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Review of the Asus ProArt Series PA32UC / UHD monitor
In this display, Asus has put all its know-how to satisfy professional retouchers or videographers: 32-inch UHD panel, matte, IPS, displaying the Adobe RGB gamut, Rec 2020, DCI P3, state-of-the-art connectors.... To this, Asus adds a little delicate attention: it comes with the excellent i1 Display Pro colorimeter. But what is it worth in the reality of our daily lives?
This new Asus monitor, released in the first quarter of 2019, has all the finesse of a reference monitor: ProArt series (synonymous with Delta E under the bar of 2, therefore favourable to precise color retouching), 32 inches displaying the UHD definition, i.e. 3840 x 2160 (137 ppi) in the 16:9 ratio. Its panel is matt, with IPS technology (white LEDs), 14-bit LUT table and displaying the Adobe RGB / Rec 2020 gamut. Very high-end in 2019. The finish and ergonomics are in line with this. Finally, it should be noted that this display has the famous future-proof connector: the USB-C (Thunderbolt 3.0) and, not to spoil anything, is sold with the excellent i1 Display Pro colorimeter from X-Rite. It's time to try it!
Asus PA32UC or ASUS PA32UC-K - The Asus PA32UC-K model is sold with the colorimeter i1Display Pro.
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Introduction of the Asus ProArt PA32UC monitor
Here are some illustrations of this very nice UHD monitor: |
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Average price : $1,299.99 |
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Panel size |
32 inches 16 : 9 - 3840 x 2160 - 137 ppi |
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Panel technology |
IPS white LED (matt panel) |
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Uniformity check |
Yes on 384 zones |
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Gamut |
100% Adobe RGB (Measured), 97% DCI P3... |
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HDR10 compatibility |
Yes |
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Brightness/contrast |
350 Cd/m2 / 690:1 measured |
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LUT table |
14 bits |
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Response time |
5 ms |
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Screen dimensions |
730 x 532 x 226 mm (stand) - 11,4 Kg |
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Border widths |
10 mm only! |
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Color calibration soft |
Factory calibration (Delta e <2) |
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Inputs |
DP 1.2 + HDMI 2 + USB-C (TB 3.0) + USB 3.0 |
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VESA compatibility |
Yes - 100 mm |
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Hood |
No |
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Warranty |
3 years |
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Company |
asus.com |
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You'll find in the box...
The monitor is sold with :
- The power cord... of course!
- A Display Port > Display Port cable
- An HDMI cable > HDMI
- A USB 3.0 > USB-C cable
- A Thunderbolt 3.0 cable > TB 3.0 (60W recharge)
- The factory calibration report
- The CD supports
- Hood
- (Asus PA32UC-K with i1Display Pro)
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This Asus PA32UC-K does not have a built-in colorimeter but is sold with the excellent i1 Display Pro. The Asus PA32UC is sold without colorimeter.
Read my test : i1 Display Pro 

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The monitor and its panel
1 - Definition/resolution - This matt IPS panel displays the 16:9 elongated aspect ratio in UHD 3840 x 2160 definition! Its resolution is therefore 137 ppi. Images will be soft and sharp at the same time thanks to the "Sharpness" mode of the screen which allows you to accentuate micro-contrast. To operate this UHD display in good conditions, i. e. at 60 Hz, you will need a recent graphics card, not so much because of the power required but because of the connections that must be state-of-the-art (e. g. HDMI in version 2.0).
My advice: which graphics card to choose choose for 4K or UHD displays?
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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.
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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!

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Uniformity of the panel |
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Resolution |
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Ergonomic design |
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Inputs |
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Manufacturing quality |
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Value for money |
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- Very beautiful and large 32 inch UHD panel,
- Matt IPS panel,
- Large gamut (99% Adobe RGB verified),
- The ingenious i1Display Pro calibration sensor sold with the Asus PA32UC-K monitor only,
- Color accuracy after calibration,
- Very good homogeneity after activating the screen uniformity function (384 zones),
- 14-bit LUT table synonymous with beautiful progressive gradients,
- HDMI 2.0 + Display Port 1.2 + USB-C + Thunderbolt 3.0 + 60W load in TB 3.0 + USB 3.0,
- HDR compatible,
- Very nice finish,
- OSD settings with the convenient rear multidirectional slider,
- Very thin edges for the multi-screens if necessary,
- VESA 100mm,
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- A contrast in the low average to retouch the photos (so HDR mode disabled),
- Homogeneity of my test copy not perfect when the brightness of the images decreases but I almost flicker,
- If you chirp again (but at this price you can), the anti-reflective coating of the top-of-the-range Eizo is even more discreet.
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9,75 / 10, My favorite! |
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How about 10/10? Because you have to leave the maximum score to the Eizo CG319X, absolutely perfect, but for twice as much! To make up for it, this Asus PA32UC has the best quality / price ratio of high-end UHD displays, so it displays Adobe RGB. Indeed, for $2.000 you will have a 32-inch panel with perfect colours, a wide gamut, almost perfect homogeneity with the ad-hoc mode activated, top connectivity, finish, ergonomics and, without being a detail, a colorimeter of excellent quality. It is therefore an expensive but favorite product!
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$1,299.99 |
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$1,299.99 |
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CDN$ 1,905.30 |
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£1,873.45 * |
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* Asus PA32UC-K (with i1Display Pro) |
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