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The PA32UCDM works and responds like its ProArt stablemates. Just pick the desired color mode and you’ll see that spec for grayscale, gamma and gamut. Calibration can be done in the OSD or via software but for this review, it was not necessary.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
The only differences you’ll see above are the gamma reference. For sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3, it’s 2.2. DCI-P3 can also be set to theater mode with a 6300K color temp and 2.6 gamma. BT.2020 (SDR) runs at 2.4 gamma. All charts show that the PA32UCDM is correctly configured for these specifications with no visible grayscale errors. sRGB and Adobe RGB gammas are a tad light and DCI-P3 has a small dip at 90% brightness. These are minor issues.
The last chart shows Native mode, which is the PA32UCDM’s default. It uses 6500K color temp and 2.2 gamma but the monitor’s full gamut is 105% of DCI-P3. It’s useful for gaming and entertainment but has slightly light gamma in the brighter parts of the screen, and a little color oversaturation.
Comparisons
For the comparison, I used the numbers for Native mode. A 1.08dE result for grayscale is superb and is well below the visible threshold, and is better than all but the Acer in this test. Post-calibration, the PA32UCDM drops to fifth, but it’s still excellent.
The gamma results in Native mode are a tad weaker than what I found in the labeled color modes. But it is still well within the realm of quality imagery. The PA32UCDM’s value range is 0.15, not too bad, and the deviation is 4.09%, actual value 2.11.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
Same as above, to pick your preferred color spec, just choose from among the PA32UCDM’s presets. The results for DCI-P3 and sRGB are visually perfect. Native is also very close, with just slight oversaturation in green and red. This won’t have a negative visual impact. The only issues were found in BT.2020 where red saturation tops out at 85% and green stops at 75%. It also takes a turn to the triangle’s perimeter to maintain a visible difference from the lower saturation points. This is typical performance for wide gamut monitors. Also noted is green undersaturation in the Adobe RGB chart. This is also typical of wide gamut monitors. True Adobe RGB has more green than DCI-P3 so this result tracks with my tests of other QD-OLEDs.
Comparisons
Again, we see the PA32UCDM’s Native mode compared to the other screen. It is more than qualified for any critical application with a low error of 1.74dE. The labeled color modes are even lower, ranging from 0.77-1.55dE. No matter which you choose, you’ll see accurate color.
It’s easy to see which screens are QD and which are not. The PA32UCDM is the former and it comes in just a tad behind the Aorus and HP monitors. Can you see a 2% difference in color volume? Maybe in the most extreme shades of red, but most content will look the same on the three top displays. The labeled modes cover between 95 and 100%, which is ideal for mastering in any spec desired.
Test Takeaway: The PA32UCDM’s ability to call up any color mode with spot-on accuracy is unparalleled by anything other than another Asus ProArt monitor. Calibration is not required in any mode though it can be accomplished easily if desired. The level of flexibility here is extremely high.
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