This $700 BenQ rivals $1,500 Apple's Studio Display on color accuracy — here's why it's great for professionals

If you’re a professional photographer, content creator or editor, you need one of the best monitors to accurately edit your work. The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is an excellent choice, and it makes a strong first impression with its sleek, gun metal design and superb build quality. Its generous selection of ports and seriously impressive color coverage and accuracy make it an outstanding option for pros.

That said, the PD2732U isn’t quite perfect — but neither of its flaws are massive dealbreakers. Its panel isn’t the brightest in SDR or HDR modes, and the 60Hz refresh rate feels limiting if you’re working with high-framerate videos.

Should you still buy it? Read my full BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review to find out.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review: Specs

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A Calman Verified 27-inch 4K monitor with lots of ports
• Who is it for? Professional photographers, creators and editors
• How much does it cost? The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is available for $699 / £649
• What do we like? The sleek design, photography-centric features, excellent color coverage and accuracy, and array of ports
• What don’t we like? The dim panel, and 60Hz refresh rate

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review: The ups

From its lovely design and wide array of ports, to its fantastic color coverage and accuracy, the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is a wonderful monitor for professionals.

Lovely design and build quality

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is a looker. Unlike its siblings, like the BenQ PD3226G ($1,099) and the BenQ PD2730S ($1,199) which feature gray bezels and stands, the PD2732U sports a gun metal look that is just so pleasing to the eye. The part metal construction adds to the monitor’s visual appeal — and to its structural integrity, of course.

Thanks to that, the PD2732U feels like an extremely well-built monitor. Its IPS panel doesn’t feel overly plasticky or flimsy. Unlike the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide ($1,499), the PD2732U’s hinges don’t feel flimsy either, and the panel doesn’t move easily, even when someone shakes your desk.

I also appreciate being able to lift the monitor easily and move it around, as it weighs 18.87lbs (with stand and base). It’s a little lighter than some other productivity-focused monitors I’ve tested, like the Dell Pro P3426WEV (21.96lbs, $749), and the BenQ MA270S (19.05lbs, $999).

The 27-inch screen size also means that you should be able to place another similarly-sized (or smaller) monitor next to it if you prefer a dual-monitor setup. The PD2732U measures 24.2 x 16.9-21.5 x 9.5 inches, and it didn’t take up too much space on my office desk. Overall, the PD2732U’s design, dimensions and build quality don’t give you much to complain about.

Plenty of ports

In addition to the stellar design and build, the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U hosts a plethora of ports that ensure better cable management and give you plenty of room to hook up various peripherals and accessories. Around the back, you’ll find the power port (duh), an HDMI 2.0 port, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports with 90W of power delivery and daisy-chaining.

I used one of the Thunderbolt ports to connect my MacBook Air M2 to the monitor and charge my laptop at the same time. There’s Smart KVM, too, which enables you to use a single keyboard and mouse with two computers when both are hooked up to the monitor (even wirelessly) — great for those who regularly switch between macOS and Windows.

You also get a USB hub with three USB-A ports and one USB-C port. The Type-C port is an upstream one, while the Type-A ports are downstream ones (two with 7.5W PD and one with 4.5W PD). All ports have transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. This level of connectivity is similar to what you’ll find on other BenQ monitors, like the MA270S and the PD2730S.

To help with cable management, BenQ happily includes a handy cable holder in the box. You can clip it around the PD2732U’s stand before attaching it to the base, and then bunch up your cables and run them through it. I find this very helpful, and it makes me wish all monitors came with one.

Photography-centric features

In the past when we’ve reviewed BenQ monitors, we’ve complained about the lack of a dedicated Adobe RGB mode on the likes of the PD2730S and the PD3226G. Not anymore! Alongside other photography-centric features that I’ll get into, the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U features an Adobe RGB mode which makes the monitor actually useful for photographers who print. Because the Adobe RGB gamut covers a wider range of colors used by CMYK printers versus sRGB, having a dedicated mode is crucial for ensuring color accuracy when printing, so it’s great that the PD2732U doesn’t skimp on it.

The PD2732U carries a bunch of certifications, too. It’s Calman Verified, which means that it’s been tested by the popular brand that makes display calibration software (it’s what we use to test the best TVs). Calman Verification basically ascertains that Calman approves of the monitor’s AQColor technology.

It’s Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated. The latter is the creative industry-standard color definition for printing, and the latter guarantees that the monitor is capable of showing accurate human skin tones. The PD2732U features Eye Care flicker-free technology, too, which eliminates invisible screen flashing at all brightness levels to prevent eye strain. Having stared at the monitor for up to eight hours a day for nearly a week, I can confirm that I did not feel any eye fatigue or get any headaches, so this is a wonderful display for those who spend long hours editing.

The PD2732U is a great monitor for creators who are MacBook users, too, as it features M-book Mode. This eliminates differences between macOS displays and the monitor, so colors on the PD2732U appear exactly as they do on my MacBook Air M2. You also get iDevice Color Sync for accurate previews of iPhone and iPad content, and iKeyboard Control which allows you to adjust the monitor’s brightness and volume directly from your laptop’s keyboard.

My favorite monitor accessory returns

When I unboxed the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U, I was very happy to see my favorite monitor accessory make a return. The monitor comes with BenQ’s Hotkey Puck — this time in gun metal to match the display — and it’s a white circular remote with a scroll wheel and a few customizable buttons. It enables you to control the monitor without extending your arms and reaching for the buttons on the display itself.

The three customizable buttons can be remapped to gain quick access to color modes, input, app launch, and more. I love how the Hotkey Puck streamlines workflows, and it’s especially useful if you frequently switch between color spaces.

Wide color coverage and great accuracy

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U’s stellar design, connectivity options and useful Hotkey Puck would amount to nothing if the monitor didn’t boast excellent color coverage and accuracy… and it ticks both boxes. First of all, the PD2732U’s 4K IPS panel has a resolution of 3840 x 2160, and it’s beautiful to look at. Even before I conducted my lab tests, I could tell that the monitor was displaying lovely and accurate colors.

And then, my lab tests confirmed it. BenQ claims that the PD2732U covers 100% of the sRGB and 99% of the DCI P3 color spaces. My lab tests showed that it covers 100% and then some across both gamuts. As you can see from the table above, the PD2732U covers 147.1% of the sRGB space and 104.2% of the wider DCI P3 gamut.

The PD2732U outperforms the pricier BenQ PD2730S and the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide in the sRGB space, and easily outperforms both in the DCI P3 space, as neither cover 100% of it. Even the very expensive Apple Studio Display ($1,499) can’t hold a candle to the PD2732U as its DCI P3 coverage is limited to just 80.8%.

In real-world use, when I was watching YouTube videos and editing images, I found the colors to be bright, vivid and detailed. There was plenty of detail to be found and enjoyed in the shadows, and highlights didn’t appear too sharp or peaking in 4K videos.

In addition to wide color coverage, the PD2732U color accuracy, measured as a Delta-E score, is outstanding, too. Delta-E is a numerical representation of how much two colors differ, and it gives you an idea of how close the color relayed on screen (i.e. the monitor) is to the color output from the source (i.e. the computer). You ideally want this score to be as close to zero as possible.

According to BenQ, the PD2732U should have a Delta-E score of less than or equal to 2 straight out of the box. In my testing, the monitor achieved a score of 0.11, upstaging the Apple Studio Display and the BenQ PD3226G (albeit narrowly). This essentially means that the monitor relays colors extremely accurately. After seeing that number, I was more confident when editing photos for various camera reviews and my photography Instagram page as I knew that the colors I was seeing were as accurate as they could be.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review: The downs

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U isn’t perfect — it’s not the brightness monitor out there, and its refresh rate is limited to 60Hz only.

Not very bright

One of my biggest gripes with the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is that it isn’t a very bright display, and its poor SDR and HDR performance stick out like a sore thumb. In my lab testing, the PD2732U achieved a peak brightness of just 182.6 nits in SDR, and 184 nits in HDR (10% window size).

If you’re editing photos or videos, you shouldn’t have your monitor’s brightness turned all the way up anyway, but the extra brightness is nice to have when watching movies, playing games or browsing the internet, for instance. The PD2732U is, then, upstaged by other productivity-focused monitors, as you can see in the table below.

All of its siblings, like the MA270S, the PD3226G and the PD2730S, beat the PD2732U with ease when it comes to peak brightness. I will say, though, that all three monitors are pricier than the PD2732U — as are the Dell Pro P3426WEV and the Alogic Edge 40-inch 5K Ultrawide, which also outperform it.

There’s another reason why the PD2732U’s SDR performance, at least, is handicapped. Similar to the PD3226G, the PD2732U features BenQ’s Uniformity Technology which applies automatic uniformity compensation to keep the brightness at appropriate levels for editing, especially in sRGB and Display P3 modes. Basically, it’s a deliberate feature specifically designed for creators and editors. If you want a bright panel, I’d recommend any of the aforementioned monitors instead — though they will cost you more.

60Hz refresh rate only

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is a productivity-first monitor so it’s not surprising that its refresh rate tops out at 60Hz only. It’s not meant for competitive gaming or esports, and you may want to consider one of the best gaming monitors, like the Alienware AW3426DW ($799), for those purposes.

For casual video viewing and most editing tasks, 60Hz should suffice, especially if you want the monitor’s extensive color coverage and accuracy. However, if you edit high-framerate footage (120fps or higher) and do rapid timeline scrubbing, 60Hz might not be enough. The BenQ PD3226G with its 144Hz refresh rate might suit your needs better, if that’s the case.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U review: Verdict

There’s a lot to love about the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U, especially if you’re a professional photographer or editor. It’s ideal for those who care more about color accuracy and connectivity than outright brightness or a high refresh rate. Its stylish, sturdy design looks great on a desk, while the wealth of photography-centric features (including the handy Hotkey Puck) make it a practical choice for day-to-day work.

There are a couple of notable compromises, though. The low brightness holds it back for general entertainment, while 60Hz feels restrictive for high-framerate video editing. But if you’re buying a monitor primarily for photo and digital-to-print editing, the PD2732U shouldn’t give you much grief.