Of all of the bleeding edge tech accessible in as we speak’s gaming screens, one of the vital unique is Mini LED. Whereas typical LCD backlights include LEDs arrayed on the fringe of the panel or a grid of LEDs behind the TFT layer with as much as 512 dimming zones, Mini LEDs are tiny gentle sources that increase peak output and sport as many as 1152 dimming zones. With this many zones, distinction could be a lot broader, making each SDR and HDR content material richer and extra dynamic.
The draw back to Mini LED is price. You’ll pay nicely over $2,000 for a 32-inch Extremely HD Mini LED gaming monitor. I’ve already checked out Asus’ model, the ROG Swift PG32UQX, which sells for round $2,900. Now now we have the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG, which is a shoo-in to be featured among the many finest gaming screens. It has the identical primary specs: Extremely HD decision, Mini LED 1,152-zone backlight, 144 Hz, HDR with 1,400 nits peak, Nvidia G-Sync Final and a super-wide colour gamut. ViewSonic provides the newest G-Sync Processor options with Nvidia’s Reflex Latency Analyzer, and the value is a tad decrease, $2,499 to begin.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG Specs
| Panel Kind / Backlight | IPS / Mini LED |
| Full array, 1152 dimming zones | |
| Display Measurement / Facet Ratio | 32 inches / 16:9 |
| Max Decision and Refresh Charge | 3840×2160 @ 144 Hz |
| G-Sync Final | |
| FreeSync suitable | |
| Native Colour Depth and Gamut | 10-bit / Rec.2020 |
| HDR10, DisplayHDR 1400 | |
| Response Time (GTG) | 3 ms |
| Brightness (mfr) | 400 nits SDR |
| 1,400 nits HDR | |
| Distinction (mfr) | 1,000:1 |
| Audio system | 2x 5w |
| Video Inputs | 1x DisplayPort 1.4 w/DSC |
| 3x HDMI 2.0 | |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone output |
| USB 3.1 | 1x up, 3x down or None |
| Energy Consumption | 65.5w, brightness @ 200 nits |
| Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base | 28.6 x 18.8-23.5 x 10.4 inches (726 x 478-598 x 265 mm) |
| Panel Thickness | 3.5 inches (88 mm) |
| Bezel Width | Prime/sides: 0.3 inch (8 mm) |
| Backside: 1 inch (25 mm) | |
| Weight | 24 kilos (10.9 kg) |
| Guarantee | 3 years |
In the case of picture high quality, the XG321UG leaves nothing on the desk. The IPS panel has the identical Mini LED 1152-zone backlight because the Asus. Peak output is rated at 1,400 nits in HDR mode, however I measured over 1,700 with a window sample. That’s significantly brilliant. HDR distinction is over 70,000:1 due to that fancy backlight which may shut down any a part of its 48 by 24 zone array. Prolonged colour comes courtesy of a quantum dot movie which takes the colour gamut nicely previous DCI-P3, all the way in which to 84.28% protection of Rec.2020. Accuracy is assured out of the field, and there’s even a near-perfect sRGB mode for SDR content material. As you’ll see within the benchmark exams, the XG321UG excels in picture constancy and efficiency.
Gaming efficiency is premium with a 144 Hz refresh price, G-Sync Final and FreeSync compatibility. The XG321UG is the primary Extremely HD monitor I’ve examined with Nvidia’s Reflex Latency Analyzer characteristic, one thing I’d solely seen beforehand on 360 Hz shows. By connecting a supported mouse to the monitor’s particular inexperienced USB port, you may see your precise management latency displayed in real-time whilst you play a sport. It’s an effective way to watch efficiency and a useful software for esports fanatics.
Followers of LED lighting results will discover a glowing ring on the XG321UG’s bottom and one other gentle bar that shines a smooth glow on the desktop. You additionally get handy bits like a stout metallic headphone hook, a carry deal with on the upright and little cable managers that fold out to accommodate mouse and keyboard hookups. As anticipated, construct high quality is nearly as good because it will get.
Meeting and Equipment
The XG321UG is available in a big clamshell field that opens vast, making the contents straightforward to elevate. The all-metal base bolts to an equally huge upright to which the chunky panel is connected, no instruments crucial. A canopy comes off to disclose the enter panel. As soon as your connections are made, put it again to cover the wiring. The accent bundle consists of HDMI, DisplayPort and USB cables together with an enormous exterior energy provide, not shocking contemplating the 65 watts I measured with brightness at 200 nits.
Product 360
Regardless of a big and heavy chassis, the XG321UG seems slim from the entrance due to an 8 mm flush bezel across the prime and sides of the display. You’ll barely discover it when a picture is displayed. A wider one-inch trim strip crosses the underside with an Elite brand within the middle. Beneath are two keys and a joystick for the OSD and energy features. The display has a 3H hardness matte anti-glare layer.
The stand is rock stable and greater than able to supporting the massive panel’s weight. Changes embrace 120 mm of peak, 5/20 levels tilt and 25 levels swivel to both facet. There isn’t any portrait adjustment. The panel sits excessive sufficient to place the consumer’s eyepoint on the middle display on a typical desktop. In the event you’d fairly set it down low, it almost touches the desk floor with simply sufficient clearance for cables.
From the facet, you may see the panel’s thickness however a delicate taper back and forth makes it look rather less cumbersome. There’s loads of room right here for USB or audio ports, however ViewSonic didn’t embrace them. You’ll discover them on the enter panel beneath. There are additionally three HDMI 2.0 ports plus a single DisplayPort 1.4 with Show Stream Compression. To make use of the total 10-bit native colour bandwidth at 144 Hz with Adaptive-Sync and HDR, you’ll want to make use of DisplayPort. HDMI tops out at 120 Hz.
The LED lighting takes the type of diffuse bands that glow softly. A hexagon rings the stand mount, which hides a 100 mm VESA bolt sample. And also you get one other bar throughout the underside of the bezel, which casts gentle on the desktop. All colours and results are managed by the OSD and could be turned off if you want. Additionally included is a room gentle sensor for the Auto Brightness and Auto Black Degree features. They tweak the picture in real-time to optimize it on your room’s lighting circumstances.
OSD Options
The XG31UG’s OSD has a really useful look with nothing however textual content and skinny strains to delineate its six sub-menus. There aren’t any gaming graphics or futuristic shapes right here. To name it up, press the joystick beneath the middle of the panel.
There are 9 image modes in complete, with Customary being one of the best one for accuracy. It doesn’t want calibration, however a number of tweaks put the XG321UG on par with the perfect shows I’ve examined. You’ll be able to select between 4 colour temp presets and 5 gamma choices. The RGB sliders are very exact and may get the grayscale errors right down to a super-low degree. Auto Brightness and Auto Black Degree work with the sensor on the panel’s entrance to tweak the picture mechanically. They’re a bit aggressive at instances, so I like to recommend utilizing them sparingly.
The XG321UG is likely one of the few wide-color screens with a selectable gamut. By turning the SDR Colours sRGB possibility on, you should utilize sRGB for all SDR content material. When an HDR sign is detected, the monitor switches to its full native gamut, which is sort of giant, over 84% of Rec.2020. You may also use the variable backlight in SDR mode to enhance distinction. It really works nicely with out crushing element, upping the SDR distinction ratio to round 6,000:1. There are three modes that modulate the backlight roughly aggressively. Mode 1 appeared finest with the deepest blacks.
The XG321UG is the primary non-360 Hz display I’ve seen that features the Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer. By making a USB connection to the PC, then plugging a suitable mouse into the particular inexperienced USB port, you may see your management delay in real-time as you play. There are alternatives for the monitoring window’s measurement and placement. You may also show a body price indicator.
The Setup menu has three crosshair shapes accessible in inexperienced or crimson. You may also show sign information and program the joystick to offer fast entry to some monitor features. The Elite RGB characteristic has controls for the bottom or rear LED arrays with a wide range of colours and results to decide on.
ViewSonic Elite XG321UG Calibration Settings
The XG321UG doesn’t want calibration in its Customary mode, however a slight enchancment is feasible with a number of changes to the RGB sliders. The settings work identically for both sRGB or Rec.2020 colour gamuts which is good. I additionally discovered the customized colour temp to work nicely in HDR mode. In order for you the total colour house for all content material, flip off the SDR Colours sRGB possibility. When it’s turned on, the gamut will change mechanically with sign sort. You may also toggle the variable backlight on and off and choose from three modes of operation. Mode 1 labored one of the best in my exams. In the event you’d prefer to optimize your XG321UG, take a look at my settings under.
| Image Mode | Customary |
| Brightness 200 nits | 70 |
| Brightness 120 nits | 38 |
| Brightness 100 nits | 28 |
| Brightness 80 nits | 21 |
| Brightness 50 nits | 6 (min. 39 nits) |
| Distinction | 70 |
| Gamma | 2.2 |
| Colour Temp Person | Pink 100, Inexperienced 92, Blue 87 |
Gaming and Fingers-on
The XG321UG delivers a surprising picture for each work and play. It doesn’t matter what colour gamut you employ or whether or not it’s SDR or HDR, the image is razor-sharp with fantastically saturated colour. Native distinction is best than typical IPS panels at round 1,200:1, however you may up that ratio by utilizing the Variable Backlight characteristic. It has three modes, of which primary is one of the best. It gives deep blacks and brilliant whites with out crushing any shadow or spotlight element. Because it makes use of zone dimming to attain its objectives, colours look extra saturated. And I by no means noticed any situations of backlight flickering or dimming. It really works seamlessly for each static and transferring content material.
Extremely HD video is actually epic right here. Although 32 inches is a bit smaller than the common TV, the XG321UG is a superbly succesful tv with a streaming field related. Whenever you sit three or 4 ft away, it creates an immersive picture that’s nice for a film or TV sequence. I most popular Mode 1 for the Variable Backlight right here; it has the deepest distinction. Nonetheless, I wanted for some type of brightness adjustment. Daylight surroundings could be very brilliant, not harsh, however an excessive amount of for a darkened room. The body price mechanically matches content material like 24 fps for movie or 50 fps for European TV reveals. HDR10 labored completely, however sadly, there isn’t any Dolby Imaginative and prescient.
The audio high quality is a lower above the norm for positive. The audio system sound a little bit boxy, however midrange and excessive frequencies play loud and clear with out audible distortion.
Transferring on to video games, I used to be mesmerized by Doom Everlasting and its deep shades of crimson. You received’t see these reds on another monitor until it may possibly cowl over 84% of Rec.2020 just like the XG321UG. Some scenes appeared as in the event that they had been soaked in blood. And texture was fully evident regardless of the super colour saturation. 1152 dimming zones are an order of magnitude higher than the standard edge arrays discovered on HDR pc screens. This monitor prices quite a bit, however you received’t discover a higher image exterior an OLED panel.
Video processing was glorious, with one exception – the overdrive isn’t aggressive sufficient. It has three ranges, however I used to be caught with the bottom one as a result of the sooner choices triggered an excessive amount of ghosting. Just a little tweaking of the XG321UG’s firmware would possibly yield some profit right here, and maybe the addition of a backlight strobe possibility. There isn’t one right here. Adaptive-Sync labored with out concern on each G-Sync and FreeSync platforms. A GeForce RTX 3090 saved body charges round 120 fps in Doom Everlasting and Name of Responsibility WWII when enjoying in HDR mode.
Since I had an AOC GM500 Gaming Mouse readily available, I may check out the Reflex Latency Analyzer characteristic. I noticed response instances between 23 and 50 milliseconds as I performed Doom Everlasting. That is the primary Extremely HD monitor I’ve seen with the characteristic. For a deeper dive into this, take a look at our article right here.
HDR video games had been mesmerizing to take a look at. I discovered myself enjoying longer simply to maintain having fun with the beautiful imagery. Sport environments had been extremely practical and clean. Although I’ve skilled sooner screens than the XG321UG, none had been able to the insane distinction on show right here. Mini LED is a really revelatory expertise on the planet of LCD panels.
