BenQ EW3880R monitor review: An ultrawide with plenty of bass

Price When Reviewed

1049.99

Best Prices Today: BenQ EW3880R

Most giant ultrawide displays goal considered one of two particular markets: avid gamers, or professionals. But what if you would like an enormous, vivid monitor with nice audio system for common use? BenQ’s EW3880R, which pairs a big, vivid display with glorious audio high quality, has a laser-like deal with this area of interest—however so-so picture high quality cuts in opposition to its worth.

This assessment is a part of our best monitors roundup. Go there to be taught extra about competing merchandise and our analysis course of.

BenQ EW3880R: The specs

The BenQ EW3880R’s specs are typical for this class, which is unusually uniform even on the earth of displays. I can’t consider a present 38-inch monitor on the market with a decision that differs from 3840×1600, or one which lacks an IPS show panel.

• Display measurement: 37.5-inch ultrawide
• Native decision: 3840×1600
• Panel kind: IPS
• Refresh price: 60Hz
• HDR: Yes, HDR10, no VESA DisplayHDR certification
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C with 60 watts Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 2x USB 3.0 downstream
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Speakers: Yes, audio system with subwoofer
• Price: $1,049.99

What stands out most, as talked about, is audio high quality. The monitor pairs 3-watt audio system with an 8-watt subwoofer. Most opponents have 2-watt audio system (in the event that they embrace audio system in any respect). The monitor additionally helps HDR10, although, sadly, HDR efficiency falls flat.

BenQ EW3880R: Design

The EW3880R is a part of BenQ’s premium “entertainment” monitor line. Unlike most manufacturers, the place leisure is commonly used as a stand-in for “budget,” BenQ places thought in to what an leisure monitor ought to be. 

This extends to the monitor’s distinctive bronze-gold look. It doesn’t appear a lot completely different from a matte-black monitor at a look however, on nearer inspection, the bronze hue provides the EW3880R a novel, premium look that stands other than opponents. It’s a well-built monitor, as effectively, with thick plastic panels which have a nice texture.

A large stand holds the EW3880R’s 38-inch ultrawide show in place. It’s hefty, which retains the big show panel planted, and supplies adjustment for peak, tilt, and swivel. The stand’s width and depth make it a poor alternative for giant desks, however that’s to be anticipated given the monitor’s measurement. 

Matt Smith

The stand is a chore to connect or detach. Most displays have a clip-on system with a lever used to loosen and take away the stand when wanted, however the EW3880R makes use of 4 screws and a plastic cowl that snaps over them. The screws thread into the 100x100mm VESA mount, which additionally supplies help for many third-party monitor stands or arms.

BenQ EW3880R: Features and menu

Built-in audio system, an afterthought for many displays, are key to the BenQ EW3880R’s enchantment. It delivers a pair of 2-watt audio system alongside an 8-watt subwoofer. 

This is a large enchancment over competing displays and, for many individuals, will make desktop audio system pointless. The audio system are loud at most quantity and the subwoofer provides depth to music, motion pictures, and video games. It’s not an audiophile-quality expertise, principally as a consequence of a scarcity of element within the excessive finish, however superior to desktop speaker units that lack a subwoofer.

They’re straightforward to make use of because of the bundled distant management. It can entry all monitor settings together with quantity, brightness, distinction, and image-quality presets. A responsive joystick management hides across the monitor’s proper flank, offering a backup in case you lose the distant. 

Matt Smith

The EW3880R affords a variety of image-quality settings past the usual brightness, distinction, and sharpness tweaks accessible on all displays. Owners can additional tweak shade utilizing RGB changes within the color-temperature menu. It has a number of color-temperature presets, although none goal a particular shade temperature; and 5 gamma modes, all which goal a particular gamma worth. 

The monitor has a Rec.709 shade mode, which is perhaps helpful for professionals who work in that shade area. It lacks a devoted sRGB mode, nonetheless, which is a bummer. I feel an sRGB (or DCI-P3) shade mode can be extra related for content material creators who would possibly think about this monitor.

Connectivity is blended. The monitor affords two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate mode. That’s a complete of 4 video inputs. The USB-C energy is restricted to 60 watts of Power Delivery although, which is disappointing. That’s not sufficient to deal with the utmost energy consumption of many high-end skilled laptops. A pair of USB-A downstream ports can be utilized to increase USB connectivity when the USB-C port is in use.

BenQ EW3880R: SDR picture high quality

The EW3880R has an enormous 37.5-inch display and beefy audio system, however what about picture high quality? There’s purpose to be suspicious: BenQ’s advertising and marketing supplies make few particular claims about picture high quality. 

Matt Smith

Maximum SDR brightness is available in at simply 214 nits, which is among the many lowest outcomes from any monitor in 2022. It’s beneath even the Alienware AW3423DW, which has an OLED show and likewise struggles with brightness. 

The BenQ EW3880R is a bit simpler to make use of in a brilliant room as a result of it has an anti-glare coat, whereas the Alienware AW3423DW is shiny. However, the EW3880R does endure from some glare when a lightweight supply is in entrance of the show, because the curved display tends to amplify the sunshine.

Still, I had no bother utilizing the BenQ EW3880R in a light-controlled room and, in truth, had it tuned to about 40 p.c of most by way of most of my use. 

Matt Smith

Contrast is the place the EW3880R takes a licking. This is an IPS monitor with a typical edge-lit LED backlight, and that results in a distinction ratio of simply 870:1. 

That can be tremendous in 2020, as evidenced by the Alienware AW3421DW, an older monitor with an identical distinction ratio. However, buyers can now select from quite a lot of choices which have new panel know-how. 

The Dell U3223QE affords IPS Black, which roughly doubles distinction when in comparison with typical IPS. Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9 makes use of Mini-LED to additional increase distinction to a wonderful 8780:1. Alienware’s AW3423DW has a QD-OLED panel that, in my testing, had an successfully infinite distinction ratio.

Matt Smith

The BenQ EW3880R is a large gamut monitor that covers 96 p.c of the DCI-P3 shade gamut and 88 p.c of AdobeRGB. This is large sufficient to make the monitor helpful for some skilled duties, however it’s defeated by the Dell U3223QE and Alienware AW3423DW.

Despite this, most house owners will like what they see out of the field. A shade gamut this large skews the monitor in the direction of a vivid, colourful presentation that appears nice in video games and flicks. It’s finest when displaying video games with a punched-up shade palette, reminiscent of Overwatch. Animated motion pictures and exhibits look nice, too.

Matt Smith

Color accuracy is robust, although not distinctive. The BenQ EW3880R scores in addition to the Odyssey Neo G9 and older Alienware AW3821DW, however falls approach behind the Alienware AW3423DW. I doubt this will likely be an issue for many house owners, as all of the displays in contrast are reasonably correct general and greater than adequate for common leisure.

The EW3880R suffered a pair minor setbacks in additional nuanced features of picture high quality. It scored a default gamma curve of two.3, which signifies the picture is a bit darker than the goal of two.2. Color temperature was a bit cool, too, at a studying of 7000Ok as a substitute of the goal of 6500Ok. This means the picture can look reasonably sterile and medical at default settings. Both gamma and shade temperature might be adjusted by way of the on-screen menu.

Sharpness is sweet, however not wonderful. The monitor’s 3840×1600 decision appears excessive on paper however, when unfold throughout a 37.5-inch ultrawide panel, interprets to 110 pixels per inch. That’s nearly an identical to a 27-inch 1440p monitor. The picture appears sharp, however some pixelation turns into noticeable round very small fonts and tremendous particulars in 3D video games. 

It’s a little bit of a mixture, then. The BenQ EW3880R performs effectively in shade however falls behind in brightness and distinction. As talked about, the EW3880R’s general efficiency can be glorious in 2020, however it’s falling behind the pack in 2022.

BenQ EW3880R: HDR efficiency

The advertising and marketing behind BenQ’s HDR help may use one other look, to say the least. The monitor helps HDR10 and consists of the corporate’s “HDRi” branding, which appears to counsel it affords nice HDR help. Yet BenQ makes no particular guarantees about HDR efficiency, except for the very fact it’s supported, and the monitor just isn’t VESA DisplayHDR licensed. 

Matt Smith

The EW3880R is a lackluster HDR show. It detects an HDR sign mechanically and turns HDR mode on with out difficulty. Once on, nonetheless, I measured a most HDR brightness of simply 317 nits. That’s low: Most HDR shows can at the very least hit 400 nits. The lack of brightness, alongside the monitor’s modest distinction, makes for a boring HDR expertise. 

The BenQ EW3880R is a SDR monitor at coronary heart, and I like to recommend leaving HDR off.

BenQ EW3880R: Motion readability

I used to be a bit stunned to find the BenQ EW3880R has a most refresh price of simply 60Hz. The EW3880R is bought as an leisure show, not a gaming show—however what’s gaming, if not leisure? 

The lack of an improved refresh price has penalties for movement readability. Fast objects are fairly clear however small particulars turn out to be arduous to select up. Ghosting streaks usually observe quick objects.

Overall efficiency isn’t terrible, and typical of a 60Hz IPS monitor, however ditching help for top refresh charges seems like an apparent miss given the low value of entry-level 144Hz gaming displays.

Final ideas

BenQ’s EW3880R is in a tricky spot. It sticks to a standard IPS show panel with an unsophisticated LED backlight regardless of competitors with superior IPS Black, Mini-LED, or QD-OLED know-how. I believe this can be a actuality of producing. I’ve but to see any 38-inch ultrawide with cutting-edge panel know-how, so I believe appropriate panels will not be accessible on this measurement. 

Still, it’s arduous to suggest paying over $1,000 for a monitor with modest picture high quality. Most buyers can be higher off shopping for Alienware’s AW3423DW. It’s smaller, positive, however there’s a straightforward repair for that. Just transfer it a pair inches nearer to your face. 

Even when in comparison with 38-inch options, nonetheless, the BenQ misses on a number of particulars. These embrace HDR efficiency, USB-C Power Delivery wattage, and refresh price. Alternatives just like the LG38WN95-C and Alienware AW3821DW win in these areas, although at a typical value that’s $100 to $250 larger. If funds is a priority, the LG38WN75C-B appears a better option, because it’s accessible below $900. 

The EW3880R does have one clear benefit: audio high quality. That’s a distinct segment perk, although, and never sufficient to make BenQ’s massive ultrawide a sensible choice.