ASUS ProArt PA32UC Review

The ASUS ProArt PA32UC is a high end 4K HDR monitor and this is reflected in the price.  These high resolution HDR monitors are still relatively new here in 2018 and there aren’t many competitors out there right now.  So if you plan to be one of the first to jump in then keep reading, and get your wallet ready!

As part of the ProArt series it has a definite nod towards high end colour reproduction.  The monitor is ultimately aimed at the professional, the large screen size, high resolution and extensive colour space coverage all make this a contender for the professional movie editor.  The screen covers 100% of sRGB and 99.5% Adobe RGB which is expected for a high end screen, but notably it also reaches 85 per cent of Rec.2020 and “over 95 per cent” of DCI-P3 used in the broadcast industry.

Build Quality

The monitor is a very smart looking model and will fit in perfectly in a smart home or professional office. The brushed metal stand gives it a high quality feel, as you’d hope for a premium screen.  Slim bezels round off the look, leaving the lightly matte anti-glare screen to stand out in all its glory.

The stand is a real key feature of the Asus, not only does it look solid but it feels solid too, providing a firm footing.  Whilst the screen depth is fairly thin, the design of the stand does prevent you from pushing it back flush against your desk.  Worth noting if desk space is something you like to maximise.  It comes with a good range of movement, with the full range expected; tilt (-5° to 23°), height (130mm or 5.12 inches), swivel (60° left, 60° right) and pivot (90° clockwise and anti-clockwise rotation).

You won’t be stuck for connectivity, you get four HDMI 2.0b ports, a single DisplayPort 1.2, and if that isn’t what you are looking for, there is also Thunderbolt 3 USB-C connectivity thrown into the mix.

Performance

The 4k resolution matched with the 32″ size is a good combination,when compared to smaller 4k screens with these high resolutions  you’re not going to feel the benefit in the same way. However this size hits a nice sweet spot, you actually have a need for 4k, you’d notice that a mere HD screen would look on the blocky side when compared to the PA32UC.

As part of the ProArt series, colour is a key part of the offering.  The Asus comes with out of the box calibration and a range of presets to suit all your needs.  The professional will be looking to do their own periodic re-calibration and this model allows for a great deal of flexibility in that respect affording pleasing results.

Responsiveness is capable enough although some have noted input lag higher than preferable.  This may bother some but it shouldn’t be an issue if the screen is used for work.  Freesync is also included to improve gaming performance and works as expected albeit with a small operating window, but again, this is probably not going to be the main draw for buyers of this type of monitor.