Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Sharp, vivid, and color-accurate picture
- Many picture customization choices
- Wide vary of connectivity
Cons
- Color temperature, gamma could possibly be extra correct
- On-screen menu may be sluggish and unreliable
- USB-C port solely delivers 15 watts of energy
Our Verdict
The MSI Summit MS321UP tries to undercut the higher-end competitors whereas nonetheless providing the identical characteristic units with largely hit-or-miss outcomes. The picture high quality, particularly with reference to colours, is excellent, nevertheless it additionally comes with just a few odd hang-ups. It may not attraction to the lots, however professionals whose main concern is picture high quality and who can’t afford to spend huge on a top-of-the-line monitor, ought to think about this a stable choice.
Price When Reviewed
$799.99
Best Prices Today: MSI Summit MS321UP
$799.99
$799.99
Professionals and creators in search of a 4K, 32-inch monitor with glorious colour accuracy have plenty of choices from Dell, BenQ, and Asus, however these are inclined to run north of $900. MSI’s Summit MS321UP tries to face out by delivering nice picture high quality and a broad characteristic set at a decreased worth. It’s value contemplating regardless of just a few quirks.
Note: This overview is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best 4K monitors. Go there to study extra about competing merchandise, what to search for in a 4K monitor, and shopping for suggestions.
MSI Summit MS321UP: The specs
The MSI Summit MS321UP’s specs are typical for a 32-inch 4K monitor. What stands out most could possibly be seen as a mark in opposition to MSI’s favor: There are not any Quantum Dots, no Mini-LED, and no IPS Black. This is probably going what helps MSI attain an interesting base worth.
- Display measurement: 32-inch
- Native decision: 3480×2160
- Panel kind: IPS
- Refresh price: 60Hz
- HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 600 licensed
- Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with 15 watts Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1, 3.5mm mic, 3.5mm headphone, 3.5mm combo audio, SDcard reader
- Stand adjustment: Height, tilt, swivel, pivot
- VESA mount: 100x100mm
- Speakers: None
- Price: $799.99
Still, just a few specs stand out. The monitor has FreeSync, which is much from assured amongst high-end skilled displays. It additionally has a number of unusual connection choices like an SDcard reader and a number of 3.5mm audio jacks.
MSI Summit MS321UP: Design
The MSI Summit MS321UP doesn’t take any dangers with its design which, given its concentrate on productiveness, enterprise, {and professional} use, is just not a shock. The monitor’s entrance has slim bezels on three sides and a modestly sized chin, which is adorned with a tiny dot that homes an ambient mild sensor. Around again you’ll discover an expanse of black plastic with a gold MSI brand. It’s not spectacular, however that’s the purpose. The MS321UP will merely mix in.
The MSI Summit MS321UP isn’t a lot to take a look at on the again.
Matt Smith
MSI ships the monitor with a superb ergonomic stand that adjusts for peak, tilt, and swivel. It can’t rotate 90 levels into portrait mode, although that is typical for a 32-inch monitor. The stand is primary, however sturdy, and has a small, flat base that doesn’t take up extreme house in your desk.
Setup is a trouble. The monitor stand’s neck doesn’t clip into the show panel, however makes use of 4 Phillips-head screws. An extra plastic facade clips over the neck after set up. Most opponents have a stand that snaps in, so using screws is an obstacle. The show panel is suitable with a 100x100mm VESA mount for including a third-party stand or monitor arm.
I additionally don’t just like the monitor’s cable administration. A skinny plastic clip-on information is included, nevertheless it suits the neck loosely. While it nonetheless labored to a level, it didn’t fully preserve cables out of sight, because the information typically slid to its lowest place.
MSI Summit MS321UP: Features and menu
MSI packs 4 video inputs into the Summit MS321UP. This contains two HDMI 2.0, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode. Four video inputs is about common for a 32-inch skilled monitor. The MS321UP doesn’t have DisplayPort-out, which you’ll discover within the competitors, equivalent to most Dell Ultrasharp displays.
Ports on the MSI Summit MS321UP.
Matt Smith
The USB-C port is a little bit of a miss, because it solely delivers 15 watts of energy, which undercuts this show’s function as a USB-C hub monitor. It can technically cost units, however most laptops will discharge the battery quickly when related and in use. The USB-C port does help knowledge, so you should utilize it like a KVM swap by connecting a laptop computer to USB-C and a desktop to the extra conventional USB-B upstream port. The USB-C and USB-B ports broaden connectivity to a few extra USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports.
The MS321UP affords some much less widespread connectivity, too. It has a headphone jack, which isn’t uncommon, but in addition separate microphone and 3.5mm combo audio jacks, plus an SDcard reader. The ports are situated on the left flank, in order that they’re straightforward to entry.
A joystick is used to navigate the on-screen menus. The menus are properly laid-out and principally properly labeled, however the menu may be sluggish to reply to enter. It takes a second or two to look after tapping the joystick, for instance, and I typically tapped it repeatedly as a result of I assumed my first enter wasn’t registered. The joystick makes use of a cheesy “click” to pick out choices. It feels hole and unsuited to a monitor on this worth vary.
The menus embody many choices that enterprise {and professional} customers might design. It has exact gamma and colour temperature choices and helps colour hue and saturation adjustment. It additionally affords sRGB, AdobeRGB, and Display P3 colour presets, plus three calibration presets for switching between customized calibrations and a consumer mode for full customization. An ambient mild sensor offers an auto-brightness mode that labored properly in my testing, although some would possibly discover its most popular brightness a bit a lot in a darkish room.
MSI definitely affords an extended listing of choices, however the firm must refine its menu system. Switching between modes felt a bit off, because the monitor appeared to flicker between new and outdated settings for a second relatively than switching straight to the brand new settings. I additionally seen the monitor typically reset to the default, out-of-box colour mode after a reboot, which is annoying.
Speakers aren’t included. That’s not a shock given the monitor’s goal market. BenQ is the one competitor that prioritizes audio high quality in some premium client displays.
MSI Summit MS321UP: SDR picture high quality
The MSI Summit MS321UP is a productiveness, enterprise, {and professional} monitor that targets small companies, dwelling workplaces, and content material creators in search of an correct show on a mid-range funds. Image high quality typically exceeds expectations set by the value, regardless of just a few quirks.
Matt Smith
Brightness begins off extraordinarily sturdy at 533 nits, which is unquestionably a lower above the brightness of most displays. This stage of brightness is, in reality, too excessive for a lot of use circumstances—I principally used the monitor at simply 15 to 20 % of its most.
Still, excessive brightness could make sense within the context of knowledgeable or enterprise monitor. Monitors like this would possibly ideally be utilized in a room with good mild management however, as anybody working in an workplace bullpen will verify, that’s not at all times out there.
Matt Smith
The MSI321UP’s distinction is much less spectacular, reaching a ratio of 1050:1. This is just not a nasty end result for a contemporary 4K IPS monitor, nevertheless it does fall behind what some opponents can obtain.
Black ranges are the limitation right here: The monitor can solely attain a hazy grey relatively than a real, pitch black. Real-world picture high quality is greatest in a lit room as a result of ambient mild hides the monitor’s limitations.
Using the monitor in a darkish room, however, is just not perfect. The modest distinction ratio results in a boring and washed-out picture.
Matt Smith
Color gamut is sweet, reaching the complete sRGB gamut and most of DCI-P3. It’s technically a bit behind the dearer Dell UltraSharp U3223QE however akin to mid-range Asus ProArt monitors. AdobeRGB gamut is restricted, which is unsurprising given the show panel used right here. Those who need to work in AdobeRGB ought to think about a monitor with Quantum Dots or OLED know-how, as these normally attain a lot deeper into AdobeRGB.
Matt Smith
Accuracy is a transparent win for the MSI, which achieves a particularly low stage of colour error (keep in mind—much less error is sweet!) Most fashionable IPS displays have ample colour accuracy even for creators and photographers, however the MSI321UP is clearly a lower above the already glorious competitors.
The most important quirk I seen is that gamma and colour temperature didn’t actually comply with the presets proven on the menu. Default gamma was claimed to be 2.2, however my exams pegged it at 2.3, indicating a picture that’s barely darker than it must be. Color temperature was method off, testing at 7200Okay when it must be 6500Okay. The picture appears to be like a lot cooler and extra sterile than perfect. It’s a bummer given the MS321UP’s in any other case correct picture.
Sharpness, nonetheless, is great. The monitor’s 4K decision works out to about 137 pixels per inch. That’s not as excessive as a smaller, 27-inch 4K monitor, and likewise behind Apple’s 5K Retina shows, however nonetheless very, very sharp. Fine textual content appears to be like outlined and readable, whereas high-quality 4K video is excellent. Games are nice, too, with very good element in textures and character fashions.
MSI Summit MS321UP: HDR picture high quality
The MSI321UP’s spec sheet hints at acceptable HDR. The monitor is VESA DisplayHDR 600 licensed, which signifies a excessive stage of brightness, and edge-lit native dimming is out there.
Yet the monitor’s HDR efficiency did not impress. I used to be not capable of replicate the claimed 600 nits of brightness. In reality, full-screen most brightness was decrease in HDR mode than SDR mode, reaching simply 485 nits. A 10-percent window (that’s, a picture that solely lights 10 % of the show) didn’t enhance the end result.
Local dimming mode is predictably dangerous, as edge-lit native dimming fully lacks the nuance required to boost picture high quality. Transitions between edge-lit zones are apparent as pillars of sunshine typically seem.
Yes, the MSI321UP can get vivid, nevertheless it lacks the distinction and full array dimming options required to make HDR content material shine.
MSI Summit MS321UP: Motion readability
The MSI Summit MS321UP has a 60Hz refresh and guarantees a tepid 4-millisecond gray-to-gray response time. However, the MS321UP isn’t fully hopeless.
Motion readability is okay out of the field. I used to be shocked to search out the monitor has an overdrive mode that’s, by default, set to “fast.” This results in minor overshoot that seems as halos or artifacts round quick objects. However, the issue is tame and didn’t leap out in real-world use. A “normal” mode eliminates the difficulty if desired.
Motion readability is satisfactory. A 60Hz IPS monitor is just not going to compete with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, in fact. It can also’t compete with OLED. Still, the monitor retains some stage of element in fast-moving objects and fast digicam pans throughout 3D video games.
FreeSync is supported and labored properly alongside my AMD Radeon RX 6600 graphics card. This characteristic gained’t thrill avid gamers, who’ve come to anticipate it, nevertheless it’s necessary to notice. Some enterprise {and professional} displays from opponents, most notably Dell and BenQ, don’t help FreeSync (or another type of Adaptive Sync).
This is just not a gaming monitor—however if you wish to sport on knowledgeable show, properly, you are able to do lots worse, since many lack adaptive sync and have relatively lengthy pixel response instances. Competitive avid gamers ought to look elsewhere, however much less demanding gamers can have an pleasurable expertise.
Final ideas
The MSI Summit MS321UP is an effective enterprise, productiveness, {and professional} monitor. It has a particularly colourful and correct picture and sharp, vivid presentation. This makes for a vivid expertise straight out of the field, and it’s useful when you want a monitor to make use of in a brightly lit room.
MSI subverts expectations in a number of areas. The monitor’s USB-C energy supply is missing at simply 15 watts, nevertheless it packs a number of audio output choices and an SDcard reader. It’s not a excessive refresh monitor, nevertheless it does help FreeSync for easy gameplay. The menu system isn’t at all times dependable however has no scarcity of choices.
The monitor’s quirks make it arduous to broadly advocate it, as opponents just like the Dell U3223QE and Asus ProArt PA329C have fewer points total. The Dell U3223QE additionally affords a superior distinction ratio due to its IPS Black panel. If you need nice SDR picture high quality at a extra modest worth, nonetheless, the MS321UP could possibly be a match.