Asus ProArt PA32KCX 8K Monitor Review

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You might want to sit down for this. The Asus ProArt PA32KCX costs just under $8,800. Without a doubt, this 32-inch monitor is a technical feat. But $8,800? Actually?

Highlights among a long list of impressive specs that at least go some way to justify that staggering sticker price are native 8K resolution, an IPS panel with 4032 dimming zones, 1200 nits of maximum HDR brightness, a motorized colorimeter for automated calibration, and fully comprehensive connectivity.

So, there is no doubt that this is one of the best specified displays on the market today. By some metrics, for example, it positively outperforms devices like the Apple Pro Display XDR, which offers just 6K resolution and 576 dimming zones.

Asus ProArt PA32KCX: Design and features

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The Asus ProArt PA32KCX 8K monitor on a white desk in a home office during our review process — (Image credit: future)

Fully complete connectivity
Automated calibration
Disappointing build quality

Specs

Panel size: 32 inches

Panel type: IPS

Resolution: 7,680 x 4,320

Glow: 1200 nits

Contrast: 1,000:1 (static)

Pixel Answer: 5ms

Update frequency: 60Hz

Color coverage: 97% DCI-P3, 95% Adobe RGB

HDR: HDR 1000 display

VESA: 100mm x 100mm

Connectivity: HDMI 2.1 x2, DisplayPort 2.1 x1, Thunderbolt 4 x2 with 96W PD, USB hub with USB-C x1 and USB-A x3

When you're charging the fat end of $10,000 for a PC monitor, that raises expectations. And the Asus ProArt PA32KCX does not meet them in all aspects.

The main problem is clearly the disappointing build quality. Compared to any conventional monitor, the plastic chassis is perfectly functional. But at this price, the rent seems completely low.

The I/O panel on the back looks particularly cheap for such an expensive screen and the usual creaks and groans of the plastic when adjusting the height, tilt or swivel of the screen really stand out. Again, this is all normal for, say, a $500 monitor, or even a $1000 panel. But for $8,800, you could expect better.

There's no doubt about it, the Asus ProArt PA32KCX isn't even in the same galactic supergroup of build and engineering as Apple's Pro Display XDR and its lush all-alloy materials. That said, in terms of features, the ProArt far surpasses any Apple display.

Connectivity is a particular strong point with HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, Thunderbolt, and more all included. There's also a KVM switch, support for display daisy chaining, and a USB hub. Therefore, practically all eventualities are covered.

The motorized colorimeter is also pretty nifty. It opens from the bottom left of the screen, allowing the ProArt PA32KCX to autocalibrate any of the long list of color spaces it supports. What's more, that calibration can be scheduled to occur automatically at regular intervals.

You also get proper Mac support, including brightness controls right in MacOS when you enable HDR. In short, this is a highly specced monitor, but it is not a beautifully designed monitor.

Asus ProArt PA32KCX: Performance

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Incredible pixel density
Local dimming is unpredictable
Noticable fan noise

For many applications, the native 8K resolution is overkill. Just to clarify, that's 7680 by 4320, more than 33 million pixels or four full 4K grids crammed onto this 32-inch screen. The pixel density reaches a staggering 275 DPI. That's smartphone territory and twice the density of a 32-inch 4K monitor.

In many ways, the most apt comparison is with 32-inch 6K displays, which come in at just over 200 DPI. In terms of things like text rendering, the benefit of 8K over 6K in everyday use is marginal.

Likewise, you don't actually get any additional usable screen real estate. You'll likely use similar scaling settings whether you opt for 6K or 8K. And you can get 6K monitors for only about $1,000. So where does the benefit of 8K come in?

It will be a professional editing of videos and images. Generally speaking, there are two advantages. For video, 8K resolution lets you view and edit content in full 4K while leaving plenty of room for toolbars, timelines, and the rest. Pixel-for-pixel 4K video at full resolution takes up just a quarter of the screen. Remarkable.

As for image editing, well, high resolution images look absolutely great on this monitor. The detail is really impressive. There is also a practical benefit, in that it is easier to evaluate image details, less need to zoom, etc. Frankly, once you've edited images on this thing, a 4K monitor feels a little clunky.

The other really important feature is local dimming. This is a full backlit LCD panel instead of an OLED panel. Asus has configured it with 4,032 zones, which is very high by the standards of this type of mini-LED backlight. But it's still nothing like per-pixel lighting.

The results are quite varied. I've certainly seen worse implementations of local dimming. But many evidence of backlight operation can still be detected. There are many telltale signs, including glitches, such as the mouse pointer dimming on dark backgrounds and brightness gradients visible on the screen. Under the right circumstances, you can even see areas of lighting fading in and out.

All of this is inevitable with mini-LED backlight technology. But it must be said that Apple's backlight algorithms are definitely better. It's very noticeable when, for example, you have a MacBook Pro with similar backlight technology next to this screen, how much more consistent and refined its backlight algorithm is.

It is true that backlighting works very well for HDR videos. This panel has great pop and with over 4,000 dimming zones and up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, most of the time there's enough precision to do true justice to HDR content.

But on a day-to-day basis, the shortcomings are so obvious that you may want to disable local dimming, at which point you're looking at a wildly expensive IPS panel with very limited contrast compared to an OLED panel.

Of course, it's a really lovely IPS monitor, with full 10 bits per channel and all that good stuff. But wow, is it expensive? And of course, it only runs at 60Hz, which is another example of the ways you have to make compromises to get that 8K resolution. Like the noise, sometimes very noticeable and quite distracting from the cooling fans.

Asus ProArt PA32KCX: final verdict

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The Asus ProArt PA32KCX has some pretty obvious shortcomings. The build quality is average and its local dimming algorithm could use some work. For $8,800, those problems are pretty hard to stomach. In fact, based on several metrics including lighting control, speed, viewing angles, and more, the latest 32-inch 4K OLED monitors far outperform this IPS monitor and its mini-LED backlight.

But here's the thing. If you want 8K, you simply can't have it with OLED technology. In fact, there are very few options, period. And 8K certainly has benefits in the context of content creation. Once you've seen high-resolution images on this panel, going back to 4K really seems like a big step backwards.

Therefore, the value proposition offered by the Asus ProArt PA32KCX will not make sense to most users, or even most creative professionals. This is especially true when even companies like Asus, which aren't known for their high prices, offer you a similarly sized 6K monitor for about an eighth of the price.

It is true that this monitor is incredibly well specified in terms of connectivity. Some creative professionals will also appreciate features like automatic self-calibration. And if you have the kind of very particular workflows that will specifically benefit from 8K, well, you might be able to make the numbers add up. But for everyone else, a 6K monitor for much less money, like Asus' ProArt PA32QCV model, almost certainly makes more sense.

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