Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The EX3210R switches to its Display HDR picture mode when it senses an HDR10 signal. It is also possible to emulate HDR with SDR content by using the HDRi feature, easily accessed by a button on the front bezel or with the remote. I tested Display HDR with a correctly formatted HDR10 signal to record the results shown below.
Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
The EX3210R outputs plenty of light in HDR mode with just over 404 nits peak, earning its VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. None of the other monitors stand out as significantly brighter or less bright than the BenQ.
The key to good HDR is black levels and there, some sort of dynamic contrast feature is a must. Not all screens have it though, and the EX3210R is one of those. Its black levels are a little elevated, which reduces its HDR contrast to just 1,468.8:1. While HDR looks OK here, it doesn’t compete with the Pixio, Razer or Acer screens. I tested the HDRi modes too and found they were slightly better with ratios of around 1,900:1. But they are less color accurate than Display HDR.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
These two charts are from the EX3210R’s Display HDR mode using an HDR10 signal. Grayscale tracking is mostly error-free except for the darkest steps, which look slightly blue. This does not impact real-world content in any meaningful way. EOTF luminance tracking is solid except for the 0-15% steps, which are too light. This results in shadow areas that are detailed but more a dark gray than the black they should be. The EX3210R needs a bit of factory tuning to improve its HDR black levels and contrast.
HDR color is very good with just a bit of over-saturation in red and blue. The outer targets are met except for green which is a little under. This is typical of wide gamut screens in general. Hue targets are spot-on, with no deviation seen in any color. The EX3210R has above-average HDR color accuracy.
