Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
It ’s not give-up the ghost to take exception Apple ’s professional - level presentation , but the MA320U is an attractive and affordable 4 K display for general enjoyment at habitation or in an bureau .
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Best Prices Today: BenQ MA320U
BenQ ’s 27 - inchMA270U ( review separately)provides a very affordable option to Apple ’s expensiveStudio show , but its sub-$500 price tag does call for some via media . In this review we are looking at the 32 - inch MA320U is slimly more expensive , at $ 599.99/£549.99 , but as well as providing a larger screen it also addresses some of the weakness of its 27 - column inch stablemate and produces a brighter display with bolder , crisper colors . Just for the record , though , we should point out that the screen actually measure out 31.5 inches when measured diagonally .
Unsurprisingly , the canonical conception of the two MA - Series monitor is very similar , with a silver and black suit that is mostly made out of charge plate . It ca n’t match the slimline elegance or the stout aluminium twist of Apple ’s displays , but it does cater characteristic that are missing from its more expensive Apple challenger . Most notably , the stand provide with the MA320U allows you to adjust the height of the screen at no additional cost – whereas Apple charges an special $ 400/£400 to provide that pick with its Studio Display . go one step further , the MA320U can also rotate through 90 - degrees into the upright ( portrait ) berth , which can be useful for graphics or photo - editing workplace .
BenQ pays just care to smaller details too , including a transmission line holder that snip onto the standstill and help to keep your cables a little tidier – which is specially handy if you ’re using the show with both a desktop Mac and a MacBook laptop computer , or perhaps a Windows PC . There ’s also a India rubber pad on the base of the stall where you could rest your MacBook , or smaller items such as a curing of AirPods ( although it ’s a disgrace that the lodgings does n’t provide Qi radio charging as well ) .
Tucked around the back of the cover you ’ll find two HDMI ports for video input , two USB - coke porthole , two USB - A interface , and a headphone socket that is located on the bottom edge of the screen for easy access . There are no DisplayPort connectors , but one of the USB - coke ports affirm DisplayPort for telecasting stimulant when relate to a Thunderbolt interface on your Mac . That USB - C interface also provides up to 90W charging for a MacBook laptop computer , which was hunky-dory for charging my 14 - column inch MacBook Pro , although 16 - in models need more power so you ’ll probably still need to use the external top executive supply provided with your MacBook .
The second USB - C embrasure on the display provides 15W power for charging smaller devices , while the two USB - A larboard provide 7.5W. And , if your Mac is connected to the presentation via USB - C – rather than HDMI – then you’re able to also use the USB - C connection to transport data as well , allowing you to plug in devices such as an external solid - commonwealth driving to the display , or a keyboard and mouse . That makes it easy to tie all your peripherals and other twist to the display , so that you’re able to just pick up your MacBook and take it with you when you leave , while all your peripheral remain plugged into the display and quick to habituate when you return .
The MA320U does have a small circle of work up - in speakers , but they ’re jolly weak so you may need to use that audio connector to plug away in some headphones for listening to music , TV or playing games . I was also pleased to discover that I could utilize the USB larboard on the show to provide audio input for my trustworthy little BeoPlay speaker as well .
The MA320U certainly scores well for its connectivity feature article , but image quality is just as important , and it does improve on BenQ ’s less expensive 27 - inch model . The display ’s resolve is still 4 K ( 3840×2160 ) , but as well as providing a large covert than the MA270U , the MA320U also meliorate stiff icon quality too , stepping up to 550 nits brightness ( 600 nits with HDR ) that sits well alongside the show of my MacBook Pro . Contrast is sharper than the MA270U as well , and the MA320U admit an ‘ M - Book ’ mode that is designed to match the colours of a MacBook display . It also supports 99 % of the sRGB coloring criterion , and 97 % of the DCI - P3 criterion for telecasting - redaction , so it can certainly be used for introductory graphics , photography and telecasting oeuvre , although professional and originative users might take a showing that provides even more precise colour control .
But , for general function at home or in an business office , the MA320U provides a shining and bluff display that is a suitable companion for the built - in display on my MacBook Pro . BenQ also provide an app called Display Pilot that runs on Macs and Windows PCs . The Display Pilot app provides a pull - down menu that sits in the Mac ’s main menu bar , and allows you to quickly align options such as the people of color profile , or turn HDR on or off . Admittedly , the app is a footling fiddly to use , and does assume rather a lot of technical knowledge , especially when it comes to choosing colour profiles and HDR scope , but it will still fare in handy for people who call for to do some picture or video - editing from time to meter .
Should you buy the BenQ MA320U
The MA320U is very much intended as a oecumenical - purpose display for use at home or in an office , and it may not meet the needs of creative and professional drug user . But , at less than half the price of Apple ’s Studio Display , it does provide an attractive and versatile 4 K exhibit , and will peculiarly invoke to MacBook owners who ask an low-priced external show for their laptop computer .
See how the BenQ MA320U liken to other Speaker we have tested in our round up of theBest Mac monitors and display we have quiz .
