A monitor at $1,800 might lead to the usual “what are we coming to!”, but the truth is that this is an interesting product. It is the new monitor from Porsche Design in collaboration with AOC, and it turns out that its price is much better than you might think.
The key is that we are talking about a monitor with a Mini LED panel, a technology superior to many monitors. The comparison with monitors in that price range like the Apple Studio Display, and at least in that section this product is superior.
A design with many lights
The Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M -which will not be available until June- is a monitor designed and developed by the Porsche Design division in collaboration with AOC, a veteran manufacturer in this segment.
The new 32-inch monitor has a trapezoidal aluminum stand that certainly catches the eye and is a tribute to the steering wheels of the brand’s cars.
Surprising in this design is the inclusion of the RGB lighting system on the back. That lighting is more oriented to give ambiance to the room by projecting on the wall.
There is one more detail: the PD32M is capable of projecting an LED logo on the desktop, something that can be seen at the bottom of that rear image with that beam projecting a logo onto the base of the monitor.
The monitor also features a unique remote control to use the screen like a TV, an accessory we’ve started to see on some “convertible” to Smart TV monitors like the Samsung M5 we were able to review recently.
Connectivity also brings good news: there are two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort, USB-C, four USB-A (Gen 3.2), and a headphone jack. The monitor even has two hooks that can be placed on both sides to act as headphone holders. It also offers two 8W speakers with DTS support.
The specifications are outstanding
The most striking feature of this 32-inch monitor with 4K resolution is its Mini LED panel, an element that not many competitors offer.
That makes it superior to the traditional LED panels of most current monitors, but here Porsche Design has not specified the number of independent local dimming zones (dimming zones) this model has.
This type of panel also improves contrast and this model has a VESA DisplayHDR 1400 certification, which ensures that it is capable of reaching a brightness of 1,400 nits with HDR content.
Its creators go even further, claiming that it is possible to achieve 1,600 nits and 97% DCI-P3 coverage. It doesn’t stop there: the monitor has support for refresh rates up to 144 Hz, 1 ms response times (GtG), and adaptive synchronization, making it an excellent choice for gamers as well.
1,800 is (in this case) not that many dollars
That $1,800 price tag seems steep for a 32-inch 4K monitor, but a glance at the market makes it clear that we’re looking at a very attractively priced proposition.
They point this out in Ars Technica, where they reveal how, for example, the Dell G3223Q -32-inch, 4K, 144 Hz- costs about $1,100, but does not have a Mini LED panel.
Monitors with such technology are much more expensive. The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX is around $2,900 on Amazon, and the Acer Predator X32 has a Mini LED panel, 4K resolution, and 165 Hz refresh rate, and while it’s expected to be priced around that same $1,800, it has 576 local zones (we’ll see how much the Porsche Design one offers) and worse, HDR 1000 certification.
There is another Mini LED option on the horizon: soon to appear is the Cooler Master GP27-FQS, a 27-inch 1440p model at 165 Hz, and it will do so at around $700.
And compared to all of them, it is difficult not to remember the recent Apple Studio Display, which costs $1,600 and, even with 5K resolution and including an A13 Bionic and a webcam, has a worse panel, although its sound system shines with its light.
So this is a monitor that certainly has a high price, but it is not so high when we look at the price of other similar models. This is good news for the future: Mini LED technology looks set to become much easier (and more affordable) to find in monitors in the coming months.
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