Packaging, Physical Layout And Accessories
The BL3201PT comes in a carton that we think should be just a little deeper for such a large and heavy display. It’s well-protected by rigid Styrofoam, however. In addition to the base and solid-metal upright, you get DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI cables. There’s also an analog audio cable and a USB A-to-B connector. Finishing off the bundle is a small cable clip, a quick-start guide and a CD-based manual and support software.
Product 360
Make no mistake, this is one large monitor. The base won’t take up a ton of desktop space, but the panel is wide. Speaking of the base, it’s quite beefy with a solid-aluminum upright that exudes quality. It snaps onto the panel and screws into the base with a captive bolt.
The anti-glare layer is similar to most of the IPS monitors we’ve reviewed – lightly textured with good clarity and minimal reflections under typical office or workspace lighting. Even with such a large screen, we had no trouble seeing even the darkest content on the BL3201PT.
Along the bottom-right are touch-sensitive keys that are actuated with the perfect amount of pressure. They light up when your finger gets close, but they aren’t too touchy. An even better way to navigate the OSD is with the puck-style controller pictured below.
BenQ uses this controller on several models and we love it. It plugs into a dedicated mini-USB port and nests in the base as shown. At its center are a select key and directional buttons. Around the perimeter are three picture mode hot-keys plus a return button.
Thanks to an extremely well-engineered stand, this heavy panel is easy to position. In addition to a portrait mode, you get 90 degrees of swivel, 25 degrees of tilt and almost six inches (150mm) of height adjustment. The movements are super-smooth, with just the right amount of resistance. The BL3201PT’s stand is truly a cut above the norm.
The side view shows a panel of average thickness with a large flat surface for wall mounting. All of the inputs and USB ports are on the right side (we’ll show them in better detail below). We’re happy to see not only two USB 3.0 ports but an SD card reader and a headphone jack on the side panel. It’s hard to tell in the photo, however, the side-facing video inputs are recessed from the edge, simplifying cable management.
The BL3201PT’s back panel is smooth and only interrupted by a small polished BenQ logo. If you unsnap the upright, a 100mm VESA mount is exposed. The hole in the upright can be used for cable management or you can attach the small included plastic clip.
The built-in speakers can be seen through the top-facing vents. They sound better than most thanks to their five-watt op-amps and two-driver-per-channel configuration.
The top half of the photo shows the video inputs. You get a single DVI port along with two HDMI, a standard DisplayPort and a mini-DisplayPort connector. To operate at 60Hz, you need to use one of the DisplayPort inputs along with a heavy-gauge cable and a 1.2-compliant video card. The dual-HDMI configuration is not supported.
The second panel in the photo faces downwards, providing three more USB 3.0 ports along with the upstream jack. The mini-USB port is for the OSD controller. Finally, at the far right, there's an analog audio input. Sound can also come from the DisplayPort or HDMI signal chain.
