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The AW3423DW includes a calibration data sheet that confirms the panel has been factory adjusted to have no visible color errors. I was able to verify this during my tests.
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.
Though you can see a bit of extra blue in the RGB Balance chart, the errors are not visible. All Delta-E values are under three, the generally accepted point where the naked eye can see color anomalies. Gamma tracking is a bit skewed in the 10-30% range where values are too low, which means those levels are too bright. The error is hard to spot in practice, thanks to the OLED panel’s high contrast. I suspect this has been done on purpose to improve the clarity of deep shadow detail. I would prefer to see a choice between the correct gamma and the engineered one.
Calibration takes the grayscale error to a much lower level. The visual difference is subtle, but I’ll always say that adjustment is worth doing. Gamma is unchanged.
If you choose the Creator mode to access the sRGB color gamut, its grayscale tracking is visually identical to that of the Standard mode. Gamma is also the same, with its slightly elevated levels between 10 and 30%. I noted in my hands-on test that raising the setting to 2.4 resulted in a better image because the lower brightness steps were raised to the 2.2 level while the higher ones were around 2.4.
Comparisons
Though the AW3423DW starts the comparison in fourth place, it is by no means a poor result. Any out-of-box result under 3dE means calibration is not required. With a few tweaks, the value goes down to 0.69dE. It’s still not the best in this group, but all the monitors here are very accurate. This is excellent performance.
The gamma issues I noted above pull down the AW3423DW’s status a little. The range of values is 0.47, which is on the low side of average but not enough to make a significant difference when OLED contrast is taken into account. The 3.18% deviation represents an actual value of 2.13. Not bad, but with some room for improvement. The best picture is found in the Creator mode with gamma set to 2.4.
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.
In the default Standard mode, the AW3423DW uses its full native gamut, which is a little larger than DCI-P3. All primaries are either on target or slightly over-saturated. The resulting picture is extremely colorful but nicely balanced thanks to the linear saturation tracking and correct hue values. For out-of-box color accuracy, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Calibration makes a tiny improvement in the average value, but the visual difference is hard to see. The AW3423DW has excellent color in every respect. Gamut coverage, saturation tracking and hue accuracy are all spot-on.
If you choose the sRGB gamut in Creator mode, it is very accurate as well with an average error of just 1.60dE. You can see a bit of undersaturation in red and green, but those errors are visually insignificant. This is the correct gamut for all SDR content, but I suspect most users will use the larger color space for everything.
Comparisons
It’s an impressive group of monitors indeed when a 1.22dE color result means third place. The AW3423DW leaves nothing to complain about in any of my color tests. This is professional-level accuracy.
Add to that a huge color volume with 107.94% coverage of DCI-P3 and you have a monitor that is well-suited for color-critical tasks. While a software profile will ensure perfection, you can go without one if you prefer. I can see the AW3423DW being used in video post-production as it is far less expensive than a high-end mastering display.
