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 32QHD165 just cracks the 400-nit mark in SDR mode. It’s plenty bright enough at half that amount. Large screens like this don’t need to be cranked up for a good picture. The Corsair’s huge color gamut takes care of that.
Black levels are higher than average among the IPS panels in the group, and that results in a slightly below-average contrast ratio of 902.1:1. Some of this is mitigated by the very saturated color, but there is some upward potential for image depth here.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Calibration improves contrast a little and though the numerical difference is small, we could see its impact. We recommend making the adjustments to grayscale tracking; they’re obviously worth it. At just under 1000:1, the 32QHD165 looks pretty good.
The Corsair’s ANSI result keeps it in fourth place with a respectable 921.8:1 score. This is about average for IPS panels, though a few of the latest monitors can do better. But again, that huge color gamut mitigates the contrast issue somewhat. We were quite satisfied with its picture and expect most buyers will be too.
