Is A 32" 4K Display Too Big for a Photographer? BenQ SW271 and SW320 4K Monitor Review 

my god this man is a genius... this is the first video I've watched comparing monitors where it goes back and forth between the different monitors in the exact same location - so you can really see the difference.

Nice real-world review, refreshing to hear someone talk about something other than gaming! It's especially rare anybody talks about pixel density in relation to viewing distance and that's actually pretty useful info when trying to make a buying decision.

This is exactly the type of discussion I was looking for. With my eyesight, I can't sit too close (I hate getting older), and if I sit too far away, I need my glasses, which are really for "long distance", not long "close up". Personally, I like the idea of the tighter pixel pitch. I have two 32" 1440 monitors at work running AutoCAD at about 32" away from my normal seated position, and I find myself leaning in often to get get the detail I need. But at only 92ppi, I just don't get the crispness I'm looking for. At home, doing photo editing, I'll be able to position myself closer, and the constant scanning left to right you mentioned seems like a deal breaker for me. So glad I found this video.

I can't imagine how much time you've spent on this video. What a great job! And you only have 3K subscribers? That's a shame. Thanks a lot!

I have a 24 inch, whenever I feel I need a "big screen" I just pull the monitor closer by 3-4 inches, now I have a 27 inch. LOL.

Even having both sizes to try, you still couldnt decide, that shows how difficult the decision actually is!! I'm still not sure myself.. but really appreciate the video, and something focussed on productivity > gaming.

What a lovely review that still holds up in 2022, thanks dude!

Thanks I’ve been battling this decision for weeks and you helped me narrowing it down to the 27”.

This was really helpful! I had been using an old 22" monitor and recently decided to update. So I tried out a 27" but also wondered whether going up to 32" would make sense. I agree about distance. Sitting up to 2' away from the screen, I found that a 27" is already quite a lot to look at, but I also wanted to see how I would feel about watching a show/movie or play a game from 6' away. I decided the latter wasn't really ideal, which is why I entertained the idea of a 32" monitor. But at the end of the day the primary use for the monitor is productivity. So after watching this, I suspect that for me, 27" is already plenty and I would likely be better off watching videos/play games on a my bigger screen TV.

While I was watching the video I thought you already had like 100k or million subs because of the quality of this video and effort. I was shocked to see so little subs. Is this really your video? if it is you need more

Thanks for the very structured review. The paper illustrations were a great addition and helped with retaining the info. I was in doubt between those two sizes as well, and I think your point about the viewing distance has convinced me and the decision is now clear. Thanks!

I rarely subscribe to channels when I watch review videos, but I'm definitely subscribing to yours. Your reviews are so concise and informative. Keep it up!

When I changed to a larger display, I felt like it was too large at first. I was used to lean forward to be close to the screen and after using the new display for a while, I got used to leaning back. When trying out a new display, make sure it's not just your bad habits that makes you uncomfortable with the change. Also as an older guy who needs glasses to watch at close distance, I can tell you that it is not the same to watch small screen at close distance as watching a large screen far away.

Good video. I've been using a 28" 4k monitor to edit photos and it's been perfect. But I've also been shopping around for new gear and considered a 32" replacement. So this video really helped answer several questions. Much appreciated.

Man, thank you for taking the time to answer and solve these issues that you presented in the video. For me it was a real savior of life time!

One of the few non-biased reviews on RU-vid. In most other videos the products provided are just perfect and everything comes down to your budget. This review sounds like a much more honest take. Thank you!!!

Thank you good sir! I've been debating this and this video has confirmed my decision!

I didn't skip this video & even seek bcoz the way you present so cool. you have one sub now .

I have been looking to upgrade and this video was perfect. Thanks. I love the side by side , back and forth comparison.

Great video - I was wondering this very thing and you simplified it in 8 mins.

Appreciate the work you've put into this video. I definitely know it takes a lot. As a video editor (primarily) I too have been waffling on something in the 27-32" range, but also wonder if I need more real estate, however have to say that you've given me more info to consider. Thanks brother 👊

Great video. I do video editing and find that a larger screen and sitting at a further distance is my preferred choice. It also gives me a lot of desk space in front of the screens for taking notes and paperwork. I have two 44in, 4K monitors which helps me check the raw video quality off of the camera, something I had a hard time seeing in smaller monitors. I also set one monitor for raw video and the other for edited content to see comparisons. Thanks for sharing your experience. Again, great video.

This was such a great video. Thanks for helping me decide!

Thank you. This is what I was looking for atm. Love ya!

27" or 32" ? Get 27" if you keep your monitor at arm's length or less. But if you are a person like me, who position the monitor far enough (for example, while typing on keyboard, stretch your hand towards the screen and you still can't touch it), then I think 32" is better. I found on 27" screen, the windows icons to be a bit small, unless I do scaling or sit closer. On 32" with 4K resolution, I think there's no need to do up scaling of desktop to make icons bigger. I hope that helps.

this is a great video 27inch all the way. Everything looks sharper given the better pixel density. A larger screen means more eye tracking and increased fatigue. On most desks the monitor needs to be fairly close so the smaller screen if perfectly fine.

Subscribed. This could not have been a more informative and well-explained review. Well done, man. You're answering some questions I had with easily relatable research and experience. Fantastic.

The quality and afford that try to explain the subject just WOW! Keep it coming

Good video. I think your reasoning behind the different sized monitors and perceptions of them was excellent and makes great sense. I'm also thinking of building a similar setup with a MacBook Pro. As a photographer myself, while video is an important reason for the bigger screen, it also helps with portrait-oriented images. With my current HD monitor, I like to rotate it to get more on the screen. With a larger screen, I wouldn't have to rotate the screen as often. Maybe never once I upgrade. And there are also many little reasons for using a larger screen: more image previews in Capture One, not using the full-size and having chat or other little apps to monitor. I would just use my current monitor as a second for video production or maybe keep it in portrait-mode. But definitely good use for it. Thanks again for the great video.

Dropping in to say that this video, recommended to me somewhat randomly, made me reconsider my monitor size choice. I was set on waiting for a 4K 32" IPS 120Hz (or higher) display sometime in 2021, but decided to go with a 27". I must say I'm pleasantly surprised at how accessible 4K 27" is and how easy it is to use.

Your review is very intuitive and easy to understand.

Just the kind of information I needed. I have been debating with myself about both options.

If your wall is suitable for a wall mounted cantilever mount you can use a 32" and move it to a distance to suit you. Photowork maybe in one position and films, sports and games at another. Wall needs to be robust to cope with a heavy 32" and the leverage it makes on the arm. The 23" LG I have on an arm works well but it's going to be upgraded for 4K along with a matching graphics card pretty soon. I may need a stronger arm but will probably stick to a 27" or 28".

Extremely useful video, thank you. Going for the 4K 27" on a desk arm.

8 min video yet so full of information. Top notch, sir. 😎

This is probably the best product review I have ever seen. You are one talented man!

I was asking myself the same question as you did in this video. Now I'm happy with 43" LG 43UD79-B 4K monitor. After color correction it's great for its price.

The office part killed me lol thanks for the info brother.

That was a helpful comparison, thank you 👏👍😀

This video was incredibly well made! Fantastic work!

to be honest, I'm really impressed by the conclusion, especially after seeing so many youtube video using huge monitor for their perfect desk setup. I always think they just have a bigger pocket than knowing how to work.

GF is a graphic designer and edits photos and advertisements via mac and pc (greatly prefers PC performance and owns both). Uses a calibrated 43" 4k @ 3ft distance. Sony recently researched the distance required to perceive realism with higher resolution displays rather than the traditional distance considered to be optimal. They found the distance is actually half of the traditional "optimal" viewing distance because the density is so high with 4k and beyond that the limitations the formula was designed for no longer applies.

Thanks for this video! Very helpful!!

awesome review, great production quality

Main question is, how good your operation system and most used software can scale their interface. For example, Photoshop can literally double all internal interface, and its will look perfect on 4k (for my taste), but for other software you will stick with small buttons and pictograms. And such programs may be not so easy to use on 4k display. So, if you can adjust interface to display ppi and prefered working distance it is will be a good choose for you. And I think this is the determining factor for any display you want to bay.

About a year ago I upgraded from my 2010 27" 1080p HP display to a new 28" 4k HP monitor, it seems to be the sweet spot and for about $350 I can't complain.

A super helpful comparison, thank you!

Thanks Caleb. After seing this video i bought the sw271 and did not regret it. It is in my opinion big enough for my needs.

Thank you for this video! I am chucking my silly 42.5" 4K Philips monitor and getting 2 x 27" 4K monitors instead. My viewing distance is also 24". You mentioned in your video that you tended to only use the centre part of the 32" for a window. And then I realised that I was watching your video in a small window centred on my screen... the lightbulb in my head turned on ;)

2 things: 1. Calibrate your monitor(s) to make sure they are the best they can be, and change presets as the light conditions in your room (i.e. sunlight through a window, or light bulb colors/brightness) change. 2. a Matte coating actually reduces sharpness because it scatters light. However, glossy (glass) monitors tend to reflect everything in the room as if they were a mirror. So, it's kinda six of one and half a dozen of another. :-/ That is, unless you have a completely dark room (or you literally put a thick black cloth over you and the screen like a tent. LOL).

This video is what I was looking for! On point! Thank you!

Really well done, well planned, and insightful video. Thanks

Extremely well done and concise. Hoping for more contents like this in the future.

I'm a developer, but I've had dual 24" 1080p monitors since 2015, prior to that I had triple 23" rotated vertical from 2012. I mostly liked the vertical rotation, except for the occasional odd issues with the video not being rotated correctly (especially at boot) and limited viewing angle for the left most monitor. Last year, they started rolling out curved ultra wide 29" displays, to which I said, "no thanks". The pair of ultra wides are just so wide, but seem so short. I need more vertical space. I wish I could get 4k in 27", looks to be a sweet spot for typical office desk size.

This was so well done, thanks for sharing!

Good thought out and explained video. Great editing too.

Guys lets give this guy more than 4k Likes for an amazing 4k review. Finally a perfect review on youtube I am looking for before buying. A detailed review for a creative professional & all aspects of info are covered. I was seriously confused between 27 & 32. Now after looking & learning from your video I found 27 a better choice upgrading from dell 24. Would also like to know a basic info about how much power supply does it need & what GPU do you suggest for this displays ? Is gtx 1070 good for it ? Thanks a lot Caleb

Man your quality is insane! Please keep doing this, until reading the comments i thought you were a big channel that has done this for years! And I really liked how you gave an actual aid to decisionmaking, instead of just saying "well whatever its up to you" like so many other big channels usually do when comparing. Keep it up

That was a great in depth review, thank you!

I absolutely love your video style. Thanks for a very informative material. I need to finally replace my NEC Multisync P221W for something bigger and your video landed in my browser at the perfect time. I think I wait a moment until the 32 is updated to the 27 level with Thunderbolt 3 and slimmer bezels.

For me the deal breaker is PPI. 4K is not a good resolution for 27". I used it with MacOS and realized that setting 1:1 pixel makes on-screen elements too small, but on the other hand retina settings (4 physical pixels = 1 system pixel) make those same elements too big. In my opinion, 4K is a good option for 24" displays with retina settings, or for 32" with 1:1 pixel setting. For 27" the best resolution is 1440p in 1:1 or 5K in retina (5K = 2x 1440p).

I thought you had many more subscribers because the quality of the video is so good.

I really appreciated your explanation of things. Thumbs up and TY.

Dude, this was amazing, thank you !!!!

Amazing review! I use two Dell 27" QHD, but sometimes I'm tempted to upgrade to bigger monitor. After you video, I guess it's best stick with current setup.

thanks. You have just helped me to made the final decision. I'm going to buy the 27 inches (BenQ SW271C- $800) since the larger size version (SW321C) cost more than double price ($2000) the 27'' version. In the future, if I need more work space, I'll buy another SW271C. The total price for 2 monitors SW271C is still cheaper than the single one SW321C.

Super nice review - very helpful. Exactly what I needed to hear.

For 10 years used 23" monitor. Recently got 42" and it's ok only for gaming.. Next plan just go to shop and check 32" and 27" monitors..

I chose the 32 inches monitor and now I cannot settle for anything less than that, it's the most amazing thing ever.

I had been planning to go for two 24" with 2560x1440 px each. The idea was "edit on one screen, keeping the tools on the other screen". This was kind of a cost-saving thought, since the prices were fairly low. But my employer asked one very good question: "But, I thought you were talking about 4K video, so why not two 4K displays?". In order to answer, I looked up the pricing (which I expected to be a lot higher), which ended up with me suddenly aiming for another setup: single-screen 28" 4K... I have now used the new studio computer with a 28" Samsung display (3840x2160 px), and now I wouldn't want anything else. Not two 4K displays (not needed, and takes up too much desk space), but just one with good color handling. Going for anything larger would have been too big (again, viewing distance sure matters). So, single screen for me. 28" seems to be the sweet spot - and this Samsung screen ended up being cheaper than my two-screen idea. And the fairly cheap Samsung 4K display (model name: U28E570D) is one I can recommend to anyone who just wants an OK 4K display. It is not in the major league of professional screens - but it works great for everyday use. Even for a professional music producer and hobbyist video editor. Finally: I watched this video when considering which 4K display size I would aim for, and opted to go for 28" - so this video helped me find a setup that I ended up being really happy with. Thanks!

You really helped me decide. Thank you very much for sharing!! Keep up the excellent videos

One of the best reviews I’ve seen Caleb , top job pal 👍

one thing I would add for anyone picking up a second monitor, make sure its the same resolution as your main monitor. I say this only if you're going to be using scaling to make icons bigger. This is because if you are using a 4k display, this will appear 4 times smaller, at least on a windows pc. on a 27-inch monitor, 4x smaller is too small, this is where scaling comes in, you want to scale everything up by 200%, so its the same size as it would appear at 1080p, but now 4x sharper since it's still at 4k resolution. The problem is if you are using a 2k, or 1080p monitor and you're moving from one to another, going from 4k to 2k, you will have issues where the windows, as they move from one monitor to another, will struggle to resize and appear correctly on either monitor. Hope this helps someone out there deciding on what the second monitor to get. I only use a windows pc, so I can't say that this issue occurs on mac or not, I do no macs tend to be much more refined in aspects like this, so its possible this is not a problem with them.

I use my 27" 4k monitor primarily for photography. I use Windows 10 for scaling. I am trying to ascertain if a 32" monitor would give me more desktop space (especially vertical viewing) without being disappointed by lower the lower 140 ppi vs. the 27" 163 ppi. Within an app like photoshop, I'm frequently zooming in regardless. Since I can always use a second monitor to drag windows for workspace, I can't tell if a 32", viewed from the same distance, would provide any benefit or productivity as my primary monitor.

Man, this is the best "review" video I´ve watched, I agree with the comments, great quality, narrative and subject. Keep it up! Greetings from Mexico City. Also it helped me decide ;)

Wow, this guy has a knack for teaching in a "story telling" way. Hope he posts more frequently. Subscribed.

When he said good bye to the 2014 Macbook pro. I said to myself i wish i have one lol

For a more updated 4k 32" monitor at a similar pricepoint (atleast in europe), check out the viewsonic vp3268-4k (there is also a 27" version, the vp2768-4k). Great vid! perfectly executed and very good information density.

Great video! Really helped me in deciding with which size to go with. Thank you.

this is the best comparison video side by side shows how they look. great video

Yeah you look way too cramped up on that 24" table top. I recommend getting a 29" deep standing desk with a monitor arm attached to the back. With this setup, you can simply pull the monitor closer when you need to, or push it back when watching a movie. Moreover the arm allows you to put the screen flush against the back wall, give you even more depth.

Hi Caleb. Thanks for helping me decide which monitor size I'll be going with, namely, a 27" 4K monitor for my design work at home. 32" would be too spread physically for most of my tasks, and in occasions where I need to put windows side-by-side, the smaller one is still 4K, and I normally use a single window, so it's just fine. By the way, I wonder if you know my buddy and your namesake Caleb Jordan Lee. He's a great photographer from Virginia. Due to the virus pandemic he lost a lot of wedding jobs this season. How are things looking for you?

Very good comparison review. Thanks!

Solid vid - totally agree. Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks for a great review! I bought the BenQ SW271. Now, I was unaware of the importance of having a computer that support monitors with 4K in 60Hz. I am not a gamer or a video-editor, so I thought I could skip this part. I have a Macbook Pro 13’’ (mid 2014) , and it can not display 4K in 60Hz, only in 30Hz. As you guess, I am pretty new to monitors. To all working with graphic design or illustration out there looking for a 4K monitor: going down to 30Hz feels very very slow. I don’t think I would get used to the reaction-time in 30Hz, as some people say on certain forums. Especially if you are using a Wacom-tablet for drawing. The slow reaction on movement is extremely visible, in my opinion. I get the feeling of stop-motion when I watch videos, move windows and scroll down pages. Check this link to see if your apple computer support monitors with 4K in 60Hz: support.apple.com/hr-hr/HT206587 . I now consider smooth movement (which you get with 60Hz) of more importance than high PPI.

I see another benefit in having a large monitor is that you can have multiple application windows open all at the same time. This would save a lot time & effort switching back & forth between them. Developers who work on many applications at the same time would know how it feels!

Excellent video editing and informations. Thank you.

Really well explained, you deserve more subs

Very useful video, thanks! Was hoping you would comment on the usability of on-screen elements (text, buttons, other UI controls, etc.) with a native 4K resolution cramped into a 27-inch display. Did you find these rendered too small, or did you need to scale the resolution - e.g. to a QHD equivalent or higher, but less than the native 4K - and were you able to do so reasonably on your Mac?

Excellent video. Super well thought out and genuinely helpful. The 27's bezels would really win me over too!

Many points covered in this video are so true! 2-3 years ago i was a fun of bigger screens, not notocing the resolution. I was having 2 full hd 27inches side to side, and I had to deeper the table. It was not very comfortable. After buying 14 inches 2.5k res laptop i totally changed my mind. Now Im looking the same pixel density and I suppose 27 4k would be nice. Now I can work closer and focus more on whole display

Excellent and informative video. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you I had been looking at the 32 inch for photo editing but felt it was going to be too large I think I’m going with the smaller size

For us broke boys, just move the 27” monitor closer.

Excellent video, loved the visuals! This was the exact perfect video for what I was looking for. I am actually trying to decide between these very 2 monitors, crazy thing is I just happened on this video when I searched on 32" vs 27" and had no idea you were reviewing the BenQ monitors! I thought I wanted the 32" for design work with Chief Architect but after watching this I see that it would be overkill for me. I never even noticed the bezel on the 32" which would officially drive me nuts while trying to design a house or a room. Great video!

That was a very good video... well done 👏🏻

I have Dell u2718q (27", 4k) and recently I bought iiyama XUB2792QSU (27", 1440). For text based operations and OS administration I prefer the iiyama mostly because Windows is terrible with scaling so fonts and applications on Dell are either super small, or blurry.

2:22 the puck is awesome for switching between linux and windows which is what i use it for on my PD3200U ... I can KVM switch in 3 seconds ... brilliant.

This channel will hit a million in no time.. such quality content is hard to find on RU-vid

High quality review. Nuanced. One of a kind!