What can I say about this monitor..... it has amazing colors for gaming, truly awesome immersion! So, you might be wondering why I'm only giving it one star... the reason is very simple, I have received it twice and both times it came with burnt pixels, the first time it had 1 and the second time it had 7?. What else can I say, I'm really waiting for it to come for the third time! I consider it unacceptable for a monitor that literally costs a fortune.

After going through 40 different options for the right screen, I ended up with this one and I have been a proud owner for 2 years now. I highly recommend it as the number one choice for a gaming monitor and more. If you want to know why, you just have to read the few words I will say, and maybe I can convince you to buy it if you are undecided. No, I don't gain anything from MSI and I definitely have no benefit. It's just that the screen is amazing. I use it for photo and video editing, as well as casual gaming. (I have been looking for a monitor that can do everything very well, not just one thing decently and the other thing well.)

Coming from other gaming monitors like Alienware, LG, Samsung, and Dell, I had the opportunity to try out this specific screen and have a complete opinion on panels. I have had many, from OLED to IPS, VA, TN, and I have been lucky and unlucky like most people who change screens know that it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get! You receive it, close your eyes, open it, and then you look for dead or bright pixels after the IPS glow, and after experiencing 1-2 mental breakdowns, you say okay, I found a good one, until the next morning when you accidentally discover a dead pixel while playing and you get frustrated and kick the monitor (not really, we paid so much money, we check if it's still under warranty).

Design & Features:

It has a very good and ergonomic stand (I didn't even open it, it went straight into the base) with a beautiful design and unnecessary RGB, since you can't even see it even if it's dark and the screen is very close to the wall. Honestly, I never understood the point of putting RGB there, but okay MSI, you know better. Technically, in terms of features, such as the number of ports and the headphone jack, you can find it in the description. I will just mention maybe the negatives, that it has DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0b, and yes, I would have liked it to have DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1. Why? Because DP 1.2 bandwidth has limitations on 10-bit color depth at 120Hz, and here is where you, the knowledgeable and experienced user, come in and tell me that you can notice the difference between 120Hz and 165Hz, and I will say NO!! But let's not get into that discussion.

In terms of features, there is Gaming Intelligence (formerly Gaming OSD 2.0) which allows you to adjust everything on the monitor, from colors to RGB, to response time, refresh rate, etc.

Image Quality:

Well, what can I say, it's beautiful. Compared to IPS (not QD), VA, TN monitors, the difference is unbelievable. With 97% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RGB color gamut (thanks to Quantum-dot technology, which has worked wonders and it's not a coincidence that many companies have followed suit), how can your screen not be filled with colors? Yes, I know out of the box it might have some issues because, as I said, there are many colors, but now there is the sRGB mode that fixes it (DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, and now Premium Color, the rest are presets to choose from).

If you have a colorimeter, you can adjust it however you want, especially if you work with Illustrator and Photoshop and you are an expert.

HDR is available, but I never use it and it would be better if you didn't either, as it is very average and it wouldn't be missed by anyone.

Performance:

The monitor has 3 response time modes: Normal, Fast, and Fastest. I would recommend using Fast because it has no ghosting at the maximum refresh rate and without adding overshoot. It also has Adaptive-Sync for both AMD (with DP and HDMI) and NVIDIA (only DP) if your graphics card supports it. Finally, the input lag is very low and it has a flicker-free backlight.

Verdict:

It is not a coincidence that it has won every award available on many sites for image quality and performance. I would say with a significant margin that it is the best option available in its price range, even after 2 years.

Pros:
+ Wide Adobe RGB color gamut
+ Response time speed
+ Design

Cons:
- DisplayPort 1.2 & HDMI 2.0
- Oversaturated colors out of the box
- HDR

The screen is one of the best in its category. I am more than satisfied. It has very nice colors. It may not have the perfect black since it is an IPS panel and not VA. For its price, it has a very good black. As for the response, we are talking about milliseconds, the human eye cannot perceive it. For someone who is a casual gamer, it is perfect.
Here is the review from the Hardware Unboxed channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3X3yFh0-gE

Owner of the previous top 144Hz IPS model from LG 27GL850, I had some issues with LG's panel. First of all, it came with unacceptable backlight bleed, which became more pronounced due to the low contrast, considering the price of the model. Additionally, the panel had visible pixel inversion during the first few minutes of operation. Lastly, the screen flickered every time the g-sync module was activated, despite firmware updates. I mention these issues because at the end of 2019 when it was purchased, there was no real competitor in the market, so we all settled. Until the MSI monitor came along and all the aforementioned drawbacks disappeared. Bleed is within reasonable limits for an IPS panel, contrast is also at appropriate levels for IPS, 165Hz (not that we will notice a difference from 144Hz, but just saying), no pixel inversion at all, and no issues with G-Sync compatibility. Essentially and practically, it is currently the ultimate 165Hz IPS panel. It does what it says in the best possible way. For me, coming from a top IPS high refresh rate panel, the differences are definitely small, but someone with a regular IPS panel or even worse, a TN panel, will literally see them all. I want to emphasize that although the panel is 10-bit (8-bit + RFC), practically through the Nvidia control panel, the 10-bit, RGB, Full color range mode is only activated at 120Hz. If you want 165Hz and 10-bit color, you will have to settle for chroma subsampling 422 with limited color range. The differences are negligible, but personally, I preferred the first option even if it means dropping to 120Hz, both for practical reasons (my 3080 still doesn't go above 60-70 fps in CP) and for psychological reasons. The LG panel had no issues with 10-bit, RGB, Full range at 144Hz. Perhaps this will be resolved with a future firmware update from MSI, so we wait until then.

Overall, anyone who wants the ultimate IPS 165Hz monitor at the moment should go for this one without hesitation. Alternatively, they can go for the Dell 2721DGF, which is essentially LG's nanoIPS panel on steroids and at a lower price, but having experience with nanoIPS, I wouldn't prefer it again due to contrast and pixel inversion.

I would never expect such a screen to come from the MSI camp... AMAZING.

Panel
The world's first IPS panel with Quantum Dot technology (the "rival" of LG's nano IPS)! Made by the only company worthy of competing with LG - AU Optronics! It is usually found behind ASUS and ACER screens, such as the PG279Q and XB271HU.
It is a fresh model in the panel market and it is the M270DAN08.2. It was released in the middle of the 20s. It's really strange that it wasn't promoted by ASUS first.

Connectivity
DisplayPort 1.2a = Frequencies 60,120,165 Hz
2x HDMI (2.0b) = Reaches 144hz
USB-C (displayport) = With the appropriate cable (usb c to usb c displayport), you can connect it to a new mobile phone and transfer the image to the screen in 1 second.

HDR?
Regarding HDR, it is HDR Ready... it does not have HDR10 certification (VESA DisplayHDR 400/600/1000) = I don't know exactly what Ready means, but it allows you to activate HDR through Windows 10, where it becomes noticeably brighter... and in games that support HDR, it allows you to activate it. You see changes, but in some cases it causes oversaturated colors.

Personal experience
Excellent color, quite bright, no IPS glow or burnt pixels observed. Restful, with incredibly bright whites and blacks! No ghosting, in any of the combinations it has between frequency and response time. No color distortion.
You can easily customize it through the joystick on the back right, as well as the software for Windows 10, where you can adjust everything.

Personally, I believe it is a gem that will be properly appreciated over time once it becomes known. The only reason not to choose it is that you will have to wait for it to come out in a 34-inch version!! Otherwise, for a 27-inch screen (2560x1440) at 165Hz with such performance, it has a very attractive price... for now.

P.S. In the reviews, you will see that it competes with the Dell S2721DGF (LG Panel), where it generally outperforms it.

A very good review of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3X3yFh0-gE