Connectivity

In terms of video inputs, the INNOCN 27C1U is equipped with a DisplayPort 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, and a USB-C port.


The USB-C port is more than just an ordinary video input. It is also used for data transfer between your PC and those devices plugged into the two USB 3.0 Type-A ports adjacent to the DisplayPort input, as well as power delivery for laptops whose USB-C ports support this feature. The monitor can deliver up to 65 W of power to connected devices, which is enough for most non-gaming laptops under even heavier loads. You can also rapidly charge your smartphone through this port. Combining the INNOCN 27C1U with a laptop comes down to connecting it with a single USB-C cable, which will extend your desktop, enable the use of any peripherals and external drives connected to the monitor, and charge the laptop's battery.


Should your computer not have a USB-C port, you can still use the monitor's integrated 2-port USB 3.0 hub by utilizing its USB 3.0 Type-B upstream port and connecting it to a regular USB Type-A port on your PC. These two upstream ports (USB-C and USB Type-B) also let you connect the monitor to two computers at once, and switch between them with a single set of peripherals. Let's say your work machine is a USB-C laptop and you're also using a standard desktop PC for entertainment. You'll connect your laptop to the INNOCN 27C1U with a USB-C cable, and your home PC will be connected to the monitor with a regular USB Type-B to USB Type-A cable and a DisplayPort cable for a video signal. Finally, you'll connect your keyboard and mouse to the USB 3.0 ports on the monitor. After doing so, the INNOCN 27C1U will allow you to quickly switch between its USB-C and DisplayPort video input, but also between your peripherals for the two connected computers. The latter function is called "USB Switch" and can be assigned to one of the buttons on the front of the monitor.


The 3.5-millimeter audio output may be used to route the sound to your headphones. The INNOCN 27C1U has a pair of integrated 5-watt stereo speakers, but these should only be used when there's no other option.

Power Consumption

The INNOCN 27C1U is powered by an external power brick. It's a generic 150 W (7.89 A, 19 V) switching adapter that has to be connected to a power outlet with the supplied cable.

I've used the Brennenstuhl PM 231 E power meter to determine the power consumption of the monitor at various brightness levels, as well as in Power Saving mode, which it enters as soon as the PC goes to sleep. My power consumption measurements are summed up in the chart below. They've been made after resetting the monitor to factory defaults.



Power consumption is what we'd expect from a 27" 4K panel. Also visible from the graph is that the panel doesn't drop below 63 cd/m² brightness when the brightness is at its lowest setting. Every 25% brightness change in the OSD boosts actual brightness by around 100 cd/m².