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The PD2706UA ships with a calibration data sheet specific to each example. It covers the Display P3 picture mode with a 2.2 gamma and 6500K color temp. My tests showed it to be accurate. You do not need to calibrate this monitor.
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.
Right out of the gate, the PD2706UA impresses. There are no visible grayscale errors at all. In the gamma trace, only 10% brightness showed a slight dip (too bright). This error was hard to spot in actual content. By calibrating the User mode, grayscale tracking is even better, and gamma matches the reference perfectly. It truly doesn’t get better than this.
If you want to use the sRGB gamut, the easiest option is to choose that color mode. You can also change gamuts in User mode and get about the same level of grayscale and gamma accuracy.
Comparisons
The PD2706UA offers better than average out-of-box grayscale accuracy than most monitors. With a 2.15dE value, it has no visible errors and does not need calibration. However, with adjustment, it achieves a very high standard, one worthy of any professional’s workspace. And it does so for a lot less money.
The best reason for calibration is to fix the slight gamma error I noted earlier. With a tiny 0.04 range of values and a perfect 2.2 average, it can’t get any better.
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.
The PD2706UA aced my color gamut tests. I noted slight under-saturation in some red and blue points in the default chart. But these errors are invisible. A 1.53dE average is about as good as it gets. Calibration takes that down to 0.95, which is an excellent result. Only a handful of monitors can score lower than 1.00dE here. sRGB color tracking is similarly free of visible error with a 0.99dE result.
In sRGB mode, there is no visible color error, but red is slightly under-saturated on the chart. This mode is accurate enough for critical work if you need a smaller gamut.
Comparisons
One monitor in the group managed to outdo the PD2706UA, Asus’ PA32UCX. You can pick up that fractional improvement for $2,395 at this writing or a difference of $1,745. BenQ is offering stupendous value with a monitor as accurate as the best screens I’ve tested.
Color volume is an equally important metric in the pro monitor genre and the PD2706UA delivers there too. With over 95% coverage of DCI-P3, it is hard to see a difference between it and a screen that covers 100%. The BenQ comes up the tiniest bit short in the blue primary only. All other colors are fully rendered. Again, this is super impressive for a $650 display. The PD2706UA is qualified for color-critical work.
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