Ah, monitors.
There are so many of them,
but which one to choose?
That's the question
I constantly see asked on this channel.
So let's check out
one of the latest monitors from BenQ
which even has its own MacBook mode for Mac users.
This is the PD3205U.
It's designed for those
who sit in front of their computers
for hours on end
and need to stay productive.
It's also a part of BenQ's DesignVue series
which are particularly well-suited
to workflows on the professional side
like AutoCAD, 3D design, or animation,
or photo and video production.
It's a 31.5 inch 4K IPS panel
and you can also get
a 27 inch version if you prefer.
It also has USB-C connectivity,
so you can connect your laptop
with a single cable.
And it also has a couple of extra features
that most other monitors don't have.
But first, let's get these
standard stuff out of the way,
and I'll also put chapters down below
if you want to watch specific sections.
Starting with build quality,
I can sum it up in three words,
good but unremarkable.
The chassis consists of sturdy plastic.
The color scheme is a very neutral dark gray,
so that it fits with any style of setup.
I'm not a fan of how thick the chassis is,
especially when compared to other monitors
like this one from Dell.
The front bezels are thin.
BenQ calls this "Infinity Edge."
I do like that there's no obnoxious logo
on the bottom bezel,
although there is one on the stand
and also on the back.
Speaking of the stand,
it is very sturdy.
Made from solid metal
and coded in the same plastic
as the monitor chassis.
Now, I personally prefer these flat stands
because you can easily store hubs
or docks on top of them.
Adjustability is good,
although I wish it went just slightly higher.
Portrait mode is possible,
but a little tricky
due to the sheer size of the panel.
There is some slight wobble
when using the stand,
but you also get
a standard VESA mount on the back,
should you prefer a monitor arm.
Moving on to ports and connectivity,
you'll get a USB-C connection
with 90 watts of power delivery,
so that your laptop can be attached
directly to the monitor to charge,
output a video signal,
and gain access to any accessories
attached to the monitor.
You'll get a couple of USB-C
and USB-A ports at the back
as well as on the side
with an added 3.5 millimeter audio out connection.
You also get a KVM switch
which auto pairs with input signals,
and this allows you to switch
between two different computers
at the click of a button
while using the same keyboard
and mouse attached to the monitor.
For example, if you run both Mac
and Windows systems like I do.
The menu and function buttons
are located on the back
as well as a control joystick
giving you access to the simple
but surprisingly nice to use menu system.
Next up, we have the panel
or what you'll be staring at
for eight hours a day.
It's a 31.5 inch IPS panel
with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
There is also a 27 inch version
if you prefer the small size,
and the resolution is 4K
which works out to be 140 PPI
or pixels per inch.
Much better compared to,
say, a 1440 P panel,
but not as good as the much more expensive
Apple Studio Display with a 5K resolution.
Although, don't forget the Studio Display
is smaller at 27 inches.
Text and lines on the panel are crisp
with minimal scaling issues
when using a MacBook,
but again, not quite as good
as the Studio Display
with its native macOS resolution.
Viewing angles are also good,
but max brightness is only around 250 nits.
But this is to be expected
for these types of monitors
because particularly for design workflows,
you don't want the brightness
to be more than roughly 200 to 250 nits
to ensure color accuracy.
For productivity workflows
with word documents or web browsing,
the brightness will only be an issue
if you're sitting in an extremely bright room
with glare from the sun, for example.
Moving on, color accuracy is quite good here.
You'll get 99% of both the sRGB
and Rec709 color spaces.
Rec709 is traditionally the more popular
and standard color space to work in,
although, DCI-P3 is starting to become more common.
So this monitor is not a good choice
if you are working
in that P-3 color space.
The panel is also CalMAN Verified and Pantone Validated,
which in layman's terms
means a strict color validation
and calibration process
by independent third parties
to ensure maximum color accuracy.
Now, this isn't just an advertising gimmick.
Ben Q has to actually
ship the display into Pantone
for testing and validation.
In addition, Pantone has gone another level deeper
with an even stricter process called
"Pantone SkinTone Validated."
I won't go into too much detail here
because this is really an entirely separate video,
but what this means is that
the colors on this monitor
are going to be accurate,
a process which BenQ calls "AQCOLOR."
The color profiles have also been calibrated
to your specific panel,
which means you may not need to buy
an expensive monitor calibrator.
Although, if you're a photo or video professional,
you'll likely already have this anyway.
In the box, you get
a color calibration sheet from CalMAN
showing a DeltaE value well below two.
And from my research online,
it seems that pretty much all
of these monitors come factory calibrated
with a DeltaE value of around 0.2,
which is very, very good.
But overall, I'd argue that the color accuracy
on this monitor is actually better
than the Apple Studio Display
which is more than twice as expensive,
as long as you don't need DCI-P3 of course.
And especially, if you are a creative or designer,
this is a pretty good bang for buck,
especially if you work with a lot of skin tones
like portrait photography, for example.
You also get several built-in color profiles,
your standard sRGBB and Rec709,
and also a MacBook mode,
which aims to replicate the colors
and contrast of the typical MacBook retina screen.
I found it wasn't quite an exact match,
but it's certainly better than other monitors,
notably Dell and LG,
which typically have a very washed out
or sometimes two contrasty profile.
The last profile is a low blue light mode
which works in conjunction
with what BenQ has dubbed
their "EyeCare technology."
This might be a bit of a marketing gimmick,
but I do sometimes get blurry vision
and dry eyes with extended monitor usage.
And that's hard to say
exactly how much of an effect
this Eyecare technology has,
but over the month I used this monitor,
I didn't really experience any of these symptoms.
And it is nice to see that
BenQ places such an emphasis
on the health of their users.
You'll also get a handy hotkey puck
that sits on your desk
allowing you to switch between color profiles,
inputs, and change monitor settings.
Now, I didn't think I'd like this
and it'd just be more clutter on my desk,
but I did change my mind
because of one feature.
The rotating dial allows you
to change the brightness of the monitor.
Now, the light levels in my office
change at least three times a day,
bright morning, afternoon sun, and dark evening.
And I often have to change
the monitor brightness to match
if I want natural light.
It is really nice to be able
to simply scroll on that puck
and match the brightness of my monitor
to whatever the natural ambient light
is lighting the room from my windows.
Overall, I have to give this monitor a thumbs up.
I mean, it's not flashy,
but it's got a lot under the hood
and it's level of color accuracy
is just something you can't get
at this price level.
Even if you're not a designer,
those specialized modes for MacBook's animation,
AutoCAD, or just the low blue light mode
and Eyecare features attempting
if you're going to be staring at this thing
for eight hours a day.
Sure it doesn't have those juicy features
like Thunderbolt, DCI-P3, or Adobe RGB colors,
but if you want those premium features
you're going to have to pay for it.
And at the moment,
this monitor is US $750,
which I think is
pretty good value for what you get,
especially compared to some of the other
4K 32 inch monitors out there
like this one from Dell
I reviewed a few months ago.
But apart from that, thanks for watching
and I'll catch you in the next one.