BenQ PD3226G: Professional Monitor for Photoshop – and Gaming

Monitors designed for gaming and entertainment have traditionally existed in separate worlds from those meant for work and creative productivity. However, this is beginning to change as remote work becomes increasingly common, and many freelancers in creative professions work independently, often using the same desk and monitor during both work hours and leisure time.

The BenQ PD3226G is a monitor built for this modern vision of work, combining precise visuals and good color performance with a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz and adaptive synchronization for smooth PC gaming.

Features

The BenQ PD3226G is a 31.5-inch widescreen monitor with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels. Unlike many high-end monitors aimed at professional creative work, the PD3226G has a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and supports adaptive sync.

The monitor also heavily relies on Thunderbolt connectivity. While it lacks the extensive connection options of some new Dell monitors, which include Ethernet ports among others, it can connect to a computer via Thunderbolt and features both Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C downstream ports. It also has a Thunderbolt 3 port for linking a video connection to a second monitor.

BenQ is asking for 14,990 SEK for the screen. While this is expensive, it is not unusual for a high-end 32-inch monitor. However, it places the BenQ PD3226G in the same price range as 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors, where it faces stiff competition.

Design

The BenQ PD3226G is part of the company’s Designer series. The term “Designer” speaks to its target audience and describes the monitor’s appearance. It is a sleek, elegant, and well-built monitor that uses silver and white materials for a modern look. The design is subtle and does not immediately draw attention, but the plastic feels sturdy.

Aside from its looks, the BenQ PD3226G is functional. It features an ergonomic stand that can be height adjusted, tilted, swiveled, and rotated 90 degrees for portrait mode. While many 32-inch monitors in this price range can be adjusted in the first three respects, the portrait mode is less common and differentiates the PD3226G from cheaper competitors.

The stand has a small, flat base, so it does not take up too much desk space, and the little it does use can still be utilized. The stand includes cable management with a snap-on cable guide, though it is a bit finicky and may not be sufficient for managing all cables if you use all the monitor’s many ports at once. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available, making the monitor compatible with various third-party stands and arms.

Connectivity Options

The BenQ PD3226G’s video connections include an HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, and a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort. This provides a total of three video inputs. Personally, I would have liked to see a fourth, but three video inputs are more than adequate for most people.

The Thunderbolt connection is a key feature, and the monitor utilizes it in several ways. The Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort also supports power delivery of 90 watts, meaning it can be used to power a connected laptop. There is also a Thunderbolt 4 output for data that handles up to 15 watts, enough to charge a smartphone or tablet.

A Thunderbolt 3 output is included for daisy-chaining to a second monitor. For example, if you connect a laptop to the monitor’s Thunderbolt 4 input, you can link a second monitor to the PD3226G’s Thunderbolt 3 port. This is a handy feature that most monitors in this category lack.

Additional connectivity options include USB-C ports both upstream and downstream, as well as three USB-A downstream ports. A KVM switch is also included for easy switching between multiple connected computers.

Menu and Features

The menus and functions of the BenQ PD3226G can be controlled with a joystick located behind the frame at the bottom right; however, it’s quite possible that you will rarely use it since the monitor also comes with BenQ’s unique puck controller.

This round control, now wireless on the PD3226G, provides full access to menus and settings. You can also customize the buttons for use in Windows software, which is incredibly useful if you often go into options to adjust and calibrate the image or frequently use features like picture-in-picture. The monitor’s functions can also be controlled with Display Pilot 2, a software tool for Windows and Mac.

The monitor’s image quality options are extensive, including color temperature values in specific Kelvin degrees, specific gamma settings, 6-axis controls for hue and saturation, a luminance uniformity mode, and presets for sRGB, DisplayP3, DCI-P3, and Rec.709. These features set BenQ PD3226G apart from monitors aimed at general professional productivity and those targeting both entertainment and professional use.

There is also support for a variety of software tools designed to help users achieve specific color accuracy targets and adapt to a specific color gamut, including Palette Master Ultimate for image calibration with a hardware calibration tool and ColorTalk for color matching without a calibration tool. While I’m not a professional designer or artist, I can’t assess how good these tools actually are, but they are yet another feature that distinguishes the PD3226G from a general work monitor.

What about audio? The BenQ PD3226G has a pair of three-watt speakers that produce acceptable sound at lower volumes, but like most built-in monitor speakers, they sound hollow and thin when you crank up the volume. Most people will want to use external speakers or headphones, and the monitor has a 3.5 mm audio jack specifically for that purpose.

SDR Image Quality

SDR image quality is important; those planning to buy this monitor want not just a screen that looks good but one that objectively achieves high scores and has great color performance. The PD3226G delivers, although its competitors are hot on its heels.

Brightness is a strong point for the BenQ PD3226G, with the screen achieving a maximum brightness of up to 468 candelas per square meter, high for SDR monitors and better than most competitors.

Such high brightness isn’t typically necessary, and many users may actually prefer to operate the monitor at a much lower brightness. I would even recommend keeping the brightness low, as an overly bright screen can tire your eyes.

However, a high maximum brightness means the monitor remains usable in brighter rooms and conditions, which is practical if it’s challenging to darken your room or if the monitor will be used in a brightly lit office.

On the other hand, contrast is a weakness here. It achieved a maximum measured contrast ratio of 1180:1 at 50% of maximum brightness. As the graph shows, this is low for a monitor in this category.

That said, the IPS LCD panel doesn’t perform poorly; on the contrary, it is good for a standard IPS LCD panel. Competing panel technologies, including IPS Black and OLED, provide much better contrast performance. Both the BenQ PD3225U and Dell U3225QE have IPS Black panels.

In practice, however, the limited contrast of the PD3226G is noticeable. The image can appear dull and flat compared to some other options. I also noticed significant “IPS glow,” which caused a grayish sheen over darker images.

This is, however, a trade-off. The IPS panel’s contrast may not match, but by choosing this panel, the monitor can offer better motion clarity, something I will return to.

The BenQ PD3226G does, however, excel in color performance. It delivers colors that exceed 100% of sRGB, 99% of DCI-P3, and 92% of the AdobeRGB color space.

As the graph indicates, this is among the best typical performance for even high-end monitors. The DCI-P3 performance was especially strong, as very few monitors have achieved 99% of DCI-P3 in this test. On the other hand, the HP Omen Transcend 32’s QD-OLED panel might be preferable if you plan to work with the AdobeRGB gamut or Rec.2020.

The BenQ PD3226G also performs well in terms of color accuracy. The graph above may seem to show a loss, but in reality, an average color error below 1.0 is practically indistinguishable to the human eye. This is considered an extremely good result.

As the graph shows, many high-end monitors can now achieve this level of accuracy. The Asus ProArt PA278CFRV is the only monitor that falls far behind, but it is also the most affordable option in this comparison.

Additionally, it’s important that the monitor’s excellent color accuracy is matched with good gamma and color temperature performance. I expect a gamma curve of 2.2 and a color temperature of 6500K, both of which BenQ achieved.

However, different people might expect different targets. Here again, the PD3226G performs well, as it provides both image quality controls and calibration software to fine-tune the image to your requirements. It’s not uncommon for competing monitors to offer some of these features, but the PD3226G hits all the marks.

HDR Image Quality

The BenQ PD3226G supports HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified. However, it is not a good screen for enjoying HDR. This is not only due to the brightness, which in my tests did not exceed the monitor’s SDR brightness in HDR mode, but also due to the contrast, which is no better in HDR than in SDR.

As a result, the PD3226G cannot provide the extra luminance details that HDR is meant to offer, and HDR content tends to look flat and dull compared to a more capable HDR monitor.

However, this shortcoming is relatively common for monitors in the PD3226G’s category that have an IPS LCD panel, including monitors with newer IPS Black panels. You would need to opt for a Mini-LED or OLED monitor for better HDR performance.

Motion Performance

BenQ doesn’t explicitly say that the “G” in PD3226G stands for gaming, but it’s an easy connection to make. The monitor’s refresh rate of 144 Hz is the highest I’ve seen from a monitor intended for creative professionals, surpassing Dell’s IPS Black option, which only reaches up to 120Hz. BenQ’s marketing states that the refresh rate is optimized for “game development and animation.” The PD3226G also officially supports Adaptive Sync and AMD FreeSync, which is noteworthy as many monitors in this category do not.

With a refresh rate of 144 Hz, this monitor is already ahead of most competitors, which typically have refresh rates of 60 Hz to 120 Hz, but that’s not the whole truth. The PD3226G has also managed to reduce the response time for gray-to-gray pixels to 1 millisecond. For comparison, monitors like the Dell U3225QE have response times of 5 to 8 milliseconds. Simply put, a lower pixel response time means pixels can change color faster, reducing ghosting behind rapidly moving objects.

The advantage is clear. While monitors like the Dell U3225QE offer good motion clarity compared to a standard office monitor at 60 Hz, they still appear somewhat blurry. The motion clarity of the PD3226G provides much more detail to moving objects and significantly reduces ghosting behind scrolling text. Reading text that scrolls on the PD3226G is often quite comfortable, which is not the case with many competing monitors.

This is the positive side of the PD3226G’s modest contrast ratio. IPS Black panels in monitors like the Dell U3225QE and PD3225U offer much better contrast, but I have yet to see an IPS Black panel that has a pixel response time of less than 5 milliseconds. The PD3226G, therefore, has an edge when it comes to motion clarity.

Of course, there is an elephant in the room: OLED. An OLED screen like the HP Omen Transcend 32 can provide a refresh rate of up to 240 Hz and pixel response times as low as 0.03 milliseconds. Because of this, 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors will clearly outperform the PD3226G in motion clarity; thus OLED is preferred for PC gaming. Nevertheless, the PD3226G’s motion clarity is excellent for a professional monitor.

Conclusion

The BenQ PD3226G is yet another strong contender in the company’s range for professional artists, designers, and content creators, standing out from competitors in several areas. It offers a wide array of connectivity options, good motion clarity, a multitude of image quality features and settings, and top-notch color performance.

However, these strengths are somewhat offset by the monitor’s weak contrast and mediocre HDR, which are noticeable drawbacks compared to 32-inch 4K QD-OLED competitors.

Despite this, the PD3226G is an excellent choice for those seeking a monitor for professional creative work that is also suitable for gaming and entertainment.

Specifications

• Screen Size: 31.5-inch 16:9 widescreen
• Resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel Type: 10-bit IPS LCD
• Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
• Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync Premium
• HDR: HDR10, VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x Thunderbolt 4 with 90 watt USB power and DisplayPort, 1x Thunderbolt 4 output with 15 watt USB power, 1x Thunderbolt 3 output for daisy-chained video connection, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 upstream with only 10 Gbps data, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 downstream with 10 Gbps data and up to 4.5 watt USB power, 1x USB-C Gen 2 downstream with 10 Gbps data and 4.5 watt USB power, 3.5 mm headphone jack
• VESA Mount: 100×100 mm
• Audio: 2x three-watt speakers
• Additional Features: Wireless remote control, KVM switch