I decided to go for the recertified version of the monitor to save a few bucks, and I am very glad I did. The monitor came in with zero problems. No dead pixels, no backlight bleed (suprised me the most) and the condition was new. This monitor was a great investment and would definitely buy it again if I ever had too. I was able to overclock it to 165Hz which is pretty cool since the monitor has no problem supporting that refresh rate. I also color corrected it and it made a big difference in its colors. Something I would recommend anyone else to do if they were to get this monitor. This is my first Acer product and will certainly not be my last.

5 /5 Great value for a great monitor

Short Version: This monitor is an excellent value at this price. Mine came in with no flaws or issues. Long Version: I'll review this mostly addressing the recertified nature of the monitor rather than the features of the monitor itself as there are plenty of reviews of the retail version of this monitor. The packaging is a little thin but it survived the trip from Texas to New Jersey without a scratch or dent. Everything was packed neatly and it came with all of the same accessories as a new retail model. (which i also have) My particular unit has very little ips glow and a touch of backlight bleed from the bottom right corner which can only be seen if you're looking for it. I also have a retail xb271hu which I purchased a year ago and besides the sticker on the back that says recertified, I can't tell them apart. Colors are great, black levels are deep, and white is pretty uniform. Each one has some variance to the warmth of the white, This one was pretty yellow/warm out of the box but I got it to be nearly identical to my other monitor which was important to me as I have the monitors side by side. Gray uniformity is a bit off with the left side of the panel being warmer than the right by just a touch. It's only visible if you're looking for it by analyzing uniformity tests. It isn't noticeable when gaming or using the monitor normally, and to compare it to my retail version, that one has a warmer circle in the center and cools toward the edges. Again, this is all very slight and only when looking for it specifically. For this price, I thought it was worth it to get the 4 year extended warranty as 90 days just isn't enough. Although it has been roughly one year since I purchased my other recertified monitor and that one is still fine, I'd rather be safe than sorry.