KOORUI GN02 review: “A 240Hz budget monitor testament to Amazon brands”

I’m really glad I decided to take a look at the KOORUI GN02, as it has effectively broadened my budget gaming monitor horizons. Not only does it take to the stage with a 27-inch 1080p 240Hz panel, but it also manages to undercut its branded competition without compromising reliability. That’s crucial when it comes to screens like this, and it’s safe to say this is one I’ll be watching out for during seasonal sales.

If you go by MSRP, the KOORUI GN02 comes in at $179.99 / £149.99. Does it ever actually return to that price tag? Well no, in reality, this screen will normally set you back $159.99, with various further discounts sprinkled in there throughout the year. This not only helps the screen compete for the title of best gaming monitor in terms of cost but it’s also primed to reach a ridiculously low price during the likes of Black Friday and Prime Day.

There are absolutely drawbacks to using a budget 240Hz display, most of which relate to features outside of the panel itself. The KOORUI GN02 is absolutely guilty of this, but it’s a worthwhile sin to commit in order to provide access to cheaper competitive grade refresh rates. Are we talking about a perfect panel? Hell no, and I think that’s just fine.

Design

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The GN02 is firmly a no-thrills monitor, but it honestly resembles most VA and IPS screens out there right now. It has virtually no bezel and that typical thick lip at the bottom, not to mention its stand even following the same hexagonal trend as the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 and LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B. Of course, all this is from a distance, as getting in close and personal with the panel reveals a few budget truths.

I’m not exactly surprised by this, but the KOORUI GN02 is extremely lightweight. It’s entirely made of plastic, so I wasn’t expecting any real heft to this screen, and I don’t subscribe to the idea of weight equalling quality. However, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give me slightly flimsy vibes when lifting it onto my gaming desk, even though it is actually soundly put together with no case-fitting discrepancies.

The screen’s stand gives off a similar vibe, not adding much weight to the overall package once clipped on. Again, there’s not too much going on with the pedestal beyond some tilt action, with no height adjustment to be found. However, not all is lost in the positioning department, as it comes with VESA mounting ports for a monitor arm or bracket.

KOORUI says in its marketing that the back of the GN02 is meant to resemble an eagle’s wings, and the engravings help add a splash of subtle flair. If I’m being honest, I’m glad the company has kept things low-key in terms of design, as it’s all too easy to verge into garish when working with budget products. Chances are the screen will be facing a wall anyway, but if you do happen to drag this budget display to a LAN event, attendees at least won’t have to gaze at low-quality RGB lighting or weird-colored plastics. I do wish they didn’t add a red strip in the center though, as it sticks out a bit too much for something with no purpose.

As is tradition, I’m about to rant about how yet another monitor has decided to use a joystick nipple for its OSD controls. I didn’t really expect the GN02 to hit out with anything revolutionary, and luckily for KOORUI, this isn’t the worst nub I’ve ever used. It’s somewhat lacking in grip compared to some designs, and my thumb did start to slide off when swinging through the screen’s settings. But, it did work without many false presses or misdirections, so I’ll give it that.

Features

I won’t lie to you, the GN02 doesn’t really have a lot of tricks up its sleeve. You won’t find a USB hub or KVM switch on this budget warrior, and all of its extras are more or less software-based. I am slightly bummed out that I can’t hook the Steam Deck OLED up to this 1080p display using a single USB-C cable, but if we’re being real, even some premium panels skip on that gaming handheld perk.

Within the monitor’s OSD menu, you’ll find the usual array of display settings alongside pre-set scenarios and a FreeSync Premium toggle. Honestly, I can’t imagine trying to deal with screen tearing on some PC builds without some sort of adaptive sync, so I’m glad to see it sitting pretty on the menu. If you’re into shooters, you might also be thrilled at the presence of crosshairs. I’ll be real with you - I don’t use them, but since this budget screen inherently targets FPS gamers, seeing them included feels right.

Performance

Where the GN02 perhaps lacks style and physical functionality, it makes up for it with pure budget visual performance. I’ve been using cutting-edge OLED monitors a lot this year, and that normally means that VA panels look particularly lackluster once they end up on my bench in between. I fully expected KOORUI’s 1080p 240Hz screen to look especially disappointing since it’s a budget panel, but actually, it managed to impress me more than the Lenovo Legion R45w-30 I tested earlier a few months back.

The thing that really caught me off guard most was its vibrancy, as while it doesn’t come close to taking on an OLED screen, the GN02 features respectable colors. At no point did the words “washed out” come to mind, and I didn’t even feel the need to mess much with settings out of the box. That’s exactly what I want to see from a screen that could very well be many player’s first gaming display.

For testing purposes, I’m going to be using the same shooters I normally use for monitor reviews – Cyberpunk 2077, Overwatch 2, and Halo Infinite. I almost started feeling sorry for the GN02 when I hooked it up to the Alienware Aurora R16 since the last screen I used with the rig was the mighty Philips Evnia 42M2N8900. Both panels aren’t remotely comparable, but I am actively thinking about how cheap displays like this hold up against models ten times the price.

Kicking things off with a visit to Night City, and I could happily play through Cyberpunk 2077 on this display. The GN02 certainly doesn’t provide the level of virtual sightseeing I’m used to with premium or even some mid-range models, and 1080p looks a little soft at 27 inches when it comes to edges and text. But, the panel provides snappy results at high frame rates, with every swing of the mouse feeling nice and slick.

As you’d expect, the screen’s 240Hz refresh rate also came in handy during Overwatch 2 sessions. I feel like it’s important to reiterate that we’re talking about a monitor that will only set you back $150 max most of the time, so the fact it can serve up 1ms response times and outpaces more expensive branded models is a win. Focussing in on speed, darting around as Pharah felt just as nice as it does on the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B. No, I’m not saying this screen can fill in for a $1,400 4k OLED screen with dual resolution abilities, it’s just that it can provide similar responsiveness at 1080p.

If you’re making the jump from 60Hz to this panel then the difference will feel extraordinary in Blizzard’s hero shooter. You’ll potentially feel a difference with middling refresh rates too, but since you probably paid more for something like a branded 165Hz screen a few years back, would take the other drawbacks into consideration. It’s lack of features and the inherent cons of a VA panel. That aside, this display would have blown my mind as a young PC gamer, and it’s one my parents would have been able to more likely afford.

Halo Infinite plays pretty great too on this 240Hz 1080p panel, making an an ideal way to put together a “better than Xbox Series S” PC setup. It’s going to work great with Microsoft’s cheaper console too, but my point is that if you fancied throwing together a rig just for Game Pass, the extra refresh rate headroom is going to feel fantastic comparatively on this panel. I used to jump into multiplayer sessions regularly on a 60Hz display, and I can assure you that gunning down enemy Spartans at 240Hz absolutely slaps.

With the PlayStation 5 Pro on the way, and my mind very much thinking about the best PS5 monitors on a daily basis, it felt only right to hook up Sony’s OG system to the GN02. Look, I get that most players aren’t going to want to play at 1080p on a new-gen console, but if you’ve also got a PC at your desk, this screen makes for a cheap solution that’ll cater to both. Shooters on the platform will get to stretch their frame rate legs up to 120Hz, and your rig will be able to push things to 240Hz. Naturally, there’s a sea of screens out there that’ll serve up UHD visuals that’ll punch harder, but this is a good versatile option for those you looking to spend very little.

To round things off, I want to touch on brightness, You're not quite getting the ridiculous illumination you would from a mini LED screen, but it can certainly keep up with OLED panels I've tested recently with 300 nits abilites. More importantly, and since we're talking about a cheaper display here, I didn't encounter any instances of light bleed or banding with everything cranked up full, and lighting is evenly distributed across the display.

Should you buy the KOORUI GN02?

If you’re gunning for a 240Hz monitor but want to keep spending to a minimum, the KOORUI GN02 should be on your watchlist. Whether or not it becomes the best value screen out there full depends on what happens during sale periods, but even at its normal $150 asking price, it’s a chunk cheaper than the brands. Ideally, it would have been nice to have a few extra features thrown in alongside its raw panel specs, but I’m not going to argue with a straight-talking 1080p panel at this price and refresh rate.

All in all, the KOORUI GN02 is a 240Hz budget monitor testament to Amazon brands, and I’ll be keeping tabs on the company’s screens from here on out.

How I tested the KOORUI GN02

For two weeks, I used the KOORUI GN02 at my desk for playing shooters on PC. During that time, I entered multiplayer sessions in Halo Infinite and Overwatch 2 in addition to spending some time in Cyberpunk 2077 using an Alienware Aurora R16 PC. Throughout testing, I assessed the screen’s responsiveness, vibrancy, and color accuracy while also investigating sharpness at 1080p.

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