Another attractive Porsche Design monitor has been released by AOC. The latest addition to the range is the Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M. From the name you will able to deduce that this is a 32 inch monitor joining the gaming-centric Agon Pro family.
The 'M' suffix in the codename might not be so obvious a clue to a big feature of this product, but this is one of the new breed of mini LED display panel monitors. Some other essentials to know are that this is a 4K monitor with Display HDR 1400 certification, it has a 97% PCI-P3 gamut, 1ms response time, and can run at up to 144Hz. Porsche Design says this monitor is designed "for gaming, streaming, and graphics." Will it be good enough to win a pace on our Best Monitor Deals 2022: 4K, Gaming and More? If we get one in the labs we will let you know.
We reviewed the Porsche Design AOC Agon PD27 just over a year ago, and it scored very highly, winning an Editor's Choice award. That was a 27 inch 1440p screen with VA panel and its only negatives were that the backlight strobing caused some image smearing, and the price.
This new PD32M is a completely different beast, using different panel technology, so we won't be able to extrapolate our previous review findings to this model. However, the model we reviewed last year and the new model might make a handy comparison, to highlight the differences the mini LED technology panel can bring along, so please check below and see the differences tabulated.
|
PD27 |
PD32M | |
|---|---|---|
|
Panel Type |
VA / W-LED, edge array |
Mini LED |
|
Screen Size |
27 inches / 16:9 |
32 inches / 16:9 |
|
Max Resolution & Refresh |
Curve radius: 1000mm, FreeSync Premium Pro: 48-240 Hz |
Flat panel , 4K @ 144 Hz, AdaptiveSync |
| Color Depth & Gamut |
8-bit / DCI-P3, HDR10, DisplayHDR 400 |
Display HDR 1400, 97% DCI-P3 |
|
Response Time (MPRT) |
0.5 ms |
1ms |
|
Brightness (mfr) |
550 nits |
1,600 nits max |
|
Contrast (mfr) |
2,500:1 |
??? |
|
Speakers |
2x 5W, DTS-tuned |
2x 8W, DTS Certified |
|
Audio |
3.5mm headphone output |
3.5mm headphone output |
|
Video Inputs |
2x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0 |
1x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB type C |
|
USB 3.2 |
1x up, 4x down |
1x type B up, 4x USB 3.2 type A |
The official product page doesn't include all the specs we would like. A major gap concerns detail about the contrast. As we mentioned in a Mini LED monitor news story in February, the large number of dimming zones these increasingly popular panels feature makes monitors appear more contrasty, as they can turn off backlight areas for 'true black'. We don't know how many local dimming zones are present in this panel either, but mini LED monitors typically have between 576 and 2000 zones. As a reminder, OLED and micro LED panels allow for every individual pixel to be turned off, rather than relying on backlight zones.
Another change between the older Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD27 and the new PD32M is that the stand had been redesigned. Apparently the new design is influenced by the shape of a Porsche sports car steering wheel. If they hadn't mentioned it one might not notice, as it looks pretty standard as far as gaming monitor stands go.
Some less essential specs which you might like to know about are the built-in Light FX and LED logo projection features. There is a wireless input source switching capability too, and users have access to a heatset holder on either side of the monitor.
The Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M is available to pre-order now in several world regions. In the US it costs $1,799 and should ship from mid-June. UK pricing is £1,750, and Euro pricing is €1,999 including taxes.
