I have been reviewing monitors for as long as this website has been around, and I know quite a lot about what people want from them from both comments and email, as well as using them myself.
Dell has long been my go-to for monitors, but this time, I found a company called Alogic that makes a range of displays that look high-quality.
This review will be looking at the 27-inch Alogic Clarity Pro Touch.
My requirements
Much like my Dell U3421WE widescreen monitor, this monitor intends to replace; my new monitor aims to provide a single solution to all of my computer needs. I have, for the last few years, been an eGPU user when I do either graphics or video editing, as well as for the odd bit of gaming. If I'm not doing anything intensive like that, I'll use a USB-C port to link my laptop to my monitor, giving me the USB ports on the monitor and the video. This has been my setup for a few years, and my Dell U3421WE has done this well for many years.
In 2024, after many years of having an ultrawide monitor, I'm seeking to go back to 16:9 with 4K. The screen also needed to feature built-in speakers, which are only required to be decent, not exceptional. I don't want to give up my docking setup, however. I wish to use the USB-C port on the monitor to dock my laptop and connect to the mouse and keyboard, as well as the display and the sound.
I want a 4K display and a built-in webcam this time, and that's where the Alogic Clarity Pro comes in.
About Alogic
Alogic is a company I had seen advertised repeatedly on Facebook, and I felt like I wanted to try Alogic's products.
I was at first a bit sceptical about buying from a company like Alogic as they might not have the same level of commitment to their devices and customer service as someone like Dell (who are exceptional when it comes to customer service, as I have mentioned before, they have replaced monitors more than 3 years old for free when they develop an issue).
Design
The first thing that drew me to Alogic's monitors was the design. The design of these monitors reflects the design of the Apple Pro Display. It feels solid and is well-built. The material used isn't as good as Apple's, but it's less than half the price of their cheapest model (and it includes a stand and can be mounted using a VESA wall mount with no problems - well done, Alogic!).
One of my favourite features of the Clarity is that the ports are mounted horizontally, meaning you can see where you are plugging into. This looks a lot tidier and more convenient than doing this the old-fashioned way.
The stand goes nicely with the appearance of the monitor all around.
Sadly, Alogic went with buttons on the bottom of the display. Whilst these are useful, this is the first monitor I have had in 14 years where the buttons are utterly annoying. Unlike previous Dell monitors with buttons, the Alogic monitors have buttons with no indication of their location above them, so you have to feel around for them. One redeeming feature is that when you open the menu, at least on the touch model, you can simply touch the screen to change settings. The menu is extensive, too.
Features
The Clarity features an excellent display. The monitor covers 100% of the sRGB, 99% of the Adobe RGB colour spaces and 93% of the DCI-P3 colour space, ensuring accurate colour reproduction for various applications, including graphic design, photo editing, and video production. With a 350 cd/m2 brightness level and support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), the Clarity Pro enhances contrast and colour depth, resulting in more lifelike images and videos. All of this is achieved with its IPS display, which allows it to support over 1 billion colours and provides viewing angles of 178 degrees each way.
The monitor supports resolutions up to 3840 by 2160 (4K) at 60Hz. It has a slowish response time of 12ms, a bit below many other monitors today, but that's not really an issue on a display designed for creators more than anything else. It also features a contrast ratio of 1000:1 which is exceptional. This is mainly made possible by the glossy display, which adds to the colour depth of the display.
There's no FREESync or GSync built-in to this display, and that's not expected on a monitor of this type.
The monitor also supports touch. You only need a computer with a USB-A or USB-C port to support touch. You can then configure each video in (DisplayPort, HDMI 1, HDMI 2 or USB-C) to connect to the computer using USB-A or USB-C, and then you've got the touch.
Connectivity
The monitor features many video ports, including a DisplayPort 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.1 ports and a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort 1.4. It's very nice to see HDMI 2.1 on this monitor. One thing I feel is missing from this monitor is a DisplayPort out. It's a fantastic thing to be able to chain like that.
The monitor also features 2 USB Type A upstream ports. These are only featured on the back, and there are no easy access ports, which is a shame compared to competitors who feature two on the rear and two near the front. Both USB ports are USB 3.0 5Gbps ports capable of 7.5W each (nice).
The monitor features a USB 3.0 Type B connector and a USB Type C connector, allowing two computers to be connected easily.
The issues
These two points seriously frustrate me and let the monitor down.
Sadly, the USB portion of the monitor is one of my main concerns. This monitor feels like a huge step backwards for me. I say this because, first, it doesn't feature a proper KVM, even though it does support USB-C and USB-A connectors and connecting them to separate video inputs.
Next, USB-C is a huge problem, and I have included my YouTube video explaining what happens. This is one of the most irritating features of this display. Simply put, when you connect a laptop to the monitor using USB-C, the monitor appears to connect but then switches itself off after a few seconds before you get the chance to even see if it's on the correct input (and it also doesn't give you an option to automatically switch to USB-C when a USB-C device is connected, again, unlike previous monitors I have reviewed or owned).
My next issue is a ridiculous issue that should be addressed immediately. I play games on my desktop, often just simple games like Minecraft, Age of Empires or Warcraft III. With each of these different games, I run at various resolutions; for example, Age of Empires II runs at the full 3840 by 2160 resolution at 60Hz, but Age of Empires IV is a bit more demanding on the GPU of my EliteBook, and I occasionally do not connect to my eGPU and just connect with either HDMI or USB-C. I, therefore, run the resolution slightly lower within the game at 2560 by 1400. Now, here's the problem this monitor suffers from, and it doesn't happen on my previous monitors; because Age of Empires IV is running at a lower (or different) resolution to my desktop, which is at 3840 by 2160, I lose the connection to the USB ports on the monitor when connected with either USB-C or HDMI, this seems like such an odd thing, but this messes everything up in my setup. And I'm not talking about two or three seconds either; I'm talking about sometimes more than 15 seconds. Further to this, I have had issues changing the resolution of my other connected displays when I use the USB ports on the monitor. What happens is that you change the resolution of any display and, as Windows only gives you 15 seconds to accept the new display settings and you lose the USB connection when the resolution changes, I cannot change the resolution unless I remove the mouse from the monitor and plug it directly into the computer - totally defeating the purpose of the USB ports on the Clarity. This is utterly awful and substandard.
Conclusion
I would not recommend this monitor to anyone who, like me, wants a streamlined and straightforward desk setup where you can dock a laptop, play games and do work. I would, however, recommend it to people who want an excellent display with fantastic colours and perfect colour.
I am utterly disappointed by this monitor and would recommend that if you intend to use the USB-C feature, then you'll be disappointed.
I would not recommend this monitor, sadly. I had such high hopes for this monitor, too, but now it's just sitting in the corner of my office as a £800 paperweight.
