With LCD monitor prices seemingly at a standstill, it’s common for manufacturers to call their high-end products “professional” when they really mean “expensive.” This is especially true of 27-inch QHD screens currently selling for around $600. A real professional-grade display doesn’t necessarily need a high pixel count or a large panel. What it should offer is an Adobe RGB color gamut and perfect color accuracy.
BenQ carries 23 different monitors in its portfolio. But only one comes with a certification for color accuracy. It’s a 24-inch 16:10-aspect IPS-based screen with 1920x1200 resolution and a pixel density of 94 PPI. That product is subject of today’s review, and it's called the PG2401PT.

We’ve seen many readers lament the apparent death of 16:10, and we agree wholeheartedly. Almost all computer displays now match the 16:9 aspect ratio of HD televisions, which is certainly great for games and entertainment. But when it's time to edit a document in Word, read email, or browse the Web, the extra screen height of 16:10 really comes in handy.
| Street Price | $1000 |
|---|---|
| Panel Type | AH-IPS |
| Backlight | GB-r-LED, edge array |
| Screen Size | 24.1-inch |
| Max Resolution | 1920x1200 |
| Max Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 |
| Native Color Depth | 10-bit (8-bit w/FRC) 14-bit 3D LUT |
| Native Gamut | Adobe RGB |
| Response Time (GTG) | 5 ms |
| Brightness | 350 cd/m2 |
| Speakers | - |
| VGA | 1 |
| DVI | 1 |
| DisplayPort v1.2 | 1 standard, 1 mini |
| HDMI v1.4 | 1 |
| Audio In | via HDMI or DP |
| Headphone | 1 |
| USB | v3.0 - 1 up, 2 down |
| Media Card Reader | 1 SD |
| Panel Dimensions W x H x D w/base | 22 x 21.5 x 10 in 555 x 543 x 254 mm |
| Panel Thickness | 2.7 in / 69 mm |
| Bezel Width | .7-.9 in / 18-22 mm |
| Weight | 15.4 lbs / 7 kg |
| Warranty | One year |
Our eyebrows rose a bit when we first saw the PG2401PT’s specs. The 16:10 aspect ratio is great, but what's up with the 1920x1200 resolution? We still don't have an answer to that. However, once we started working with this screen, its purpose became crystal clear.
I just mentioned that any screen purporting to be professional-class has to offer supreme accuracy. And once I started pulling measurements from BenQ's PG2401PT, I was frankly astonished at just how good it is. If you read our review of the NEC PA272W, you know we were impressed by the accuracy of that display after calibrating it. The PG2401PT nearly matches NEC’s numbers before calibration.
To achieve a wide color gamut, BenQ uses a GB-r-LED backlight instead of the more common W-LED. As you may know, white LEDs aren’t actually white. They shine blue light through a yellow phosphor. As such, their spectral properties are more skewed towards blue and require extra processing to make them color-accurate. GB-r uses green and blue LEDs that shine through a red phosphor. The resulting spectra peak more evenly for red, green, and blue. Not only is accuracy improved without extra processing, but it makes the larger Adobe RGB gamut possible.
We’ve applauded BenQ’s efforts to shed traditional pulse-width modulation backlights in favor of the constant-current type. Flicker can be an issue for some sensitive users, and it contributes to eye fatigue during extended work sessions. Unfortunately, the PG2401PT is one of only four remaining models in BenQ’s line-up that still uses PWM. On the upside, its frequency is extremely high at 16,500 Hz. We doubt anyone will actually see flicker at lower backlight settings. The fatigue factor should not be a problem; it certainly wasn’t for us.
You'll see us revisit the subject of accuracy over and over in this review. The out-of-box numbers we generated were better than many monitors’ calibrated results. As such, we’ve created a special comparison group consisting of high-end wide-gamut displays that all come with individual factory calibrations. Let’s take a closer look.
BenQ's double-corrugated carton is generously-sized and protects its contents with three large blocks of Styrofoam. Part of the packaging is a pizza-style box that contains a light-blocking hood.
The PG2401PT comes with a large complement of accessories and cables. For connectivity you get VGA, DVI, and mini-to-standard DisplayPort. An IEC power cord hooks up to the internal power supply, and there’s a USB 3.0 cable bundled as well. BenQ also includes the aforementioned hood to block out ambient light; more on that below.
The upright snaps onto the back and the base screws on using a captive bolt. No tools are required for assembly. A small headphone hook attaches to the back of the upright to help with cable management. Setup help is provided in the form of a quick-start guide and DVD, which contains the user manual and Palette Master calibration software.
Product 360

There is very little plastic to distract you from an extremely clear and sharp image thanks to a thin 18-millimeter bezel. The picture's clarity is at least partly attributable to BenQ’s light anti-glare layer, which exhibits no grain or texture at all. As we assembled the base, we couldn’t help but compare its design to the floating Recognizer tanks from the movie Tron. The upright has a large hole with a spring-loaded guillotine inside to keep your cabling neat and tidy.

The PG2401PT includes a very high-quality light hood that snaps in place. It’s completely rigid and does a superb job of blocking reflections from the sides and top of the panel. You can see in the photo that there is a cutout for your calibrator’s cable. The i1Pro 2 in the picture is not included.
The touch-sensitive controls are in the lower-right corner of the screen. When you tap any of them, a menu pops up. The first four buttons can be programmed with options other than the ones shown. The fifth button brings up the full on-screen display.

Any monitor worthy of professional billing must have full ergonomic adjustment, and BenQ's PG2401PT satisfies that criteria. You can rotate the panel to portrait mode with an automatic image and OSD flip. You get six inches of height adjustment, along with 90 degrees of swivel and 25 degrees of tilt. All of the movements are smooth and firm, reflecting the display's excellent build quality.
We all know how impressive a 27-inch screen looks in portrait mode. But in practice, it's awkwardly tall. A 24-inch 16:10 monitor is actually superior in terms of ergonomics. Document editing and Web browsing are much easier. You save the extra scrolling and you don’t have to move your head up and down to see everything.

Two USB 3.0 ports and a media card reader are on the left side. The reader is extremely handy, and we’ve only seen it on one other display (Asus’ PA279Q). On the thickness scale, the PG2401PT measures a rather portly 2.7 inches. The little hook on the back of the upright is intended as a headphone hanger. You can remove it if you wish.

There’s plenty of ventilation around the panel’s back side. If you remove the upright, a 100 mm VESA mount is exposed. Since it’s perfectly flat, the monitor is a good candidate for wall-mounting.

You can connect nearly any video source to the PG2401PT thanks to its well-stocked input panel. VGA is becoming a rarity on modern displays, but BenQ provides a D-sub jack anyway. Also present are HDMI 1.4, DVI, and two DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, one of which employs the mini interface. On the far right, you'll find a USB 3.0 upstream port. The downstream connectors are on the left side of the bezel.
Touch the fifth button twice to bring up BenQ's OSD.
No matter where you leave off, the PG2401PT always starts at the top of its menu system. The Display menu contains the necessary adjustments for analog signals coming through the legacy VGA input. In most cases, selecting Auto Adjustment is all you need to do.
The first option in the Color Adjustment menu is a list of picture modes. As you’ll see later, Adobe RGB and sRGB are almost perfect right out of the box. Standard is pretty much the same as Adobe RGB, and that's the default. The other modes alter color temperature to match different lighting conditions. They are there to aid in the soft-proofing process associated with printing.
Additional modes include two Calibration memories for use with the bundled Palette Master software, which we’ll cover on the next page, and two additional slots if you calibrate with the OSD (as we do). The Custom modes are the only way to get full access to all adjustments.
Brightness controls the backlight as you’d expect. Contrast comes set to 50 and should be left at that value to avoid clipping.
Sharpness defaults to "5", and we saw a little edge enhancement at that setting. Dropping it to "4" fixes the problem.
To adjust Color Temp, you can choose a Kelvin value between 2800 and 9300. Or you can select Custom and adjust it in 100 K increments. Choosing User Define unlocks the RGB sliders for a traditional grayscale calibration.
The next field has the gamma presets. Options fall between 1.6 and 2.6 in .2 increments. In our tests, the indicated and measured values matched perfectly.
Moving down the Color Adjustment menu, there is a list of five possible color gamuts. Adobe RGB and sRGB are familiar of course. EBU matches European broadcast standards and is slightly different than Rec.709, which we use in the U.S. SMPTE-C, also known as Rec.601, is the standard-def gamut. When would you use this? Whenever you play a DVD. All SD content is mastered in this slightly smaller color space. The final option is Rec.709, which is the correct setting for HD video content.
The CMS has only saturation and hue adjustments. Bravo to BenQ for starting the sliders in the center of their ranges. In our tests, only the hue sliders had any significant effect. We used them to fix a tiny magenta error. As you’ll see on page eight, there is little need to change any color settings whatsoever.
When you’re done with the calibration, you can save the color settings to one of two memory slots. The Custom modes then become accessible like the other image presets.
BenQ includes a few ergonomic options to help reduce fatigue during long work sessions. Eye Protect utilizes a front-mounted light sensor to automatically dim the backlight. We found that it dimmed the monitor too much for our taste, though.
If you turn on the Eye Protect meter, a little bar graph pops up telling you the ambient light level in your room.
Smart Reminder (along with the Time Interval setting) displays a message on-screen reminding you when to take breaks. Duration simply specifies how long the message appears.
The PG2401PT has a proximity sensor that shuts the monitor off 40 seconds after you get up from your desk if you activate it. Sensor Range can be set to Near, Middle, or Far.
Twenty-four-inch monitors might be a little small for PIP or PBP, but BenQ offers a full set of options anyway. The controls are similar to others we’ve tried. You specify the two sources, size the images, and select their positions. In addition, Contrast and Sharpness can be adjusted independently in the PIP window.
The OSD always appears in the lower-right corner and it can’t be moved. Language choices number 17. The Display Time can be as many as 30 seconds or as few as five. OSD Lock prevents anyone from accessing the menus or the hotkeys. Pressing and holding any button for 10 seconds re-enables it.
HDMI RGB PC Range refers to the level thresholds, and it comes set for video at 16-235. PC signals are full-range (0-255), so you should change this option accordingly.
Uniformity is either on or off. The default setting is on, and we found it greatly reduces the PG2401PT’s brightness and contrast. Check out our findings on page six.
AMA stands for Advanced Motion Accelerator. It works like Trace Free to reduce ghosting behind moving objects.
Since there are no speakers, Audio adjusts volume and muting for the headphone output. Incoming audio works through HDMI or DisplayPort only. There is no analog input.
Auto Power Off can shut down the monitor after 10, 20, or 30 minutes.
If you use the portrait mode, Auto Pivot will rotate the OSD along with the image.
Resolution Notice tells you the signal info when changing modes or inputs.
The four Custom Keys are the first four bezel control buttons. They can be set to a variety of functions to save you from navigating the OSD.
DDC/CI is DisplayPort’s two-way communications protocol. It’s usually best to leave this on.
Here is the signal information. It includes both input and output resolutions, along with PIP/PBP info and the active input. While the model name is somewhat helpful, a firmware version would be even more so.
BenQ PG2401PT Calibration
The PG2401PT is one of the most accurate monitors I’ve ever tested. In fact, its out-of-box accuracy is superior to the calibrated results we get from many displays. All you have to do is select either the Adobe RGB or sRGB mode and adjust Brightness to taste. The Contrast control is already set as high as it can be (50) without clipping detail.
Since this screen offers a CMS and precise color temperature controls, I performed a calibration using the OSD. The first setting you should tweak is Uniformity Compensation; disable it. The feature limits brightness to the point where I was unable to reach 200 cd/m2 with it on. Contrast also gets reduced by 44 percent. You should also drop the Sharpness control to "4" to avoid edge enhancement.
My benchmark results were obtained using the following settings.
| BenQ PG2401PT Calibration Settings - Custom Adobe RGB | |
|---|---|
| Brightness | 49 |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Color Temp User | Red 100, Green 99, Blue 97 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| CMS Hue | Magenta 46, All Others 50 |
| CMS Saturation | All 50 |
| Black Level | 0 |
| BenQ PG2401PT Calibration Settings - Custom sRGB | |
| Brightness | 45 |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Color Temp User | Red 100, Green 99, Blue 97 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| CMS Hue | Magenta 45, All Others 50 |
| CMS Saturation | All 50 |
| Black Level | 0 |
BenQ offers an alternative to the traditional OSD calibration in the form of a bundled app called Palette Master. It’s derived from X-Rite’s i1 Profiler software and offers adjustment of color gamut, grayscale, gamma, luminance, and screen uniformity. We installed it on our test system to give it a try. If you want to use the utility, you need an i1Pro, i1Pro 2, or an i1Display color meter.

After selecting Profile from the Home screen, the first set of options lets you specify the target color gamut and maximum luminance. If you select a custom gamut, you can enter the X and Y coordinates, along with the white point and gamma.

Next, you choose how precise your calibration will be by selecting the number of measurement patches. Small is 118 measurements. That's plenty in our opinion. If you select Large, over 400 patches are measured and you can expect to wait at least an hour for completion.

After positioning the meter, calibration is performed without further intervention. The result screen gives you a photo and a few color samples to make a before/after comparison. Once you're satisfied, save the profile to either the Calibration 1 or 2 memory slot. All of the data is stored in the PG2401PT’s firmware and an ICC profile is generated.

You can also create a screen uniformity look-up table. The grid size can be 3x3 or 5x5. By default, Palette Master measures 100-percent white (level 255) patterns, but you can use patterns at levels 16 or 128 if you want greater precision at lower brightness points.
We compared Palette Master’s results to our own OSD calibration and found them almost identical. The only discrepancy was a luminance reading about 7 cd/m2 higher than what we measured using CalMAN.
The biggest bummer tied to using the app is once you’ve set up a calibration memory, the Brightness control is locked out. If you want to change just the luminance value, you have to redo the entire process.
To measure and calibrate monitors, we use an i1Pro spectrophotometer, a Spectracal C6 colorimeter, and version 5.2.0.1374 of SpectraCal’s CalMAN software.

The i1Pro is very accurate and consistent measuring color on all types of displays, regardless of the backlight technology used. When we just need a luminance value, the C6 works better, especially in low light.
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For patterns, we employ AccuPel DVG-5000 and DVDO AVLab TPG video signal generators. This approach removes video cards and drivers from the signal chain, allowing the display to receive true reference patterns. Connections are made via HDMI.

The AccuPel DVG-5000 is capable of generating all types of video signals at any resolution and refresh rate up to 1920x1080 at 60 Hz. It can also display motion patterns to evaluate a monitor's video processing capabilities, with 3D patterns available in every format. This allows us to measure color and grayscale performance, crosstalk, and ghosting in 3D content via the 3D glasses.
The DVDO generator is a new addition to our lab. It supports resolutions up to 4096x2160. We’re using it to verify the proper signal handling of QHD and UHD displays.
The i1Pro or C6 is placed at the center of the screen (unless we’re measuring uniformity) and sealed against it to block out any ambient light. The AccuPel pattern generator (bottom-left) is controlled via USB by CalMAN, which is running on the Dell XPS laptop on the right.
Our version of CalMAN Ultimate allows me to design all of the screens and workflows to best suit the purpose at hand. To that end, I’ve created a display review workflow from scratch. This way, we can be sure and collect all the necessary data with a concise and efficient set of measurements.
The charts show us the RGB levels, gamma response, and Delta E error for every brightness point from zero to 100 percent. In the table, we get raw data for each measurement. And the area in the upper-left tells us luminance, average gamma, Delta E, and contrast ratio. The individual charts can be copied to the Windows clipboard to easily create graphics for our reviews.
Every primary and secondary color is measured at 20-, 40-, 60-, 80-, and 100-percent saturation. The color saturation level is simply the distance from the white point on the CIE chart. You can see the targets moving out from white in a straight line. The further a point is from center, the greater the saturation until you hit 100 percent at the edge of the gamut triangle. This shows us the display’s response at a cross-section of color points. Many monitors score well when only the 100-percent saturations are measured. Hitting the targets at the lower saturations is more difficult, and factors into our average Delta E value (which explains why our Delta E values are sometimes higher than those reported by other publications).
Uncalibrated
Before calibrating any panel, we measure zero and 100-percent signals at both ends of the brightness control range. This shows us how contrast is affected at the extremes of a monitor's luminance capability. We do not increase the contrast control past its clipping point. While that would effectively increase a monitor’s light output, the brightest signal levels would not be visible, resulting in crushed highlight detail. Our numbers show the maximum light level possible with no clipping of the signal.
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The comparison group consists of wide-gamut professional-quality monitors. We have Dell’s two 4K screens, the UP2414Q and UP3214Q. Also included are the high-end NEC PA272W and ViewSonic VP2772 QHD displays. Finally, we threw in Samsung’s S27B971D. It’s an sRGB-native monitor, but it comes with a factory calibration and is one of the most accurate screens we’ve ever measured.

The PG2401PT ships set to Standard mode, but we changed it to Adobe RGB to reflect its native gamut. Our initial reading was 174.5498 cd/m2, a good deal less than BenQ’s spec of 350 cd/m2. A little digging through the OSD revealed that the uniformity compensation was turned on, though. Switching it off gave us the 313.2685 cd/m2 value you see above. It seems that uni-comp reduces brightness by a significant amount.

Uni-comp doesn’t affect black level as severely. You’ll see later that zero brightness results are pretty much the same whether it’s on or off. But a .4031 cd/m2 reading is fairly high for our minimum black level test.

Maximum contrast is a little disappointing at only 777.1 to 1. Granted, that's enough to beat Samsung and one of the Dells, but NEC sets the bar high with its 1038.7 to 1 ratio.
We believe 50 cd/m2 is a practical minimum standard for screen brightness. Any lower and you risk eyestrain and fatigue. Most pro-grade monitors bottom out well below that. However, the PG2401PT is an exception, measuring 107.3534 at its minimum brightness setting. We believe that’s a little high, since many pros like to calibrate at 80 cd/m2. Of course, you can reduce that number by turning on the uniformity compensation. Then the minimum number is around 60 cd/m2.

Uniformity compensation is still off in this test. Turning it on raises the black level ever so slightly. Either way, the result is merely fair.

Minimum contrast stays pretty consistent at 783.1 to 1. The PG2401PT finishes in second place mainly because its minimum brightness is higher than the others. We’ll show you the impact of uniformity compensation on contrast below.
After Calibration
Since we consider 200 cd/m2 to be an ideal point for peak output, we calibrate all of our test monitors to that value. In a room with some ambient light (like an office), this brightness level provides a sharp, punchy image with maximum detail and minimum eye fatigue. On many monitors, it’s also the sweet spot for gamma and grayscale tracking, which we'll look at on the next page. Many professionals prefer a 120 cd/m2 calibration in darker rooms. We find that makes little to no difference on the calibrated black level and contrast measurements.

Normally we don’t show the calibrated white level chart because the monitors we test are within a hair of 200 cd/m2. In the PG2401PT’s case, we want to illustrate the difference that results when uniformity compensation is turned on. The reduction in brightness is almost 44 percent.

We’ve reviewed several displays with uni-comp and in every other case, the black level went up noticeably when we turned it on. BenQ's PG2401PT is an exception. Here, the difference is almost negligible.

Unfortunately, the reduction in white level means contrast drops the same 44 percent with uni-comp on. Now you have to make a decision: is the feature worth using? We'll answer that question definitively in a couple of pages.
ANSI Contrast Ratio
Another important measure of contrast is ANSI. To perform this test, a checkerboard pattern of sixteen zero and 100-percent squares is measured. We get a somewhat more real-world metric than on/off measurements because we're testing the display’s ability to simultaneously maintain both low black and full white levels, plus factoring in screen uniformity. The average of the eight full-white measurements is divided by the average of the eight full-black measurements to arrive at the ANSI result.

The ANSI numbers stay fairly close to the on/off results, which is an indicator of excellent build quality. The PG2401PT appears to have a deep grid polarizer that enhances image clarity and minimizes light bleed between pixels. Interestingly, uniformity compensation actually raises the ANSI result a little.
The majority of monitors, especially newer models, display excellent grayscale tracking (even at stock settings). It’s important that the color of white be consistently neutral at all light levels from darkest to brightest. Grayscale performance impacts color accuracy with regard to the secondary colors: cyan, magenta, and yellow. Since computer monitors typically have no color or tint adjustment, accurate grayscale is key.
Given its color accuracy certification, the PG2401PT needs to be spot-on without user calibration. As you’ll see on the next two pages, BenQ easily earns itself a place among the most precise displays sold today.
Since most users will employ the preset sRGB and Adobe RGB modes, we measure those first.

It doesn’t get much better, with or without calibration. Nit-pickers like us will say the white point runs a tad cool, but with all errors under two Delta E, nobody will actually see a problem.

In Adobe RGB mode, the result is almost exactly the same. If you've read some of my other reviews of factory-calibrated monitors, then you know they typically don't measure this well out of the box.

To perform a calibration, we set up the two custom modes for sRGB and Adobe RGB, respectively. Our grayscale result was identical in both modes. For all intents and purposes, you are looking at perfection.
Here is our comparison group:

These are the best Delta E numbers we’ve ever recorded for an un-calibrated display. With the exception of the ViewSonic (another $1000 screen), BenQ's PG2401PT is the least-costly monitor represented.

The S27B971D remains our calibrated grayscale champion by the slimmest of margins. With errors this low, it truly is a wash though. Since the BenQ offers an Adobe RGB gamut and superior color accuracy over the Samsung, a new value leader is emerging in the professional monitor category.
Gamma Response
Gamma is the measurement of luminance levels at every step in the brightness range from 0 to 100 percent. It's important because poor gamma can either crush detail at various points or wash it out, making the entire picture appear flat and dull. Correct gamma produces a more three-dimensional image, with a greater sense of depth and realism. Meanwhile, incorrect gamma can negatively affect image quality, even in monitors with high contrast ratios.
In the charts below, the yellow line represents 2.2, which is the most widely used standard for television, film, and computer graphics production. The closer the white measurement trace comes to 2.2, the better.

Most monitors return a few different gamma results depending on picture mode and other factors. But BenQ's PG2401PT displays the exact same flat tracking no matter which preset you choose. Again, available values range from 1.6 to 2.6 in .2 increments. Aside from the tiniest errors at 10 and 90 percent, the gamma performance is perfect.
Here is our comparison group again:

The slight aberrations at 10 and 90 percent are all that prevents the tracking from being perfect at every brightness level. The luminance errors are .19 and 1.08 cd/m2 respectively. In other words, they're barely measurable.
We calculate gamma deviation by simply expressing the difference from 2.2 as a percentage.

The average gamma value is exactly 2.2, so there is no reportable deviation. BenQ's PG2401PT chalks up another perfect result.
Color gamut is measured using a saturation sweep that samples the six main colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) at five saturation levels (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%), providing a realistic view of color accuracy.
We’ve already established that you can use the preset sRGB and Adobe RGB modes without calibration. There is, however, a slight gain to be had if you do make some adjustments. The first two charts show the PG2401PT in its stock configuration.

Observable issues are minimal. Magenta is a little off in hue and there is over-saturation at the 20-percent level in cyan and magenta. When you get to the edge of the gamut, blue is slightly under-saturated, but its luminance is a little higher, which brings its Delta E down to the proper point. The overall error is a super-low 1.14.

The Adobe RGB chart is even better than the sRGB one. All errors are under two Delta E with a total average of .90. The only thing we’d want to fix is the under-saturated blue primary. BenQ correctly increases the blue luminance to compensate.

Setting up a Custom sRGB mode does make a visible difference on the chart, but not to a naked eye. We managed to reduce the error from 1.14 to .8 Delta E. Basically we took a great result and made the teeniest bit better.

Our gains in the Custom Adobe RGB mode are about the same. We reduced the average error from .9 to .6 Delta E. While we’ve satisfied our tweaker-lust, calibration is probably unnecessary.
Now we return to the comparison group:

A result of .6 Delta E is the lowest color error we’ve ever recorded from any display in our lab. All of the monitors in the group offer superb accuracy, but the PG2401PT truly does represent perfection. The sRGB result is just behind at .8 Delta E.
Gamut Volume: Adobe RGB 1998 And sRGB
There are basically two categories of displays in use today: those that conform to the sRGB/Rec. 709 standard like HDTVs, and wide-gamut panels that show as much as 100 percent of the Adobe RGB 1998 spec. We use Gamutvision to calculate the gamut volume, based on an ICC profile created from our actual measurements.

Not so long ago, you had to choose the gamut you wanted from a monitor. Adobe RGB displays didn’t have an sRGB option. Newer products now give you that preset. All of the professional screens we’ve tested lately cover both gamuts.
BenQ's PG2401PT comes a little short of 100 percent in both tests due to its slightly under-saturated blue primary. And we weren't able to fix that using the CMS.
The more monitors we test, the more we can see that off-axis viewing performance is dependent not only on pixel structure (IPS, PLS, TN, etc.) but the backlight technology as well. And we can see that the anti-glare layer makes a difference too.

The GB-r-LED backlight seems to return the same off-axis viewing results no matter what product it’s installed in. Brightness falloff is minimal like all the IPS monitors we photograph, but the horizontal plane’s red shift seems endemic to these screens. Vertically, there is no significant color shift and light reduction is fairly small.
Screen Uniformity: Luminance
To measure screen uniformity, zero and 100-percent full-field patterns are used, and nine points are sampled. First, we establish a baseline measurement at the center of each screen. Then the surrounding eight points are measured. Their values get expressed as a percentage of the baseline, either above or below. This number is averaged.
It is important to remember that we only test the review sample each vendor sends us. Other examples of the same monitor can measure differently.
First up is black field uniformity.

Screen uniformity is the only area where the PG2401PT does not excel. Even with uni-comp on, we could still see hotspots in the upper-left and lower-right areas of the screen. Given the small improvement that feature makes, we'd leave it off and avoid the 44-percent contrast reduction.
Here’s the white field measurement:

Again, there seems to be little benefit from using compensation. You'd have a difficult time registering a 7.57-percent error, so there isn’t much point in reducing contrast just to get the uniformity to 1.98 percent. Either way, the screen looks great to our eyes.
Screen Uniformity: Color
To measure color uniformity, we display an 80-percent white field and measure the Delta E error of the same nine points on the screen. Then we simply subtract the lowest value from the highest to arrive at the result. A smaller number means a display is more uniform. Any value below three means a variation that is invisible to the naked eye.

Color uniformity is also boosted by uni-comp. But even when it’s off, we can’t see any problems. Our final conclusion is clear: disable uniformity compensation to maximize contrast. The screen looks fine without it. The black field result isn’t great, but unless you’re working with a lot of very dark content, you won’t notice the hotspots during actual use.
To perform these tests, we use a high-speed camera that shoots at 1000 frames per second. Analyzing the video frame-by-frame allows us to observe the exact time it takes to go from a zero-percent signal to a 100% white field.
The pattern generator is placed at the base of the monitor so our camera can capture the precise moment its front-panel LED lights up, indicating that a video signal is being received by the monitor. With this camera placement, we can easily see how long it takes to fully display a pattern after pressing the button on the generator’s remote. This testing methodology allows for accurate and repeatable results when comparing panels.
Here’s a shot of our test setup. Click on the photo to enlarge.
The brighter section of the camera’s screen is what actually appears in the video. You can see the lights of the pattern generator in the bottom of the viewfinder. We flash the pattern on and off five times and average the results.

BenQ does't market its PG2401PT to gamers, and gamers probably won't spring for such a pricey 24" display. But this is one of the fastest IPS-based screens we’ve tested, even still.
Here are the lag results:

The lag result also lands on the faster end of the IPS-based field we've measured. Speed is not the PG2401PT’s primary purpose. However, compared to our other pro-class screens, only the Samsung achieves lower input lag.
We all know that when it comes to computer components, value is paramount. At some point in every discussion, the subject turns to price. It is true that most of the monitors we review at Tom's Hardware are on the costly end of their respective segments. But truth be told, that’s where the more advanced technology is found (and we know those same capabilities will find their way to lower-priced models eventually). We’ve already seen improvements in accuracy and performance in just the last 18 months at all price points.
What does $1000 worth of PG2401PT get you? Hardware-wise, there’s the native Adobe RGB gamut courtesy of a GB-r-LED backlight. Even though it uses pulse-width modulation, a 16,500 Hz frequency is one of the highest we’ve seen. Fatigue and flicker should not be a problem for anyone. Then there’s 10-bit color courtesy of an 8-bit/FRC panel from LG. Plus, a 14-bit LUT is built-in. If you see banding artifacts on this monitor, they’re from your content and not a product of the display.
What’s missing? Well, I'd like a higher native resolution. FHD is today’s most common display type and BenQ does throw in the extra screen area inherent to a 16:10 aspect ratio with its additional 120 vertical pixels. If you really consider what the monitor is intended to do though, resolution is not necessarily a deal-breaker. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if BenQ added a 27-inch QHD panel to its line-up in the near future that includes the final one-percent of performance that this one sports.
The biggest flaw, at least in our press sample, is black screen uniformity. Even with the compensation feature enabled, it lags behind many other screens. Perhaps BenQ's saving grace is that every sample measures differently, and it’s possible that ours doesn't adequately represent the product. And speaking of uniformity compensation, it cut brightness and contrast by 44 percent, which in our opinion is too much for a slight improvement in uniformity.
The real star here is the PG2401PT’s class-leading accuracy. Our tests reveal a display that measures better in its stock state than most monitors do after calibration, and that includes the professional-grade products we've tested. When you narrow down the comparison to just those panels, $1000 suddenly doesn’t seem unreasonable.
In all of our color, grayscale, and gamma tests, the PG2401PT is at or near the top. In the pre-calibration benchmarks, it leaves all other professional screens in the dust (at least the ones in our results database). And that is where you find value from BenQ. When you consider the cost of calibrating any monitor, the price difference between this PG2401PT and another brand costing less is erased because you really can pop open the box and go, even in a professional environment. Just choose your color gamut and set the brightness to taste.

Because BenQ's PG2401PT is the most accurate display we’ve tested to date, and because it is actually less expensive than most other true professional monitors, we’re giving it the Tom’s Hardware Smart Buy award.


