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.
In the HDR monitor category, there are three distinct tiers of image quality. Budget screens make do with no dynamic contrast and therefore have images that look much the same whether they’re SDR or HDR. At the high end where prices can top $2,000, we have full-array local dimming backlights, some with Mini LEDs, and potentially over 1,000 dimming zones. They look stunning but their prices are high.
In the middle, for $800-1,000, are monitors like the Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144. They deliver plenty of brightness and zone dimming edge backlights to get HDR contrast over 10,000:1. That’s a significant difference from the IPS typical 1,000:1. And those monitors have color gamuts just as large, if not larger, than their more expensive cousins. They are in the sweet spot of the price/performance ratio.
The 32UHD144 checks all the boxes for a premium 4K screen. Its video processing is excellent thanks to dynamic overdrive, something very few gaming monitors offer. The image is stunning thanks to that Quantum Dot film and the resulting huge color gamut. With nearly 117% coverage of DCI-P3, it qualifies as a Rec.2020 panel. Again, only a few other screens have this much color.
Corsair also heads the class in color accuracy. With preset picture modes for Adobe RGB, DCI-P3 and sRGB that are all spot-on, you can use it for the same color-critical work normally taken on by a much more expensive professional display. The 32UHD144 is a reference-level monitor.
While the price at this writing is $999 ($899 without the stand), it doesn’t cost much more than other comparable products. And its color accuracy, build quality and ability to anchor a hardware ecosystem make it stand out. The Corsair Xeneon 32UHD144 is a monitor anyone looking to go 4K should strongly consider.
