Our Verdict
The BenQ EW3270U is a good monitor for most uses. It's more suitable for dimmer environments as it can't get very bright, but it can display deep uniform blacks thanks to its VA panel. Its large screen size and 4k resolution are great for productivity and immersive gaming experiences. It can handle reflections well, but unfortunately, its ergonomics are quite bad, making it difficult to adjust to your optimal viewing position. It has a low input lag and its response time is good, resulting in very little motion blur.
- Good dark scene performance.
- Very good gray uniformity.
- 4k resolution is great for multiple windows.
- Can't get bright enough for HDR.
- Image degrades at an angle.
The BenQ EW3270U is a good office monitor. It has an excellent 4k resolution and a large 32 inch screen size, allowing you to work comfortably without having to constantly move windows around. It has okay viewing angles, especially for a VA panel, but the image won't be as accurate when viewed from the side. Unfortunately, its ergonomics are bad, so if you need to share your work regularly, it may be worth VESA-mounting it.
The BenQ EW3270U is a good monitor for playing games. It has a low input lag and it supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing. It has a large screen size and an excellent 4k resolution that can display every little detail of your game. The refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, but motion handling is good and there's very little motion blur in fast-moving scenes. Unfortunately, there aren't any extra gaming features; however, it does have a flicker-free backlight that can help reduce eye strain on long gaming sessions.
The BenQ EW3270U is a good monitor for media consumption. It has a large screen and a 4k resolution to deliver sharp and detailed images. It has a low input lag and a fast response time, and although it has okay viewing angles, it's not the best for sharing content. Positioning the monitor can be difficult due to its bad ergonomics; however, it handles reflections well.
The BenQ EW3270U is a good monitor for media creation. It's a large monitor with a great 4k resolution, with plenty of space to have multiple windows opened at the same time. However, the ergonomics are bad, so it may be a good idea to VESA mount it for better flexibility. Its 10-bit panel has outstanding gradient performance and doesn't exhibit any signs of color bleed. Gray uniformity is great and it has excellent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space.
The BenQ EW3270U is decent for HDR gaming. It has a high native contrast ratio and decent black uniformity so it can display deep blacks in a dark room, but lacks a local dimming feature to further improve performance. It also has a low input lag, which makes it very responsive to your actions, and it supports FreeSync as well as being G-SYNC compatible. Unfortunately, the monitor can't get very bright in HDR mode, which is rather disappointing.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 20, 2021: For consistency, we've changed the height adjustment from N/A to '0.0'. The score has been adjusted accordingly.
- Updated Feb 19, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Jan 17, 2019: We tested the monitor's compatibility with NVIDIA's new FreeSync driver. See our full investigation into NVIDIA's FreeSync Drivers here.
- Updated Nov 27, 2018: Review published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the BenQ EW3270U. The EL2870U is a TN-type panel monitor of the same line; however, it doesn't perform as well mainly due to its low contrast ratio, narrow viewing angles, and uniformity issues.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their BenQ EW3270U doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Panel Type |
| EW3270U | 32'' | 4k | 60 Hz | VA |
| EL2870U | 28'' | 4k | 60 Hz | TN |
| EW3270ZL | 32" | 1440p | 60 Hz | VA |
Our unit of the EW3270U was manufactured in May 2018.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The BenQ EW3270U is a good monitor overall, but its ergonomics are quite bad when compared to other similar productivity monitors. However, it has one of the best coverage of Adobe RGB, which is great for photo and video editors. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best 32-inch monitors, the best monitors for Mac Mini, the best 4k gaming monitors, and the best 34-49 inch monitors.
The BenQ EW3270U is better than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70. The BenQ has a much higher pixel density, resulting in significantly sharper, clearer text. The BenQ also delivers better performance with a faster response time and lower input lag. On the other hand, the Samsung has a built-in fully featured smart interface, so the Samsung is the best choice if you're looking for a simple setup to stream videos without a PC, but it looks worse overall.
The BenQ EW3270U and the Dell S2719DGF have different panel types, each with advantages and disadvantages. The BenQ supports HDR and has a significantly better black uniformity, which favors dark room use such as consuming multimedia or playing HDR games. The Dell, apart from having better ergonomic adjustments, is a better gaming monitor thanks to the faster pixel response time that produces crisper motion, the faster refresh rate, and the lower input lag.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70 and the BenQ EW3270U are both basic 4k, 32-inch monitors. The main advantage of getting the Samsung over the BenQ is because it comes with a built-in smart OS, so you can stream content without a PC.
The Dell S2722QC is a better overall 4k monitor than the BenQ EW3270U. The S2722QC has much better ergonomics, and its IPS panel has wider viewing angles, making it a better choice for sharing your screen with someone else. It's also better for well-lit environments because it gets brighter. The S2722QC has a different selection of inputs including a USB-C input and two USB 3.0 ports, but the EW3270U has a DisplayPort input. As for the EW3270U, it's better for dark room use because its VA panel has a higher contrast ratio.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for videos & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
