Why I DITCHED my Apple Studio Display for the BENQ PD3220U!

[@MarkEllisReviews]

What's the best monitor you've ever owned?

[@bbruce65]

My current one: LG 48" C1 OLED TV.

[@quartlow7210]

I'm working on it, now. An LG 32" 1080P monitor with great color and clarity. I have a 4K HDR10 television in my study, along with the LG, so I don't need a 4K monitor, just send videos to the TV.

[@juliebabygirl]

My current 5K iMac. Nothing beats that IMO :)

[@VitiateTheImmortal]

Apple studio display 👌

[@carldock5223]

Apple studio display

[@eli.alcaraz]

I'm currently on my Apple Studio Display, and before it I was on this exact monitor - the BENQPD3220U, and was using this for 2 years well before I switched to the Apple Studio Display. The BENQ isn't as sharp as the Studio Display, and at only 4K (versus 5K), there are scaling issues with the screen. The only thing I miss about the BENQ monitor is its 32" screen size. For Apple users, I think understanding the principle behind Retina display and doing the math will tell you that 5K, at 27" is the perfect, linear scale which the Studio Display give you.

[@majorgear1021]

For 32” you want to Pro XDR. And a bucket of money.

[@eli.alcaraz]

@@majorgear1021 correct

[@akyhne]

You Apple fanbois are wrong, and I can prove it! When Steve Jobs first introduced Apple Retina, he was talking about an iPhone. It had a PPI 0f 300. He also demonstrated and told, that surveys have shown, that this is the limit of human perception, at a distance of holding up a smartphone. You can see that video demonstration here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZTRfJxtfN2NaM0si=O60ZZFEFNnqqhg65 I measured how many centimeters, one hold your phone in front of your face, and came to the number 30cm. I also measured the distance of how far I normally sit from my 32” display. I measured 60-70 cm. At double the distance, the pixel field will seem half the size, so if 300 PPI is needed for a smartphone at a distance of 30 cm, a PPI of 150 (half) is needed at a distance at 60 cm. In other words, you'll just need a 32” monitor, with 150 PPI. 4K is 140 PPI. So just aroundt the SUBJECTIVE limit, of those studies. Because they can only be subjective. TL;DR: A 32” 4K display is as good as an Apple smartphone in PPI over distance, and everything above, is overkill. That a 4K display doesn't scale well and look well on an Apple computer, is the fault of the OS, not the monitor. The only reason Apple came up with the 218 PPI, is pure snakeoil and sales pitch, to fool Apple users into thinking (and buying) 218 PPI is the only right pixel density. The resolutions in the Apple displays, are not part of the VESA specifications. And Apple is a member of Vesa. Sure, there can be reasons why you feel an Apple monitor looks better, but pixel density is not one of them, unless you sit with your nose up in the screen.

[@HavanaOutpost]

Revisiting this conversation, BenQ announced a 5k monitor that I’m looking forward to.

[@MikeOrazzi]

I just picked up the Apple Studio Display. I've been using Apple monitors for too long to give up on them now. Plus, it was marked down $300.

[@artbess7613]

So you changed retina 218 PPI to 140 PPI and trying to wash our brains here that this was a great move?

[@nerdsunscripted624]

Most people can’t see the difference in resolution at normal monitor viewing distance, and a larger screen is more visually appealing than a super pixel dense small screen. I’d feel brainwashed if he went from a 32” 6k to a 32” 4k, but when you go up in screen size it’s very appealing visually, plus you get more usable screen space for multitasking. Doesn’t matter what the resolution is, bigger screen is more tasks you can have up at once.

[@akyhne]

You Apple fanbois are wrong, and I can prove it! When Steve Jobs first introduced Apple Retina, he was talking about an iPhone. It had a PPI 0f 300. He also demonstrated and told, that surveys have shown, that this is the limit of human perception, at a distance of holding up a smartphone. You can see that video demonstration here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZTRfJxtfN2NaM0si=O60ZZFEFNnqqhg65 I measured how many centimeters, one hold your phone in front of your face, and came to the number 30cm. I also measured the distance of how far I normally sit from my 32” display. I measured 60-70 cm. At double the distance, the pixel field will seem half the size, so if 300 PPI is needed for a smartphone at a distance of 30 cm, a PPI of 150 (half) is needed at a distance at 60 cm. In other words, you'll just need a 32” monitor, with 150 PPI. 4K is 140 PPI. So just aroundt the SUBJECTIVE limit, of those studies. Because they can only be subjective. TL;DR: A 32” 4K display is as good as an Apple smartphone in PPI over distance, and everything above, is overkill. That a 4K display doesn't scale well and look well on an Apple computer, is the fault of the OS, not the monitor. The only reason Apple came up with the 218 PPI, is pure snakeoil and sales pitch, to fool Apple users into thinking (and buying) 218 PPI is the only right pixel density. The resolutions in the Apple displays, are not part of the VESA specifications. And Apple is a member of Vesa. Sure, there can be reasons why you feel an Apple monitor looks better, but pixel density is not one of them, unless you sit with your nose up in the screen.

[@marijanWS]

Using this display since it was released. I love the understated design, the size (which is key), the color accuracy and the KMV switch. I wish the display would be a bit brighter and a higher refresh rate would be cool too but I think it‘s still hard to find another display that does better with all the features I care most about

[@DanielRodriguez-fg5ll]

I personally think 32" is a bit too big, it takes effort to look from edge and edge, while easier to look all 27" without moving your neck.

[@modo203]

32” is amazing if your workflow necessitates two displays. It will literally save you an entire monitor.

[@Deskjet2772]

Agree, I bought 27", 32 is too much for a monitor, at least for me

[@Michael-rn1kb]

A24. Ich. Imac. Is. The. Sweet. Spot. Not. To. Large. Not. To. Small. It. Get. The. Job. Done😊

[@DoctorFiction]

Bingo, and that's the reason curved displays were invented. 34" ultrawide curved monitor and I can never go back. A non-curving display is a downgrade, so unfortunately apple displays are not even an option for me.

[@xylents]

@@Deskjet2772 that only happens when you don't have been using a 27" monitor.

[@techtipsuk]

I love the speakers in the Studio display they are second to none.

[@ChristopherFonseka]

I think if you’re in the market for a 4K display, then there are tons of options out there where the price difference makes the Studio Display unreasonable. What sets the studio display apart is that 5K panel, and there really isn’t any decent alternative

[@MarkEllisReviews]

This is the closest I've found, and it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it difference.

[@StrangerNoises]

@@MarkEllisReviews i cannot believe i'd struggle to see the difference between 218ppi and 140ppi. those are big pixels. i work almost exclusively in text (whether code or prose) and that would be intolerable for any length of time, i suppose unless i just made the text really big and sat well back... (the only 4K monitor i liked was a 24" one; still not quite retina, but close) I wonder if what you're getting is the effect of it being 32", which I think means macOS will be defaulting to a "looks like 6K" scaled mode, which we're less familiar with (and we know what familiarity breeds ;-) but if it doesn't default to it, it looks like that's what you're using anyway) - and that, unlike the Studio Display, it has HDR10. I wonder if in some situations that means it (whether the mac or the monitor) doesn't have to dither colours, eg: text/background colours. Apart from that, there's a lot to like in this monitor. If only they did one at Retina specs ;-) But yes, if the primary activity on it is video editing as opposed to concentrated text work, which I imagine you actually get done more on one of your other machines, it's probably better suited to that task, because of the size and the HDR10.

[@shakeitoff1000]

@@MarkEllisReviewsit’s not though. You’re stretching 4k over 32 inches at that distance, compared to 5k @ 27 inches. If you honestly can’t tell the difference (ignoring the macOS scaling issues with 4k), then that’s great. But there is an objective difference that many CAN see. Also plastic monitor lol

[@street666cleaner]

@@MarkEllisReviews acutally when using mac with 4k monitor it uses lots of computing power to rescale it to 4k since the native resolution is 5k so it's not really a good idea

[@nouidle]

@@StrangerNoises Absolutely. My eyes get tired after a few hours when using a display with < 200 ppi. With MacBook's retina I can stare at the screen all day not feeling a thing.

[@withoutwroeirs]

Bought the PD3220U a year ago after hours of research, there is so much choice out there. However I can say I'm delighted. As a photographer the image colour reproduction is excellent. Additionally my eyes were thanking me for that matt display, I forget how much I missed using a matt display.

[@Sparky_oto]

Does the quality feel the same / close to an Apple display? I"m using my MacBook / iPad to edit photos a lot, but never liked the colours on my Dell Ultrasharp 1080p 24" displays (esp deep blacks where they just look grayed out)

[@withoutwroeirs]

​@@Sparky_oto The quality is great, thin edges no logo, can't complain. I can select several different colour spaces for photos / Capture 1, usually P3. The colour reproduction is excellent. You don't have the same 'pop' as with an Apple display, but then I've always preferred a closer to real life output. I use a M2 Macbook Air with my display. Drives the 60hz refresh only just but I drop it down to 30hz as I use the display for photos and charts not movies.

[@n.r.c.w]

I personally prefer a clean, single screen setup. So for me this is just another 4k monitor lacking a built-in camera, mic and speakers. I have Teams meetings on a daily basis where I share (part of) my screen, and my Studio Display does the job perfectly. Plenty of pixels to keep my notes next to the shared part. Great mics. Impressive speakers. It’s the all in one solution that does it for me. And after work I launch Lightroom and start editing my photos, which works fantastic too. Also, couldn’t care less about the power cable. I wasn’t planning on disconnecting it anyway. The Studio Display remains a niche product however. It’s a very personal decision whether or not it’s worth the money compared to less expensive alternatives that offer parts of the all in one experience.

[@DBLCreations]

The biggest problem i have with the power cable being more permanent on the monitor is the fact that when it wears down, you have to send in the whole monitor back to repair it. Whereas if you could just unplug it, you can just buy the cable. Otherwise i also like the PPI on Apple's display much better. It is much better for the GPU, whereas my BenQ monitor has really a lot of problems keeping up. And i have a Mac Pro 2019 with an AMD W5700X with 16gb VRAM in there. Even though that GPU is certainly not the best and by now even outdated. It shouldn't have such a problem! I'm thinking of getting the 6K anyway, (i already own the $1k stand) so i just need the monitor. I do like a dual or triple monitor setup though. I have now 1 32" 4K display and it's just not enough space for me.

[@majorgear1021]

@@DBLCreationsHow often do you think that you’ll need to send it in for repair? If you have the same experience I have had, then that is never.

[@DBLCreations]

@@majorgear1021 Cool!

[@nerdsunscripted624]

For the price of a studio display you can get a cheaper display, a professional grade studio microphone, and a better webcam than the studio display. I’m glad it works for you but it’s certainly no bargain

[@jimnewtonsmith]

I’ve recently bought the BenQ 27” 4K version for £400 to work with my new Mac mini. It’s ok and suits my needs as an upgrade to my 13+ year old 27” iMac, but there’s lots of extra cables and the overall set up is not as “nice” as a standalone Apple product. However, price rules and I get a really clear display with options.

[@gioriv]

Wow that’s a still I paid almost $1200 with insurance 3 years ago.

[@TomAshworth]

Where did you buy it from @jimnewtonsmith ?

[@sharetherisk7647]

Apple 27" Studio and 32" XDR displays offer 218 ppi which produces outstanding text clarity. This BENQ monitor is 140 ppi - of all the specs enumerated in this review, do you not feel the >35% less text sharpness is worth mentioning?

[@codecaine]

[@TheMacasso]

Are there any larger 49 inch curved monitor displays ---- that would go well with either the Mac mini M2 pro or the studio max set ups please?

[@ChrisDavisStudio]

I have this monitor, it's a great screen, but as a Photogrpaher, it's super annoying that the contrast is SO far off the Mac displays. A lot of my clients will be viewing images on an iPhone, iPad, MacBook etc, and the BenQ just cant replicate the same contrast, editing black and white images especially I have to go back to my MacBook screen to see how it will read.

[@shazzshank6393]

so I assume it'd be the same for printing business (t-shirt's) color accuracy matters..

[@stephangauthier911]

same here. Can't find a decent display for photography, even with a decent amount of money in the pockets. Anything PC is low contrast, low refresh rate, backlight bleeding galore. I've tried Dell u3223qe, Asus pa329cv and BenQ pd3220u. Every one of these monitors deceived me. It's 2024 ffs!!!!!!

[@daylanbrawley631]

Did you calibrate the mac and monitor screens?

[@ravvvvvv]

they read out specs that seem close or better to apple's screens, but in real life they have a $5 "anti glare" film on top of those specs that just washes out everything and downscales resolution in human eye perception. is like watching through a tamished window

[@akyhne]

If your monitor and your clients monitors don't show the same picture, it's not about the monitor, but about calibration, and color profiles. Unless you have a really crappy monitor.

[@tomdearie5165]

My 5 year old BenQ 4k was color calibrated out of the box and my hardware calibrator has yet to feel the need to tinker with it. It’s been my professional workhorse for 5 yrs - my Mac display is used for windows and writing etc. But all color work is on the BenQ. Since acquiring it, I’ve never had a client come back to me saying the colors of a job were off. It cost me $900 CDN ($700 USD).

[@MichalM2012]

Based on your recommendation I've bought this little monster. Unbeatable price/performance ratio. Very happy so far. Thank you, Mark.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Lovely to hear. Enjoy!

[@digitalclips]

I added the Apple 5K Studio Monitor a few weeks ago and removed the Dell 4K 27". This is for my M2 Studio Ultra. The difference is astounding; I can see things that are simply not there on the 4K.

[@AzureNeptune998]

What things?

[@justinpenn9250]

I think he means dead people…

[@billx4266]

take your pills man. if you sit at arms length, 4k is also very sharp on 27 inch...

[@pboni]

Got a Studio Display with VESA mount. I have zero desire of swapping it for that Benq...

[@mannkeithc]

I am huge fan of BenQ Monitors. I have a couple, both 27-inch HDR with speakers, great connectivity options and remote controls. One is 4K / 60Hz and the other 2K / 144Hz. The specs are not as good as the PD3220U monitor, but they were excellent value for money when purchased, and suit my needs. I often use the 2K monitor with my M2 MacBook Pro, M1 iPad Pro, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, and an AMD 7 Series Ryzen 7 Mini PC, whereas my Windows Dev Kit 2023 and Apple TV 4K is connected to the 4K monitor.

[@lennycarlson1178]

How does it compare to the Dell U2723QE UltraSharp 27 Inch 4K UHD and Gigabyte M28U (fast hz) ?

[@maikolverasson1735]

Tip for every user of that display: I just got this monitor for work, really nice. Though after pairing it with the Mac Studio, it looked strange and I went into the settings: the "sharpness" was on full effect! I put it down significantly and it looks more natural now overall.

[@steveurmah]

Ah, what a timely video! I have been looking at the Studio Display and this Benq for a while. Which scaling are you using on the Benq? I also worry a bit that a new version will come out soon, since the screen is from 2019.

[@toonman361]

What a refreshing review, no rattling off specs. You are a user, I am a user. I use my eyes to judge, I am using a much cheaper 4K at hime and 27in 5K at work and I am comletely satisfied beween the two. Your way of reviewing is based on the human user and I appreciate that.

[@jonathanhirschbaum6754]

Doest it have user presence sensor like in PD3200U ? Absolute cost saver, sleeps whenever I go for longer than 40 sec. and doesnt need to put whole Mac to sleep. I have 2 older models with presence sensor and is saves 100W of power every time I go away from the desk

[@IgnitionBikeShow]

I am looking for a portable multi screen for my MacBook Pro, as I travelled a lot. Do you have any recommendations?

[@MrHacross]

I’ve owned this monitor for exactly 4 years this month and while it was Great monitor for my PCs and my Mac Mini with the best controls of any monitor I’ve seen. The moment I saw the Studio Display’s picture I knew I was going to buy it. The color, build quality and compatibility are unmatched, but I admit it’s crazy expensive for the modest specs and I hate that it doesn’t have a power off button.

[@simonmaduxx6777]

No power button sounds like apple being a bunch of sh*theads, really. Those guys seem to live to piss off consumers, my way or the FU highway. Its a pain to search for a new monitor (much less a budget one just to do basic work and editing).

[@figjoy]

I rarely use the power switch on any of my monitors except for a pseudo-headless Raspberry Pi web server that I don't need to see except for troubleshooting.

[@classicaloracle]

Thanks for this. How do you find the scaling and would it be worse on the 27" PD2725U?

[@DomBurgess]

I got one. It's just not bright enough. I'm coming from a 27 iMac 5k, and it just doesnt come close. Think I'm gonna send it back. Just REALLY dont want to fork out for an Apple Display. 😫

[@urbanguy2k]

As a writer, I am concerned about the text crispness...how is it on the BenQ compared to the Studio Display?

[@TomAshworth]

Me too. Did you get a response?

[@Jri4jr9j39ejdj]

What scaling do you use for this BenQ?

[@oliviertorres8001]

Why is it important to have a 5K external monitor with a MacBook Pro? Not to get more definition. As you say, Mark, this BenQ is perfectly sharp despite its impressive diagonal. No, the critical thing is to preserve the pixel aspect ratio, because if it doesn't match (with that of the Apple Studio Display), it's Apple Silicon's GPU that goes to work and deprives you of power for your applications. APPLE always takes great care to keep its ecosystem locked down.

[@andy-bowden]

There aren’t really any 5k displays out there (3 if I remember correctly) and Apple’s pricing at the moment is a little grating. The loss of sub pixel sampling is what causes a lot of the resolution issues with 4K displays and Macs. Apple made 220ppi an issue just to unify with iOS.

[@HNCOCA]

Great review - thank you as I was looking for an alternative.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Glad to be of assistance!

[@henq]

How about the sound? The Studio Dispay is great for watching movies, music videos and so on.

[@RicardoLeonardoAugusto]

I bought the best 27 inch 4k screen from dell, and cant find a resolution that renders properly (scaled resolutions are really blurry), for a comfortable size ui what resolution do you use? With the native resolution is the UI big enough?

[@LukiNes69]

in 27 inch, only 1440p or 5k, but 1440p you will see the pixels.

[@JürgenBuchholz]

Very nice review :-) Love it! A few days ago, BenQ launched a new model of this monitor - the BenQ PD3225U with some optimizations. Maybe you can add this model to your links under the video or make a comparison review of the old and the new model. I think about to buy this model and have a question to you: what the size of your desk? Do you think 60cm width (depth) is too small to sit in front of this 32 Inch monitor?

[@ClassicCyclingCC]

Maybe just me, but I would not switch to a 140 PPI screen for a Mac. No siree. I’ll keep my studio display, thank you very much.

[@johnbell1810]

BenQ has one of the better warranties. A few years back i had a 2K monitor which one day suddenly had a streak of black dots. Tried the refresh procedure but to no avail. Luckily the three warranty was a couple months away from expiring and I still had the receipt. Contacted support and submitted photo of display and receipt. They no longer had it in stock so they shipped me a new model about two days later. They covered shipping and all.

[@noudsch]

Got this one a couple of months back. But I had terrible flickering issues with my macbook M1 and mini M1. Support told me it’s an issue with Apple and to disable all the nice features. Haven’t seen it after Sonoma upgrade, so I hope it’s fixed. When it’s working it’s a brilliant monitor.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

I've had no such issues!

[@chrisatye]

I had that issue with my M1 Mini, on an AOC monitor - which I why I changed to the BenQ. No issues since then - but it can be an issue with the M1 Mini, that’s a fact.

[@georgelyras1978]

Sorry, going from a 27" pixel pact, 5K monitor, to a 32" 4k monitor? NO way! sorry

[@benbork9835]

Right?? This is a ridiculous paid promotion

[@georgelyras1978]

@@benbork9835 Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. The fact remains. Anything higher than 27" with 4K is really bad. Sorry

[@AzureNeptune998]

It’s half the cost though…

[@manitsony6703]

I have 324k vs Samsung 5k..on 4k 32imch U could scale to 2k. On the 27 4k U have to scale to 1080p hope this helps I mainly use for music production

[@johnn9977]

Very true 27 5k much better

[@trevorpsy]

My Benq SW321C 32 inch monitor has hardware calibration, which is incredible. The color accuracy is spot on. I'm wondering if the PD3220U also has hardware calibration.

[@erialinlove]

the PD series monitors only come with software calibration, that's the main difference between two product lines

[@trevorpsy]

Good to know. I own the SW321C BenQ Display. @@erialinlove

[@thomasbain3013]

BenQ are great. I have three BenQ 27inch screens hooked up to a Mac Studio: fantastic and cost-efficient. I'm just looking for a 3-arm wall-fixing display holder for the finishing touch.

[@lukaspictures]

How would you compare this monitor with Dell U3223QE? :)

[@chrisinmadison]

Thanks for the info! Tried the BenQ 3220U for my design studio, but it was too dim even at max brightness, and colors looked washed out. Prefer natural light, so the monitor didn't work well. Had to block sunlight with curtains, and struggled with full-screen video playback. Also, noticed a blue shadow/ghost issue when moving things. Main problem is the brightness, important for those who work in more brightly lit spaces.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Great point. As you can probably see - my space isn’t bright!

[@artravision]

I was concerned about that when I heard the low nits. Great comment, thanks!

[@markshirley01]

I can't find this monitor anywhere (UK)

[@Underhills]

I would like to recommend the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X 32 4K. It's the best monitor for creative work I have ever tried.

[@radium56]

...starting at 4.350 EUR

[@TimGeersProductions]

It sounds like the Apple display gets 2x the brightness with its 600nits display, is that correct and is that a issue?

[@josemedeiros007]

Great review on the Benq 32 inch display Mark, having a built in KVM is also a great feature.

[@billx4266]

What resolution did you put it on, because on my 4k screen the macos UI elements are like 1080p....

[@dominicpascal5512]

yeah, 4k already looks terrible at 27" … dunno how he can handle it at 32"

[@tadmarshall2739]

It doesn't affect your comparison (because both monitors you compared top out at 60 Hz) but I have one display setup (on a Windows PC) that is at 120 Hz and the difference in eye strain is quite noticeable (to me). 120 Hz is just easier to look at.

[@selcukeksi6235]

and which monitor do you have if i could ask?

[@tadmarshall2739]

@@selcukeksi6235 It's the 48 inch LG OLED TV from 2020, driven by an NVIDIA 3080-Ti video card. I had to buy a special remote control (around $10 from Amazon) to turn off an auto-dimming feature that made the display unpleasant to use. 4K at 120 Hz.

[@itshadouken]

I bought two Apple Studio displays (Vesa Mount) on the refurbished site for $1300/ea. I’ve been using the same ergotron monitor arms for 10 years and the combination did not disappoint. If you already have a monitor the vesa option is a no brainer. I dont like to have any monitors sitting in on my desk

[@VitiateTheImmortal]

Im happy with my studio display lol spend ages wanting one and now I use it to write my book daily.

[@majorgear1021]

You write an entire book every day? I’ve been working on my book for years.

[@mister_ray]

You get what you pay for with this one. I got an Apple “Refurbished” Studio display for a nice discount. Not being 5K makes the BenQ a non starter.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

You definitely get what you pay for with this one, in my opinion. Have you tried one?

[@DarkPa1adin]

​@@MarkEllisReviewsdepends on where the monitor is located. If it is near window, the lack of max brightness is a deal breaker

[@senortilla7239]

I had an 4k HP 32” monitor for around 950€ and the 4k vs 5k resolution is critical difference. No webcam, no speakers… adding all these two was nigthmare, more cables… Also all plastic and cheap materials all of it. I now have the Studio Display and even knowing I paid almost double I can not be more happy. I use my monitor every single day and 5k is CRITICAL and brigthness, materials, software integrartion, is more than great.

[@MockManor]

Facts! I can’t unsee 5K. I luckily got a certified refurbished LG UltraFine display on a deep discount (under $700). They are hard to find in such good condition….but you save a lot when you find them.

[@damiengvideos4337]

Yeah the 218 ppi of the studio display can’t be unseen. 4k is great for gaming but being used to 5k 4k now looks slightly blurry for productivity work. I’m rocking dual studio displays and have no regrets!

[@leonidaspapadakos464]

Great job and approach as usual! How do you rate the scaling with this one? Number one issue for non apple monitors... Fonts and icons always look a bit off with any other display. Thank you.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Thanks! And the scaling is great - no issues there at all.

[@chrisyoungdesign1342]

I ve had this monitor for since January and it is the best monitor I ve had before I had a dell 34 inch ultrawide monitor and while it was a great monitor this is way better for me

[@wazitSomethingISaid]

hows the brightness?

[@RasputinVasilliov]

Apple has designed macOS to work best with the following resolutions at the following sizes: At 21”: 4K (1080p at 1x) At 24”: 4.5K At 27”: 5K (1440p at 1x) At 32”: 6K You can still use a 27” 4K monitor, but either UI elements will be unnaturally big or text too small, you can scale the resolution to match the specs above, but some people will notice performance reductions, especially related to graphically demanding work

[@hannahnett]

this is prob. a very stupid question but Ive been researching everywhere and I can't the find answer! Do the BenQ Monitors run like computers without having to attach a laptop to it? Like I know the Apple Monitors can be used as a computer! But some monitors need a laptop for it function as PC. Please help!!

[@singhkrishanu]

I have the 27 inch version of the same monitor and i am absolutely happy with it.

[@hassanahmed1755]

How the scaling work on this monitor? I heard that there are some issues with scaling on 4k monitor which may effect performance when setting screen scale to work with mac, is this correct?

[@photosteeve]

I have this monitor And still see a difference in colors when using my macbook pro m3. I tried the monitor color at rec709 and mbook. What do you use on your end?

[@flappospammo]

I use my 12.9 iPad in sidecar mode for my 16 max 3 , works great , also appletv to big tv , don't really need a monitor these days , so many more versatile options available

[@agustingalano2977]

Mark, please, I'm a fan of "stuff" color matching in my setup, what color is your Macbook? Spacegray? Thanks!

[@fundhunter7172]

A really good find. Is there a 27-inch version? I quite like three screens but this would be hard at 32 inches each. Probably would only able to do 2 screens like this.

[@rdcbj6435]

Could I ask how far will the base let you bring the monitor down to the desk and if you could tell me the measurement at its lowest point to the top of the monitor that would be really really nice?😊

[@MrZeno23]

I'm more curious about your Magsafe charging stand for iPhone and Apple watch! 😅 Could you tell me which brand it is?

[@valhala73]

Great Video!!! Do you have the same version of the monitor but smaller? All the best

[@johnboychak5063]

As someone who doesn’t worry too much about specs ( well maybe a little ) I just want something to work for me. This monitor works for you and I just love your enthusiasm about the products you review and use. Makes me feel good that I watched another one of your videos. Thank you.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

This is lovely to hear - thank you!

[@TomAshworth]

I agree@@MarkEllisReviews are excellent..I am still struggling to decide on this one the cheaper one (no Thunderbolt) or to say sod it and get the Studio Display... decisions decisions.

[@Sparky_oto]

I'm looking for an additional 32" 4k photo editing monitor to my dual 24" Ultrasharp Dell 1080p monitor + MacBook Pro 16 set-up. My main usage are Lightroom CC, photoshop, Final Cut Pro and general media consumption. I've noticed that my MacBook's screen produces far more vibrant colours than my Dell Ultrasharps, which at times can feel jarring. I've done some research, but find myself feeling overwhelmed with market options...Would you recommend getting another Dell Ultrasharp 32" 4k or this BenQ PD3220u monitor (or any other models)? Thanks!

[@SuperExadidas]

Thank you..hoping there is a BENQ in 22 inches

[@KankukanAiki]

Dear Mark! Thank you for your video. Did you returned to the Apple Studio Display? I have the same Benq PD3220U which is linked to my Apple MacBook Pro M3 Max ... and I like it..

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Nope, the Studio Display is sitting on my other desk and gets used every day, too.

[@KankukanAiki]

Thank you for your answer. I am really happy with my benq but being an Applehead.. sometimes I wish the Apple Display .. so I asked you eheh@@MarkEllisReviews

[@Wattoh]

@MarkEllisReviews What's your thoughts on the 34" widescreen one? The 1440p resolution really worries me...

[@bernios3446]

Best monitor I've ever used: Apple Studio Display. Yes it is expensive, but 5k is not 4k! I chose the Apple for various reasons: I do a lot of photography, and at 1,5x the size, the Benq packs roughly only 58% of the pixel count of the Apple Studio display. I tried 4k displays and found them inferior. I also chose the nanotexture glass which gives a silky surface and "feel", plus it seamlessly functions with a mac computer. As monitors typically hold easily 7-10y, I don't mind the price. The next one I buy is the Pro Display from Apple with Nano glass and the absurdly ovepriced pro stand. I will keep that one for many years, it gives a wonderful natural and smooth rendering.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Nice - glad you’re happy!

[@akyhne]

You can get as good a monitor in other brands, than Apple. For way less money.

[@bernios3446]

@@akyhne Do you? Sure, but only in 4k - big difference.

[@akyhne]

@@bernios3446 You can't see difference between 4K, 5K and 6K on for example a 32" display, at a normal viewing distance.

[@motrock2]

My question is; how does the speakers and sound compare to the Apple Studio Display? Does the BENQ have great speakers?

[@sandrvoxon]

compare PPI Apple Studio Display and Benq it's a huge different ! And this is quality different which is more important.

[@abdulmotin196]

Hi What keyboard have you got for your Mac?

[@princemushfiq]

How is the scaling issue ?

[@MarkEllisReviews]

What is the scaling issue?

[@travel.tales.official]

Any scaling issue with macbook on PD3220u?

[@ThisMichaelBrown]

Thanks for review, very helpful!

[@AlexPedro]

Can it be used with ipad like ASD?

[@lukeskirenko]

What about Mac OS scaling? As I understand it, Mac OS isn't designed to scale at non-whole numbers, and so if you want to retain the size of elements you put a lot of load on the GPU and the result is antialiased in a somewhat messy way. On the other hand, if you stick with the scaling appropriate to the Studio Display you end up with icons and menus that are way too large on the 4K 32inch screen. It's a PPI/pixels per inch thing, with Retina being an unusual spec.

[@DHG1078]

I was looking for the same information. It’s gotta be multiples of 110ppi or you get weird scaling issues and it bogs the system down. No one wants 110 ppi, and 220ppi displays are expensive still.

[@cynthiawolf1423]

Hi, this was really helpful. I've been considering buying a BenQ. I'm going to be on a 3 month road trip doing a few custom dog portraits. traveling with my 13" macbookpro I want a monitor to plug into it to have a larger editing surface. I might be a bit confused but I'm guessing here that to work the BENQ needs to be plugged into an outlet and not just connected to a fully charged laptop. Is that correct? Wondering how I might be able to use a larger monitor when I don't have an outlet at the moment. Maybe I can't .

[@JimBowieMack]

Thanks Mark, I found this very helpful and I’ll actually be purchasing one soon. I have a 5k iMac but looking to put together a second desk setup, and was already eyeing up the Ben Q, so I appreciated this video!

[@gerard3797]

For the general audience (not being video editors). A 4k monitor cannot simply replace the proprietary Apple Studio Monitor, without a serious compromise in pixel/image quality. This is related to the "Retina" display Apple introduced to Mac in 2012. This means that the pixels are so small they are imperceptible to the naked eye from a very close distance. For comparison, the Benq 4k 32" display (3840x2160) has a PPI (pixels per inch) of 138, whereas the Apple Studio 5k 27" display (5120x2880) has a PPI of 218. In other words the Benq is 40% less sharp and yes you will notice this when you are used to Apple Retina displays. Especially when you use a lot of text based/office based programs, and are not only a video/photo editor. Apart from the lower screen resolution (per inch) and accordingly sharpness, this will also result in problems with scaling, sharpness of fonts in lots of Office programs etc. Overall (for me) it was a night and day difference if you value the sharpness of Apple's native Retina displays and you are sensitive to that.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

You might find this interesting: markellisreviews.com/5-things-i-do-that-annoy-the-tech-community-and-why-i-dont-care/

[@gerard3797]

@@MarkEllisReviews Not sure why I should read your entire avoidance of responsibility policy, while you are clearly trying to convince people to buy the Benq instead of the Studio Display (and are paid for it through linked sales). You don't point out one of the very obvious differences here between 4k displays and Apple's proprietary displays, which is why Apple's screens are much sharper in general. And no that is not just technical blabla, but a big real life difference you will notice in day to day use (less if you are only using it for photo video/editing). Internet is full of people that bought a 4k display and tried it with Mac, to come to the conclusion that is not even near the real thing. ps If you get so many reactions/response on a topic, maybe take it more seriously and address it or just accept it as part of your sales model and job.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

@@gerard3797 That's a _brilliant_ title for that post - thank you. I've updated it (and credited you - don't worry; you might just need to refresh your cache to see the change): markellisreviews.com/5-things-i-do-that-annoy-the-tech-community-and-why-i-dont-care/ We have a strategy in KZbin land which is to build our 'IAP' (ideal audience profile). I've done that, and you are categorically _not_ it. And that is absolutely cool, but it might help ease your frustration with my video a little if you try and see it from the other side. I've been doing this for long enough to know that for every ten people you help, one person is going to set their trousers on fire because you didn't do something that aligns with their way of thinking. Let me highlight a few key points: 1. I genuinely don't know the technical differences at pixel level between these two displays - nor have I looked into what this means for scaling. In fact, I've never had any interest in scaling with monitors. I know this appears hard to accept for someone who is more technically proficient and into this stuff, but I genuinely don't care. I still use this monitor today, and love it to bits. 2. I use this monitor for video editing, mainly. As you note, it's highly unlikely I'd ever notice much of a deficit between the two displays. That explains my take. 3. My job isn't a sales job - it's to help people along their buying journey with _my_ honest take on a product. There's an important caveat here, which I'll explain in point 6. 4. I do indeed receive commissions for certain product sales - including both of the monitors featured in this video. This is one of the many ways I monetise my content to make this a viable, profitable business. 5. The number of responses I get like this are actually significantly in the minority, but it's a facet of the human psyche that fascinates me. 6. My IAP is on board with this way of thinking - it's what matters to people who fit that profile. They don't care about deep spec dives but, equally, they're smart enough to shop around and not take my advice as the definitive guide to buying whatever it is they're considering. This is how I've built this successful business - but it really isn't for everyone. I hope that helps! And thanks as always for watching, engaging, and sparking this debate. It's important.

[@gerard3797]

​@@MarkEllisReviews Fair enough, that it is your personal view. Not really the "no brainer” (how you conclude your video) to the general audience. It was not clear that your buying advice is only for video/photo editors. This caveat makes a big difference... Reasons why people love iMacs/Apple displays is the crispness, ease of use, increased brightness, integration (volume, speakers, brightness control, camera esthetics, etc). In other words many factors that play a role in a buying decision. As with other Apple products is a personal choice how much value you put on those aspects, but you always pay the Apple premium for that. When I transferred from an iMac to Macbook, a few years ago, I simply assumed this would work well with external 4k displays. The simple fact (experience) for me was it didn’t. I had issues with fonts not being sharp, icons to small, as I use a lot of more text based /“office” kind of programs with a lot of text etc. It maybe come as a surprise for you, but not everyone is a video editor. At the time you only had the LG displays option, which made me go back to iMac in the end. Apple had no reasonable proprietary solution up until the Studio Display, which I am considering now with a Macbook again, so it is more portable solution in the house. For me the crispness of the screen (Retina) was one of the key factors why iMacs stand out in general. That is why, stumbling on your video, I was actually very surprised you say nothing about this. So I speak from experience and I only want to prevent people from having the same experience I had and troubleshooting fonts, scaling settings (not to mention returning/selling trying out products) and learning it will never work like an iMac. I only learned the technical reason later. The fact that there are so many people that like the Retina aspect of Apple displays, does actually show this is a pretty decent group size world wide (not a minority). In your case and profession I would seriously consider the 6K Pro XDR display. I would even argue that Retina is a big driver of Apple's products succes since it was introduced in 2010. There is magic to Apple's screens that is not related to specs alone. It is not only the specs and hardware that matters in this case. The assumptions you make that this is a very small, only tech focused group, for me, says something on how you view things. I have never came across a KZbinr that responded so oversensitive to perceived criticism. Maybe you have become allergic to technical responses which I can imagine, it is not nice to get so many “negative” responses. I was just providing some additional info in the comment section, not expecting to be referred to your general page with annonces with the tech community. If you don't care, why write a whole blog post about this? To me it only shows how oversensitive you are. BTW thanks for putting my name in your blog (without my consent), I must be very famous soon :)!

[@TomAshworth]

Very interesting exchange gentlemen. My requirement is mainly Office use web browser photo management and organisation and the old bit of knitting together various video clips and the occasional teams meeting, but now of course I can use my iPhone as a WebCam. to that end really I am an iMac user but have purchased a Mac mini and then realised 1080p screens that I used to use with a HP PC are not up to the job. Given the iMacs now come with a 5k screen I am thinking anything less is going to be a disappointing decision.

[@harald144]

I have a mac retina 5k imac from 2019 and im so “#$%&/ mad that it will not connect to the mac studio im going to buy in some weeks (according to google) - Im used to 5k now and it’s beautiful

[@ljuglampa]

I've had this exact monitor for years. I would not recommend it. The black levels and blooming are basically not good enough, it reminds me of my old TN panel. The panel is also way too dim for a good lit room. It's not nearly bright enough. Paired with a MacBook Pro it also has issues with flicker and ghosting from time to time which appears randomly and then (hopefully) disappears in a few minutes. I'm planing to replace this with one of the 4k 32' QD OLED monitors with a glossy screen that's coming out early next year.

[@simplyandco]

Gosh I have that exacte screen and it's been great on photo retouching and video editing! Loved the Dell line, but this BenQ is THE BOMB!

[@chrisgill5532]

Interesting video, thanks, and equally interesting set of 300+ comments! Right now, I'm mainly interested in resolution. I have a Retina (ie5k) iMac. I find the 5k display setting unusable because text and icons are illegible at that setting. (Or am I missing something? Is there a way of using 5k resolution (for best photo display) while having text and icons enlarged? I don't think so.) So I have happily used it for everything, including photo editing, for almost six years, on the 3200x1800 scaling. The 2560 scaling, where the native pixels fit neatly into the displayed pixels, resulting in theoretically clearer text, makes everything too big, with not enough real estate on the screen. Talk of some massive impact on speed because of scaling doesn't convince me; this has not bothered me, nor has the fact that 3200 scaling means everything is theoretically compromised by the scaling. I now need to replace the iMac, which means I have a wide choice of screen sizes and some choice of resolution. I don't see the point in 5k, or the cost of the Apple Studio Display. What I'm used to on the iMac (27in, 3200px) works out at 136ppi, which as I've said I have found entirely usable. A 32in screen running 4k would give 138ppi. I think that's my way forward. I'll certainly consider the Benq. If I'm missing a way of making 5k usable, I look forward to hearing about it.

[@Satysatonachair]

IMO, there is absolutely no reason to get this over the Dell U3223QE. It's a very similar monitor but there are some strong points that make the Dell better: - Dell has IPS Black technology which takes the contrast ration from 1:1000 to 1:2000 (Which gives you 30% deepper blacks, but it's very, very apparent). - The DCI-P3 coverage on the dell is slightly better (95 vs 98%, so whatever, but still). - Peak brightness is 400 NITS on the Dell, vs 300 NITS on the BenQ. But my readings on the dell show it actually goes quite a bit brighter than that, and some reviews out there confirm it. Around 500 nits at 100% brightness (although I'd leave it at 75% for colour critical work). - Dell's model is cheaper (I got it for $700 USD) - The ports on the Dell though, OMG. It absolutely negates the need for a hub or similar. Absolutely massive port selection. - I have to say that I'm not in love with the stand on the Dell though.... it works just fine but its quite stiff. My BenQ stands feel smoother tbh. Honestly, get the Dell.

[@itsmelilsteve]

that model is faulty as hell. the forums are full with that dell having burn in, and just flicker like crazy… I personally have sent back 4 monitors until i got mad and just requested the money back. not to mention dells stupid policy where if you send it back in warranty (even if yours has literally 3 days used) they send back a used , refurbished one, which is bullshit.

[@Satysatonachair]

@@itsmelilsteve 3 months with it and couldn’t be happier.

[@itsmelilsteve]

@@Satysatonachair are u using the dell on usb c or hdmi?

[@lewishowarth4840]

What desk are you using there? Looks perfect!

[@dankelly]

What scaling settings do you use to get the fonts and icons to look right?

[@mitfreundlichengrussen1234]

Best monitor I have ever owned: Apple 27" Studio Display - My last BenQ died exactly a week after reaching 3 years of operation... (it was a 32" 4K)

[@JohnSmith-zl8rz]

This sound like a BenQ ad

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Why? Because I like it?

[@hoboesque_]

Hi @mark , would you still recommend this in Jan 2024 for a MacBook M3 Pro 14" user ? I'm not a gamer , mostly Music software and video editing

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Yup 👍

[@petemccauley9337]

I got one of these and I can't seem to get it bright enough. The office we work in is very bright, and my 2019 iMac 4k retina screen is just so much brighter. Any tips? I've got this thing cranked up and it's still just... dim. Thanks! (now running a Mac Studio M2 Ultra)

[@cooperativ]

i can recommend apple studio display

[@mchambers140]

I am actually considering doing the same upgrade after your review. Any regrets?

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Nope!

[@RickSanchez__642]

you mean downgrade? 137 ppi vs 220 ppi is a huge difference and very noticeable!

[@majorgear1021]

Upgrade is a strange way to frame a downgrade.

[@tommyrunner]

before buying this one did you considering LG 5K2K model 40WP95C-W ? few months ago I buyed old 2020 iMac 5K and compare to my ASUS ROG 43" ultrawide I decide to value more my ultrawide over 27" iMac screen, so no I just wondering with more pixels is that LG is not a best one on market right now. Ultrawide much nicer to work with this wide ratio

[@ThomasVanhelden]

Why would I want to ditch my sleek-looking, beautifully designed 5K monitor with built-in speakers, webcam, microphones, and a docking station for a plastic 4K monitor? The only reason to do that seems when BenQ pays you.

[@nazarm6215]

what's the backlight bleed on it?

[@juleskurianmathew1989]

Isn't macbook scaling an issue with the benq monitor?

[@RichardAllum]

What’s the stand your Studio Display is on please?

[@StrangerNoises]

his is the standard tilt-only one. what he didn't mention is you can also get a vesa-compatible one (for the same price) and a vesa stand (which you have to pay for separately) which can have any capabilities you want to pay for. but that doesn't invalidate his price comparison comments.

[@ThatDeltaDood]

I really love that they included a chart for the "Gary Level" lol

[@MarkEllisReviews]

It’s all about the Gary Level.