Want a 27" 1440p 165Hz gaming monitor with VA panel for $235? You bet you do. So let us introduce you to the Lionine X27Q-165, which meets all the metrics, including this price. [As spotted by DisplaySpecifications, this is being offered as an own-brand model by a Korean online retailer. As far as we know, it is unlikely to land in this or any other country anytime soon.

This is a shame, because the combination of specs and price looks pretty killer. For many gamers, a high refresh 1440p or QHD panel is a very sweet spot. Sure, you can get more detail from a 4K panel. However, they put a greater load on the GPU and lower frame rates.

Even the latest Nvidia RTX 30 series and AMD RX 6000 graphics cards struggle to produce triple-digit frame rates on the most demanding titles, which is necessary for really smooth games. And it is almost impossible to find such cards.

Other highlights include a static contrast of 4000:1, the highest native LCD panel contrast ratio we have seen, and GTG and MPRT responses of 5ms and 1ms respectively. Inputs include two DisplayPort 1.2 connections and one HDMI 2.0 port.

All of this can be had for under $250, which is a pleasant surprise to many gamers and a welcome one, given the recent surge in GPU prices. In fact, monitors with resolutions above 1440p and refresh above 144Hz are still quite pricey. It is frustrating that prices for such game-centric, high refresh panels have been slow to become truly affordable.

Still, the Lionine X27Q-165 proves that it can be done. Hopefully it is a harbinger of things to come in the gaming monitor market, rather than a temporary blip that will make it impossible to buy outside of Korea.