While I’ve been into tech for as long as I can remember, I’ve never had the extra funds to ever go beyond the key bits of equipment I’ve needed, and to be honest, I never felt like I needed it. I owned a massive CRT TV for about 6 years, and the only reason I ever upgraded was because the PlayStation 4 console didn’t support RCA. Over the years, thanks to working with different companies, I’ve been able to try things out that I wouldn’t normally spend the money on myself. I can tell you the age old saying is true; “Once you’ve tried it, you won’t want to go back”. That saying certainly holds true to the BenQ Mobiuz EX3210R, which was kindly loaned to us by the BenQ team.
Reading right off the box, the Mobiuz EX3210R is a 31.5”, 16:9, 2K (Quad-HD) monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate with a 1ms response time and a 1000R curvature. The monitor also has a built-in 2.1 channel speaker (two 2W speakers & a 5W subwoofer) and on-board image optimization software.
Let’s quickly break down some of that technical jargon. The 16:9 ratio simply means you’re getting a wider screen. 2K (Quad HD), is a screen that has a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. It’s the resolution that sits between your stock standard, Full HD monitors (1920 x 1080) and top of the line, 4K monitors (3840 x 2160). Effectively, more pixels means a higher quality and sharper image. With more people finally getting their hands on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S, you’ll want a higher quality monitor to maximize what you get out of the latest generation of consoles.
The ‘refresh rate’ refers to how many times a second the monitor is refreshing or updating. At 165Hz, the Mobiuz EX3210R is updating 165 times a second. This is critical for anyone playing high precision games such as Valorant or Call Of Duty. 60Hz is considered the bare minimum and 240Hz is the current top of the line. This monitor sits nicely in the middle with 165Hz. The response time is just how quickly a pixel can change from one setting to the next. The lower the response time the less likely you are to experience motion blur. Which again, on these ‘next generation’ consoles, you’ll want to avoid.
Finally, we have the curvature. 1000R translates to “a 1000mm radius”. All you really need to know is at 1000R the monitor is matching the natural human field-of-view, which can help with better immersion while gaming and help reduce eye strain. The most important benefit however, is reducing glare that you would normally get with a flat screen. It’s also worth mentioning that a curved monitor’s best viewing angle is directly in front of it, meaning curved monitors are literally built for gamers and will not provide an optimal viewing experience if you have a bunch of people watching off the same screen.
Out of the box, the Mobiuz EX3210R monitor comes in three pieces: a monitor base, monitor stand and the monitor itself. The monitor has a silver back panel with a distinct cross pattern and four small RBG lighting strips. The silver, orange and grey colour scheme of the stand is extremely pleasant on the eyes and ensures that if you’re not a gamer, the monitor remains professional. The four lighting strips on the back almost feel like a bit of a waste. Even if you have the monitor up against a plain white wall, the output on them is so weak they might as well be switched off. Though, it’s nice to know that monitors can come with RGB lighting.
Perhaps one of my favourite features, as both my other monitors are lacking it, is the inbuilt height and screen angle adjustments. Unlike my other monitors which are static and locked into place, this BenQ monitor has adjustable height with a 10cm range, perfect for tall people like me who are getting strains in their neck looking down at their monitors. On top of this, the monitor also has a 15 degree left and right swivel, perfect for sitting it in the corner of your desk and then being able to adjust it so you have the optimal viewing angle. As I said, once you’ve experienced these small quality of life improvements compared to what you already have, you’ll never want to go back. One thing to note is that the monitor does not support a portrait mode, but I don’t know why you would want a curved monitor for that anyway.
There’s also a nice little cover on the back of the monitor to hide away all of your cables. Speaking of, the Mobiuz EX3210R comes with 2x HDMI 2.0 and 1x Display port 1.4. In addition you also get a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and 1 USB type B and 2 USB 3.0 type A slots. I personally have no use for the latter three ports, but the former three were all in use.
Port usage will no doubt vary from person to person. If you’re a streamer like myself with a 1 PC setup, you’ll likely have your consoles going through a video capture card, most of which cap out at 1080p, (yes, I am aware there are 4K capture cards but not every streamer will use one) so the additional ports on the back of the monitor aren’t that helpful as you won’t be able to make full use of the 2K monitor. However,when not streaming, I love being able to have my PC and both consoles plugged into the monitor and easily switch between them without having to disconnect any cables. The remote that comes with the monitor is a breeze to use too and again, the ability to switch between all three devices without removing any cables is something I’ve missed.
Now let’s talk about one of the most interesting things about the monitor. As I mentioned previously, I’m usually happy with the basics. A monitor that can display a picture suits me just fine, but the Mobiuz EX3210R is leaps ahead of any standard monitor. Inside this monitor is something called “HDRi” – High Dynamic Range intelligence. Let’s break this down. High dynamic range is a technology that allows monitors to display more details in the darkest and brightest parts of an image. This means that shadows aren’t just black voids and bright spots aren’t just white blobs. In addition, it also helps to create deeper and more vivid reds, greens, blues and everything in between.
The ‘intelligence’ part of ‘HDRi’ comes from a small sensor on the front of the monitor. This sensor monitors how bright or dark the room you’re currently in and adjusts the screen to be at the optimal levels for the room. A quick note, HDR only comes into effect with HDR content, which most of the newer games designed for PS5 and XBSX have. The monitor will still try to emulate HDR even if the content doesn’t have it which is a nice bonus.
There are a number of inbuilt colour modes that you can select that are pre-programmed to be optimized for certain situations. This includes Cinema HDRi, RPG, Racing and FPS HDRi, as well as one that you can customize to your own personal liking. I personally used the RPG HDRi setting while playing Death Stranding and all of the different colours stood out and looked amazing.
The speakers in the monitor are about par for the course. As this is a gaming monitor first, the likely person who is picking this up is most likely using a headset and has no need for a speaker. It is nice to have if you just need to take a break and have something playing in the background while you’re doing something else in your room/office space. The speakers come with 5 different pre-programmed EQ levels. However you aren’t able to customize your own. If you want to hear some examples of the audio, check out this video from the BenQ team below.
Thanks again to the BenQ team for allowing me to try out this monitor. All in all, the BenQ Mobiuz EX3210R is an amazing piece of tech. The price point however comes in at $799 AUD, which is a lot of money for someone to drop on just a monitor. However, compared to other monitors of similar size with similar specs, you’re getting more bang for your buck. If you’ve got the top of the line PC or latest generation consoles, you’ll definitely want to look to pick up a monitor that can show off how amazing this generation of graphics look, which is why I would recommend looking into the Mobiuz EX3210R.