Hands on: BenQ PD2706U review
This review first appeared in Issue 357 PC Professional Edition.
If you’re a graphic designer but your budget doesn’t reach Eizo’s level, there are some extremely compelling reasons to choose the BenQ PD2706U. Let’s start with the obvious: this is a 27-in. 4K screenwhich means you can enjoy an incredible amount of detail.
Unlike the Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X, it uses an 8-bit panel plus FRC to reach 1.07 billion colors, but if you’re willing to stick with sRGB, Display P3, and DCI-P3 color spaces, it’ll cover them all with extreme accuracy these color spaces. For example, switch to sRGB and it covers 98% at 100% volume, while DCI-P3 covers 92% with no spillover. With a maximum (not average) Delta E of 1.81, you can believe what your eyes are seeing.
BenQ has sweetened the deal with the wired Hotkey Puck, which lets you switch between presets easily, while the dial means you can quickly browse options. Going into the OSD, there’s even a Dual screen mode, which splits the panel into two parts so you can work in different color spaces side by side. This is an OSD well worth exploring, with tons of color adjustment options. Buy a calibrator and you can fine-tune it to your liking.
It’s beautifully designed with slim bezels, a height adjustment range of 150mm, a 30° tilt back, but a limited 20° swivel on the sides. There is no RJ45 port, nor Camerabut you want nothing else. DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 inputs are connected by a USB-C port that delivers up to 90W of power, and there are USB-C, USB-A, and 3.5mm jacks on the right side. There are also two USB-A ports on the back, with a USB-B connector next to it, so you can share peripherals between computers. this speaker Enough to listen to music, but you won’t be blown away.
If you do buy this monitor and the brightness seems dimmer than you thought (it promises 350cd/m2 We measured the peak value to be 348cd/m22), go to Color | Advanced | Uniformity in OSD and check that Uniformity is not turned on. Doing so removes the differences between edges, but also reduces the peak brightness to around 180cd/m22. We don’t think this sacrifice is worth it.
The BenQ PD2706U doesn’t cover all the color options offered by the Eizo FlexScan CG2700X, which also comes with an excellent warranty: BenQ’s PD range includes a three-year collection and returns warranty, so if something goes wrong you may have to wait two weeks for a replacement. However, if you have £400 to spend and are willing to use its color switching feature, the BenQ PD2706U is still an attractive option.
