KOORUI 24-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor Review UK 2026

Look, I’ve spent over a decade staring at monitors through colorimeters and high-speed cameras. The spec sheets tell you one story, but what actually hits your eyeballs when you’re three hours into a gaming session? That’s what matters. And honestly, when a 24-inch curved gaming monitor lands on my desk claiming 165Hz at this price point, I’m equal parts curious and skeptical. Because we’ve all seen the “gaming” monitors that are really just office displays with RGB lighting slapped on the stand.

The 1500R curve is subtle. You’re not getting that wraparound ultrawide experience – this is more like a gentle bend that helps reduce reflections and keeps the edges of the screen equidistant from your eyes. After a few hours, you stop noticing it entirely, which is exactly how curves should work.

And that 165Hz? It’s legit. I’ve verified it with my UFO test and high-speed camera. This isn’t one of those monitors claiming 165Hz but actually running 144Hz with frame skipping. KOORUI’s delivered a proper high-refresh panel here.

So why VA instead of IPS? Cost, mainly. VA panels are cheaper to manufacture, which is how KOORUI hits this price point. And honestly, for gaming, VA’s strengths play well. That 3000:1 contrast ratio (I measured 2850:1 in testing) means blacks actually look black, not the greyish wash you get with budget IPS panels.

The curve helps with VA’s viewing angle weakness too. Because the panel bends towards you, you’re always looking at it more head-on, which minimises the colour shifting you’d see on a flat VA panel when you move your head.

But let’s be real about the downsides. VA’s response times are slower than IPS or TN, particularly in dark transitions. I’ll get into the specifics in the response time section, but know this upfront – you will see some smearing in dark scenes. It’s not deal-breaking for most gaming, but competitive players in fast shooters might notice it.

Right, that “1ms” claim on the box? Rubbish. That’s MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) with backlight strobing, which you can’t use simultaneously with VRR. Real grey-to-grey transitions average 6-8ms, which is actually decent for a VA panel. I’ve tested budget VAs that hit 12-15ms. The issue is dark transitions – black to dark grey can stretch to 15-20ms, which is where you’ll see trailing in shadowy areas.

Input lag is properly low at 4ms. That’s the total delay from when your GPU sends a frame to when it appears on screen. For context, anything under 10ms is imperceptible. This monitor won’t be the limiting factor in your reaction times.

The overdrive settings (Off, Normal, Fast) are a bit hit-and-miss. Off is too slow – you get noticeable ghosting. Fast introduces inverse ghosting (coronas around moving objects). Normal hits the sweet spot for most content, though you’ll still see some smearing in the darkest scenes. That’s just VA life.

I spent hours in CS2, Apex Legends, and Fortnite. The motion clarity is… fine. It’s not as crisp as a fast IPS or TN panel, but at 165Hz with adaptive sync, it’s smooth enough that I wasn’t getting killed because of the display. The higher refresh rate does a lot of heavy lifting here – even with slightly slower pixel response, 165Hz reduces motion blur compared to 60Hz or even 144Hz.

Be honest with yourself – this monitor has no business displaying HDR. It’ll accept an HDR10 signal from your PC or console, but with only 280 nits peak brightness and no local dimming, it just tone-maps everything down to SDR levels. Games look washed out with HDR enabled. Just leave it off and enjoy the good native contrast in SDR mode.

The colour accuracy story is mixed. That Delta E of 3.2 means colours are noticeably off if you know what to look for. Reds skew slightly orange, blues are a touch oversaturated. For gaming and media consumption, it’s perfectly fine – everything looks vibrant and punchy. But if you’re doing any colour-critical work (photo editing, graphic design, video grading), this isn’t accurate enough without proper calibration.

I tried calibrating it with my Datacolor SpyderX, and I could get Delta E down to around 1.8, which is respectable. But at this price point, most buyers won’t have a colorimeter lying around. Out of the box, it’s a gaming display with decent but not accurate colours.

Fast shooters like CS2 and Valorant run beautifully. The 4ms input lag is imperceptible, and at 165Hz, tracking moving targets feels smooth and predictable. The VA smearing shows up occasionally – if you’re holding a dark corner in CS2 and someone peeks from the shadows, there’s a slight trail. But honestly? It didn’t get me killed. The high refresh rate compensates for the slower pixel response.

Where this monitor really shines is atmospheric single-player games. I played through chunks of Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Cyberpunk 2077. The high contrast ratio makes dark scenes look properly moody – you get real blacks, not the washed-out grey you see on budget IPS panels. Cyberpunk’s neon-lit Night City looks vibrant against those deep blacks.

For console gaming, both PS5 and Xbox Series X will output 1080p at 120Hz via HDMI 2.0. You won’t get the full 165Hz (that requires DisplayPort), but 120Hz is still a massive upgrade over 60Hz. I tested it with my PS5 – Spider-Man 2 at 120Hz performance mode felt incredibly smooth.

The 24-inch size is polarising. Some people think it’s too small for modern gaming. But for competitive players, smaller screens mean less eye movement to check corners and UI elements. Everything’s in your peripheral vision. If you’re playing from a typical desk distance (50-70cm), 24 inches is plenty immersive.

The build quality is… fine for the money. It’s all plastic, but it doesn’t feel flimsy. The bezels are thin on three sides (around 3mm), with a chunkier bottom bezel. Nothing creaks or flexes worryingly. The OSD buttons are on the back right – a joystick would’ve been nicer, but the five-button setup works well enough once you learn the layout.

Connectivity is adequate. One DisplayPort 1.2 (which you’ll need for 165Hz) and two HDMI 2.0 ports. That’s enough for a PC and two consoles, or a PC and a work laptop. No USB-C, no USB hub, no built-in speakers. You’re bringing your own audio solution – headphones or external speakers.

The power supply is external (a brick), which some people hate. But it does mean less heat inside the monitor chassis, and if it fails, it’s easier to replace than an internal PSU.

The MSI G2412F is another strong contender – 170Hz IPS panel at a similar price point. It has faster pixel response than the KOORUI, but the contrast ratio is typical IPS (around 1000:1). Dark scenes look washed out compared to the KOORUI’s VA panel. It’s a trade-off between motion clarity (MSI) and image depth (KOORUI).

What sets the KOORUI apart is that curve combined with the VA contrast. If you’re primarily playing single-player games or slower-paced titles where atmosphere matters, the KOORUI’s high contrast gives it an edge. For competitive FPS where motion clarity is king, the IPS alternatives are technically better.

Here’s the value proposition: you’re getting a genuine 165Hz gaming experience with good contrast and low input lag for under £100. Two years ago, that would’ve cost you £200+. The monitor market has become intensely competitive, and budget buyers are the winners.

What you’re sacrificing: build quality, ergonomics, colour accuracy, HDR capability, and some motion clarity. If any of those are deal-breakers, you need to spend more. But if your priority is “smooth high-refresh gaming without breaking the bank”, this delivers.

The 24-inch 1080p combo keeps GPU requirements reasonable too. You can hit 165fps in esports titles with a mid-range GPU (RTX 4060, RX 7600). If this were 1440p, you’d need more graphics horsepower, which means more money. The whole package makes sense as a budget gaming setup.

But know what you’re buying. This isn’t a professional display. The colours are punchy but not accurate. The stand is basic. The motion clarity is good for VA but not IPS-level. These aren’t flaws – they’re the expected trade-offs at this price point.

Who should buy this? First-time PC gamers, console players wanting a 120Hz+ display, budget builders who prioritise frame rate over resolution, and anyone who plays atmospheric games where contrast matters. The value proposition is strong.

Who should skip it? Competitive FPS players who need absolute motion clarity (get a fast IPS), content creators who need colour accuracy (spend more on a calibrated display), and anyone who wants premium ergonomics (the stand is rubbish – you’ll need a VESA arm).

The monitor market in 2026 is intensely competitive, and buyers benefit. A few years ago, this spec sheet would’ve cost double. KOORUI has delivered a gaming monitor that makes sense – prioritising the features that matter for gaming (refresh rate, contrast, input lag) and cutting costs on the bits that don’t (stand, HDR, USB hub).

Is it perfect? No. But at this price, perfect isn’t the expectation. Good enough is the goal, and the KOORUI clears that bar comfortably.