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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
The U3224KB isn’t as bright as the Mini LED-equipped ViewSonic and Asus screens, but it offers plenty of output for a standard LED edge-lit panel. I came close to the claimed 450 nits and as you’ll see later in the HDR tests, the monitor is fully capable of 600 nits with a full-screen white pattern. You won’t need more light than this for its intended use and thanks to decent black levels, contrast is very good. It’s the blackest of the IPS screens here and manages to top 1,500:1. That’s a little short of Dell’s 2,000:1 claim, but I have no complaints about the U3224KB’s picture quality. It has excellent saturation and depth.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Calibration doesn’t alter the result, with the U3224KB maintaining its 1,500:1 ratio. It should be noted that the Samsung G8 employs dynamic contrast that cannot be switched off. That’s the reason for its very high ratio.
The U3224KB scores well in the ANSI test with a 1,438.6:1 result. It doesn’t get better than that for any IPS panel, in my experience. This is excellent performance.
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Prev Page Response, Input Lag, Viewing Angles and Uniformity Next Page Grayscale, Gamma and ColorChristian 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.