BenQ EX3200R"31.5" FHD VA

There are a few high refresh rate monitors now on the market, with VA (Vertical Alignment) panels now being included in the mix alongside TN and IPS-type (AHVA) models. The BenQ EX3200R features a curved 31.5” VA panel with Full HD resolution and a 144Hz native refresh rate. Aesthetically the monitor reminds us of some of the old Samsung models with their interesting two-pronged stand designs (that isn’t a bad thing) – this model also has uniformly thin bezels on all 4 sides. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by pressable OSD on the underside of the bottom bezel, on the right side.

The monitor uses a 31.5” VA (Vertical Alignment) panel with a reasonably pronounced 1800R curvature, which the manufacturers will tell you should provide superior viewing comfort by providing a more uniform viewing distance between the centre and edges of the screen. From experience we do find this sort of curvature adds some ‘depth’ to the experience without making everything appear odd – which is good. A Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 is supported, a 3000:1 static contrast specified and 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles claimed. A 144Hz refresh rate is supported, or more specifically 48 – 144Hz variable, with Adaptive-Sync and hence AMD FreeSync support on compatible GPUs. The monitor is being touted as an ‘entertainment monitor’ and specifically offers support for 24P, 25P and 30P movie playback.

A flicker-free WLED backlight offering support for the sRGB colour space is employed and Low Blue Light (LBL) modes also feature. Both of these visual comfort features are now standard on BenQ monitors and indeed they were the first manufacturer to promote said features. So we thank them for kicking other manufacturers into gear on both fronts. A 4ms grey to grey response time is specified and true 8-bit colour supported – given the panel type, you should approach the response time with caution. A ‘Color Vibrance’ feature is also present, which is much like a monitor hardware alternative to Nvidia ‘Digital Vibrance’ control. This pulls shades closer to the edge of the gamut for increased shade range but decreased shade variety. The included stand offers 60mm (2.36 inches) of height adjustment and can be removed to make way for an alternative 100 x 100mm stand or mount. The ports on the monitor include; DP 1.2a and Mini DP 1.2a (both support Adaptive-Sync), HDMI 1.4a (supports Adaptive-Sync up to 120Hz) and a 3.5mm headphone jack.