CONFUSED: I am trying to decide between the Aple Studio Monitor and the BenQ PD3225U. Unfortunately I have no way to see them side by side. My confusion is in the scaling. I thought I understood it but at 20:50 in your review I see the Macbook and the BenQ showing the same image but the Macbook shows the entire image and the benQ shows the image magnified to only show about 75% of the image before it runs off the boundries of the BenQ screen? Is this what I can expect? To see onky part of the image and then nee to scroll around?
"... the BenQ showing the same image but the Macbook shows the entire image and the benQ shows the image magnified to only show about 75% of the image before it runs off the boundries of the BenQ screen? Is this what I can expect? " No this is just a demo.
Great video, Art! I miss the previous music, but otherwise, perfect! For someone who's fine with 60hz, PD3225U seems like a nice option, especially MacBook users.
I have a BenQ Mobiuz EX3210U for about a year and I can only say good things about the brand, but about a month ago I bought an Asus Rog Swift PG32UCDM and I can say that the QD-OLED is the best matrix I've had in terms of colors!
@@ArtIsRight IMO, a Glossy 32" 4K Oled with this design (including the Hotkey Puck) would pretty much be the "Perfect Monitor"... Unfortunately, QD-OLED suffers from a Purple-Grey tint when the screen is exposed to ambient light, compared to WOLED!
For colour correction/grading a video, do we have to colour calibrate the monitor? Since it is factory-calibrated, and hardware calibrated, do we need an external colour calibration device?
Yes you should custom calibrate for these reasons ua-cam.com/video/TObByJau2EE/v-deo.html and the device that I recommend right now is Calibrite Display Pro HL or Display Plus HL
Cool video. Will you do a review of the upcoming BenQ SW242Q? It seems like a good entry level photography monitor. Would the 2560x1600 resolution be too low to work well with 45MP photos or larger?
Hi Art! Will you also make a more complete video on this monitor? Performing calibration, panel uniformity, and checking the actual contrast of the monitor? I'm curious to see how close it gets to the 2000:1 contrast after calibration. Thanks.
This is a complete review, you are looking for a calibration guide, and since they are similar to what I have already done, I won't be doing those. 2000:1 is factory typical value, when a calibration is done the contrast will decrease, it is just the nature of display calibration. Hope this helps
I'm going to review the MA270U soon, the specs are similar, with a few various such as size, max HDR, and color gamut. Otherwise they are the same. I have been travelling so much, just need time to work on it
Thanks for another great review. I'm curious if, as a brand ambassador, you know if a 27" version is coming? 32" is very big for my needs, but I'd love some of these upgrades over the current 2725U.
at 18:50 you are mentioning the KVM capabilities to use only one single set of mouse and keyboard. however, the exemplary picture shown at the indexed time shows an apple magic mouse and magic keyboard. how is it possible to use them in that described KVM scenario as input devices for both computers?
@@ArtIsRight thanks for the reply. but the apple magic mouse and apple magic keyboard shown at 18:40 are not USB but bluetooth. that's the point of my original question 😊
Got it, any technically one can make apple mouse and kb USB by just using a cable. The KB would be easier since one can leave that plugged in, but the mouse on the other hand would be upside down and that just makes no sense. And simply enough I would advise using another brand keyboard. KVM is a function that many use but there are other ways around this too.
@@ArtIsRight thank you for your reply. with regard to the keyboard, you are absolutely correct. that is actually how i used it right now and it works flawlessly as expected. however, as you've pointed out, the magic mouse is a different story: not only is it unusable when plugged in, it also simply does not work if connected via USB in order to charge. for that, i use a different mouse. one additional question you might be able to ask: i use my m2 macbook in clamshell mode; or rather: i want to use it that way. however, if switch to another input and return to the macbook input (via thunderbolt), it does not wake from even though power is on for thunderbolt and USB. i always have to open the lid then switch input and then the pd3225u displays the macbook. what am i doing wrong here?
Thanks for the great review! I have a much older 32" BenQ display and in the market for a new BenQ display. In what ways is this different than the lower cost BenQ PD3205UA?
IPS Black so 2x the contrast, darker blacks, less backlight bleeding. Higher DCI-P3 Gamut coverage. Thunderbolt connector with display daisy chain capability, just to name a few.
Does the Benq pd3225u use the same screen panel as the Dell u3223qe? Then gradually add functions. and various features Then sell it for a more expensive price.
I'm not sure what panel Dell uses, but if it is IPS Black and if they advertised LG then the probability is high. As for the price point, the calibration is the key factor here, uniformity calibration, and calibration in various color modes, etc. It is not just extra function. Like I said here, panel can be the same but the signal processing and etc is different.
Art, IPS Black or Mini LED since I am a Microsoft Office user and data analyst (Lecturer). I watch movies, shows, and maybe games for one or two hours at night.
I bought the PD3225U in July. But a short time ago, the Thunderbolt 3 interface simply stopped working. No picture. I followed the instructions suggested by support. Still no picture. When I asked them to replace the monitor, they replied that I would receive another used monitor with signs of wear. Signs of use? Sorry, but good hardware and software is not everything. Service is also important. I have now ordered a repair. I had to get another monitor for this time - PD3420Q. It doesn't recognize the port after switching it off and on. No signal. I then have to manually set it to DP. Could this also be due to the new macOS?
I'm shopping for a new monitor; you "filled in the blanks" of some of my questions. For photo editing/color printing with a Mac desktop, it sounds like you'd recommend the SW line. I've looked at the SW272Q. 'Is there much visual difference between a 1440p display and 4K? I'm currently using a 1440p NEC PA271W that's 10+ years old. The BenQ's 4K version of this SW monitor is out of my price range. Am I missing something here?
I was considering this panel but just checked and it looks like PD3225U is not supported for calibration with Palette master Ultimate ( i want to profile it using my Xrite i1 calibrator ) Bummer.
Hi can you show how can you calibrate these new IPS black panels? In ideally Calibrate software and maybe also Calman? I have Calibrite Display Plush HL + Dell U3223QE (IPS black). But seemslike these new LED (WLED PFS phosphor type) are not well supported by Calibrite. I have two panels and they are waay different even calibrated the same way.
Yes for that you can just choose WLED in Calibrite software or you can test RGBLED as well. Otherwise the calibration is the same as I have shown in my previous tutorial on Calibrite software
@ thats my issue if you go into these new type widegamut display and choose WLED (sRGB) you will not get accurate colors. Vincent from “display cal” saying “An obvious wrong choice will be WLED.” And precisely: It's a W-LED PFS Phosphor. A white led, without "surname" is just a blue led + yellow phosphor that once filtered by RGB panel filters gives you ~sRGB coverage. So instead using that older type of phosphor they use the new ones to provide almost P3 coverage but they keep labeling it as "W-LED" which confuses users. Thats why W-LED isnt correct for these.
Hi Art, I'm still struggling with this red hue on left and grey on right unless you use uniformity which ruins brightness and contrast. currently using it with M3 Max. Any tips pls, this is an investment for me and it saddens me to face this now. thank you :)
That may be a panel defect, I would do A/B testing, meaning get another computer or source as an input and if the issue still occur, I would reach out to your local BenQ support for a warranty replacement. Or if you are still in the return period, I would return it as a defective product and buy a new one.
As an Intel and Android user what does this monitor offer me? Can I hook up my Android tablet an phone via the KVM plus what other thing are available? Thank you.
@@ArtIsRight I'm using m-book mode and at 100% brightness it looks a bit dim. After a little experimenting, it turned out that it is much brighter when I turn dual view on m-book mode VS m-book mode - well, so that the colors match.
if you bump up the brightness to 100% and it seems dim, which is relative, you should contact support. Without a measuring device it is hard to say what the nits output is and where that lands on the scale.
80 nits is considered SDR - Standard Dynamic Range. And there's no HDR paper white. However, yes, 80 - 120 nits is the range you want to use for paper matching. Gaming in a darkroom, you can just choose what feels comfortable for your eyes.
I really can’t wrap my head around why on-device hardware calibration provides a real world difference when compared to a software calibrated device- even after watching your vid and reading Benqs recently updated blog about the topic :( To add, doesn’t the Mac support 10bit output and its icc profiles also include gamma curve? Doesn’t that mean that at least on the Mac, there won’t be a perceptible difference between the hard and soft displays? Make it make sense Art please!
The short answer is that in the world today, not so much. But Hardware Calibration does offer a few advantage, not having to choose the display type aka EDR would be one, dedicated chip doing color adjustment means less posterization, but most won't see this. And there are other, but mostly it comes down to getting the extra 20-30%. think of this like a car analogy, a Toyota will get you from point a to b, similarly, BMW, Mercedes, etc will also get you from point a to b. But the experience is not the same. If you like more info on this I would dm me
@ thank you for the answer. I think then the 3225U will pair nicely with my SW270c which I can dedicate to print content when necessary. Any word on that new benq 27” 5K ? 😉
How come Benq refuses to understand that 4K scaling is so much compromised on macOS where so many/most designers work? Why still no 5K and 6K color accurate monitors at 2024?
It was coincidental. I had already worn purple for a few years before being associated with BenQ. And even if BenQ was another color, I would still be wearing my purple shirt ;)
Is it too much to ask for a thousand dollar piece of plastic to have 120Mhz refresh rate? I understand they have good color range and crisp clarity but I can get that in any of their older 60Mhz monitors at half or a third of the price.
Great Review and an great Monitor! I bought it, and i love to work with the new Benq PD 32 😍
Good choice!
CONFUSED: I am trying to decide between the Aple Studio Monitor and the BenQ PD3225U. Unfortunately I have no way to see them side by side. My confusion is in the scaling. I thought I understood it but at 20:50 in your review I see the Macbook and the BenQ showing the same image but the Macbook shows the entire image and the benQ shows the image magnified to only show about 75% of the image before it runs off the boundries of the BenQ screen? Is this what I can expect? To see onky part of the image and then nee to scroll around?
"... the BenQ showing the same image but the Macbook shows the entire image and the benQ shows the image magnified to only show about 75% of the image before it runs off the boundries of the BenQ screen? Is this what I can expect? "
No this is just a demo.
Great video, Art!
I miss the previous music, but otherwise, perfect!
For someone who's fine with 60hz, PD3225U seems like a nice option, especially MacBook users.
Thank you, previous music is coming back in future videos :)
@@ArtIsRight Lovely!!
I have a BenQ Mobiuz EX3210U for about a year and I can only say good things about the brand, but about a month ago I bought an Asus Rog Swift PG32UCDM and I can say that the QD-OLED is the best matrix I've had in terms of colors!
I hear you, new display tech!
@@ArtIsRight IMO, a Glossy 32" 4K Oled with this design (including the Hotkey Puck) would pretty much be the "Perfect Monitor"... Unfortunately, QD-OLED suffers from a Purple-Grey tint when the screen is exposed to ambient light, compared to WOLED!
For colour correction/grading a video, do we have to colour calibrate the monitor? Since it is factory-calibrated, and hardware calibrated, do we need an external colour calibration device?
Yes you should custom calibrate for these reasons ua-cam.com/video/TObByJau2EE/v-deo.html and the device that I recommend right now is Calibrite Display Pro HL or Display Plus HL
Cool video. Will you do a review of the upcoming BenQ SW242Q? It seems like a good entry level photography monitor. Would the 2560x1600 resolution be too low to work well with 45MP photos or larger?
That video is coming and yes you can use 2K to work with 45 MP photos. :) I'll get one in soon.
@@ArtIsRight Cool!
Hi Art! Will you also make a more complete video on this monitor? Performing calibration, panel uniformity, and checking the actual contrast of the monitor? I'm curious to see how close it gets to the 2000:1 contrast after calibration. Thanks.
This is a complete review, you are looking for a calibration guide, and since they are similar to what I have already done, I won't be doing those. 2000:1 is factory typical value, when a calibration is done the contrast will decrease, it is just the nature of display calibration. Hope this helps
I'd like to see your review on the benq ma320u and some close up shots of what it looks like to read text vs text on an apple display,.
I'm going to review the MA270U soon, the specs are similar, with a few various such as size, max HDR, and color gamut. Otherwise they are the same. I have been travelling so much, just need time to work on it
Thanks for another great review. I'm curious if, as a brand ambassador, you know if a 27" version is coming? 32" is very big for my needs, but I'd love some of these upgrades over the current 2725U.
You're welcome, and BenQ does not share any details of unannounced products with me.
at 18:50 you are mentioning the KVM capabilities to use only one single set of mouse and keyboard. however, the exemplary picture shown at the indexed time shows an apple magic mouse and magic keyboard. how is it possible to use them in that described KVM scenario as input devices for both computers?
The display software has the function that switches the USB input on the display based on the source selection
@@ArtIsRight thanks for the reply. but the apple magic mouse and apple magic keyboard shown at 18:40 are not USB but bluetooth. that's the point of my original question 😊
Got it, any technically one can make apple mouse and kb USB by just using a cable. The KB would be easier since one can leave that plugged in, but the mouse on the other hand would be upside down and that just makes no sense. And simply enough I would advise using another brand keyboard. KVM is a function that many use but there are other ways around this too.
@@ArtIsRight thank you for your reply. with regard to the keyboard, you are absolutely correct. that is actually how i used it right now and it works flawlessly as expected. however, as you've pointed out, the magic mouse is a different story: not only is it unusable when plugged in, it also simply does not work if connected via USB in order to charge. for that, i use a different mouse.
one additional question you might be able to ask: i use my m2 macbook in clamshell mode; or rather: i want to use it that way. however, if switch to another input and return to the macbook input (via thunderbolt), it does not wake from even though power is on for thunderbolt and USB. i always have to open the lid then switch input and then the pd3225u displays the macbook. what am i doing wrong here?
Do you think BenQ will adopt miniled panels anytime soon? The gains in contrast ratio and max brightness are substantial.
They have but not in the pro line, and I am not sure.
@ check out the pc world review of the sw272u, they compare it to the innocn 27m2u pro
Thanks for the great review! I have a much older 32" BenQ display and in the market for a new BenQ display. In what ways is this different than the lower cost BenQ PD3205UA?
IPS Black so 2x the contrast, darker blacks, less backlight bleeding. Higher DCI-P3 Gamut coverage. Thunderbolt connector with display daisy chain capability, just to name a few.
When will IPS Black 27" come out?
I have no information on unannounced products.
Hey if I have the PD3220U, do you think it's worth it to upgrade to the PD3225U?
Do you need a new one, or do you need to upgrade or add another one? If what you have work, keep it until it breaks.
Does the Benq pd3225u use the same screen panel as the Dell u3223qe? Then gradually add functions. and various features Then sell it for a more expensive price.
I think yes! They are all IPS Balck panel from LG
I'm not sure what panel Dell uses, but if it is IPS Black and if they advertised LG then the probability is high. As for the price point, the calibration is the key factor here, uniformity calibration, and calibration in various color modes, etc. It is not just extra function. Like I said here, panel can be the same but the signal processing and etc is different.
@@ArtIsRight they use the same panel. They both come from LG...
Art, IPS Black or Mini LED since I am a Microsoft Office user and data analyst (Lecturer). I watch movies, shows, and maybe games for one or two hours at night.
for what you do either will work, it is all prefrences at this point
I bought the PD3225U in July. But a short time ago, the Thunderbolt 3 interface simply stopped working. No picture. I followed the instructions suggested by support. Still no picture. When I asked them to replace the monitor, they replied that I would receive another used monitor with signs of wear. Signs of use? Sorry, but good hardware and software is not everything. Service is also important. I have now ordered a repair. I had to get another monitor for this time - PD3420Q. It doesn't recognize the port after switching it off and on. No signal. I then have to manually set it to DP. Could this also be due to the new macOS?
No, many of these display does not have auto detect. Also if your issue is not resolved dm me.
I'm shopping for a new monitor; you "filled in the blanks" of some of my questions. For photo editing/color printing with a Mac desktop, it sounds like you'd recommend the SW line. I've looked at the SW272Q. 'Is there much visual difference between a 1440p display and 4K? I'm currently using a 1440p NEC PA271W that's 10+ years old. The BenQ's 4K version of this SW monitor is out of my price range. Am I missing something here?
The picture that you will get on the SW272Q would be the same at your NEC, same pixel density, etc.
How does the PD3225U compare to the PD2725U? Besides the size obviously. Or is that really the only difference?
IPS black double the contrast in the 32"
@ArtIsRight Does this model deliver the same Colors and Contrast Ratio when connected to a Windows 11 Workstation PC?
you mean m-book, yes
@@ArtIsRight No No, Intel-based Windows 11 PC via HDMI port, will I get the IPS Black 2000:1 Contrast Ratio on it or is it just for Mac only?
Contrast ratio is based on the panel, this is OS agnostic - aka it does not matter what OS you use, you'll get the contrast
@@ArtIsRight Thanks Sir. Planning to buy it.
I was considering this panel but
just checked and it looks like PD3225U is not supported for
calibration with Palette master Ultimate ( i want to profile it using my Xrite i1 calibrator ) Bummer.
Palette Master Ultimate will only calibrate SW display. It will not calibrate PD line, regardless of model
Hi can you show how can you calibrate these new IPS black panels? In ideally Calibrate software and maybe also Calman? I have Calibrite Display Plush HL + Dell U3223QE (IPS black).
But seemslike these new LED (WLED PFS phosphor type) are not well supported by Calibrite. I have two panels and they are waay different even calibrated the same way.
Yes for that you can just choose WLED in Calibrite software or you can test RGBLED as well. Otherwise the calibration is the same as I have shown in my previous tutorial on Calibrite software
@ thats my issue if you go into these new type widegamut display and choose WLED (sRGB) you will not get accurate colors. Vincent from “display cal” saying “An obvious wrong choice will be WLED.” And precisely: It's a W-LED PFS Phosphor. A white led, without "surname" is just a blue led + yellow phosphor that once filtered by RGB panel filters gives you ~sRGB coverage.
So instead using that older type of phosphor they use the new ones to provide almost P3 coverage but they keep labeling it as "W-LED" which confuses users. Thats why W-LED isnt correct for these.
It is not White LED (W-LED) and its not phosphor (PFS phospor) it is WLED PFS phosphor type, unsupported currently by Calibrite Profiler.
Thank you
You're welcome
Can it be daisy chained to a mac?
you mean connect this to a mac and daisy chain to another 4K display? Yes
@ yes exactly. Because seems the daisy chaining with different displays on macs is not so easy…
Hi Art,
I'm still struggling with this red hue on left and grey on right unless you use uniformity which ruins brightness and contrast. currently using it with M3 Max.
Any tips pls, this is an investment for me and it saddens me to face this now.
thank you :)
That may be a panel defect, I would do A/B testing, meaning get another computer or source as an input and if the issue still occur, I would reach out to your local BenQ support for a warranty replacement. Or if you are still in the return period, I would return it as a defective product and buy a new one.
Is Display Plus HL a good choice to calibrate this or the SW monitors? Or do you have better recommendations?
I would just go with the Pro and save the money
Sorry why I have to choice this Benq instad of Dell U3223qe IPS Black at almost half the price? same LG panel tecnology
Better calibration from the factory. But we all have choices, you don't have to do anything really. It is all up to you
As an Intel and Android user what does this monitor offer me? Can I hook up my Android tablet an phone via the KVM plus what other thing are available? Thank you.
Intel sure a computer display. Andriod you can provided your phone can output to display
Should I consider this model instead of BenQ EW3280U considering insignificant price difference between them? Pls suggest.
This is a much better display compared to the EW line :)
Im my case it looks bright enough for me only in dualview mode m-book and m-book. What i did wrong?
not sure, I need a lot more specificity to help.
@@ArtIsRight I'm using m-book mode and at 100% brightness it looks a bit dim. After a little experimenting, it turned out that it is much brighter when I turn dual view on m-book mode VS m-book mode - well, so that the colors match.
if you bump up the brightness to 100% and it seems dim, which is relative, you should contact support. Without a measuring device it is hard to say what the nits output is and where that lands on the scale.
@@ArtIsRight I'm talking about the fact that in dual view mode the monitor is brighter in the same color spaces with dual view turned off
Thank you, you very helped me decide - I will return it
hello Mr artisright.
is 80 nits ideal settings for hdr paper white, for games in very dark room ?
80 nits is considered SDR - Standard Dynamic Range. And there's no HDR paper white. However, yes, 80 - 120 nits is the range you want to use for paper matching. Gaming in a darkroom, you can just choose what feels comfortable for your eyes.
I really can’t wrap my head around why on-device hardware calibration provides a real world difference when compared to a software calibrated device- even after watching your vid and reading Benqs recently updated blog about the topic :( To add, doesn’t the Mac support 10bit output and its icc profiles also include gamma curve? Doesn’t that mean that at least on the Mac, there won’t be a perceptible difference between the hard and soft displays? Make it make sense Art please!
The short answer is that in the world today, not so much. But Hardware Calibration does offer a few advantage, not having to choose the display type aka EDR would be one, dedicated chip doing color adjustment means less posterization, but most won't see this. And there are other, but mostly it comes down to getting the extra 20-30%. think of this like a car analogy, a Toyota will get you from point a to b, similarly, BMW, Mercedes, etc will also get you from point a to b. But the experience is not the same. If you like more info on this I would dm me
@ thank you for the answer. I think then the 3225U will pair nicely with my SW270c which I can dedicate to print content when necessary. Any word on that new benq 27” 5K ? 😉
How come Benq refuses to understand that 4K scaling is so much compromised on macOS where so many/most designers work? Why still no 5K and 6K color accurate monitors at 2024?
I hear you, and I have a much longer explanation for it. I might make a video about it... we'll see. But I am totally with you.
Is that why you're wearing purple all the time because you're BenQ's global ambassador? :)
It was coincidental. I had already worn purple for a few years before being associated with BenQ. And even if BenQ was another color, I would still be wearing my purple shirt ;)
Is it too much to ask for a thousand dollar piece of plastic to have 120Mhz refresh rate? I understand they have good color range and crisp clarity but I can get that in any of their older 60Mhz monitors at half or a third of the price.
sadly for BenQ it is, but there's a new 32" PD3226G that is 32"4k and will have 144Hz refresh rate. Should be arriving by the end of 2024/early 2025
@@ArtIsRight I just saw that! Looking forward to it.
Is that monitor compatible with my Mac mini M2 chip
yes
finally, no chin!!! On my buy/wish list. I don't have and can not justify $4999 for Apple's 32".
most of us can't