BenQ MA320U assessment: reasonably priced and versatile 32-inch, 4K show

Worth When Reviewed

$599.99

Greatest Costs In the present day: BenQ MA320U

$729.99

BenQ’s 27-inch MA270U (reviewed individually) supplies a really reasonably priced various to Apple’s costly Studio Show, however its sub-$500 price ticket does contain some compromises. On this assessment we’re trying on the 32-inch MA320U is barely costlier, at $599.99/£549.99, however in addition to offering a bigger display screen it additionally addresses a few of the weaknesses of its 27-inch stablemate and produces a brighter show with bolder, crisper colours. Only for the document, although, we must always level out that the display screen truly measures 31.5 inches when measured diagonally.

Unsurprisingly, the essential design of the 2 MA-Sequence screens may be very related, with a silver and black case that’s principally made out of plastic. It may possibly’t match the slimline magnificence or the sturdy aluminium development of Apple’s shows, however it does present options which might be lacking from its costlier Apple rivals. Most notably, the stand supplied with the MA320U lets you alter the peak of the display screen at no additional price – whereas Apple fees an additional $400/£400 to supply that possibility with its Studio Show. Going one step additional, the MA320U may also rotate by 90-degrees into the upright (portrait) place, which will be helpful for graphics or photo-editing work.

BenQ pays good consideration to smaller particulars too, together with a cable holder that clips onto the stand and helps to maintain your cables a little bit tidier – which is especially helpful in case you’re utilizing the show with each a desktop Mac and a MacBook laptop computer, or maybe a Home windows PC. There’s additionally a rubber pad on the bottom of the stand the place you possibly can relaxation your MacBook, or smaller gadgets equivalent to a set of AirPods (though it’s a disgrace that the pad doesn’t present Qi wi-fi charging as nicely).

Tucked across the again of the display screen you’ll discover two HDMI ports for video enter, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a headphone socket that’s positioned on the underside fringe of the display screen for simple entry. There are not any DisplayPort connectors, however one of many USB-C ports helps DisplayPort for video enter when linked to a Thunderbolt port in your Mac. That USB-C port additionally supplies as much as 90W charging for a MacBook laptop computer, which was nice for charging my 14-inch MacBook Professional, though 16-inch fashions want extra energy so that you’ll in all probability nonetheless want to make use of the exterior energy provide supplied along with your MacBook.

The second USB-C port on the show supplies 15W energy for charging smaller units, whereas the 2 USB-A ports present 7.5W. And, in case your Mac is linked to the show through USB-C – somewhat than HDMI – then you too can use the USB-C connection to switch knowledge as nicely, permitting you to attach units equivalent to an exterior solid-state drive to the show, or a keyboard and mouse. That makes it straightforward to attach all of your peripherals and different units to the show, so as to simply choose up your MacBook and take it with you whenever you go away, whereas all of your peripherals stay plugged into the show and able to use whenever you return.

The MA320U does have a small set of built-in audio system, however they’re pretty weak so you could wish to use that audio connector to plug in some headphones for listening to music, video or taking part in video games. I used to be additionally happy to seek out that I might use the USB ports on the show to supply audio enter for my trusty little BeoPlay speaker as nicely.

The MA320U actually scores nicely for its connectivity options, however picture high quality is simply as essential, and it does enhance on BenQ’s inexpensive 27-inch mannequin. The show’s decision continues to be 4K (3840×2160), however in addition to offering a bigger display screen than the MA270U, the MA320U additionally improves stronger picture high quality too, stepping as much as 550 nits brightness (600 nits with HDR) that sits nicely alongside the show of my MacBook Professional. Distinction is sharper than the MA270U as nicely, and the MA320U consists of an ‘M-E-book’ mode that’s designed to match the colors of a MacBook show. It additionally helps 99% of the sRGB color customary, and 97% of the DCI-P3 customary for video-editing, so it might probably actually be used for primary graphics, images and video work, though skilled and inventive customers would possibly want a show that gives much more exact color controls.

However, for basic use at dwelling or in an workplace, the MA320U supplies a shiny and daring show that may be a worthy companion for the built-in show on my MacBook Professional. BenQ additionally supplies an app referred to as Show Pilot that runs on Macs and Home windows PCs. The Show Pilot app supplies a pull-down menu that sits within the Mac’s predominant menu bar, and lets you rapidly alter settings equivalent to the color profile, or turning HDR on or off. Admittedly, the app is a little bit fiddly to make use of, and does assume somewhat a whole lot of technical data, particularly in relation to selecting color profiles and HDR settings, however it’ll nonetheless turn out to be useful for individuals who have to do some picture or video-editing once in a while.

Do you have to purchase the BenQ MA320U

The MA320U may be very a lot meant as a general-purpose show to be used at dwelling or in an workplace, and it might not meet the wants of inventive {and professional} customers. However, at lower than half the worth of Apple’s Studio Show, it does present a lovely and versatile 4K show, and can notably enchantment to MacBook homeowners who want an reasonably priced exterior show for his or her laptop computer.

See how the BenQ MA320U compares to different audio system we’ve examined in our spherical up of the Greatest Mac screens and shows we’ve examined.