Philips 328P6A QHD HDR 32-Inch Monitor Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At just £399.99, the Philips 328P6A QHD HDR 32-Inch monitor is pretty fantastic value for money. With the display panel type, and the HDR technologies, and connectivity, it’s very fairly priced. It’s not cheap, but considering 4K models are about with the price and beyond, it’s a good stop gap for those wanting a panel upgrade without breaking the bank too much.

Overview

I love HDR technology, and I’ve been a big user of it when it comes to home cinema technology, and even on my mobile phone. However, it’s still a fairly new market for PC users and one that often comes with an unfriendly price tag. This new monitor from Philips bridges the gap concerning features and price though. While only a 1440p panel, it’s still a great resolution for this panel size, a big upgrade from HD, and doesn’t have the crippling price of a comparable 4K model.

HDR Yay or HDR Nay?

Windows 10’s native HDR support is crap, there’s no nice way to put it at all. Everything looks washed out that isn’t in HDR, and that includes Windows desktop, explorer, web browsers, the lot. However, fire up an HDR movie, YouTube video or compatible game, and prepare to have your mind completely blown. The brightness, detailed blacks, and sheer contrast that this monitor can deliver as something to behold. Furthermore, I wish I could show you how they look, but technically that’s not really something we can do without putting you in front of the monitor. However, having to turn on the HDR setting in Windows when you want to use it, then back off again when you’re done is a hassle I could live without.

Calibrated!

Right out of the box, this monitor has a truly fantastic calibration. While our calibration did improve their calibration, the end result is subjective. I prefer my calibration as it was a little warmer and gave me colours that I was used to. However, many would likely be happy to leave it on one of the preset profiles, and we can’t argue with that as they work very well.

Connectivity

This is certainly a strong point of this monitor, and it comes with at least one of everything you could need. Of course, the addition of USB Type-C connectivity, a USB Hub, and RJ45 options certainly adds some appeal. The included stand is fantastic quality and provides a pretty extreme range of adjustment. Furthermore, with VESA support, you can hook up your own stand or mount as you see fit also.

Should I Buy One?

For the end user and home gamer, the HDR tech is still not widely supported. It’s not user-friendly to use sometimes, but honestly, when it does work, you’ll be eager to push more developers and content creators to upgrade to the format. For content creators, this monitor comes with a great calibration out of the box, a high pixel count, and a huge panel that’s sure to help improve your workflow. For around £400, there are a lot of great monitors, but the quality stand, calibration, HDR tech, and the sheer size of it certainly give the 328P6A an edge.