If you’ve read the 4K feature in this issue and decided you
still want to give this uber resolution a shot, there
are a variety of consumer PC 4K displays to choose from, provided they’re the PQ321QE,
the PQ321QE or even the PQ321QE. That’s right, ASUS currently has the monopoly
on Consumer 4K PC displays in Australia, at least until Dell’s new 24 incher
hits shelves. Until then your choices are limited, so let’s take a look at what
the one and only 4K display on sale in Australia is like.
The PQ321QW has a diagonal width of just 32 inches.
Obviously the PQ321QW has the native 4K resolution of 3840 x
2160 pixels, which is the defining feature of 4K displays. These are stretched
over a diagonal width of just 32 inches, all housed in a relatively plain black
bezel and stand. This means that each inch of display packs an impressive 140
pixels, making them basically impossible to spot even with your eyeballs pushed
painfully to the glass. The maximum supported refresh rate is 60Hz, so lovers
of 3D or high fps gaming will need to look elsewhere. ASUS claims a response
time of 8ms, which isn’t too impressive in this day and age of 1ms response
times, but sacrifices had to be made at the great altar of resolution.
The PQ321QW has the native 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, which
is the defining feature of 4K displays.
For the price we really expected something better than the
clunky buttons used to control the primitive onscreen display, and the lack of
any input other than a single DisplayPort is
mind-bogglingly sparse. Where’s the bank of HDMI and DVI inputs that every
other monitor on the market includes? There’s absolutely no point in mentioning
the dinky speakers housed inside the frame, as they’re as bad as can be
expected.
Onto image quality then. ASUS only
advertises the panel type as being of the Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide type, or IGZO
for short, which are exclusively manufactured by Sharp. The key benefit of this
tech is its ability to cram in more pixels, hence its use here. An LED
backlight is used to light the IGZO screen, which carries the usual limitations
of LED technology. I used my new X-Rite i1Display Pro to measure the screen’s
accuracy, and it was a bit of a mixed bag. The native contrast ratio proved to
be 745:1, close enough to the claimed 800:1. However, color accuracy was way
off the charts for professional users, with a maximum deviation of over nine.
This makes it pretty horrid for professional users, a rather big sin at this
price.
The ASUS PQ321QE True 4K UHD monitor features DisplayPort
and built-in 2W stereo speakers.
With a price tag to match its incredible pixel count, it’s
obvious that ASUS has placed 100% of this product’s focus on resolution.
Unfortunately everything else has suffered, from the horrible menu, to the lack
of inputs, to the lackluster image quality. Regardless, it is the first 4K
consumer display on the market, and for that ASUS should be commended.
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Specifications
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Price: $4,200
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4K resolution
•
Incredible pixels per inch.
•
Woeful OSD
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Average image quality
•
Scary price
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