[gravlax]

I read the new review on the BenQ EW3280U, which was super helpful. I’m considering buying this monitor, but one thing I was concerned about what the reference to the “shadowy border” owing to the inset nature of the screen.

I recently experienced the Asus PA32UC, which also has an inset screen which bothered me—though I’d say the fact that the color was darker on the edges and especially the corners, was what really got to me—so I’m worried that the EW3280U would similarly be bothersome. Can anyone comment on whether the “shadowy border” of the EW3280U affects the color (e.g. on a screen showing white) of the screen near the edges?

Separately, I’m curious if anyone has any thoughts on the EW3280U versus the PD3220U. I realize they’re quite different monitors, but I’m looking for a monitor that would be good for photo editing, and from the reviews I’ve read they seem similar in color accuracy and gamut, especially after calibration.

[PCM2]

Hi gravlax,

I’ve renamed your thread as I feel the comparison aspect is more interesting to focus on than the ‘shadowy border’. The BenQ EW3280U and PD3220U have a similar panel border design. They ‘suffer’ equally from this ‘shadowy border’. The reason I rarely mention this in reviews is because it’s very common for models with a dual-stage bezel (that’s most monitors these days) to have this sort of thing and it simply doesn’t bother most people. You mentioned it bothered you on the ASUS PA32UC. How close were you to the screen when you observed this and were you sitting in front of it normally or observing from an angle? It was a while since I used that model, but I seem to recall it had a somewhat deeper inset than the BenQ models. Which is typical for models with complex backlighting solutions – unless they have a thicker single-stage bezel.

BenQ has calibrated both models well and offered a fairly similar featureset, the post-calibration (and for many users pre-calibration) colour accuracy potential is indeed similar. The PD3220U has a greater range of presets focused on colour spaces (including Adobe RGB and an sRGB setting that has correct ‘2.2’ gamma tracking), whereas the EW3280U has more entertainment-focused presets. If you’re calibrating and profiling with a colorimeter, this isn’t an issue. And if you’re targeting the DCI-P3 colour space or near for your work then you’ll get a similar experience from both without profiling. The build of both models is obviously different as well, with the ‘PD’ offering a pretty solid metallic stand that’s fully adjustable, a wired OSD remote and some USB 3.1 ports. The ‘EW’ has a different look, with tilt-only stand (still a metallic base and pretty solidly built, VESA supported), wireless IR remote and integrated subwoofer. Plus offers VESA DisplayHDR 400 support vs. basic HDR10 output (more limited luminance on ‘PD’) and that damned B.I.+ feature. Having briefly used the PD3220U, I also felt the input lag was higher and pixel responsiveness not quite as well tuned as on the EW3280U – but my testing was very limited. Overall I feel the ‘EW’ is the better buy for general-purpose use and better value if you’re going to be profiling it anyway. Hence the recommendation.

[gravlax]

Hi PCM2,

Thank you very much for your incredibly thorough response—I’ve been agonizing over various monitors in this 32″ 4K category for a while now, and you’ve convinced me now to go for the EW3280U.

On the ASUS PA32UC, I reckon I was about 70cm away from the screen; even though it wasn’t a problem using the middle of the screen, my eyes kept on going to the corners of the screen, which had a vignetting effect visible from that distance (the left and right edges also showed a small amount of shadowing, but the effect was most pronounced in the corners). I’m upgrading from a Dell P2715Q which didn’t have this problem, so I think I was especially sensitive to it. It’s good to hear that the two BenQ models may have a less pronounced effect.

Given everything that you mentioned in your post, I’m going to go with the EW3280U since the attributes that are most important are about the same, and the EW3280U goes for significantly less than the PD3220U. The slightly better HDR support is a nice bonus as well. Thanks again for your advice (and for the great reviews on this site)!

[PCM2]

With the comparison between the EW3280U and PD3220U in mind, I’d like to point out they actually use quite different panels. I completely misremembered with my initial thought that the PD3220U used an AUO AHVA panel that’s slightly different to the EW3280U’s M320QAN02.1. It isn’t the case at all, it actually uses the LG Display LM315WR1-SSB1.

Whilst much of what I included in my initial reply still applies, there are some further considerations with this LG panel as covered in this rather comprehensive post. TLDR; I prefer the 32″ AUO AHVA panel used on the EW3280U, it’s less prone to certain issues with uniformity and potential ‘red corners’ (odd issue affecting some of the LG panels). Many people are still happy with it, though, and BenQ makes good use of the panel with their PD3220U.

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