If you have a Mac laptop and you want to really ramp up the visual kick of using it at your desktop, BenQ has developed what looks like just the PC monitor for you. The brand’s new PD322U Thunderbolt 3 display is an absolute powerhouse of powerful display features even if it comes with some distinct limitations.
In fact the Thunderbolt 3 has become so popular that it’s already backordered on sites like B&H Photo Video and units aren’t expected to be available until as late as early April. This is almost understandable after a look at this machine’s specs, which include full HDR10 support, wide color gamut DCI P3 color space coverage and full native 4K ultra HD resolution. The device also comes with one very neat minimalist design that nicely fits with Mac accessories like the notebook you’d hypothetically plug this monitor into. In addition to this, there’s a vertical orientation option as well as other physical adjustment options.
The BenQ PD322U monitor isn’t just for Mac users though. Its Thunderbolt port may be almost exclusively for this specific type of connectivity setup but owners of more typical PC laptops and desktop devices can take advantage of the monitor’s DisplayPort connectivity, multiple USB ports and multiple HDMI connection options. The PD322U even comes with a DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable, in a nice added touch of convenience. The USB options alone include USB-A, USB-B and of course, USB-C. The C port in particular makes this model stand out more than a bit because it gives the BenQ monitor a measure of future-proofing for the new connectivity options coming for PCs and other computing devices in 2019 and beyond.
All told, this particular 4K HDR monitor comes loaded with versatile connectivity options that consist of several ports along the back of the device and three others along its left side, which is more than we see in the majority of 4K monitors on the market today.
As for the new BenQ monitor’s display specs, they impress more than anything else in this well-built machine. Colors are gorgeously vibrant across the board, contrast and brightness are exceptionally high and text elements for OS or app and internet object rendering are very, very crisp on the screen’s giant 32 inch 3840 x 2160 pixel native 4K UHD resolution. The PD322U supports HDR10 completely and this includes 93% DCI-P3 color space coverage. For adjusting some of the Thunderbolt 3 monitor’s display specs, there’s also a rather unique option called the Hotkey Puck G2, which lets the monitor connect via micro USB for access to a display settings menu in which color mode, brightness, contrast and a bunch of other visual specs can be manually calibrated.
As we mentioned above, the Thunderbolt 3 monitor comes with vertical orientation as well, and this feature, combined with its razor sharp 4K resolution, makes this device ideal for use with vertically oriented development and visual tools like PDF documents and schematics. Very few 4K HDR monitors of this size come with this kind of vertical orientation feature so design professionals might love the new BenQ model for this reason alone.
All told, BenQ’s new PD322U monitor looks exceptionally powerful and even delivers enough to make it completely unique from the rest of the 4K monitor market in some ways, making this new addition to the high-end PC display niche stand out well above the average.
BenQ has made the PD322U Thunderbolt 3 monitor available for sale already (though it seems to be sold out from most online retailers for the moment. When it is available, a brand new unit goes for just $1,199.99. We actually consider this to be a pretty decent price for something with the PD322U’s kinds of professional specs and sheer high-end display power.
Here’s the BenQ PD322U retail link from B&H and check out the Amazon link below too, which comes with a longer backorder wait time but includes free tech support with purchase and even free shipping for some buyers.
