People can have very unlike use case for a firearm of equipment . For example , someone who does professional photo editing requires one of thebest monitorswith the broad and most exact colors — much more than the typical user who ’s doing productiveness work or cyclosis mass medium . A more niche necessity would be coders ( and , for that matter , writers ) who gaze at text and number all Clarence Day and take a monitor that ’s optimized for clarity .

BenQ has introduced just such a reminder , the RD280UA , which utilizes a eminent resolution mat up with a special “ software engineer ” mode that shoot for to make staring at characters all day less fatiguing . I take a look at it , and if you want it , then you ’ll love it .

Specs

There are in reality two variant of the proctor . The RD280UA that I review comes with an ergonomic pliable weapon for climb up on a desk , at $ 630 . The RD280U descend with a unsubdivided stand , for $ 600 . The whippy subdivision is a comparative bargain at just an extra $ 30 , with a very self-colored building that compare well with more expensive options purchased singly . The monitoring machine support the VESA 100x100 mm standard so you’re able to use third - company choice if you want — or , if you already have a mount , you’re able to buy the RD280U and save that money .

Overall , those prices make the RD280U / UA a number expensive for a UHD+ IPS monitor , but not egregiously so . It ’s not the monitoring equipment you ’ll want to buy if do n’t need that laser centering on character clarity , but it ’s not that much more expensive than large , high - resolution IPS display with standardised public presentation .

Design

The last monitor I reviewed was theApple Studio Display , which adapt to Apple ’s distinctive minimalistic excogitation and mental synthesis that manages to come across as refined and endearing . It ooze out quality , and it should given its $ 1,599 price tag .

By equivalence , the RD280UA is a brute . It ’s all - sinister , like most monitor , with a simplistic but somehow imposing aesthetic . It ’s comparatively slurred when you exclude the standpoint , and it curve a bluff figure . The ergonomic whippy arm that my follow-up unit is equipped with is clear very well - designed and constructed and it ’s obvious that the arm is tailor made for the varan . It works smashing . It ’s also heavy , stocky , and feels incredibly hearty . That ’s to the good , but it ’s not a monitoring machine you put on your desk if you ’re looking for a sleek surroundings . Almost like brutalist computer architecture , this thing makes its mien known .

Ultimately , while I do prefer the Apple Studio Display ’s all - metal grammatical construction , I have no doubts about the BenQ ’s long - full term reliability . It ’s solidly built and I ’m sure will provide year of use . The monitor subdivision has decent cable’s length management as well , helping keep things goodly .

On the back , you ’ll notice a “ MoonHalo ” light that automatically adjusts to ambient lighting to render background illumination that can reduce glare . It ’s a prissy touch that supports the monitor ’s overall ergonomic focus .

The monitor is very adjustable , with sway , swivel , and height adjustments that are smooth and convinced . And , the RD280UA pivots 90 degree , make it eminently usable in portrait mode that makes sensation for people who work with a hatful of vertical textual matter ( like coders ) . It ’s also in a 3:2 aspect ratio that provide more height in landscape mode , another asset . The pivot mechanism works swimmingly , more so than some others I ’ve tried . You just require to make certain the proctor is high-pitched enough to clear your desk when pivoting .

Another aspect that ’s very dissimilar from Apple ’s monitor is the unboxing operation . While opening the Apple box and removing the already - assembled Studio Display is quick and painless , the BenQ option is a Byzantine nightmare . You require to hit the top composition board dowry where all the cables , digest , and other accessories are contained , then pry the admonisher out of the box , then set it on a flat surface where you’re able to safely assemble everything . That ’s mutual to most monitors , and it make Apple ’s care to detail really stand out .

Ports

The RD280UA has a reasonably complete bent of ports , although not as many as a monitor like theDell UltraSharp 32 4 KB USB - C Hubmonitor . That one has “ hub ” built in good order into the ( rather farsighted ) name , and the RD280UA is n’t quite as various .

There are two USB - hundred port wine , one downstream and one upstream that also supply 90 watts of power manner of speaking . That ’s enough for many thin and light laptop but wo n’t power the most demanding machines . That ’s okay , because this monitor is n’t inevitably meant for user with superfast laptop with power - thirsty chipsets and discrete GPUs . There are two USB - A larboard , one on the front and one on the back , along with HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 connections . The DisplayPort link stick out daisy chain to another monitor . There ’s also a keyboard - TV - admonisher ( KVM ) switch built in , making it easy to connect and expend the RD280UA to more than one laptop computer at a time .

The connections are well accessible in the rump , with a couple underneath the display . Given how easy it is to move the video display around on the weapon system , I did n’t draw into some of the common frustrations with plug thing in . I do wish the recording label were more visible , however .

Performance and controls

There are two shipway to evaluate the RD280UA ’s performance . The most important is as a monitoring gadget aimed specifically at optimize text edition clarity to make coding as fatigue - free as possible . The proctor aims at achieving this end in a couple of ways .

First , it runs at UHD+ ( 3840 x 2400 ) , which seems like it should be reasonably penetrating . At 28 in , though , that results in 162 PPI . By comparison , the Apple Studio Display ’s 5 K ( 5120 x 2880 ) resolution at 27 inches results in a much higher 218 PPI . A 14 - in laptop with a 2.8 K ( 2880 x 1800 ) display comes in at 243 PPI . Even an FHD+ ( 1920 x 1200 ) 14 - in display get along in at the same 162 PPI as the BenQ. Certainly , at FHD+ , a 28 - inch display is just 81 PPI , but that does n’t exactly make the RD280UA a extremely abrupt monitor . So while textbook front good enough , it does n’t stand out to me . The screen also uses a nano - flatness engineering for extreme anti - reflective properties , which minimizes spotlight and helps with clarity .

secondly , and perhaps more significant , BenQ put up a match of modality — Coding Light and Coding Dark — with color temperature and other variables that are enhanced to make text more comfortably legible . The Low Light Blue Plus mode can use the B.I. Gen 2 sensing element to mechanically conform brightness while a Circadian Mode can alter color temperature as the 24-hour interval advance for greater center comfort . And the Nigh Hours Protection feature alters the brightness levels and can make the admonisher very dark , further avoiding optic fatigue duty .

All of these modal value are approachable through both an on - screen showing ( OSD ) and an app . The latter gives full control over audio volume , luminosity and modality , and various other capabilities like the screen background partition feature , HiDPI manner , and high dynamical range ( HDR ) . There ’s a tough - enabled function prevention extend below the display that clear accessing the various features easy enough .

So , the motion is : does it work ? I can say that the dissimilar modes for certain make a difference in how text appears . It ’s not something that can be easily demonstrated by photographing it , but in somebody , Coding Dark mode provides a distinctly unlike text that ’s does seem easy on the eyes and more seeable . The colour temp becomes warm and textbook is clearer — not penetrating , but more pronounced . I ’m sure that if you code with a black background , the impression would be just as noticeable . I do n’t retrieve I would prefer it for committal to writing — I wish stale temps and I ’m a lot happier with the Apple Studio Displays high sharpness . But I ’m sure coder will appreciate it .

The 2d fashion to evaluate the RD280UA is how it execute for most other users . For anyone but the target market place , thing are very different . The best style for most user would be RGB modality , which is the brightest , has the second - best direct contrast , and enjoys the most accurate colors and optimal gamma . But , the colors are n’t as wide , with color gamut that are somewhat much average for IPS displays . That ’s fine for productivity piece of work , but not for God Almighty .

The other mode are a hot mess for most user . Colors are wider , but exact is manner off ( consider that 2.0 or less is considered in effect for typical use ) , gamma is right smart too morose , and brightness is only middling . That might solve well for some use — e.g. , coding — but it ’s not very good for general productivity piece of work , creativity , or even medium consumption .

This is very much a unmarried - purpose showing . That ’s no surprisal , given that it accomplishes what BenQ intended , but it ’s something to keep in head when you ’re shopping around .

Conclusion

The RD280UA is an interesting monitor with a very solid if somewhat brutalist design . There ’s no doubt that it ’s well - made , and it is optimized for a very specific aim — making text as promiscuous to read as potential for software engineer who are going to gaze at it for minute a day .

That wee-wee it a small hard to rate , though . Do I give it a high rating for that singular purpose , or do I give it a rating that reflects how suited it is for a blanket audience ? I ’ll say here that for programmer , it ’s an excellent monitor . The score I ’m giving it is for anyone else who ’s expect for a monitor lizard .