When comparing BenQ PD3200U vs Planar Helium PCT2785, the Slant community recommends Planar Helium PCT2785 for most people. In the question“What are the best monitors?” Planar Helium PCT2785 is ranked 30th while BenQ PD3200U is ranked 46th. The most important reason people chose Planar Helium PCT2785 is:
The black levels are respectively low at 0.16cd/m², which helps the contrast ratio achieve 1100:1 which is much lower than the advertised 5000:1, but still quite good.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Excellent general purpose monitor
The BenQ PD3200U has excellent picture quality, exceptional color accuracy, great adjustability, and good connectivity, which combined with the monitor's generous amount of display real estate, makes the PD3200U one of the most versatile panels on the market.
Pro Has speakers
The BenQ PD3200U features a pair of inbuilt 10 W speakers.
Pro Excellent connectivity
Connectivity-wise, the BenQ PD3200U, is among the best monitors on the market, as its USB 3.0 hub offers four upstream USB ports that can be used for connecting or charging peripherals. The two downstream ports are used for connecting the hub to a computer.
The PD3200U's stand-out feature is the builtin KVM switch, which allows sharing a mouse, a keyboard, and the monitor itself between two computers that are connected to the monitor through the downstream USB ports.
Additionally, this monitor has an SD/MMC card reader, and it features fairly fast transfer rates since it works over the USB 3.0 interface.
Pro Suitable for media artists
The BenQ PD3200U makes an excellent tool for color-critical applications like video editing and web design as it can display the full sRGB and Rec. 709 color spaces accurately.
Pro Has a puck switch
The puck has four buttons that grant you fast access to display's settings and multiple preset modes.
Pro Excellent range of ergonomic adjustments
Setting up the perfect workspace is no hassle since the BenQ PD3200U supports tilt angle, swivel angle, and even height adjustments.
Furthermore, you can use the monitor in either landscape or a portrait mode.
Pro Large on-screen real estate
This 32-inch 4K monitor is an excellent for multitaskers because it has enough on-screen workspace to allow you to work with multiple windows stacked side by side. The monitor feels best when used in a two by one vertical alignment.
Pro Excellent picture quality
The monitor's native contrast ratio, peak brightness, color accuracy, and gamma are superior to what the majority of competitors in this price range offer. Furthermore, the BenQ PD3200U is among a handful of monitors that offer a true 10-bit panel in the sub $1000 price range.
The BenQ PD3200U reproduces eye-catching images with colors that are vivid and accurate, dark scenes that are truly deep and rich, and intermediate tones that look realistic and beautiful. Colors pop and look vibrant thanks to the monitor's peak brightness of 317 nits. Dark scenes look beautiful because the monitor's AHVA panel has a native contrast ratio of 1040:1, which allows it to reproduce blacks realistically. The mid-tones look life-like as the monitor's gamma value is only 1% off from being ideal.
Additionally, the colors look realistic as the monitor's color inaccuracies can be spotted only by specifically-designed equipment.
Pro Decent black levels, good contrast ratio
The black levels are respectively low at 0.16cd/m², which helps the contrast ratio achieve 1100:1 which is much lower than the advertised 5000:1, but still quite good.
Pro Pretty fast response times make the system feel quick
The response time is 12ms, which isn't lightning fast, but it's still quick enough to make the system feel more responsive than cheaper monitors. While not fast enough for high-level gaming, this monitor won't make your system feel slow or unresponsive.
Pro 'Massive tablet' design is unique, and versitile
It really does look like a massive tablet with a kickstand - but that's not a bad thing. There's no stand visible, leaving the front looking very clean. The stand can angle anywhere from 15-70 degrees which allows for flexible use, or it can be folded in and used flat on the desk or even mounted using the VESA mounting holes.
Pro Built-in speakers, webcam, and mic
This monitor has many peripherals built-in, and unless you use them heavily they will do the job just fine. Unless you feel the need for dedicated hardware, the built-in stereo speakers work well enough, and the webcam and mic are acceptable quality for occasional recreational use (for business calls or other uses where quality is important, you'll want to upgrade to dedicated hardware).
Cons
Con Lacks hardware calibration
Hardware color calibration is an essential feature of a professional grade monitor. Without it, you can only perform software calibration which is not as efficient because it affects the computer’s video card output instead of the monitor itself.
Con Lacks USB-C
At this price point, many users expect to have at least one USB-C port in 2018.
Con Disappointing color accuracy
The MVA panel (multi-domain vertical alignment: in-between of TN and IPS technologies) doesn't reproduce colors very accurately. It scores just 82% of the sRGB color gamut, while other panels offer high 80s and even above 90%. This display's weakest points are with the green and cyan shades, while reds and blues appeared just fine.
Con Dim display
The display doesn't get very bright - at just 172cd/m² this panel is very dim. Many monitors can achieve 300cd/m² or higher brightnesses.
Con Takes much more power than similar monitors
Without using the ECO mode, this monitor requires about 50 watts to power it. This is double than other monitors. There are different levels of ECO modes, however these dim the display and barely get down to the power level of other monitors when they are all enabled.