[PCM2]

I’m pretty sure they haven’t changed panels and still use the AUO M320QAN02.1 for the EW3280U. What you describe with your third unit (ands lesser extent second unit) is simply a uniformity issue which could unfortunately affect any model – it’s always an annoying lottery with those sorts of things. If people do have issues with a unit they receive and buy in a way that supports our work, they’ll be backed up by an excellent returns policy as well. Should issues unfortunately develop further down the line, that’s what manufacturer warranties are for. Would of course be better if things like the volume control actually worked, though – was this an issue that developed over time or was it never working on those units? I just received a mouse from a reputable manufacturer that didn’t have a working scroll wheel, so sometimes these things are cursed. 😉

[otsukarci]

So it has been a week since my 328E1CA arrived (Tried your link but it was redirecting me to .IT, I live in .TR). I can’t compare to other monitors in the same category, but so far I am satisfied with my unit. There were no dead pixels, I didn’t have to edit any settings at all, not on monitor nor on Nvidia panel. Colors, text clarity and eye comfort are all satisfactory. Being able to read/write with comfort is the most important thing to me. Monitor was to my liking out of the box. I only switch between 6500k/5000k color temperature during day/night. I am a software developer so upgrading from 24″ 1080 to 32″ 4k for using code & visual editors was a vast improvement. I play games very casually so I can’t judge that part. Monitor button controls are okay. I like the menu, I dislike hardware trying to be too smart on their UI. I have never used or wanted a curved monitor before and it does seem have some advantages. After a week I still prefer flat tbh but curve doesn’t bother me that much either. The only thing that bothers me is not being able to elevate it a few cm. For the record price was around 410$.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the 328E1CA, otsukarci. I’m glad you’re satisfied with it and feel it’s working well for your uses. 🙂

[bbq]

My Dell U2711 (27″, IPS, QHD) unexpectedly died. While I was happy with that set up, I thought it would be nice to upgrade to a 32″ UHD monitor. I understand that the Philips 328E1CA is a recommended monitor here. Amazon presently has it for US $350. This was within my budget of < $400, but I can get the Samsung 32″ UJ590 for US $244 and the Samsung 32″ S70A (LS32A700NWNXZA) for $251. There doesn’t seem to be very much discussion of the Samsung models here. Why is that? Is the Philips really $100 better? Are AU Optronics panels that bad for text that they are really mentioned here?

Elsewhere, the UJ590 is spoken of well, except some complain that the colors feel washed out, perhaps because it is only 250-270 nits. The S70A (or is it A700) appears to be a newer model covering the same space, although both continue to be marketed now. It is a bit brighter at 300. I was leaning toward it only because it is a new model. There also appears to be a S32A704NWN. I can’t figure out the difference, other than the 4 in number, but it sells for much more than the LS32A700NWN.

My usage is 90% productivity such as document reading and coding. The rest is the occasional movie/tv/youtube and a few games, but most are not fast paced FPS anyway. Is the Samsung poor at text? I thought the 4K pixels would still end up looking better than the IPS/1440p that I was used to even though it was a VA panel.

[PCM2]

The preferred shorthand designations for those models, which I’d generally use when discussing them, are the Samsung S32A700 and Samsung U32J590. There is some discussion on the latter and others using the same flat Innolux panel it uses in various posts, including here which is linked to in the recommendations section where the Philips 328E1CA is featured. I’m more likely to recommend or extensively discuss products I have personal experience with or have received extensive feedback for. Samsung’s PR team here in the UK is next to useless on the monitor side, which is why we don’t review their products currently. It’s simply not worth the effort. I do occasionally purchase monitors myself, but usually reserve that for models I’m very interested in reviewing and for times when the manufacturers and PR companies we work with are having a bit of a lull with samples.

I have received feedback and shared some broad thoughts related to other models using the same panel as the S32A700, even if not for the model itself. And it does seem characteristically very similar to the Philips’ panel and if you knock the curve out of the equation and like what you read about in the review, you’ll probably enjoy the Samsung. The flat models initially used a flat version of the Samsung panel from the Philips, but then Samsung stopped LCD production and they switched over to an AUO version using the same ‘recipe’. Philips has likely switched over to using a curved AUO panel as well for the 328E1CA. The alternative would be CSOT which has taken over some of Samsung’s VA panel production, but I’m not aware of a specific panel that would fit from them here. I can’t speak for areas such as calibration or pixel response tuning for the Samsung, but for your usage I’m sure it will be adequate anyway. I’d love your feedback if you did decide to go for it, which I’d understand given the current price. I’m not sure what would be different with the S32A704, either. Different numbers at the end generally just denote slightly different variations on included accessories and that sort of thing. Usually the actual monitor is the same.

[bbq]

The Samsung S32A700 that I ordered arrived and I was able to set it up today. Unfortunately, there is a diagonal series of dead pixels about 1 mm wide and 6 mm long on the upper left the screen that is too big to ignore, so I am sending it back. I won’t have the opportunity to return it for another few days, so I am trying it out with the expectation of getting another one.

This is my first UHD, 32″, and VA monitor, so I don’t have a good reference to compare this too. My initial impression, excluding the defect, are good. Text is very readable at a normal distance even with Windows scaling set to 100%. If I get really close to the monitor, I can still see the dots, but I don’t find them oddly shaped or blurry. For some reason I just haven’t had the time to figure out, the setup is at 30 Hz. I am not sure whether this is cause, or the VA panel, but I do get motion trails when I move a window around a lot. For my use, that is not show stopper of an issue.

I am not sure what would be interesting to look at or look for.

[PCM2]

Thanks for sharing your impressions on the S32A700. They sound positive overall, aside from the obvious pixel defect which warrants a return and the 30Hz experience. With respect to the latter, what GPU or graphics hardware do you have and how have you connected the monitor up?

[bbq]

I am using the on-board graphics from a MSI MPower AC Max Z97 motherboard. The MSI website claims that 3840×2160@60Hz is supported, but I should have checked the Intel website as I don’t think the board has much to do with it. It has Intel HD Graphics 4600 graphics. (Yes, I know it is antiquated, but with skyrocketing cost of GPUs, I just never got around to buying one.) The Intel HD Graphics Control Panel doesn’t offer an option above 30 Hz, unless I reduce the resolution. I didn’t think DisplayPort 1.4 was needed for UHD at 60 Hz. I think the 4600 had DisplayPort 1.2 which I thought would be able to do 60 Hz. I don’t think this is a problem with the monitor. I just need to upgrade the rest of my setup.

Because I sometimes use this display with my laptop, I had been using ClickMonitorDDC 7.2 to switch ports on my Dell U2711. The ClickMonitorDDC doesn’t seem to work with the Samsung. It thinks the monitor has VGA, DVI, and CompositeVideo as input ports. ClickMonitorDDC is hasn’t been updated in a long time. It is abandoned software, so again, I am not blaming the monitor, but disappointing.

I haven’t convinced myself if this is a real or imagined perception, but if I sit really close to the monitor (like < 15″), then I think the left and right edges appear to darker than the center. This might be because of the viewing angle of the VA panel vs the IPS that I had used before. This is a flat panel and this maybe a curved one would be better in this situation, but I don’t think that sitting that close is a good idea anyway.

[PCM2]

Yeah, doesn’t sound like any specific issues on the monitor side which is good. You’ll definitely be observing some clear shifts (including dimming at the edges) when sitting that close to a VA model of this size. They would indeed persist even if the model was curved. And less significant changes in perceived gamma and saturation can be observed even if you’re sitting a bit further back, as noted in the 328E1CA review for example. 🙂

[matsmad]

Hello everyone, I came across this forum by coincidence!
Thanks for this great discussion regarding monitors.

I received the DELL S3221QS yesterday. This monitor replaces my ASUS PB277Q 27″ monitor (TN panel).
I bought the DELL for office and software development. It will often be used for the PS4 Pro as well.
The DELL is connected to an MacBook Pro 2017 with 4k and 60hz and running on factory settings.

However, I have a noticed “problems” with the monitor:
– The picture somehow appears to be washed out or filtered or something. Like there is a layer above the main picture making it not looking so crispy.
– The white color, especially a white background, is not white at all. There are places, especially when going to the edges, which are kind of yellowish. It looks like it is yellowish at the places where the monitor begins to curve.
– When gaming with the PS4 it seems like there is some kind of smearing.
– The colors on the top, bottom, left, right edges are “washed out” they are not so colorful as they are in the middle

I assume that these are VA Panel problems but I thought that the VA panel is better than my previous TN Panel monitor. Subjectively, the picture of the TN panel seemed better and clearer.

So I am asking if my “problems” are normal.
Further: If this bothers me too much, which monitor should I buy?

[PCM2]

Hi matsmad,

Many of the issues you describe are related to the panel technology, though poor uniformity (which can affect any model) will play a role with some of them, such as the edges looking more yellow. We describe these VA-specific shortcomings in our reviews of similar models and also summarise them in our panel types article. TN models have different issues, a distinct gamma gradient (affects saturation and dark detail) from top to bottom – but subjectively you may find the VA weaknesses more noticeable. They manifest in quite a different way. If you wish to avoid them, the simple answer would be to opt for an IPS option such as those explored in this thread or the recommendations section. They will come at a premium, unless you’re happy to drop down to ~27″.

The other thing to check for PC usage is that your colour signal is correct, particularly if you’re using an Nvidia GPU. This is a potential issue for both HDMI and DP and could certainly accentuate some of the issues you’re having. The gamma calibration of the S3221QS is often all over the place as well, which doesn’t help in some cases. Your unit could be quite bad in that respect, but even with perfect gamma calibration centrally you will still perceive shifts towards the edges.

[matsmad]

Hi there,
thanks for your reply.

Sorry – my English is not so good as it should, therefore, to summarize your post:
What I am describing is pretty normal for that kind of screen, correct?

the simple answer would be to opt for an IPS option such as those explored in this thread or the recommendations section. They will come at a premium, unless you’re happy to drop down to ~27″.

The problem is I like the size of 32″ with 4k and the curved. It gives so much value in my opinion for screen work.
Further, the monitor has ergonomic features like adjusting the height and that it is inclinable (hope it is the correct verb).
It’s not easy to find a monitor with these attributes.

The gamma calibration of the S3221QS is often all over the place as well, which doesn’t help in some cases. Your unit could be quite bad in that respect, but even with perfect gamma calibration centrally you will still perceive shifts towards the edges.

That’s what I don’t understand in kind of comprehension.
Does that mean that my unit is faulty, and I face this issues due to this fact?

I have uploaded some sample photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wMFeP7F9NreUaPUM7

Hopefully this gives some more insights.
Don’t know if this is normal / okay for this unit.

[PCM2]

Based on the images you’ve provided, it looks like more than just VA-related weaknesses. So some of this is not ‘normal’ and just related to the panel technology. Though it’s very difficult to tell from images, they don’t accurately represent what you’d be seeing by eye. They depend on the camera and the screen you’re viewing the images on. It does look like your unit has particularly poor uniformity, based on the photos. And it also looks to have messed up gamma, which means various shades can look more washed out than they should. Because perceived gamma is even lower on VA models near the edges, it then becomes ‘super washed out’ there. Can you also confirm the colour signal is correct as suggested?

If you want to stick to a ~32″ curved ‘4K’ model then you really have no option at the moment other than to stick to VA. My recommendation is clear with that in mind and that’s the Philips 328E1CA (relevant post).

[matsmad]

Following, some pictures from the diagnosis mode of the monitor:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/CpvGYPGGsp9rujMw7

[PCM2]

Right, you can clearly see much better (and more appropriate) shade depth there (no GPU ‘interference’ involved) compared to your first set of images. That really does point to a fair likelihood that you’re using the wrong colour signal in Windows, in your graphics driver, per my previous posts. The 328E1CA required corrective action taken as advised in the review: “An important step also had to be performed in the graphics driver if connected to an Nvidia GPU via HDMI. The colour signal had to be corrected to a ‘Full Range RGB’ signal as detailed in this article.” And it’s likely the S3221QS does as well. Assuming you’re using an Nvidia GPU, see this part of the article and the first solution mentioned there.

[matsmad]

First, thanks for your time to help me with this.

Based on the images you’ve provided, it looks like more than just VA-related weaknesses. So some of this is not ‘normal’ and just related to the panel technology

Okay does that mean the unit is broken and I should return it? Based on your latest post the pictures from diagnosis mode look “normal” and “good” for the VA so that there should be no fault.

Right, you can clearly see much better (and more appropriate) shade depth there (no GPU ‘interference’ involved) compared to your first set of images. That really does point to a fair likelihood that you’re using the wrong colour signal in Windows, in your graphics driver, per my previous posts.

I do not own a Windows notebook, the monitor is connected to an MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019) Pro with a Radeon GPU.
A friend of mine also owns this monitor and a MacBook and has some other color experience. Therefore, I have tried around some color profiles the Mac provides and it does make a huge difference.

Don’t know if it is noticable on these pictures

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zSjiyHNVKQGyzasY7

[PCM2]

I don’t have experience with Mac systems and I’m not sure whether you had something activated there initially that was causing issues and the ‘corrected’ profile helped with. Or it simply made corrections that worked well for your unit and overcome some issues with its factory calibration. Either way, if you’ve found colour profiles on the Mac you’re happy with for the S3221QS, it seems the issue is resolved. It’s likely that the factory calibration of your unit is poor (and it’s not fully used in the ‘diagnostics menu’, so you can’t see the issues there) and the profile you applied corrects this.

You could consider investing in your own colorimeter or similar device if you wish to make more specific and accurate corrections for your unit, or just keep using the corrected profile you have if you’re happy with it. As this isn’t a free technical support service I won’t be addressing further comments along this line and have already been generous with my time.

[matsmad]

Hey there,
I would like to give an update to the DELL S3221QS in case anyone comes by this thread.

I was able to get a better picture and a subjectively better picture quality by connecting the monitor via DisplayPort instead of HDMI (mod edit: suggests a colour signal issue via HDMI, for Mac users the colour signal can possibly be changed in ‘System Preferences’ – ‘Displays’ – ‘Color’ or a third party tool may be required).

Furthermore, I tried all color profiles on the Mac until I got a good result. It takes some time to go through all the profiles, but it’s worth the effort.

In addition to that, I applied the settings for RGB and brightness and contrast used at rtings. These can be seen in the rtings review. The reviewers at rtings used the “Custom Color” setting in the OSD and adjusted the RGB values as well as the brightness and contrast based on that.

The only thing I notice now is that the vertical line, at the point where the curvature begins, the white there is slightly yellowish compared to the center, or has a slight yellow tint. Especially when you compare it to the center of the screen. Furthermore, the white becomes paler at the edge of the screen. (https://photos.app.goo.gl/GJTnvHt8auP8DPeG6)

Kind regards.

[matsmad]

Hey there,
I have returned the DELL S3221QS due to the white uniformity and bought an LG 32BN67U with IPS panel and thought that an IPS panel would do better.

Sad to say, this monitor also faces the problem that the left half of the display / monitor is not clear white. Instead, it has yellow tint on the left side while the right side looks fine.

Is it impossible today to find a monitor without any problems?
As I have done some research: Also monitors >= €1.000 face such issues. That’s crazy!

I have the impression that the only way to find a good monitor is to order, test and if necessary return. Then return to point #1.

[PCM2]

Uniformity is indeed an annoying lottery, even if you pay a very high price. Some models include an ‘Uniformity Compensation’ (UC) mode which is designed to improve uniformity across the screen at the expense of contrast. But that can be quite hit and miss as well and sometimes has quite a limited positive impact on uniformity whilst significantly decreasing contrast.

[Author]

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