BenQ BL3201PT 32-inch Ultra HD Monitor Review

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published

The first-generation 32-inch Ultra HD monitors came out at over $3000. They’ve dropped in price of course, but BenQ’s new BL3201PT is debuting at a more aggressive MSRP of $1100. We've even seen it selling for under $1000. Today we test its performance.

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Results: Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response And Lag

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, please click here.

Screen Uniformity: Luminance

We’ve reviewed quite a few TN-based Ultra HD displays lately, and their viewing angle photos always reveal detail loss and color shift. An IPS panel like this is a welcome improvement, and a monitor this big really benefits from the superior viewing angle performance. There is little light falloff to the sides and only a slight shift to blue. From above, there is an observable change in gamma, but the brightness steps are visible. You can also see a little red shift. Overall though, LCD panels don’t get much better.

Large-format displays have a tougher time posting good uniformity results. With that said, our BL3201PT sample only manages a fifth-place finish. It’s still a good showing; we only see slight hotspots in the upper-left and lower-right corners.

Here’s the white field measurement:

The white field measurement is about the same as the black field one. It looks fine to the naked eye, but our C6 meter tells us the center zone is a tiny bit brighter than the rest of the screen. Given the results of the above two tests, we have no problems with any of the displays’ uniformity.

Screen Uniformity: Color

Color uniformity is right in the middle with a 2.32dE average. Once again, our eyes can’t see a problem, though our meter finds the center to be a little closer to D65 than the surrounding zones.

Pixel Response And Input Lag

Please click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

With the BL3201PT’s attractive price point, we’re confident gamers will take notice. Fortunately, its panel is a tad more responsive than the IGZO-based displays. Two milliseconds isn’t much, but when you game seriously, every bit counts.

Here are the lag results:

The Monoprice CrystalPro 4K may be tough to beat until Ultra HD monitors offer higher refresh rates. The BL3201PT takes second place behind a screen that is pretty impressive. BenQ doesn’t specifically target gamers, but if you want a jumbo IPS display and 3840x2160 resolution, it’s the fastest 32-inch UHD monitor out there right now.

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

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19 Comments Comment from the forums
  • blackmagnum
    I wouldn't want to bump it over and drop it from the table, because the stand looks so tipsy.
    Reply
  • avatar_raq
    I wonder why all the links to Amazon belong to the BL3201PH not the reviewed "PT" model. Am I missing something?
    Reply
  • I Hate Nvidia
    I Don't Know Why monitor vendors can't make a decent 28 inch IPS UHD monitor below 500 $ whereas I bought my LG UB820T 42 inch IPS 120 Hz UHD TV for only 630$ ,and it comes with the amazing magic remote and TV tuner and smart TV support, WIFI and LAN , USB 3 and 3 HDMI 2.0 ports!
    Reply
  • qwfgbn
    Dell P2415Q and P2715Q are 4K 60HZ IPS panels which can be found for around 600$ on amazon.
    Reply
  • ohim
    Why is everybody stating about Luminance / Brightness as "higher is better ". I had an Iiyama 27" IPS pannel that had over 350 cd you can`t even use that monitor at 100% brightness, you can actually feel the heat from the monitor on your face. Best use was at around 25 to 50% brightness ...had to return it though due to flickering .. my eyes were going insane with that monitor.
    Reply
  • beshonk
    Been waiting for that xl2420g review you promised us! This monitor's way too pricey!
    Reply
  • nukemaster
    I hate to ask, but how is the glow?

    I wouldn't want to bump it over and drop it from the table, because the stand looks so tipsy.
    The stand is sturdy since the 3200PT(2560 x 1440 MVA) was very solid with the same stand.

    Why is everybody stating about Luminance / Brightness as "higher is better ". I had an Iiyama 27" IPS pannel that had over 350 cd you can`t even use that monitor at 100% brightness, you can actually feel the heat from the monitor on your face. Best use was at around 25 to 50% brightness ...had to return it though due to flickering .. my eyes were going insane with that monitor.
    I think the brighter is better has carried over from cell phone reviews or something. Working in a very bright area could also benefit from extra brightness. On the plus side almost all BenQ screens use voltage based dimming and not PWM. This should allow you to get a dimmer screen without the flickering(not that it bothers me).

    I personally have my screens at a much lower setting as well.
    Reply
  • Eggz
    Siiiick! This is the first 4K screen I've seen that seems reasonable in terms of price, performance, size, and image quality.
    Reply
  • burmese_dude
    "it’s selling on the street for under $1000." I wonder if they sell these on my street. I need to call and ask.
    Reply
  • ubercake
    I thought we'd start seeing some sort of adaptive sync technology on just about every monitor by now. I can't get excited about anything that doesn't have it.
    Reply