How big is too big when it comes to monitor size? 27 inches, 32 inches, 34 inches, or 49 inches? The answer may vary from person to person, but I’ve used a 27-inch monitor for the longest time and wanted to try a larger one to determine the answer to this question. Does a bigger screen open up potential for convenience, or does it create more issues, especially when it comes to desk space? The aim is to find the sweet spot.
For context, I reviewed a 49-inch Gigabyte AORUS CO49DQ super ultra-wide gaming monitor last year. While I enjoyed it for the unparalleled gaming experience it offered, I faced some major issues with desk space. Plus, it was difficult to set up, and I dreaded moving it from one spot to another. On the other hand, my 27-inch monitor doesn’t work that well at multitasking via split windows.
This is where the 32-inch (31.5 inch to be precise) BenQ EW2390U steps into the picture. Can it offer the best of both worlds? Having used this new monitor for around two weeks, I can now share what I think about this screen size, its panel quality, and features. I’ll share whether you should buy it or skip it entirely. If you’re a bit impatient, you can directly skip to the verdict, but I suggest you read through the full review, as I’ll discuss in detail various use cases and features this one has on offer. Without further ado, let’s jump into the review.
Key Specifications at a Glance
Display Size – 31.5-inch
Display Resolution – 3840x2160p
Refresh Rate – 60Hz
Panel Type – IPS
Claimed Brightness – 350 nits (typ.), 400 nits (peak – HDR)
Native Contrast – 1000:1
Connectivity – 3 x HDMI 2.0 ports, 3 x USB Type-A Downstream, 1 x USB Type-C Downstream, 1 x 3.5mm audio port
Height Adjustment: Yes
Tilt Adjustment: Yes
Built-in Audio – 2.1 Channel (2Wx2 + 5W woofer)
Design and setup
The EW2390U comes with an aesthetically pleasing, minimalistic design that will seamlessly become part of your desk setup, unless you are an RGB enthusiast. One thing that stands out about this monitor’s design is that it is considerably thicker in comparison to some of the other monitors on the market. This is primarily because of the brand’s focus on offering good audio. As many of you might already know, good sound requires some room for the speakers. So this is one tradeoff you will have to make peace with. Having said this, the monitor doesn’t feel bulky while moving around.
The display comes with three fairly thin bezels on top and sides, but at the bottom, you get a thick chin with speaker grills on both sides. As this is a bold design choice, there might be some people who would not like it. However, I didn’t come across a single person, in office or at home, who had any issues with the design of this monitor. On the contrary, many complimented this unique design.
You get the connectivity options at the back, and at the bottom, you will find three buttons. The one on the left (Scenario hotkey) switches the display and audio settings to custom presets, the one in the middle gives you access to the display menu with a vast array of options, and the one on the right powers on/off the monitor.
The height adjustment stand allows you a lot of flexibility, and the swivelling design lets you use the monitor in any way that you can possibly desire. Especially while working in a team, you can collectively discuss your work on this display. Unlike the curved displays that make it difficult to see the content from the sides, the flat panel here offers decent viewing angles.
As the EW2390U has been pitched by the brand as a home entertainment device, it also ships with a remote. For those who want to just enjoy content from a distance but don’t want to lean in to adjust volume or display settings every now and then, this is a great inclusion.
Display panel and HDR performance
The first thing that catches your eye about the EW2390U is its fairly large IPS panel with a matte coating on top. Those of you who have used a monitor with a matte finish before would know that they handle reflections in a drastically different manner than the non-matte panels. While other panels end up reflecting the light as is, the matte panels have a smearing effect that works well in certain lighting conditions. In my usage, while in the office, I found there to be no issues with the light reflections. However, when at home, I found that the smearing effect was prominent, and I could not enjoy the content on the display till the time I adjusted it at an angle that tackled light sources well. As the monitor allows you a lot of flexibility, you can easily place it in a way that reflections are not a major issue.
The EW2390U offers you a 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) IPS panel that looks brilliant, irrespective of the content that you’re watching. As I mentioned earlier, the monitor offers three custom presets that can be accessed through the Scenario hotkey. In the Standard scenario, which has been designed with remote work in mind, you get a neutral colour balance. This preset also reduces background noise for voices to ensure that you have minimal distractions during your online meetings.
In Cinema scenario, you get a slightly warmer picture to provide you with a cinematic feel. On the audio side, you are treated to clear dialogue. Together, these audio and visual settings provide you with a good setup for watching movies or TV series at home.
Finally, you get the Game scenario, where you get a slightly popping picture with vibrant colours. The audio enhancements are not particularly noticeable in this scenario, but you still get clear audio.
In case you’re not a fan of using the OSD button, you get even more customising options through the Display Pilot 2 app. It allows you to adjust the colour mode, the brightness, the screen resolution, and even enable Low Blue Light Plus (blue light filter), among other things. I found this app to be quite handy, as instead of using the physical button, I could control the monitor easily via just on-screen options.
HDR performance
In order to check the HDR performance of the monitor, I checked out some of the best modern content pieces that showcase HDR at its finest. The EW2390U comes with VESA DisplayHDR400, which is able to deliver a decent HDR10 experience, but nothing extraordinary. Despite tweaking with every possible setting, I could not get the HDR performance to a level where I could call it impressive. If watching HDR content is at the top of your priority list while buying a monitor, the EW2390U is probably not the best choice in this price segment.
Gaming performance
With a display refresh rate of 60Hz, the EW2390U is a bit restrictive when it comes to gaming if you’re into first-person shooters. However, if you’re not into FPS games, you will thoroughly enjoy games at 4K resolution at 60Hz.
The monitor offers good response times and low latency that doesn’t let down even in online multiplayer games. I played everything from FC 25, Last of Us Part II, and Forza Horizon 5 to aesthetically pleasing games like Ghost of Tsushima on this monitor, and the visuals were pretty impressive.
Content consumption experience
If we keep aside the HDR performance, the panel is no slouch when it comes to delivering immersive visuals. In fact, I binged the entire first season of The Last of Us in the Cinema scenario of this monitor (with a few tweaks) and enjoyed every minute of it. While the presets are far from perfect, after manual calibration, you can improve the picture quality extensively.
Productivity experience
The EW2390U truly excels in this aspect. The massive display allows you to do multitasking seamlessly, and the flat display panel ensures that you’re able to work with your colleagues in an effective manner. Instead of going for a multi-monitor setup with two 27-inch monitors, you can easily go for this 32-inch monitor and achieve similar results.
As I mentioned earlier, the monitor comes with ample connectivity ports, which allow you to use any accessories that you might need. Due to the high-resolution panel, even video editing on this panel is a breeze. I asked a video editor from my team to use the monitor for a couple of days to see if the monitor genuinely helped him with the edits, as he was earlier using a 27-inch panel. The video editor found that the 32-inch 4K panel allowed him to edit the videos at a much faster speed in comparison to his current monitor.
Overall, this monitor can be considered for work use pretty much by anyone. Whether you work on videos, content, Excel sheets, or anything else, you’ll find that it enhances productivity in one way or the other.
Audio
Of all the aspects that we usually judge monitors on, audio is probably at the bottom of the list. However, with EW2390U, BenQ is clearly appealing to those who don’t want to get into the hassle of buying speakers separately. The treVolo-branded 2.1 Channel (2Wx2 + 5W woofer) setup provides you with a loud enough sound to not look for external speakers if you sit within a distance of 4-5 feet (further than this would anyway not be apt for the 32-inch panel).
Due to the design choices made by BenQ, the speakers offer enough room for the speakers to provide a decent sound stage. The speakers do a particularly good job of handling the mids. This is why I enjoyed watching movies and TV shows more than listening to music through the EW2390U speakers.
Verdict
BenQ EW3290U is the sort of monitor that is perfect for students or professionals who don’t want to buy a TV and use their PC/laptop for everything from work to media consumption. With 4K resolution support, this monitor will not only let you enjoy the latest movies and shows in impeccable quality (thanks to high pixel density), but it can also help you avoid the hassle of a multi-monitor setup for your work. Two aspects where the monitor falls short are HDR performance and light smearing issues enabled by the matte finish.
For an asking price of Rs 40,998, the BenQ EW3290U is priced higher than the Samsung M7, which also aims to offer a home entertainment monitor with some added perks (Smart TV apps, smart home options, etc). If you compare the two, you get far better speakers on the BenQ monitor, but Samsung leans more on the entertainment side. If we talk about aesthetics, BenQ EW3290U wins hands down. I’ve had people come up to me and tell me that the monitor looks amazing and that its price is actually quite reasonable (something you often don’t get to hear about monitors in this price range). All things considered, BenQ EW3290U looks like a solid entry that can have plenty of takers in the market.
Editor’s Rating: 8 / 10
Pros:
- Elegant minimalistic design
- Several connectivity options
- Impressive build quality
- Immersive and large 4K panel
- Height-adjustable stand
Cons:
- HDR performance is average
- Matte finish causes light smearing issues
