Monoprice UHD Matte 28-inch Monitor Review
Monoprice's new 28-inch Ultra HD monitor features an anti-glare layer, which offers great viewing angles. But can the new UHD match the performance to the company's CrystalPro 4k display?
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Packaging, Physical Layout & Accessories
The UHD Matte ships with everything you need to run at 3840x2160 pixels. In addition to a compact external power supply you get a high-speed HDMI cable. With its version 2.0 interface you can run at the panel's full resolution as long as your video card also supports HDMI 2.0. Also included is a printed quick-start guide. A full user's manual can be downloaded from Monoprice's website.
No tools are required for assembly. Simply snap the base onto the panel, make your cable connections and you're ready to go. We used HDMI for our pattern generator and DisplayPort for full-resolution content from our test system.
Product 360
The UHD Matte is named for its matte anti-glare layer, which is one of the best coatings we've seen recently. Only the brightest light will create a reflection and there is no loss of clarity from graining or other artifacts. The air gap to the LC layer seems tight but our sample had no visible light bleed. Uniformity tests confirm that the panel is of high quality.
The chassis and base are made from plastic with a gloss finish. Peel-off film protects the surfaces from scratches during shipping. The only adjustment is tilt, which moves through an 18-degree arc. Comparing this screen to the CrystalPro UHD we reviewed almost a year ago, the stand is a step down from that product. There's a bit of wobble and no metal inserts to make things more rigid. And we miss the aluminum bezel of the older model.
Controls consist of seven buttons that require a firm press to operate. You can see the icons denoting their functions on the front bezel but the keys face downwards. We found them a bit awkward but admittedly we're spoiled by the joysticks that come on many monitors nowadays. Despite this, OSD navigation presented no trouble.
The UHD Matte presents a fairly slim side profile with a large flat area for the 100mm VESA mount. You won't find USB ports or a headphone jack on either side. Here you can see that the stand hinges at the bottom so when you tilt the panel, its top moves away from you and the bottom stays put.
Only smooth straight lines and large flat surfaces adorn the panel's back with the VESA mount holes conveniently exposed. Ventilation is more than up to the task of providing cooling for the display's innards and we detected no signs of hot running. Hiding behind the grills are two speakers that present the tinny sound typical of built-in monitor audio. They'll play signals from the digital video inputs or an analog stereo jack provided on the bottom panel.
Inputs face downwards and are extremely close to the chassis. We had a little trouble plugging in a thick DisplayPort cable because the port is directly above the monitor's base. Also provided is HDMI 2.0, DVI and VGA. Audio is supported digitally or via a stereo analog input. The far-right connection is for the power supply.
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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.
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jragonsoul i wish the display was bigger, 40-50 inch, at 28 i find it useless.
Then you should get a television unless you want to pay 2000+ USD for the monitor. -
g-unit1111 What's the cost? For someone who is in the market for a new monitor this is an interesting option.Reply -
bit_user
I don't know about 50" (unless you're sitting like 5 feet away), but 4k resolution at 28" seems a waste, to me. My 27" is 2560x1440 and I think I'd probably have to go up to at least 32" for my eyes to make out much more detail.17501375 said:i wish the display was bigger, 40-50 inch, at 28 i find it useless.
But I'm waiting for the next generation of GPUs, before I even start thinking about 4k monitors. Ideally, I'd wait until I can get a 14/16 nm GPU with HBM2 for <= $250.
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Nintendork The monitor is pretty <removed>, when smartphone screens are reaching 2000:1 using the IPS panels with "quantum dot" you ask yourself why should you buy a crappy pc monitor.Reply
Watch the language. - G -
jragonsoul
Honestly I think HBM2 is going to be reserved for higher tier GPUS (I HOPE I AM WRONG!) so I'm thinking bare minimum would be 300-350 for one. Would be glad to be proven wrong though.17503284 said:
I don't know about 50" (unless you're sitting like 5 feet away), but 4k resolution at 28" seems a waste, to me. My 27" is 2560x1440 and I think I'd probably have to go up to at least 32" for my eyes to make out much more detail.17501375 said:i wish the display was bigger, 40-50 inch, at 28 i find it useless.
But I'm waiting for the next generation of GPUs, before I even start thinking about 4k monitors. Ideally, I'd wait until I can get a 14/16 nm GPU with HBM2 for <= $250.
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hannibal I also have 27" 2560x1440, and also think that the sweet spot for 4K is near 32". But hard to say without testing it personally.Reply
But in reality 4K needs G-sync or Freesync IMHO, because how much it needs horsepower to run in. Frame rates are not going to be great with these for many years.
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sc14s The monitor is pretty <removed>, when smartphone screens are reaching 2000:1 using the IPS panels with "quantum dot" you ask yourself why should you buy a crappy pc monitor.
You are comparing the monitor to something that probably costs somewhere around double if you are going high end phone (which you would have to have for high end screens). This isn't even mentioning the fact that you are getting a fraction of the viewing size on the phone. Apples to oranges really.
Watch the language. - G