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Brightness and Contrast

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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AOC Agon Pro AG346UCD — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The AG346UCD has no real weaknesses except for brightness. And how that’s perceived is up to the individual user. Though it peaks at 236 nits, you still get the infinite blacks all OLEDs are known for. Contrast is infinite,l and don’t forget that enormous color gamut. Since there’s no option for variable brightness, the AG346UCD operates like all the other screens would if their variable brightness were turned off. Measuring a full field versus a 25% window made no difference.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Adjusting the brightness to a peak of 200 nits does not affect black levels or contrast. If you set all the monitors for constant brightness, they would look the same except for their color saturation, which we’ll discuss on the next page. The ANSI checkerboard, which measures intra-image contrast, also looks the same on all six panels.

Test Takeaway: With the AG346UCD’s brightness remaining constant for all content, its peak is at 236 nits which is less bright than a monitor with variable brightness. In practice, this manifests as less impactful highlights. Variable brightness gives a panel more pop and verve. The AG346UCD has great color though and that may appeal more to some users than peak luminance.

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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.