BenQ Mobiuz EX3210U review: A gaming monitor with a split personality

Best Prices Today: BenQ Mobiuz EX3210U

BenQ’s Mobiuz EX3210U is one other entry within the more and more aggressive area of 32-inch, 4K, high-refresh displays that concentrate on not simply PC gaming but in addition current-gen consoles. The twist? It additionally packs options for content material creators.  

BenQ EX3210U: The specs  

The BenQ EX3210U has a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports offering 4K/120Hz gameplay when linked to a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X sport console. DisplayPort 1.4 is obtainable for PC avid gamers and ups the utmost refresh fee to 144Hz. 

• Display dimension: 32-inch 
• Native decision: 3840×2160 
• Panel kind: IPS 
• Refresh fee: 144Hz 
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync Premium Pro 
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 4x USB-A  
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel,  
• VESA mount: Yes, 100x100mm 
• Speakers: Yes, plus woofer 
• Price: $1,099.99 MSRP 

In addition to excessive refresh charges, this monitor boasts an especially huge coloration gamut and a 10-bit panel. This means it may well show 1.07 billion colours with out utilizing dithering to simulate colours. That’s nice information for coloration efficiency, although the EX3210U’s picture high quality is way from excellent. 

BenQ EX3210U: Design

BenQ’s Mobiuz gaming sub-brand isn’t probably the most engaging monitor line as we speak, nevertheless it’s shut. It has a clear, angular presentation frequent to the gaming house, however pairs this with a particular white-and-orange coloration palette.  

This helps the EX3210U stand out from the gang, but stays adequately subtle to slot in with knowledgeable house workplace. A customized RGB accent gentle is offered to boost your gaming house after darkish however can solely be managed manually by way of the monitor’s menus. It’s off by default.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

The monitor is huge and durable, with a weighty stand that gives peak, tilt, and swivel adjustment. Build high quality is top-notch, almost on par with Alienware’s greatest. However, like Alienware’s shows, the sheer dimension and heft of the BenQ EX3210U isn’t for everybody. This 32-inch monitor takes up a whole lot of house and does nothing to reduce its footprint in your desk. 

BenQ EX3210U: Features and menu

The BenQ EX3210U has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, and 4 USB-A 3.0 ports. This is a stable association for avid gamers. You can join a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and gaming PC without delay and luxuriate in 4K/120Hz from the consoles, plus 4K/144Hz from a gaming PC.  

It’s good to see 4 USB-A 3.0 ports, however they’re all situated on the rear I/O panel, which makes them laborious to entry. There’s no USB-C and no assist for DisplayPort-out. The competitors additionally lacks these options. Still, given the EX3210U’s worth, it might be good if BenQ served up some extras. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

On-screen menu controls are sturdy however complicated. The monitor contains a number of gamma and color-temperature settings plus customized coloration changes, although these have imprecise labels. The monitor additionally has a devoted sRGB mode, which is beneficial if it is advisable restrain the monitor’s huge coloration gamut. However, these options are accessed as sub-menus for particular preset picture-quality modes, which provides an additional step to discovering and utilizing them. 

You would possibly forgive this, nonetheless, as a result of the BenQ EX3210U comes with a distant. The distant can be utilized to entry all on-screen menu controls. It’s a useful addition that’s faster and extra snug than utilizing buttons on the monitor. 

The EX3210U has a pair of 2-watt audio system, plus a 5-watt subwoofer within the rear. This setup supplies good sound high quality. It has limits—the dearth of stereo separation is notable and treble falls aside at excessive quantity—nevertheless it’s a high-quality substitute for price range PC audio system. Many competing gaming displays don’t even embrace audio system.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

It additionally has a built-in microphone with noise cancellation. The microphone’s high quality is about equal to a superb laptop computer mic and the noise cancellation works nicely. I wouldn’t suggest it for recording a podcast, nevertheless it’s high-quality for video calls.  

BenQ EX3210U: SDR picture high quality

The BenQ EX3210U may be a gaming monitor, nevertheless it has almost equal emphasis on superior picture high quality for content material consumption and creation. This is usually excellent news, although the monitor does undergo a number of flaws. 

SDR brightness is available in at simply 263 nits, which is considerably decrease than many rivals. This is a bit puzzling as a result of the monitor’s most HDR brightness is considerably greater. It suggests BenQ deliberately limits the brightness of the monitor.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

There may very well be good causes for this. In many circumstances, viewing SDR content material at a brightness above 200 nits could make darkish scenes look worse. It might even grow to be uncomfortable over time when viewing in a darkish room. Still, it’s higher to let customers ramp up brightness in the event that they really feel the necessity.  

Contrast is a significant issue for the EX3210U. I measured a distinction ratio of simply 540:1. Gaming displays with an IPS panel, such because the EX3210U, are infamous for disappointing distinction—however the EX3210U’s efficiency is even worse than standard. 

An absence of distinction is dangerous information for depth and dimensionality in each video games and films. Content typically appears flat in comparison with shows with higher distinction. Black degree efficiency is dangerous, so darkish scenes look hazy with noticeable vivid spots alongside the sides of the display. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

The EX3210U isn’t alone, nonetheless. Direct rivals just like the Viewsonic XG320U and Asus ROG Strix PG329Q share this concern.  

While the EX3210U stumbles in distinction, it picks itself up with coloration efficiency. It delivers 100 p.c of each the sRGB and AdobeRGB gamuts, plus 95 p.c of DCI-P3. These are glorious figures that greater than qualify the EX3210U as a wide-gamut show.  

Matt Smith / Foundry

Gamers will typically just like the vivid, oversaturated coloration that outcomes. It seems to be crisp, vibrant, and punchy, particularly in video games like Valorant or Overwatch. Content creators who wish to work in a coloration house past sRGB will admire this, as nicely. 

Average coloration accuracy is available in at an error of 1.9, which is nice, however not implausible. Many competing displays have comparable efficiency out of the field. This degree of accuracy is ok for gaming however gained’t impress content material creators who care about correct coloration presentation.  

The BenQ EX3210U has glorious gamma curve efficiency with a number of settings. This is nice information for each gaming and content material creation, because it helps present an correct and well-balanced picture in quite a lot of conditions. 

Matt Smith / Foundry

On the opposite hand, coloration temperature was off at default settings. I measured a coloration temperature of 5400Ok. This is way hotter and extra reddish than the everyday goal of 6500Ok. This might be fastened with the monitor’s coloration temperature settings, nonetheless. 

Don’t neglect that the EX3210U is a 4K monitor. Text seems to be crisp, video games pack fantastic element, and high-res video seems to be razor sharp. 

Content creators ought to know this monitor has a real 10-bit panel, which will increase the variety of colours it may well show with out dithering and reduces coloration banding general. The inclusion of a real 10-bit panel might contribute to its worth. With that stated, those that don’t have already got robust beliefs concerning the significance of “true” 10-bit coloration are unlikely to understand this.  

In abstract, the EX3210U’s picture high quality is blended. The monitor’s glorious coloration and sharpness supplies an amazing expertise when watching or enjoying punchy, detailed content material. If you fireplace up darker video games like Diablo II: Resurrected, or a noir film like The Batman, the monitor’s downside with distinction will likely be noticeable.  

BenQ EX3210U: HDR efficiency

Turning on HDR boosts the monitor’s most sustained brightness to 512 nits. This is greater than Viewsonic’s XG320U, which maxed out at 463 nits, however beneath the Asus ROG Strix PG329Q, which rose to 529 nits.  

HDR content material doesn’t look nice, nonetheless, and distinction is once more the perpetrator. There’s not sufficient of a spot between the brightest and darkest distinction to focus on shocking element in both very darkish or very vivid scenes. The monitor gives a dynamic backlight characteristic, however as a result of that is an edge-lit monitor, it doesn’t work nicely.  

BenQ’s HDRi preset modes will not be good. They drastically shift each the colour and gamma in the direction of a brighter however much less correct presentation. The result’s a flatter, much less colourful look that I don’t suppose anybody will choose. The monitor’s DisplayHDR mode is the one HDR image-quality preset value utilizing.  

The BenQ EX3210U contains an adaptive picture high quality characteristic referred to as HDRi. This sounds good however, in apply, it wants a whole lot of work. Any picture high quality enchancment it supplies is troublesome to discern.  

BenQ EX3210U: Motion efficiency

The BenQ EX3210U helps refresh charges as much as 144Hz over DisplayPort and as much as 120Hz over HDMI 2.1, and it contains two HDMI ports. Motion readability is powerful at each 120Hz and 144Hz. Fast-moving objects present solely minor blur and retain sufficient readability to simply see the motion. Great movement readability additionally retains element if you shortly flip the digicam, equivalent to handing over a first-person sport.  

Games additionally really feel clean at excessive refresh charges, which is to be anticipated. A refresh fee of 144Hz may appear meager in comparison with smaller 240Hz or 360Hz shows, however keep in mind: This is 4K. This is nice because it will get for a 32-inch, 4K monitor.  

BenQ embraces AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for adaptive sync. This is smart given the monitor’s deal with console gaming along with PC gaming, because the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are powered by AMD graphics {hardware}. The monitor isn’t formally G-Sync licensed, however G-Sync functioned when the monitor was linked to each an Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti desktop graphics card and a laptop computer with Nvidia RTX 3060 cellular graphics.  

BenQ EX3210U: Final ideas 

BenQ’s Mobiuz EX3210U is a monitor aimed toward two completely different customers however doesn’t hit the mark with both. 

The inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports and a 4K/144Hz panel suggests a deal with console and PC gaming, however the monitor’s disappointing distinction ratio limits its attraction. It’s solely supreme for vivid, saturated video games.  

Content creators will like its huge coloration gamut and true 10-bit panel, each of which contribute to excellent coloration assist. But the monitor lacks helpful productiveness options like USB-C, and its coloration accuracy is merely high-quality.  

The EX3210U may very well be a worthy choose for a pair hundred {dollars} at MSRP. Until then, I can solely suggest it to content material creators who wish to play 4K/120Hz video games on the identical setup they use for work.