Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 32-inch 4K 144 Hz Gaming Monitor Review: Premium Excellence

A 32-inch 4K IPS gaming monitor with 144 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR600 and extended color.

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published
Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Corsair)

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The comparison group for the Xeneon 32UHD144 is all 32-inch 4K IPS screens running at 144 Hz. We have Philips’ 329M1RV, Dell’s G3223Q, MSI’s MPG321UR-QDX, BenQ’s EX3210U and the Mini LED ViewSonic XG321UG. That last one costs around twice as much as the others. It’s here to provide a frame of reference for what you get when you buy a top-of-the-line 4K monitor. 

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

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Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

144 Hz means a 7ms screen draw time in all cases but the MSI. That one has a tiny advantage with slightly less motion blur at full speed. The 32UHD144 is in line with the others for sheer speed. It is the only one with variable overdrive, which helps up motion resolution a bit over a monitor with fixed overdrive.

It is also one of the quickest overall 4K screens I’ve measured. 30ms isn’t too far behind the capabilities of a QHD/165 Hz monitor. Though the 165 Hz screen will have smoother motion, control response and feel will be similar. The 32UHD144 is a very worthy gaming monitor that will satisfy a player’s wish for high pixel density and low input lag.

Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 32UHD144 has an off-axis image typical of IPS monitors. At 45 degrees to the side, you’ll see a 30% light reduction and a shift to reddish green. The detail in shadow areas will be a little harder to make out. You can see that the 0 and 10% steps look the same in the photos. The top view is washed out with a blue tint and a 40% reduction in brightness. 

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 32UHD144 does well in the uniformity test with no visible glow or bleed. The light meter detected a little extra light in the lower left corner, but this wasn’t enough to be seen with the naked eye. This is clearly a quality panel built to a high standard.

Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • wifiburger
    "While the price at this writing is $999 ($899 without the stand), it doesn’t cost much more than other comparable products "

    lol, what an absurd price to ask for 4k panel

    I guess I'll stay at 4k 60hz for my tvs & pc monitors forever ! there's no way I'm spending more than 300$ for a 4k panel
    Reply
  • Roland Of Gilead
    I think the lack of RGB should be a Pro, not a Con! ;)
    Reply
  • edzieba
    If your backlight is edge-lit, you're not in any meaningful way HDR.
    Reply
  • cknobman
    It would be really nice if Toms started calling these manufacturers out for calling their monitors "HDR" with edge lit dimming zones.
    If you have ever seen it in practice ITS GARBAGE.
    IPS panels have crap contrast ratios.

    So regardless of what else is available, this monitor is fake HDR and way too expensive.
    Should be no more than $500.
    Reply
  • Makaveli
    wifiburger said:
    "While the price at this writing is $999 ($899 without the stand), it doesn’t cost much more than other comparable products "

    lol, what an absurd price to ask for 4k panel

    I guess I'll stay at 4k 60hz for my tvs & pc monitors forever ! there's no way I'm spending more than 300$ for a 4k panel

    Compared to what?

    what other 4k panels offer the same features for alot less?

    keith12 said:
    I think the lack of RGB should be a Pro, not a Con! ;)

    Agreed!!
    Reply
  • PEnns
    Enough already with the lack of RGB (aka unicorn vomit) being a con!!

    For many it is a big plus!!
    Reply
  • 10tacle
    A lot of people out there like to know who makes the panel for monitor reviews (LG, Samsung, and AU Optronics being the top three). Can that be included in future reviews?
    Reply
  • truerock
    No speakers! No LED lights!
    Huge double bonus.

    I always subtract a lot of points for any monitor with speakers inside of it.
    Reply
  • pitzkale
    No RGB? No Speakers? Straight to the top of my monitor shortlist!
    This is probably the only monitor in this category that doesn't have these added features tacked in for no reason.
    If I can splurge on a monitor like this you better believe I have decent speakers and can decide for myself if I add RGB to my setup.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    I haven't seen an update, but there is now an A variant of this monitor with the only difference being a cheaper stand instead of premium aluminum for $150 less.
    Reply