AOC U32U1 31.5 4K IPS model with VESA DisplayHDR 600
As an Amazon Associate and Newegg Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the “Buy” button at the bottom of this post. Where possible, you'll be redirected to your nearest store. Further information on supporting our work.AOC often set themselves apart from other manufacturers in terms of value for money and also design. They’re not afraid to use a bit of metal or to go for a bit of form over function on some of their models. The AOC U32U1 is a product which is very much designed to sit as a proud and stylish centrepiece to the desk. It is designed by Studio F.A. Porsche and is tagged with a Red Dot Design award. It has a tripod-design polished metal stand, very sculpture-like in its construction, which the screen sits atop. The screen itself uses the now popular ‘dual-stage bezel’ design, which is described by the manufacturer as “4-sided frameless”. This comprises a slim hard outer component to the bezel as well as a slim panel border that’s flush with the screen, blending in seamlessly when the monitor is switched off. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick at the rear of the monitor, towards the right side as viewed from the front.
A 31.5” 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) IPS-type (In-Plane Switching or similar) panel is used with a ‘light’ (or ‘very light’) matte anti-glare finish and 1300:1 specified static contrast. This is accompanied by a 60Hz refresh rate, 178°/178° viewing angles and support for 10-bit colour (1.07 billion colours). The monitor responds to HDR10 content, with support for VESA DisplayHDR 600. This necessitates local dimming on the backlight, whilst the typical maximum luminance of the monitor is specified as 600 cd/m². A flicker-free WLED backlight is employed which offers 135% sRGB coverage (98% DCI-P3 and 100% Adobe RGB), ticking that final box for VESA DisplayHDR 600 compliance. A 5ms grey to grey response time is specified. Although the monitor appears minimalistic at the rear (and all sides, really), it does not take a form over function approach. The central shroud to which the stand attaches has a casing of brushed aluminium, with a dark grey (or black) matte plastic used elsewhere. The included stand affords full ergonomic flexibility; tilt (3.5° forwards, 18.5° backwards), height (120mm or 4.72 inches), swivel (40° left, 40° right) and pivot adjustment (90° rotation into portrait). The brushed metal casing can be removed to reveal 100 x 100mm VESA holes for alternative mounting. The ports are down-firing and include; DP 1.2, HDMI 2.0, HDMI 1.4, USB-C (with DP alt mode and 65W power delivery) and 4 USB 3.1 ports. On the audio side there are 2 x 2W speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and 3.5mm line-in.
Further information can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is available with an RRP of £829.
