Bottom Line
The BenQ EW3270U is a great 4K UHD monitor with unique features, wide color gamut, and exceptional performance. It’s well-suited for movie enthusiasts, console gamers, office work, and everyday PC use.
The BenQ EW3270U is the perfect 4K HDR monitor for high-quality home entertainment, whether you want a cinematic movie-watching experience, a good display for your Xbox One X or PS4 Pro, or just a great 4K PC monitor for all-around use.
Image Quality
The BenQ EW3270U monitor is based on a VA panel with true 10-bit color support covering 95% of the DCI-P3 color space (100% Rec709 and 100% sRGB) which will along with its superior static contrast ratio of 3,000:1 provide you with vibrant and intense colors and deep, true black shades.
The image quality can be further enhanced by enabling HDR (High Dynamic Range) if the content you’re watching is HDR10-compatible.
Whether it’s a console game, a PC game, or a video supporting HDR, the image quality will get even better colors.
However, it’s important to note that due to the rather low 300-nit peak brightness of the BenQ EW3270U HDR monitor, the picture won’t be nearly as eye-catching as it’s on true HDR displays with much higher luminance and localized dimming capabilities.
The 4K Ultra HD resolution provides vivid details and plenty of screen real estate available thanks to the high pixel density, which on this 31.5-inch display amounts to ~140 PPI (Pixels Per Inch).
The viewing angles are 178 degrees both horizontally and vertically, but some minor shifts in contrast here and there are expected when watching the screen from certain off-angles.
Performance
With a response time speed of 4ms, motion blur and ghosting is noticeable in fast-paced games, but for casual gaming, it’s perfectly acceptable.
Using the AMA (Advanced Motion Accelerator) option in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, you can increase the response time speed, but this can also introduce overshoot or inverse ghosting.
The BenQ EW3270U input lag amounts to ~10ms, which is very good and won’t cause any noticeable delays while gaming.
Additionally, the BenQ EW3270U features AMD FreeSync technology, which allows you to synchronize the GPU’s frame rate of an AMD FreeSync-compatible graphics card or an Xbox One console to the monitor’s refresh rate.
By doing so, there’s will be no screen tearing and stuttering within the dynamic refresh rate range. The BenQ EW3270U FreeSync range is 40-60Hz/FPS over both DisplayPort and HDMI.
FreeSync also works without any issues when using a compatible NVIDIA G-SYNC graphics card.
Features
Moving on, the monitor features the Brightness Intelligence Plus technology, which consists of integrated sensors that can automatically tweak the ideal brightness and color temperature according to the ambient lighting for the optimal viewing experience.
Using the hotkey labeled as ‘B.I. + HDR’, you can quickly enable/disable the B.I.+ sensors and HDR function. Furthermore, you can use the ‘HDR-emulate mode’ to simulate HDR for content, which otherwise doesn’t support HDR.
BenQ is known for its advanced eye-care technology when it comes to their displays, and as such, the EW3270U doesn’t use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to regulate brightness, so it’s flicker-free.
In addition, there are four different levels of the low-blue light filter (Multimedia, Web Surfing, Office, and Reading), which will ensure an enjoyable viewing experience at night.
Design & Connectivity
When it comes to connectivity, there are plenty of ports available, including two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, but no power delivery.
While the monitor is VESA mount compatible with 100 x 100 holes, it’s tilt-only by -5, 20 degrees. There are also two 2W integrated speakers and a headphones jack available.
All display connectors support HDCP 2.2, so you will also be able to watch content from streaming services such as Netflix in 4K resolution.
Price & Similar Monitors
The BenQ EW3270U price is around $400-$450, which is a bit steep.
For $300 – $350, you can get the LG 32UL500 instead, which is based on the same panel and offers basically identical image quality and performance – minus BenQ’s exclusive features such as the B.I. + technology.
Visit our best 4K monitors buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals currently available.
Conclusion
The BenQ EW3270U 4K HDR FreeSync monitor is aimed at those looking for a luxurious display for home entertainment.
It’s great for console gaming, watching movies, and everyday PC use due to its range of exclusive features, immersive image quality, and top-notch performance.
| Screen Size | 31.5-inch |
| Resolution | 3840×2160 (UHD) |
| Panel Type | VA |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Response Time | 4ms (GtG) |
| Adaptive Sync | FreeSync (40Hz-60Hz) |
| Speakers | 2x2W |
| Ports | DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Other Ports | USB-C, Headphone Jack |
| Brightness | 300 cd/m2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 3000:1 (static) |
| Colors | 1.07 billion (true 10-bit) |
| VESA | Yes (100x100mm) |
The Pros:
- Innovative B.I.+ technology
- Wide color gamut and dedicated sRGB profile
- High static contrast ratio
- FreeSync over HDMI and DP with stable G-SYNC performance
The Cons:
- Tilt-only stand
- Minor ghosting in fast-paced games, mainly in darker scenes
- Viewing angles aren’t very wide
