshoot at times, but this particular QD-OLED-backed monitor can hang with the rest in its price range. While quite a few competing monitors might offer just a bit more in the feature side of things, not many will actively stay out of the way of the gaming time as this one does.

In 2026, getting a tech product that works as advertised and doesn't overreach is relatively rare in some sectors. AOC's Q27G4ZD is precisely that, and at $600, it isn't too shabby in the performance either.

Take a peek at the best monitors for PS5 if you're seeking console-flavored options.

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High prices left both 500e models dead on arrival in Australia’s market.

Fiat sales fell 30 percent during the first half of 2026 across Australia.

Only Fiat’s van business remains as speculation over a local exit grows.

Fiat has stopped importing the only two new models it sells in Australia, the Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e, as it struggles to fend off a sea of more affordable Chinese arrivals. The move leaves the company in a precarious spot and has fueled speculation that it’s inching toward exiting the market entirely as sales crumble.

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Demand for the two 500e models has never been strong, largely because they have been so expensive. When first launched, the regular 500e started at AU$52,500 ($36,800), while t he Abarth model was initially priced from AU$58,990 ($41,300), price tags generally only reserved for mid-size SUVs, including electric SUVs.

Read: Dealers Can’t Move The 500e At $15,000 Off. Fiat’s Response Is A $5,200 Price Hike

Fiat eventually made steep price cuts to both cars, more than AU$20,000 (US$14,000) in some cases, but that did little to stir demand. Sources familiar with the matter told Drive that Fiat’s five remaining passenger car dealers have gone without new factory 500e allocations for some time. The company also runs 14 Fiat Professional van showrooms.

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Earlier this week, Stellantis confirmed it will stop importing the 500e models, the only two passenger cars it still brought into the country. The petrol-powered Fiat 500 and Abarth 695 are already gone, with only leftover stock remaining, though the Scudo and Ducato vans are staying, at least for now.

Sales Collapse

Brad Anderson/Carscoops

Car Sales reports that Fiat volume has dropped 30 percent year-to-date, with just 144 vehicles moved locally this year. Only 13 of those came in June. Ferrari managed 16 and Lamborghini 18, which means two brands that trade in six-figure exotics each outsold Fiat, by 23 and 38 percent respectively over the same month. Stellantis says it remains committed to Australia, but with so little volume, it may become hard to justify the investment needed to keep the brand around.

“As part of Stellantis Australia’s ongoing portfolio and product planning process, the availability of specific models can vary over time as we assess market demand and future product opportunities,” Stellantis said. “We remain focused on ensuring the vehicles we bring to Australia meet customers’ expectations. “

“Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e stock in Australia has now largely been sold through and, at this stage, we are not planning additional orders while we evaluate future product opportunities for the local market. We continue to support our Fiat and Abarth customers and dealer network and look forward to sharing more information about Fiat’s and Abarth’s future plans in Australia at the appropriate time,” the company added.

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A Sign Of Things To Come?

Earlier this month, fellow Stellantis brand Peugeot revealed it was parting ways with Australian distributor Inchcape , meaning Stellantis itself will control the firm’s local operations. Last week, local media was informed that Peugeot was completely retiring its fleet of press vehicles, noting it would no longer be offering loans to the media. Its sales have also fallen drastically as the French brand has failed to compete with new arrivals, mostly from China. Its sales are down more than 32 percent year-to-date.

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Brad Anderson/Carscoops

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QUICK FACTS

Where is it? Lake Skadar, Montenegro and Albania [ 42.201087364, 19.303135741 ]

What's in the photo? A giant, milky-green swirl on the lake's surface

Who took the photo? An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station

When was it taken? Feb. 21, 2020

This eye-catching astronaut photo shows a cloud of sediment swirling into a giant, milky-green vortex in one of Europe's largest lakes.

Lake Skadar (also known as Shkodër, Shkodra or Scutari) is the largest lake in Southern Europe, with a surface area between 140 and 200 square miles (360 to 520 square kilometers), depending on the time of year. It is situated on the border between Montenegro, which surrounds the western half of the lake (left in the photo), and Albania, which encircles the lake's eastern shore. The body of water is split 65% to 35% in Montenegro's favor.

The lake's main water source is the Morača River, to the northwest, and its biggest outlets are the Bojana and Drin rivers, which start at the lake's easternmost point and eventually drain into the Adriatic Sea, which is partially visible in the bottom left of the photo. Skadar's southern shore is also hugged by a lofty mountain range, known as the Dinaric Alps.

During late winter and early spring, the lake's water level rises, and it usually fills with a milky-green substance that often gets whipped into a vortex by a combination of wind-driven surface currents and the natural flow of water between the lake's major inlets and outlets.

The swirling material looks very similar to blooming algae , but it is actually made of sediments — predominantly limestone and dolomite — that wash into the lake from the Dinaric Alps and other nearby mountains as the snow melts.

Lake Skadar formed millions of years ago and was once connected to the Adriatic Sea (visible in the background of this image). (Image credit: Wikimedia) Skadar is a karst lake, meaning it was once a cave system that flooded and eventually collapsed, likely because the caves were made from the same easily erodible rocks that now swirl on the lake's surface, according to NASA's Earth Observatory . The lake is a "cryptodepression" because most of the lake's floor is below sea level.

The lake originally formed during the Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago to the present), according to the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation's World Lake Database . It is home to several small islands, some of which can be seen in the photo along the lake's southern shore. These include Beška, which is home to a pair of 600-year-old churches, and Grmožur, where the remains of a 19th-century fortification loom above the lake's surface.

The shipwreck of a paddle steamboat, named Skanderbeg , lies along the lake's western shore. Local partisans sank the vessel in 1942 after Italian soldiers commandeered it during the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia in World War II. When the lake's water levels are at their lowest, part of the shipwreck rises above the surface.

Skadar Lake is a biodiversity hotspot and has protected wildlife status on both sides of the Montenegro-Albania border. It is a particularly important site for birds; more than 280 avian species call it home, including the Dalmatian pelican ( Pelecanus crispus ) and several endemic species, according to BirdLife International .

The lake also hosts around 50 freshwater snail species ‪—‬ more than any other lake on Earth, according to a 2013 study .

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