ASUS PA32UCR (PA32UCR-K) 4K IPS with 576-zone Mini LED backlight
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.An important part of HDR is the capability to simultaneously display very dark and very bright simultaneously. For LCDs, this requires a good number of dimming zones with precise control. The ASUS PA32UCR (PA32UCR-K with bundled colorimeter) is one such offering, touting a Mini LED backlight with 576 individually addressable dimming zones. The monitor has a sleek professional look, with a black coated metal stand neck and matte black and dark grey plastics used elsewhere. The top and side bezels are dual-stage, with a slim panel border flush with the rest of the screen plus a slim hard plastic outer part. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick and accompanying buttons at the rear, running down the right side as viewed from the front.
A 32” IPS-type (In-Plane Switching or similar) panel is adopted, the AUO M320QAN02.7 AHVA (Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle) panel more specifically. A 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) resolution is adopted, with a light to very light matte anti-glare screen surface helping preserve this clarity better than stronger matte surfaces. Other aspects to note include a 60Hz refresh rate, 1000:1 static contrast ratio (1m:1 HDR), 178°/178° viewing angles and 10-bit colour support. The monitor is factory calibrated with a specified DeltaE <1, with colour space emulation for sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. ProArt 2.0 Hardware Calibration is supported using a compatible colorimeter. A flicker-free Quantum Dot Mini LED backlight is included with 576 dimming zones. This supports a typical maximum luminance of 400 cd/m² (1000 cd/m² HDR peak) and 99.5% Adobe RGB (98% DCI-P3, 87% Rec. 2020) colour gamut. VESA DisplayHDR 1000 support is included for HDR10 content, allowing the monitor to put its capable backlight to good use alongside its 10-bit colour support. The HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) HDR format is also supported.
A range of Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are included to promote relaxing viewing, whilst a 5ms grey to grey response time is specified (approach with caution). A strobe backlight setting called ‘Motion Sync’ is also supported at 60Hz. The stand attaches centrally using a quick-release mechanism, allowing easy removal and the attachment of an alternative 100 x 100mm VESA compatible solution. It offers full ergonomic flexibility, including 130mm (5.12 inches) height adjustment and pivot into portrait. The ports face downwards beneath a removable port cover and include; AC power with zero-watt switch (internal power converter), 3 HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.2 port, USB-C (80W PD, DP Alt Mode, upstream data), 3 USB 3.2 ports (plus USB-C upstream) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. PiP/PbP is supported, whilst 2 x 2W speakers are also included for basic sound output.
Further information can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The ‘K’ variant with bundled X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter is listed for ~$1500 USD (£1200).
