BenQ EW328OU
A good-looking multitasking monitor
The display maximises the experience for movies and games
£699 FROM BenQ, benq.eu/en-uk FEATURES 4K UHD (3840x2160), IPS HDRi, LED backlight, wide colour gamut, FreeSync, 5ms response time, 2x HDMI 2.0 ports, 1x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C with Power Delivery (60W)
The 32-inch EW328OU is a 4K Ultra High Definition display with special pre-programmed video and audio settings to help you quickly get to your ideal set up.
The monitor’s 16:9 IPS (in-plane switching) display boasts a DCI-P3 wide colour gamut and uses proprietary HDRi tech (high dynamic range with intelligent optimisation) to provide a variety of brightness options. With one of the three HDRi settings enabled, you’ll immediately be able to see how brightness and colour temperatures adjust. The monitor comes with a handy remote control with quick access to the HDRi settings, Brightness Intelligence Plus (BI+) mode, audio settings, and the entire monitor menu. You can also adjust the volume of the speakers from the remote control.
The pre-programmed settings aren’t the only way to customise the monitor – you can manually set the picture, colour and audio.
The monitor has a 5ms response time and a 24fps cinematic frame rate, so it’s great for gaming and movie watching.
Not so sound
There’s a handy cable organiser embedded in the mount – speaking of cables, this monitor does not need an awkward power brick.
The stand is a flat rectangle made from heavy, weighted metal, but it’s an open rectangle not a solid hunk of metal. Unfortunately, there’s no height adjustment. Not a huge deal, but it does narrow down your setup and viewing options, and we’ve come to expect height adjustment as fairly standard.
The EW328OU is built to be an entertainment monitor that doesn’t need any additional peripherals, including speakers. The marketing for it boasts about the quality of the 2.1 channel speakers, but we were disappointed with the audio performance.
Yes, they’re better than most built-in monitor speakers, but they’re not standout offerings. If you’re watching a movie or listening to a song that is bass-heavy, there is a clear and noticeable rattle. This happened with pretty much every action movie we tested the speakers on. If we turned things up too loud, the speakers just buzzed. If we turned down the audio to remove the buzz, it was difficult to hear the dialogue. And we tried a variety of different audio presets with the same result.
So, if you’re hoping this monitor will be loud enough to watch movies, listen to music, or play video games without needing external speakers, we’d say think again.
The crisp, clear and bright display really maximises the visual experience for movies and games though. And, thanks to those pre-programed settings, you can quickly switch from a standard display for your daily work activities to HDRi for watching films or gaming. The IPS display gives a wide viewing angle and the 5ms response time means you won’t experience screen flicker while gaming.
As mentioned, don’t go for this monitor if you’re hoping to listen to movies and music with the volume loud without having to shell out for additional speakers. Though the speakers are an improvement over your average offerings, they are still under par.
The quality of the screen, with its accurate colour and fast response time, will impress gamers and movie fans though, and the fact that you can switch between different visual pre-programmed settings makes it particularly versatile.