Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro review: An affordable 4K USB-C monitor with quirks

Price When Reviewed

359.99

Best Prices Today: Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro

USB-C with Power Delivery is usually one of the best ways to attach a laptop computer to your monitor. The Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro gives USB-C alongside 4K decision whereas additionally undercutting the competitors on value. This makes it an interesting selection, however a couple of frustrations maintain the monitor again.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: The specs

4K decision and USB-C video connectivity have been premium options a couple of years in the past, however screens just like the Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro carry them to extra inexpensive value factors. Coming in at $359, this 28-inch monitor is bound to attraction to anybody searching for a crisp day by day driver. 

• Display dimension: 28-inch
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel sort: IPS
• Refresh price: 60Hz
• Adaptive sync: None
• HDR: HDR appropriate
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x USB-C with DIsplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts Power Delivery, 2x downstream USB-A, 3.5mm audio out
• Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel, pivot
• VESA mount: Yes, 75x75mm
• Speakers: Stereo audio system
• Price: $359.99 MSRP

4K and USB-C apart, nonetheless, the monitor’s function set is slim. It doesn’t provide an enhanced refresh price or adaptive sync, and whereas HDR appropriate, it isn’t licensed to vow a typical degree of efficiency. The CrystalPro is extra suited to Word than World of Warcraft.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: Design

Most screens that cross my desk aren’t fashionable artwork, however the Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro is the very definition of primary. Clad in matte-black plastic, the monitor’s single design contact is a tiny Monoprice brand centered on the underside bezel. It’s the identical story round again. The rear panel bears no markings or texture except for a couple of vents. 

Matt Smith

That’s superb. BenQ, Dell, and Samsung screens are extra distinctive, however I doubt anybody searching for a finances 4K USB-C monitor cares the way it appears to be like when turned off. Build high quality is an analogous story. There’s some creak and flex within the plastics when the monitor is dealt with however nothing feels fragile or brittle. 

The stand is a miss. I like that it could actually modify for top, tilt, swivel, and even pivot into panorama mode, however its operation felt grainy and difficult. This made superb changes to the monitor’s place a chore. A 75x75mm VESA mount is obtainable for including a third-party stand or monitor arm.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: Features and menu

Connectivity is superb. The Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro has USB-C with 65 watts of Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode. This is nice to be used with a thin-and-light USB-C laptop computer, since you possibly can cost and output video over one cable. 

Monoprice throws in two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort for a complete of 4 video inputs. That’s loads for an inexpensive monitor, and greater than Dell’s S2722QC or Samsung’s S80A.

Though it has USB-C, this monitor isn’t a good USB-C hub. It contains two USB-A ports for linked wired peripherals, however they’re paired with a USB-B upstream port. The USB-A ports are on the rear panel and awkward to entry. There’s no ethernet or DisplayPort-out.

The connectivity will be laborious to make use of in any case as a result of the monitor’s menu system is a catastrophe. I spent a number of minutes attempting to puzzle it out. It seems the buttons don’t at all times work as labeled within the menu. The menu and exit buttons have been reversed in some instances. 

Putting apart that error, settings are nonetheless unusually organized and poorly labeled. Backing out of any adjustment returns you to the highest of the menu tree, not the prior step, which makes each step take only a bit extra time. Not that there’s a lot to regulate. The monitor gives an extended record of preset picture modes however no exact gamma or colour temperature adjustment. RGB colour changes can be found. 

Matt Smith

Stereo audio system are included. They’re not unhealthy, offering first rate high quality and quantity for normal use, however they’re too skinny and shallow for leisure. Most folks will wish to add exterior audio system or a headset.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: SDR picture high quality

Though inexpensive for its function set, the Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro just isn’t a finances monitor and faces some stiff competitors. Many mid-range 4K screens provide good-to-excellent picture high quality. The CrystalPro retains up in most areas. 

Matt Smith

The monitor’s most SDR brightness of 413 nits is nothing to snigger at. This is greater than most competing screens and far increased than Dell’s S2722QC. The CrystalPro is an efficient selection to be used in a vivid room.

Matt Smith

Contrast is sweet, with a most distinction ratio of 1,150:1. This is about as excessive as you’ll discover in any IPS panel monitor with an edge-lit LED backlight. 

The CrystalPro appears to be like clear and contrast-rich in a vivid room and when displaying vivid content material however can look hazy in darkish scenes. This is because of poor black-level efficiency. Areas of a scene that needs to be completely missing mild as a substitute present a uninteresting, grey glow. 

Most of the CrystalPro’s opponents successfully match it in distinction ratio, although Dell’s S2722QC notably underperformed when in SDR.

Matt Smith

The CrystalPro can show solely 98 p.c of the sRGB colour gamut, together with 86 p.c of DCI-P3. This is an uncommon outcome, as nearly all of mid-range 4K screens can show the complete sRGB gamut (or very, very near it). 

However, the CrystalPro’s protection of DCI-P3 is simply as excessive as dearer opponents just like the Asus ProArt PA279CV, so the considerably slender colour gamut just isn’t apparent. 

Technically, it means you can miss out on colours different shows can present, however this isn’t a priority in day-to-day use. If you’re a content material creator, nonetheless, it may be an issue. 

This just isn’t a large colour gamut monitor, so the CrystalPro can’t show as many colours total as some dearer options. The Samsung S80A is the standout on this class with a punchy, saturated look that leaps off the display.

Matt Smith

Color accuracy is sweet with a mean colour error of 1.31. This just isn’t the very best accessible nevertheless it comes near the Asus ProArt PA279CV, which is offered particularly for demanding creators. Default colour temperature was 6200Okay, fairly near my goal of 6500Okay. 

The CrystalPro’s gamma may very well be higher, nonetheless. I measured a gamma curve of two.3 and, to my eyes, it’s near veering right into a results of 2.4. This means the monitor’s picture is usually darker than supposed. 

This is a 28-inch 4K monitor, which works out to a pixel density of about 160 pixels per inch. That’s wonderful for an exterior monitor and supplies very good sharpness. Fonts are crisp, high-resolution video is tack-sharp, and video games present wonderful element. 

The Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro appears to be like finest once you don’t have a look at it too carefully. It is usually crisp, vivid, and vivid, nevertheless it does have limitations in colour gamut and gamma efficiency. The CrystalPro is sweet for on a regular basis use, leisure, and gaming, however not perfect for demanding customers like photographers or video editors.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: HDR picture high quality

The Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro has official HDR assist, although, in contrast to many opponents, it doesn’t have a VESA DisplayHDR certification. It’s as a substitute offered as “HDR compatible.”

That is an correct label. The CrystalPro will show an HDR sign however doesn’t do a lot to boost it. Brightness is barely increased in HDR, at a sustained most of 443 nits. Color gamut and accuracy fall proper according to the SDR figures. 

There are important tone-mapping points when HDR is on. Ramping up HDR brightness in Windows 11 destroys element in lighter shades of grey. If an Excel spreadsheet is open, for instance, the borders between cells turn into invisible. This is a typical drawback in less-capable HDR screens.

The monitor additionally didn’t detect an HDR sign and activate HDR mode mechanically. I needed to flip it on and off manually.

Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro: Motion efficiency

Refresh price is capped at 60Hz on the Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro and adaptive sync just isn’t accessible. It’s widespread for 4K screens on this value vary to skip an enhanced refresh price and adaptive sync. 

Motion readability is okay for a 60Hz show. Ghosting is apparent behind fast-moving objects. Panning throughout a scene in a recreation creates blur, however giant objects stay legible. Clarity received’t be a difficulty except you wish to play quick, aggressive video games—and if that’s the case, a 1080p 240Hz monitor is a significantly better selection.

Final ideas

The Monoprice 28-inch CrystalPro monitor is among the many least-expensive 4K USB-C screens accessible with 65 watts of Power Delivery. That’s excellent news for finances patrons who need that helpful function. The CrystalPro has flaws, together with a irritating menu system and barely-there HDR, nevertheless it additionally has perks, like a strong distinction ratio and nice colour accuracy.

Still, the CrystalPro is difficult to advocate. Like Dell’s S2722QC, one other inexpensive 4K USB-C show, the CrystalPro’s value is just too near superior screens. Samsung’s S80A gives much better picture high quality for $40 extra. Or should you simply need 4K, and don’t care about USB-C, Dell’s aging S2721QS is healthier worth.