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
The PG32UQ has more than enough light output to accommodate any environment. 400 nits on a 32-inch monitor is really bright, too bright for more than a few minutes. However, that headroom is handy when using the ELMB sync, which robs about 30% of that output.
Black levels are IPS-average, with the PG32UQ finishing last in the default test. If you engage Dynamic Dimming, it’s much lower at around 0.1823 nits. The panel’s native contrast is 923.8:1, which is slightly below average. Dynamic Dimming bumps that up to 2,250:1. You can use that feature without penalty. It doesn’t crush highlight or shadow detail.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Calibration improves black levels and contrast slightly to 987.9:1 in the PG32UQ’s native state with Dynamic Dimming turned off. When engaged, contrast is around 2,300:1. Part of this comes from my decision to select the 2.5 gamma preset. It measures around 2.3 and adds some depth to the image.
The slight hotspot I mentioned earlier drops the PG32UQ’s ANSI score a little to 844.3:1. Again, Dynamic Dimming will help here by upping real-world contrast to around 2,000:1. That, combined with the 2.5 gamma setting, creates a richly saturated picture full of detail and dimension.
