A good, productivity-focused monitor will go a long way in improving your efficiency while working, but it’s not often that we find a monitor that’s equally ready for life after hours of work. One of the world’s leading names when it comes to monitors is Taiwan-based BenQ, and one of the company’s latest models in India is the EW3880R WQHD+ IPS curved ultra-wide monitor. Apart from the 21:9 aspect ratio, which makes it useful for multi-tasking and multi-device connectivity, there is also a built-in front-firing 2.1-channel speaker system.
97,500 in India, the BenQ EW3880R is undoubtedly expensive and is aimed at a very specific audience. However, it promises a lot for the price, including modern connectivity options, a high-resolution 37.5-inch IPS LED screen, good sound and more. Is this the best premium monitor you can buy in India right now? Find out in this review.
The BenQ EW3880R monitor has a 2.1-channel front-firing speaker system
BenQ EW3880R Monitor Design
While I never expected the BenQ EW3880R monitor to be small and easy to handle, its actual size and proportions came as a surprise to me when setting it up. It’s big, heavy, and quite impressive in its design, with a 37.5-inch WQHD+ (3840×1600-pixel) 60Hz IPS LED panel and an aspect ratio of 21:9. Although this ultra-wide aspect ratio seems a bit odd at first, it’s suitable for all kinds of tasks, including productivity and entertainment.
While the large screen naturally dominates the front view of the monitor, it’s hard to miss the speaker grille just below it. It has a 2.1-channel speaker system, with two 3W mid- and high-range drivers and an 8W woofer. There’s also a small button in the bottom-right corner that activates the built-in High Dynamic Range mode.
The BenQ EW3880R monitor is quite thick, and at its size, the 2300R’s curvature is prominent and distinctive. The screen mounts to an impressive and heavy center-balanced stand, which allows for plenty of adjustments, including up to 120mm of height near the top, up to 15 degrees of tilt and up to 15 degrees of swivel in either direction.
It’s all balanced securely on a V-shaped pedestal that takes up a fair amount of space on whatever table you place the monitor on. The size of the stand and the space it takes up also means you’ll need enough space between you and the screen, along with the wall behind the monitor, so that you can use it properly and safely. I held the monitor about three feet away, and while the curved screen helped a bit with edge visibility, it felt a little too big for my workspace.
The remote is small and runs on a CR2032 battery
The box for the BenQ EW3880R monitor includes a USB Type-C cable, an HDMI cable, a power cable for the monitor, and a remote. There are also separate plastic plates that can be mounted on the back of the monitor to cover the stand-mount attachment and port, but these are best to use if you want quick and easy access or if the monitor is mounted against a wall. do not require.
Specs and Features of BenQ EW3880R Monitor
The 2.1-channel speaker system and large curved screen aside, the BenQ EW3880R monitor has a lot going for it in terms of features and specifications. The monitor supports the HDR10 format, and has a maximum brightness of 300 nits when using HDR, or 250 nits without it. Additionally, you can play two different source devices simultaneously in split-screen mode on the monitor.
The video input options on the BenQ EW3880R monitor are impressive, with two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, and a USB Type-C port. Usefully, there’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for external audio connectivity. Most impressive is USB Type-C connectivity, as it allows the laptop to send a DisplayPort signal to the monitor and receive up to 60W of power for simultaneous charging. It also feeds the monitor’s two downstream USB 3.0 Type-A ports, so you can connect your PC to additional peripherals and set up a docking station with just one cable.
High Dynamic Range mode works a little differently than it does on most TVs. While TVs automatically detect HDR content and switch to HDR picture mode, BenQ monitors must have HDR activated manually. It’s as simple as pressing the ‘HDRI’ button on the front of the monitor or on the remote, and then cycling through the three presets – Cinema HDR, Game HDR, and Standard HDR – all of which are said to be optimized for their specific use cases. . It also has a ‘Night Mode’ which is said to adjust the sound to make the sound more clear even in low volumes.
The BenQ EW3880R monitor’s aspect ratio allows native 21:9 content to be played using the entire screen
The BenQ EW3880R monitor has its own remote, which can be used to control power, select a source, control ‘Night’ and HDR modes, adjust brightness and volume levels, and some other basic settings like audio mode. can be done for. Remote works on CR2032 battery; While the company claims it comes pre-installed in the remote, my unit didn’t have one and I had to open the remote to install one after buying it separately.
The remote is smaller, and made it more convenient to control basic things like power and volume after the initial setup. You can also control the monitor without using the physical buttons, but you’ll have to reach in the back to find them.
BenQ EW3880R Monitor Performance
Although the BenQ EW3880R monitor is touted as entertainment-friendly, it is quite different from other monitors with similar credentials, such as Samsung Smart Monitor M7 Which has 16: 9 aspect ratio and has its own operating system. The BenQ monitor is quite large, has a curved screen, and has an aspect ratio of 21:9, which offers a different viewing experience.
All of the above points, however, make the BenQ EW3880R monitor particularly suitable for using your laptop or PC as a large screen, with the wide aspect ratio making multi-tasking particularly convenient. The most obvious way to do this was to run two apps or programs side-by-side on the same laptop. I was able to comfortably keep an Internet browser and a Word document open at the same time. It’s just like having two monitors side by side, but with no border in between.
The monitor has a 2300R curvature, which is particularly helpful in reducing light reflectance and glare
When I connected I was able to run Windows at the full resolution available and at 60Hz realme book slim Using the USB Type-C cable included with the monitor. The resolution was precisely adjusted for the screen, and Windows also recommended an appropriate scaling level to ensure text legibility and proper app visibility.
I especially liked the split-screen option, which allowed me to select two inputs and have them share screen space. It works well when using the Realme Book Slim and a MacBook Air connected to the HDMI port. Both laptops adjusted their output resolutions to best suit the available screen space. Split-screen options include a 1:1 split, 2:1 split, or picture-in-picture box for the secondary input, allowing you a great deal of flexibility with how the two source devices are displayed.
In addition to the occasional multi-tasking for which I had both laptops connected in split-screen mode, I often tended to use the BenQ EW3880R monitor as a reference screen for reading and video content, which included several The app or window used to open side by side. , Color accuracy and sharpness were impressive, making it a fine monitor for my occasional photo editing tasks.
In addition, the sharpness of the screen made it a pleasure to read text even from a great viewing distance, and text was enhanced natively by Windows. It was bright enough even without HDR turned on, and the curvature of the IPS panel helped reduce light reflections, making for a clean and consistent viewing experience regardless of ambient light.
Where the BenQ EW3880R did really well was with video and streaming content. The odd aspect ratio and the screen’s WQHD+ resolution meant that streaming content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video was capped at full-HD, whether using the native app for Windows or via a web browser.
Native 21:9 content, including Red Notice on Netflix, scales perfectly across the screen and uses all its real estate for a proper cinematic viewing experience, and it makes up for the resolution cap. Sharpness was decent and colors were accurate, making the monitor suitable for occasional post-work entertainment and even late night movie watching. HDR improved the picture slightly through better brightness and slightly more impressive colors when watching video content, but I preferred to keep it close for everyday work.
Sound quality was decent on the BenQ EW3880R monitor’s front-firing 2.1-channel speaker system. Although it wasn’t very loud, the sound was clear, detailed, and well-tuned for short distances. I had to use it at the highest volume level almost all the time to be able to hear clearly, and ‘Night Mode’ only made a small difference in improving voice clarity at slightly lower volumes. Although nowhere near as good as a proper speaker system or even good headphones, audio performance is good enough for the monitor and optimized for both everyday productivity use and entertainment.
Decision
With the EW3880R curved ultra-wide monitor, BenQ has an interesting product on its hands. This monitor is large, impressive, and perfect for the computer-connected professional, whether working from home or in the office. Visuals on the screen are sharp, colors and motion are well presented, and there are enough modern connectivity options to meet most source devices and connection scenarios.
Split-screen mode, which lets you use two devices at once, is a great way to put wide aspect ratios to good use. The built-in 2.1-channel speaker system is useful and gives the BenQ EW3880R its entertainment-friendly credentials. The device may be particularly suitable for anyone who may need a single display for work and post-work use, especially in space-constrained homes.
However, the price is Rs. 97,500 in India, this monitor is probably a bit pricey, even for the curved ultra-wide model. It is a specialist product and is priced quite a premium, but it is well worth the investment if your usage fits with the connectivity, features and design on offer.
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