What’s Good
- FreeSync support
- Eye Friendly
- Affordable Price
- Impressive Image Quality
- 4K resolution
What’s Bad
- Tilt-only Design
What is Philips 328E1CA
The Philips 328E1CA is a 32-inch 4K monitor. It is a great choice if you’re on a tight budget. Read this review of the Philips 328E1CA to see if it is the right monitor for you.
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Philips 328E1CA - Image Quality
The Philips 328E1CA is a 32-inch curved 4K (3840 x 2160) monitor. It is based on a VA panel and it has a curvature of 1500R. It covers 120% of the sRGB color gamut and supports 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) color depth via dithering.
The 120% sRGB color gamut delivers better color quality than the standard sRGB monitors. Pictures will be more vibrant without being too oversaturated. The 10-bit color depth results in a richer variety of color variations across the monitor. It makes pictures more lifelike.
The 4K resolution makes pictures look sharper and more detailed. It will also offer you a lot of screen real-estate than a 1080p monitor. You can work on different applications side by side without always having to switch between tabs.
The overall color quality of the Philips 328E1CA is very good. The colors displayed are vivid and the overall color consistency across the panel is decent. Though I wouldn’t suggest it for color-critical work like graphic design, playing games or watching movies on it will definitely be a treat to the eyes.
The viewing angles of this monitor are wide and relaxed. You get 178-degree wide viewing angles. You won’t have any major shift in color, brightness, or contrast levels when you look at the monitor from different angles.
The VA panels are known for their superior contrast levels. The Philips 328E1CA has a contrast ratio of 2500:1. It exceeds that value in real-life conditions. Images have a certain depth in them and appear sharper and realistic. The blacks appear darker and whites appear brighter. The curved screen only adds to the immersion.
It has a brightness level of 250-nits. It is fairly brighter than that value and I suggest you tone it down.
The combination of 4K resolution and 32-inch screen results in a pixel density of 140 PPI. The text appears sharper and images are detailed. It makes reading text or viewing images easy for the eyes. You won’t have blurry or pixelated images where you have to squint your eyes to see them clearly.
The Philips 328E1CA we reviewed had no dead pixels on it. There is a slight backlight bleed toward the corners of the monitor. It is only visible when you’re in dark parts of a video game or a movie. It is tolerable and you can reduce it by adjusting your brightness.
It has an anti-glare coating on it that will diffuse any distracting reflections that form on it.
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Philips 328E1CA - Design, Ergonomics, and Connectivity
The Philips 328E1CA comes in a simple design. It is reasonably slim. Its black colored chassis has a matte finish that makes it easy to clean. The bezels present on the three sides are very thin. They maximize the viewing area and help you set up multi-monitor setups without distractions.
The overall build quality is decent. The plastic used is durable and sturdy. It doesn’t feel like a low-grade material. There are OSD buttons present on the lower bezel. They are labeled and help you navigate the OSD menu, adjust the brightness, contrast, etc. It would have been nice to see a joystick instead of buttons. But for the price, I think it’s a small sacrifice.
The stand is sturdy and doesn’t wobble. It has a square ring as its base. Its ergonomic capabilities only include tilt functionality. You cannot adjust the height of the monitor, swivel it, or rotate it.
There is a 100x100mm VESA pattern present on it using which you can wall mount it or connect it to a third-party stand.
The connectivity options of the Philips 328E1CA include: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack. This monitor has 2 x 3W built-in speakers.
Though most of the in-built speakers present in monitors have average sound output, I should say that the sound output of those in this monitor is fair. They should be sufficient for small rooms and closed spaces.
For a better audio experience, while gaming or watching movies, I suggest you to buy external speakers.
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Philips 328E1CA - Performance
The Philips 328E1CA is a decent choice for gaming.
It has a 60Hz refresh rate. Its response time and input lag are around 4ms. This is impressive for a VA panel.
It also supports AMD’s FreeSync variable refresh rate. FreeSync helps sync the refresh rate of the monitor with the FPS of a game. This will help you eliminate any kind of screen-tearing, stuttering, and lagging during gameplay.
FreeSync is an important feature for gamers. Most budget 4K monitors do not support it. It is good to see Philips include this feature. You can also use Nvidia’s G-Sync for 10-series and better graphics cards without any issues.
There were no major issues of ghosting or trailing in video games.
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Philips 328E1CA - Features
The Philips 328E1CA has a blue light filter and it is also flicker-free. You can work / game on it for long hours without having to worry about eye strain or headaches.
You can multitask on it efficiently. You can divide the screen into separate segments and use each one for using a different application. This will increase your productivity.
The SmartContrast feature analyzes the contents you are displaying and automatically adjusts the colors and controlling backlight intensity to dynamically enhance contrast for the best images and videos or when playing games.
You can also adjust many other properties like contrast, brightness, gamma, color temperature, etc. using the OSD menu.
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Monitors similar to Philips 328E1CA
The AOC CU32V3 is a 32-inch curved 4K monitor with a wide color gamut and 4ms response time. It is a great choice for mixed usage. It is priced similar to the Philips 328E1CA and is worth checking out.
The LG 32UD60-B is a 4K gaming monitor with AMD FreeSync. It is a great choice for budget 4K gamers and offers a decent value for money. It costs only $30 more than the Philips 328E1CA.
The ViewSonic VX3276-4K-MHD is a 32-inch 4K monitor that is a great choice for work or office use. It has a decent image quality, generous connectivity options, and an elegant design. It comes at a price similar to the Philips 328E1CA and offers a decent value for money.
The AOC U2790VQ is a 27-inch 4K monitor. It has excellent image quality and comes at a great price. If you are fine with the 27-inch screen, I would definitely recommend you go with it. It is also $70 – $80 cheaper than the Philips 328E1CA.
The Asus VP28UQG is a 28-inch 4K gaming monitor, It supports ultralow 1ms response time and FreeSync technology. It also comes at an affordable price and makes 4K gaming possible even to those with a tight budget. Definitely check it out if you are looking for a 4K gaming monitor.
Philips 328E1CA Review - Final Thoughts
The Philips 328E1CA is a perfect budget 4K monitor. It has everything an average user would want and more. It is suitable for both work and play. The Philips 328E1CA more than justifies its price tag and provides you with a true bang for the buck. You will definitely be satisfied with it.
Who should buy the Philips 328E1CA?
1. Those who want an affordable eye-friendly 4K monitor for long hours of office work or programming
2. Those who want a pocket-friendly 4K monitor for regular usage like surfing the web, managing documents, watching movies, YouTube, working with Microsoft office, etc.
3. Those who want a monitor for Casual gaming
4. Those who want a frameless monitor for multi-monitor setups
Philips 328E1CA Specs
| Screen Size: | 31.5 Inches |
| Resolution: | 3840 x 2160 QHD |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
| Panel Technology: | VA |
| Refresh Rate: | 60 Hz |
| Response Time: | 4ms (GtG) |
| Contrast Ratio: | 2500:1 (Static) |
| Brightness: | 250 cd/m² |
| Built-in Speakers: | Yes (2 x 3W) |
| Stand: | Tilt Only |
| Adaptive Sync: | Yes (FreeSync) |
| VESA Compatibility: | Yes (100 x 100) |
| Connectivity: | 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Dimensions (W x H x D): | 27.91” x 20.59 ” x 9.3” |
| Weight: | 17lbs |
Philips 328E1CA Review: Decent 32-inch 4K Monitor
This review of Philips 328E1CA covers everything you need to know about it. All its pros and cons are mentioned. Its complete specs and other alternatives are also mentioned.
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.8
Vishwak is the man behind YourTechBro. He has been into technology ever since his dad brought him a PC when he was a 10-year old. He is an avid PC gamer, Android Fanboy, and a Tech geek.
