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Our review of the Gigabyte MO32U24 is now live. This QD-OLED Penta Tandem model includes an improved screen surface (marketed as Samsung Display ‘Quantum Black’ or Gigabyte ‘ObsidianShield’). This makes it easier to clean, with a smoother glide of the cloth when cleaning with improved scratch resistance (claimed 2.5x). It also significantly improves (though doesn’t entirely fixing) the lightening up of dark shades in brighter room lighting. The screen size and resolution combination (31.5″ @3840 x 2160) provides a good level of detail and immersion, with the 240Hz refresh rate and exceptional OLED pixel responsiveness also appreciated. Also key to the experience is the usual exceptional contrast and colour reproduction expected from QD-OLED. SDR brightness was boosted up to ~300 nits with ‘APL Stabilize’ set to ‘Low’ or ~500 nits with ‘APL Stabilize’ set to ‘High’. Gigabyte includes excellent flexibility with high peak brightness HDR modes, with various settings that combat medium shade dimming. A VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 configuration is also included for those preferring strong accuracy and consistency over high peak brightness.

Some additional thoughts and points of comparison from the review conclusion:

– With an RRP ~$1000 USD (~£800) and sometimes sold a bit below that, this monitor offers a cheaper alternative compared to the models I’ve looked at with this panel previously – the AOC AGON Pro AG326UZD2 and MSI MPG 322UR QD-OLED X24.

– Those models offer DP 2.1, which I know is a feature some people really want just so they know they’ve got the latest revision of DisplayPort on their monitor. In reality, most people will notice no difference whatsoever between DP 2.1 on those models and DP 1.4 with DSC on this one. So it’s not something I’d personally recommend paying more for.

– Aside from that, I was disappointed by the HDR gamut mapping issues that the AOC had which caused undersaturation under HDR. Plus, it lacks an HDR configuration that avoids medium shade dimming in high APL (bright shade dominant) scenes.

– I also felt its build quality and OSD feature set was lacking compared to the MSI and Gigabyte models.

– I think both the MSI and Gigabyte models are accomplished products, you can’t really go wrong with either one in my view.

– I felt the MSI had a slight edge in overall build quality, with the monitor just feeling more firmly attached to the stand if you care about that sort of thing. But I actually preferred the sleeker look and feel to the Gigabyte – I’m definitely a fan of their particularly low-profile stand base and their use of coated metals on both the neck and base.

– The MSI also scores points for its ‘AI Care Sensor’. By no means essential, but still a useful addition in my view. And for some people the superior USB-C PD (96W rather than a mere 18W) will be a consideration.

– Although they weren’t amazing quality, the Gigabyte (and AOC for that matter) included integrated speakers. I find these useful for those times I simply want a break from headphones or want to play something out loud to somebody else in the room. Of course if this is something you do a lot, a separate set of standalone speakers would be worthwhile.

– What I was particularly impressed with on the Gigabyte was the flexibility it gave with high brightness HDR configurations. It had various options which overcame the medium shade dimming QD-OLEDs are known for high APL (bright shade dominant) scenes in their high peak brightness HDR configurations.

– There were configurations on the Gigabyte which maintained the depth and atmosphere in dark dominant scenes (great for certain titles and for dark room viewing) and also prevented bright-dominant scenes appearing dim. Although there was some highlight shade crushing (nothing too extreme) and oversaturation going on.

– It had alternative high brightness HDR configurations which overbrighten some dark to medium shades in dark-dominant scenes. Which is actually useful if you’re not viewing in a dimly lit room. And can present bright-dominant scenes accurately without unwanted dimming or over-brightening, within the hardware luminance capabilities of the panel.

– So basically, ‘HDR’ with ‘APL Stabilize = High’ is a bit like a ramped-up version of MSI’s ‘EOTF Boost’ on the MPG 322UR QD-OLED X24. I appreciate some people will like the balance of ‘EOTF Boost’ as it doesn’t overbrighten quite so much in those dark-dominant scenes. But it also dims slightly in bright-dominant scenes, meaning it doesn’t preserve accuracy there as well as the Gigabyte does.

– Overall I feel the Gigabyte is a well-rounded QD-OLED which will deliver exactly the sort of experience some will crave for both SDR and HDR. I personally feel the improvements is makes over older generation QD-OLEDs are worth paying a bit of a premium for and Gigabyte puts this new Penta Tandem panel to very good use.

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