Amazon.com: Customer reviews: BenQ PD3200U Color Accurate Design Monitor 32" 4K UHD | 100% Rec.709 & sRGB | IPS | Delta E≤3 | Calibration Report | AQCOLOR | Pantone | HotKey Puck | Ergonomic | Speakers | DisplayPort

M.B.

A Nice Monitor For Photo Editing - 100% sRGB and 77% Adobe RGB - A Little Overpriced

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2020

I ordered this as I wanted to replace an older WQHD monitor for photo editing, and I also found myself working from home. I ordered this because I wanted another 4k monitor and I hoped this would have more accurate color than the 32" Monoprice CrystalPro 27772 I also own.

The build quality of this monitor is excellent. The USB ports are nice, the "puck" interface for handling the on screen controls is a nice feature, I I like that it has two Display port ports when most give you one and a bunch of HDMI. The stand is also solidly built with a nice carry handle and isn't wobbly like many OEM stands are. I've not seen any evidence of screen flicker that other reviews referenced, so I'm assuming I have the updated firmware on the monitor I received.

The color is nice. It's comparable to my old WQHD monitor that I purchased in 2012 that cost a similar amount, though my old monitor had glass over the panel and better build quality.

Initially it was more accurate than my Monoprice CrystalPro, though surprisingly after calibration with my Spyder 4 Pro, the gap closed considerably. I think the Benq has slightly better contrast and on pure white screens the dot pitch of the display is "smoother". I also think the backlight is better on the Benq on pure black screens.

Out of the box the calibration is good. After calibration with my Spyder 4 Pro, the contrast seems better and a tiny bit less blue. Even though this is accurate for a factory calibration, I'd still suggest an aftermarket calibration if you want the best out of this monitor. After calibration the Spyder software shows this has 100% sRGB coverage and 77% of Adobe RGB.

Surprisingly though, after calibration, both the Benq and the Monoprice monitors showed 100% sRGB coverage, and shockingly, the Monoprice monitor had 79% sRGB coverage. Not a huge difference, but the Monoprice is a few hundred dollars cheaper, and if you catch a sale, half the price of the Benq.

If you're looking for a budget monitor with good color I'd suggest checking out the Monoprice 27772. It has it's own limitations (only 1 DP port, some intermittent flickering issues, no USB ports, etc) but it's a bargain if you don't need the extra features of the Benq PD3200U.

4 people found this helpful

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ScorpioWolf

WOW! This monitor lives up to the hype and great reviews

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

WOW! This monitor lives up to the hype and great reviews (be sure to check out the in depth Tom's Hardware review - this review truly helped make my decision to purchase). I upgraded from a Dell 27" QHD screen and I can't believe how much larger the 32" is in comparison, it has so much screen real estate and enables multitasking in a way you just can't with smaller screens. I've only had it a couple days but I can say, out of the box, it looks wonderful using the sRGB mode with the brightness set at 50%. There is indeed a factory calibration report in the box. The Display Pilot software is a nice bonus (it has tons of options and is convenient to change settings). IPS glow is present, but minimal, it's most evident in the lower left corner on my unit on a completely black screen. The matte finish on the screen isn't distracting and I have no issues working with photos, digital drawings and blueprints/building renderings. Screen uniformity is very good (especially considering this model doesn't have a setting to manage screen uniformity) - it may be slightly brighter in the middle of the unit I received, but again, it isn't distracting.

One of the must have features for me was the built in KVM as I use it with a desktop computer (with an Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB RAM connected via HDMI 2.0) and my Surface Pro (2017) (with Iris Plus 640 graphics connected via mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort). I can concur with other reviewers that the KVM functionality of switching between computers isn't "elegant" as you do have to power on your computer manually (no USB power is supplied to the keyboard and mouse when the monitor is in power save mode) and you do have to switch the input and USB Upstream settings separately (Dell has a leg up on their KVM monitors as you can assign a USB Upstream port to a specific input and switching is seamless). HOWEVER, it's not awful - I programmed the touch button shortcuts for: Input, USB Upstream1 and USB Upstream2 - it's very easy to switch. Also, if I don't have my Surface Pro connected and turn on the desktop computer, no action is required on the monitor (provided you leave the HDMI and DisplayPort auto select options turned on).

Bottom line - for the size and excellent overall quality of this monitor, there is not a viable competitor at this price point.

7 people found this helpful

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JBG

I love this monitor

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

This PD3200U monitor replaced an older 30” monitor. It’s about the same height and about 4 inches wider than my old monitor so from a size standpoint not too much different from what I was used to. Everything else is so much better.

The 4K screen is beautiful. Watching 4K videos is so enjoyable. I do photography so having the wide color gamut is very beneficial when processing photos. They just look amazing and with good color calibration you get close on print what you see on the screen.

It arrived with no dead pixels and I have had none of the flicker problems that others have reported. It has a sensor that can be turned on to monitor when you are in front of the monitor and when you leave it turns the monitor off. One reviewer reported that if he sat still the monitor would go off. I have not had that problem. The monitor shuts off soon after moving away and comes back on immediately when you return. However, I have noticed the screen coming on again and going off again when no one is at the computer. That’s a little disappointing. I just turn the monitor off if I’m going to be away for an extended period. That’s really my only complaint.

I’m not a gamer so the lower refresh rate doesn’t bother me at all. If you are a hard core gamer you should look elsewhere. This monitor is designed for content creators, not gamers. It’s certainly not the best monitor out there for content creators but it’s probably the best bang for your buck. I highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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Jamison Hill

Beautiful screen, some quality issues

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

It looks nice and works well, but there are a couple of dead pixels on the screen, and now that I've had it for about 4 months, the screen intermittently just goes blank for a couple of seconds. It happens about 3-5 times a day. When I purchased this, it was marked as a refurbished item, did not come in the original packaging, the mount was bent, and the power supply looks generic, not original. All this to say, it was cheaper to buy it this way, but I wonder if these quality issues are unique to it being marked as refurbished. It certainly was not in new condition, and is showing signs of trouble. If I could return it, I would, but if I could buy it again, I would do so only if I bought a new one instead of refurbished. I do actually like the monitor, just wishing the defects were minimized.

One person found this helpful

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Johnnyreb

Excellent Product for Designers, Photogophers and most anyone in-between

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

Excellent product. Functions as advertised and met expectations of all the reviews I read. It would be hard to find a better picture quality. At least not until the PC market starts producing affordable QLED monitors. Even then, this monitor would give them a run for the money. The SD port is a bit aggravating to get to on the lower right bezel but is not an issue really worth mentioning. I would imagine so would be the same on most other monitors of this size. I'm sure the USB and SD ports would be easy to find after a couple uses. The colors are crisp and smooth. I test ran a few UHD 4K videos online and it did not disappoint. I'm running a GeForce GTX 1060 video card and using the HDMI 2.0 port running at 60HZ. BENQ offers a variety of ports with this monitor also. Several USB 3.0, Display and a mini port which has a hockey puck remote that nicely lies in a built in cradle located at the bottom of the stand. The stand is and base are sturdy offering a variety of adjustments. Out of the box, the calibration is spot on. The hockey puck remote allows easy access to a low blue light mode designed to help with eye fatigue. I find I utilize this function while working with Office or database programs for my small business. The sRGB, CAD/CAM, Animation and Darkroom modes are just a few options at your fingertips. It has a built in motion sensor. I haven’t enabled this feature but am heading in that direction. I find this to be a great all-purpose monitor also. I am not a huge gamer so I can't say a tremendous for the gaming community but I'm sure most would appreciate its quality also. Keeping in mind this is a designers monitor and not a specific gamers monitor offering a maximum of 60 Hz on the HDMI 2.0 port. Although I haven't experimented with the built in KVM function, I’m sure it will not disappoint me when I connect a second system to this monitor. Being able to attach two systems and utilizing one monitor, Keyboard and mouse would be useful. Viewing photography is amazing. Viewing a few sample UHD 4k pictures has been amazing. The colors are tremendous. I'm am not an expert when it comes to photography, however, I have an eye for detail. The outer bezel is somewhat bulky for today’s monitors but not an issue as I find it goes mostly unnoticeable while working. The 32” real-estate offers so much viewing area for a desktop user, the outer edge is nearly unnoticeable. Viewing angle are extremely good. I did consider a curved monitor but decided to go with a true flat design since I wanted this monitor to offer designer true designer quality without the potential of line stretching/bending that is sometimes found in the curved designs. This plays well with Windows 10 and the default OS display settings will work well without further adjustment for most users. This monitor is simply amazing.

8 people found this helpful

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styylus

DEFECTIVE - Firmware problem that can only be fixed by a BenQ technician

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

DON'T BUY- These monitors have a **firmware issue** that causes random flickering, making the unit unusable. For those like me who researched tons of options for a good 4k monitor, and chose the PD3200U in spite of the widely documented flickering issue, don't make the same mistake I did. After experiencing the problem with one unit, Amazon sent me a replacement that was far worse. (I'm watching the screen flicker- like a frequent spasm- as I type this very review on the replacement unit.) On July 2, 2018 I spoke with a support rep at BenQ who informed me that there is a firmware issue with this model that *CAN ONLY* be fixed by a BenQ technician via an update issued in late June, and thus requires mailing the unit to them, waiting the fix, then having it mailed back, which is far too much of annoyance for me at this point. If the firmware update could be applied by the end-user, I would at least give it a try, but I've opted to drop this model altogether and get a different model by a different manufacturer. I would add that the rep was not at all accommodating, and didn't seem to express any concern about what is clearly a **major defect** in a nearly $1,000 monitor, which makes me think I will likely never buy anything from BenQ ever again. It's too bad, as the monitor itself is beautiful, and I'd love to have a functioning version, but BenQ is not making it easy, to say the least.

Thus, in close, for anyone still contemplating this monitor, just know that you're taking a gamble, and that you'll likely need to mail the unit to BenQ to have it serviced by their technicians- pretty crappy deal if you ask me.

195 people found this helpful

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James

Amazing cost effective productivity, gaming, and general use monitor!

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is an awesome monitor for productivity, media entertainment, and gaming!

After my wife usurped my last computer setup it was time to build a new rig and purchase at least one new monitor. The monitor was the most difficult decision for me. As a family man, software engineer, gamer, media hobbyist and avid tv/movie watcher I need a monitor setup that was affordable and still provided large real estate, high resolution, vivid and accurate colors, good performance.

For the price of two mediocre monitors I was able to purchase this one large awesome monitor. The 4K is very nice in that it provides me with a lot of flexibility arranging windows and work areas when doing development and media editing. So far I haven't missed having a second monitor.

I was worried about text being to small, but the images are so crisp my old eyes don't strain to read. For refresh, accuracy, and crispness getting an IPS panel monitor was a great choice and it works perfectly on this monitor.

Videos and games are also gorgeous at 4K, but if I need to down the resolution and up the refresh rate the monitor is a rock star for first person shooters as well. I'm still only an average gamer, so I imagine if you want an amazing monitor for first person shooters and competitive play you might pick something else, but I would say for 80% of gamers this monitor would be an awesome addition for you.

There are plenty of connections on this monitor for multi 2 HDMI's, one display port and one mini display port. So it is going to support my laptop, gaming machine, and 4K console easily!

I must mention one thing that really bummed me out though, which is not an issue with the monitor but with perhaps the packaging facility. The monitor came scratched near the center of the view port. So if you get this monitor check the screen closely at first, the scratches didn't appear when the monitor was on. However, for a brand new monitor I don't expect scratches. The replacement from Amazon wasn't prompt, again not a problem with the monitor but something to be aware of if purchasing through the site.

All in all, I am now a fan of BENQ and very happy with this monitor.

If you are on the fence, like I was, about picking a cheaper 4K IPS monitor for gaming, productivity, and general use I hope this helps easy your fears about this particular monitor and brand!

2 people found this helpful

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Pete

Awesome monitor and build quality

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Purchased this monitor to replace my 7th Dell monitor...

Pros
- Build quality is good, base and arm are heavy and feels solid
- 32" IPS panel has no dead/stuck pixels at all
- Panel frame is thinner then my old Dell, not as thin as other brands but good enough
- Included side SD card reader and USB ports are very convenient
- KVM switch function saves me space on my desk when I have my work laptop connected at the same time and not have to have a separate keyboard/mouse
- "Puck" is great, easy to get to OSD menu and make changes
- Ambient sensor "Eye Protect" is really neat, screen brightness changes depending on light in the room so less strain during extended periods of usage
- Multiple screen modes with it's own color settings
- For UHD resolution 32" panel seems to be the best size without any scaling or eye squinting

Cons
- For a screen this size BenQ should use a thicker/heftier box, current box is too thin and could easily be damaged during shipping
- Touch sensitive controls not very responsive at times, maybe that's why they came up with the "puck" concept
- Wished the "puck" buttons were lit so I could tell which button is what since the arm, puck and base are all the same color
- USB3 hub doesn't allow my Mac to go into Sleep mode, only way to enter Sleep mode is to unplug the USB cable (I would take 1/2 star off for this). Hopefully it's a OS software fix, monitor is fairly new still so maybe it doesn't have the necessary parameters.
- Usual backlight bleed for a plat panel, no better or worse compared to other brands. All flat panels have backlight bleed issues, it's just a matter of how much and what is your personal tolerance level.
- 16:10 aspect ratio like a 30" panel would have been nicer instead of 16:9???

For this price point I think it's a great value for your money, no major issues for me and I will probably start buying BenQ from now on instead of paying a premium for other brands from now onwards.

5 people found this helpful

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Gadget Guy

Looked good at first, had some issues & BenQ service was all over it

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

I loved the 2 32" UHD monitors for the first, oh 50 days or so... until one of them just stopped working.

I have these two monitors connected to a Dell XPS 9560. One (in landscape mode) is connected through HDMI (using the supplied cable). The other (in portrait mode) is connected through the MiniDP port (using the supplied DP - MiniDP cable and plugged into a DP on a Thunderbolt dock). The HDMI monitor gave me some problems after I upgraded the Thunderbolt firmware on my Dell, but I was able to get it working again.

Today, I unplugged the HDMI port and TB dock to apply a BIOS update. When I plugged everything back in, the DP monitor was fine. The HDMI monitor ... dead. To be clear: the cable is plugged in the same as before. The computer detects the HDMI monitor and acts as if it is there. The BenQ monitor, however, while noticing that the HDMI cable is plugged in, claims there is no signal and the screen stays blank. I have switched between HDMI 1 and 2 on the monitor. I have shut down and rebooted. I have tried a different cable. All the HDMI monitor will do is tell me if the cable is plugged in or not; it displays nothing and continues to claim there is no signal.

The "puck" is plugged in but doesn't do anything, even when the only cables plugged in are the puck and power. The front buttons will only bring up an input port selection. Though it seems this may be a "feature" and not a bug, because the DP monitor also does nothing if just powered on but has no signal. The only configuration I set was to turn off Eco mode (as I recall), but if there is some setting that has questionable, I have no way to diagnose that because the OSD menu will not come up.

I emailed BenQ, but decided I wanted a faster response so I called too. They were all over the problem. First they explained that the "puck" does not work unless the monitor has a video signal. I see this as a design flaw, which would knock this to a 4-star rating, but their 5-star service convinced me to give back their 5th star. After some discussion and testing, they agreed to replace my monitor and sent me an RMA. I decided to do further testing and after a long call with Dell, learned that the HDMI port on my new Dell was having problems (though Dell only agreed with that after I tested the HDMI port against 2 more monitors with 3 different cables!). As a result Dell is going to replace the MB. I was able to get the monitor that was connected through HDMI to work using an HDMI to USB-C/Thunderbolt converted from CableMatters here on Amazon. The nice part about that is all video goes to through my TB dock and it is at 60Hz!

I will retest the BenQ HDMI connection after Dell replaces my MB, and I am confident that if there are HDMI connection issues with the monitor, BenQ will be all over it again.

Thanks, BenQ!

5 people found this helpful

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Mike

Loving this monitor

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

I've had dual screen setups for many years now but i find that for what i do at home this large size single monitor is perfect. I bought it mostly for photo editing, and it's absolutely fantastic for it. I ran my datacolor spyder calibration on it and it didn't make any appreciable changes to how it looks. At this point i'm using it with factory srgb settings when i edit photos. But I'll probably run the calibration again in 6 months or so. Lightroom and photoshop at full screen are fantastic on this thing.
As for other programs, i almost never run anything else full screen anymore. a word editor on this thing at full screen is ... well, ... ridiculous. But i'm sure a big gnarly spread sheet would be nice on it. I'm used to having multiple windows open at one time and spread over two 24" monitors. On this i run them floating and can just as easily switch between them without the annoyance of the division between monitors. And I actually have more desk top space now.
I do like that i have the option to rotate the screen to portrait, but honestly, even editing portrait oriented photos i don't really feel the need to do that.

It has lots of features that i don't use, like picture in picture, and the KVM switch. So i have no feedback on any of that at this time.

I do like the little puck as it does make navigating the setting menu super easy. But for me it's really an unnecessary feature. If your someone that switches from CAD to editing photos, to editing video multiple times a day it's probably pretty nice. Just click the button assigned to your preference and your good to go.
The SD card slot is nice and accessible, as are the 2 USB slots.

I guess the only negative I have is the built in speakers. I don't know why companies even bother to put speakers in monitors. They always, ALWAYS, sound horrible. But there is a headphone jack with the USB ports if you want to use the monitor as what essentially amounts to a headphone extension cord.

If you're a gamer i'm sorry, but i have no feed back for you. But for photo and video editing, this is a great choice.

I would so buy this again. And i wish i hadn't waited so long to get it in the first place.

4 people found this helpful

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