Review of the Asus ProArt Series PA32UC / 4K monitor

The connectivity of the Asus PA32UC

We're in the top standards of 2019. Everything is there: HDMI in version 2.0, Display Port 1.2, USB 3.0, USB-C (Thunderbolt 3.0 with 60W charge), all in several copies. Perfect except that the latest Apple MacBook Pro 15- and 16-inch MacBooks need nearly 100 W to charge at the same time as we work on them.

What is the Asus PA32UC monitor woth after calibration with the i1Display Pro and the SpyderX Elite?

I calibrated this monitor - like all the monitors I test - with the i1Display Pro + i1Profiler software (version 1.8.2) and the SpyderX Elite (v5.3) in order to be able to place it in front of its competitors knowing that, given its technical data, we can expect the best.

Important note! I connected this display to the Display Port with a very good quality cable. This is essential on a UHD monitor because, at 60 Hz, there is a lot of information to pass every second.

I chose the following screen settings:

• Color space (Splendid): Adobe RGB
• Gamma: 90 Cd/m2 (screen value: 22/100)
• Contrast: 80% (and not 100%)
• Color temperature: 6500K.

And as target values in i1Profiler 1.8.3 software in advanced mode...

• Display technology : Choose white diodes,
• D65 or possibly a little less if you want a slightly warmer screen. (Note that at D55, the screen is really hot but not yellow like on the low end monitors),
• Luminance: 90 Cd/m2 or more depending on your main use (printing or web) and especially the brightness of your room,
• Contrast: Native,
• Gamma : 2,2,
• ADC function disabled,
• ICC standard: V2 to avoid incompatibility problems with some image viewing software (images too dark), especially under Windows 10, and obviously V4 if you know what you are doing.

Make sure to reset the factory settings AND select the generic profile before calibrating! Once the reset is complete, choose the generic screen profile from the MacOS or Windows 10 system preferences.

And the result is?

As the brand states in its communication, the results are really excellent or close to excellence and we are dealing with a high-end display.

Objective data: what does the final report say after calibration?

1 - Contrast and Color Temperature: Before switching to Delta E, it is interesting to record the color temperature values achieved and the contrast.

My opinion!  Achieving a colour temperature (CT) of 6470 for 6500K is very good - but not perfect - even if expected on an Asus ProArt display. 690:1 contrast is classic and will not be perfect in 2019. My record of 2600:1 (in March 2019) on an IPS panel display with a measurement at 90 Cd/m2 is very far away... but, again, never embarrassing in the practice of a professional retoucher. It is only on viewing movies with dark shots that you would have appreciated deeper blacks but you will then activate the HDR mode of the monitor.

2 - Delta e : Now, let's move on to the famous Delta E after calibration according to the 2000 standard which I use for the calibration of all the monitors on this site:

My opinion!  The average Delta E standard 2000 is 0.35 which is obviously excellent, close to the records on this site! But where this display shows its professional qualities is on the Delta e Max. on all patches: only 0.69. No doubt, this is a high-end display.

Note! This display belongs to the Asus ProArt series and is therefore calibrated and certified Delta e < 2 at the factory. That said, Asus has the delicate attention to deliver this Asus PA32UC-K with the excellent i1 Display Pro from X-Rite.

Now the luminance uniformity tests:

Important! It is essential to activate the option "Display > Uniformity compensation > On" in the OSD menu of the display otherwise we will not obtain such results.

There are only Eizo ColorEdge displays to do even better, whatever the brightness level, but be careful, to get such results, you must absolutely activate the option on the display called the uniformity compensation of the display in the OSD menu. On a 32-inch car it's a nice surprise, but on a high-end display you'd be tempted to say it's "normal". We just have to hope that it will last a long time...

... and color temperature:

It's even better, in the Eizo ColorEdge standards. Well done!

Which gamut displays the Asus PA32UC?

As promised, this Asus PA32UC (or Asus PA32UC-K) displays 100% of the Adobe RGB.

Note! This measurement was made with the SpyderX Elite colorimeter, (released in February 2019) excellent for calibrating this display.

And my subjective data: what does my eye see?

At the first display and even more so after calibrating it with my two favorite colorimeters, I liked the color neutrality of this very large screen. As for uniformity, I must point out that when you look at this rather large display from the front, you get the impression that the corners are darker, like on a TN panel, whereas if you move slightly then everything goes back to normal. And this is confirmed by the calibration sensor. I also appreciated the sharpness of the texts even though I reduced the screen menu option because it seemed exaggerated by default. It is therefore a favorite in very high-end for those who want to offer themselves the "best" without falling into the Eizo prices!