KOORUI 24-Inch Gaming Monitor Review: Budget Performance Powerhouse 2026

Over the years, I’ve tested VA panels with their deep blacks, IPS displays with their accurate colours, and even a few OLED screens that made everything else look dull. But here’s what actually matters: does this monitor do what it claims, at a price that makes sense? That’s the question I set out to answer when I put the KOORUI 24-inch through its paces. No marketing fluff, just whether it’s worth your money.

The 165Hz refresh rate is the main selling point here, and it’s a proper native refresh rate. You don’t need to enable any dodgy overclocking modes that introduce frame skipping. Just set it to 165Hz in Windows and you’re sorted.

I measured a native contrast ratio of around 2800:1, which is proper for a VA panel. That’s nearly three times what you’d get from a budget IPS display. In practice, this means dark scenes in games like Resident Evil or Alan Wake 2 look genuinely dark rather than that washed-out grey you get with IPS glow.

But VA panels have a characteristic weakness: dark-level response times. When pixels transition from dark grey to black, they take their time. I noticed this most in fast-paced games with dark environments. There’s a trailing effect, almost like a ghostly smear following moving objects.

The advertised 1ms response time is complete nonsense. In reality, you’re looking at 8-12ms grey-to-grey transitions, which is typical for budget VA panels. Dark transitions are slower, around 15-18ms. This causes visible smearing in fast motion, particularly in dark scenes.

Let’s talk about that “1ms” claim on the box. It’s rubbish. I’ve tested enough monitors to know these marketing numbers mean nothing. Using a pursuit camera setup, I measured real-world grey-to-grey transitions between 8-12ms on the Normal overdrive setting.

The monitor has three overdrive modes: Slow, Normal, and Faster. Slow is too sluggish and you get obvious trailing. Faster introduces inverse ghosting where you see bright coronas around moving objects. Normal is the sweet spot, though you’ll still notice smearing in dark scenes.

Input lag measured at 4ms, which is excellent. You won’t notice any delay between your mouse movements and on-screen action. For competitive gaming, that’s what actually matters.

The monitor claims HDR support but it’s meaningless. With only 250 nits peak brightness and no local dimming, enabling HDR just crushes blacks and washes out highlights. Leave it off.

I calibrated the monitor using an X-Rite i1Display Pro. Out of the box, Delta E averaged 3.2, which isn’t terrible but isn’t great either. After calibration, I got it down to 1.8, which is acceptable for general use.

The Standard picture mode is your best starting point. Gaming mode oversaturates everything and makes skin tones look like everyone’s had too much sun. Movie mode is too warm. Just stick with Standard and adjust brightness to taste.

At 250 nits maximum brightness, you’ll be fine indoors but if you’ve got windows behind your desk, you might struggle with glare. I tested in my usual setup with a north-facing window and had no issues, but direct sunlight would be a problem.

Counter-Strike 2 at 165fps felt smooth and responsive. The 4ms input lag is imperceptible, and whilst I could spot the VA smearing if I looked for it, it didn’t affect my gameplay. Coming from a 60Hz monitor, the difference is night and day.

Fortnite ran beautifully at 165Hz. The adaptive sync kept everything smooth even when frame rates dipped during busy firefights. No tearing, no stuttering. Just smooth gameplay.

Cyberpunk 2077 highlighted the panel’s limitations. The dark neon-lit streets of Night City showed noticeable smearing when panning the camera quickly. And the colour accuracy issues meant the vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic looked a bit muted compared to better displays.

I also tested with a PS5 connected via HDMI. It works at 120Hz in supported games, though you’re limited to 1080p obviously. For console gaming on a budget, it’s a solid choice.

Build quality is what you’d expect at this price. Plastic construction throughout, thin bezels that flex if you press them, and a stand that wobbles slightly if you knock the desk. It’s not going to fall apart, but it’s not winning any build quality awards either.

Connectivity is adequate. One DisplayPort 1.2 and two HDMI 2.0 ports give you enough inputs for a PC and console setup. Note that you’ll only get 165Hz via DisplayPort – HDMI maxes out at 120Hz. There’s a 3.5mm audio jack but no built-in speakers, so you’ll need external audio.

The power supply is external (a brick), which some people prefer as it generates less heat inside the monitor housing. The cable is about 1.5m long, which should reach most desk setups.

The ViewSonic XG2405 sits between them in price and offers a good balance of IPS colour accuracy with decent gaming performance. It also has proper ergonomic adjustments including pivot for portrait orientation.

What sets the KOORUI apart is purely the price. You’re getting 165Hz gaming performance for less than most 75Hz monitors. That’s the trade-off: high refresh rate, but compromises everywhere else.

At this price point, the KOORUI represents a specific value proposition: 165Hz gaming on the cheapest possible budget. You’re not getting a well-rounded monitor. You’re getting a high refresh rate panel with everything else pared back to the minimum.

Compare it to 60Hz monitors at similar prices and the value becomes clearer. You’re sacrificing colour accuracy, build quality, and ergonomics to get that 165Hz refresh rate. For competitive gaming where frame rate matters more than image quality, that’s a sensible trade-off.

But if you do any content creation, watch a lot of movies, or care about accurate colours, spending an extra £50-70 to move into the mid-range bracket will give you a noticeably better experience overall.

The high refresh rate is real and it makes a genuine difference in fast-paced games. The VA panel’s contrast ratio helps in dark scenes, even if the response times let it down somewhat. And the price is genuinely impressive for what you’re getting.

But you need to go in with eyes open about the compromises. The colours aren’t great. The stand is basic. The build quality is budget. If any of those things matter to you, save up for something in the mid-range bracket instead.