Review: BenQ SW272U monitor

27″ 4k UHD display

High quality wide gamut monitor aimed at photo editing.

Keith has been looking at the BenQ SW272U monitor. The 27″ 4k UHD display is aimed at photographers and includes BenQ’s print soft proofing mode.

Keith has previously reviewed several of BenQ’s high end monitors including their 4k 32″ SW321 model and 27″ SW271

There are two videos looking at the setup and basic use of this monitor

Jump to BenQ SW272U specifications

For more information about the monitors see the following [BenQ] links:

• SW272U UK Product Page
• SW272U US Product Page
• SW272U Amazon UK Page
• SW272U Australia/NZ product page
• SW272Q UK Product Page
• See the BenQ page about using their monitors with Macs

BenQ SW272U monitor

The SW272U looks very similar to the previous BenQ monitor of this sort, however there are a number of changes and improvements that make it somewhat more flexible in some of its options than the SW271 I reviewed, as well as having improved specs.

Note that unlike the SW271, the SW272 does not offer a ‘Picture in Picture [PIP]’ mode

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BenQ SW272U Key features

List from BenQ

• 4К НDR LЕD bасklіght 27-іnсh mоnіtоr fоr рhоtоgrарhеrѕ аnd соlоurіѕtѕ
• 99% соvеrаgе оf Аdоbе RGВ аnd DСІ-Р3 fоr іnduѕtrу-ѕtаndаrd соlоur vіеwіng
• 16-bіt 3D LUТ wіth 10-bіt соlоur dерth рrоvіdеѕ ассurаtе соlоur dеlіvеrу
• 1.07 bіllіоn соlоurѕ аnd а 1000:1 соntrаѕt rаtіо fоr а vіbrаnt vіеwіng ехреrіеnсе
• ТUV Аntі-rеflесtіоn сеrtіfісаtіоn wіth а mаttе соаtіng fоr brіght еnvіrоnmеntѕ
• Рареr Соlоr Ѕуnс ѕіmulаtеѕ рrіntеd іmаgеѕ fоr rаріd іtеrаtіоn аnd рrеvіеwіng
• Vеrіfіеd bу Саlmаn аnd Раntоnе fоr truѕtwоrthу соlоur аnd ѕkіn tоnе rерrоduсtіоn
• Раlеttе Маѕtеr Ultіmаtе mаіntаіnѕ thе соlоur ассurасу оf thе mоnіtоr vіа tunіng
• І/О fеаturеѕ, Dіѕрlау Роrt 1.4, twо НDМІ 2.0 роrtѕ, ЅD саrd rеаdеr аnd а hеаdрhоnе јасk
• UЅВ-С, -В аnd -3.1 роrtѕ рrоvіdе роwеr іnрut аnd раѕѕ thrоugh tо ехtеrnаl dеvісеѕ
• ВеnQ’ѕ wіrеlеѕѕ Ноtkеу Рuсk G3 рrоvіdеѕ соnvеnіеnt dіѕрlау mеnu соntrоl
• НDR10 сеrtіfісаtіоn еnѕurеѕ rісh, full-bоdіеd dаrk аnd lіght tоnеѕ
• 60Нz rеfrеѕh rаtе rеflесtѕ аnd dіѕрlауѕ іnduѕtrу ѕtаndаrdѕ frаmе rаtеѕ
• Full ѕuрроrt fоr 3rd раrtу саlіbrаtіоn frоm СоlоrЅрасе аnd Саlmаn
• VЕЅА wаll mоunt іnсludеd fоr vеrѕаtіlе mоuntіng орtіоnѕ

I should note that my own use of the monitor challenges and relies on a few key aspects, namely, its wide gamut, the hardware calibration, display uniformity and sheer size. 

There’s a good range of connectivity at the back.

With testing on my older MacBook Pro I used the USB B uplink (right) and DisplayPort connections. The USB Power Delivery quite happily worked for recharging battery packs and my EOS RP since it supports higher voltages for charging.

Connected to my much newer Mac Studio I could use just the USB C connection. If you are using a DP connection, there is a USB lead for upstream connection. Multiple monitors can be configured on different systems – this is where the very clear user guide is most handy…

The BenQ SW272 monitor works as a USB 3.1 hub. One subtle improvement over older models here is the positioning of the SD card slot, phones and two USB connections at the bottom edge of the monitor. It’s irksome to attach devices at the back when the monitor is on a desk against a wall or the like.

The control puck is now a wireless [optical] device. Here I’ve pressed the small status button and the display is showing its settings.

The info shows I’m using a custom setting of a very low colour temperature of 4000K.

Why so low? I’m using this monitor in my videos and the colour temperature and brightness is set to match the ambient lighting [4000K LED] so the screen looks fine on video.

If I had it set for photo editing [typically 6500K] it would look very blue in videos and would not match any prints I might be showing. I’ve found that only hardware calibrated monitors let you get reasonable image quality at such a low temperature as 4000K.

Setting up the BenQ SW272U

The monitor is exceedingly well packed in a very solid cardboard box. A comprehensive guide comes on a single large sheet of paper. The 272U has a monitor hood which works with the monitor in both landscape and portrait mode. Personally I don’t like monitors in portrait mode, but I know some people do…

Some of the BenQ SW272U assembly is covered in this video

Using the BenQ SW272U monitor

In my testing, I’ve also been trying out a new Mac Studio, which in due course will become my main editing computer. As such it has considerably more flexibility than my old MacBook pro, driving the screen over the USB C port.

This picture may look a little poorly lit, but I was trying to give a feel for how the monitor looks in use, especially as to how efficient the monitor hood is in isolating the image form the surroundings [the improved anti-reflection coating helps with this too].

I’ve also got an older BenQ SW2700PT monitor connected to the Mac Studio via HDMI, although that isn’t supported by the latest profiling software, so I set that up using the older PME software.

Both monitors are 27″, but you can see how much more even and lower reflectivity the BenQ SW272U is compared to the SW2700.

I’ve a note at the end of this review, covering monitor choices, about when you might decide that the lower resolution SW272Q might suit your needs better.

BenQ SW272U Display modes

The monitor works fine at the full 4k resolution, but can easily be set to lower resolution modes for legibility or, as I mention later, to allow for your eyesight.

4k video and the BenQ SW272U

If you want to view 4k video, these are the available timing options.

BenQ SW272U Calibration and Profiling

The monitor has numerous pre-set modes as well as the calibration modes [3] I normally use

Depending on what you are using, not all settings may be adjustable.

The most significant difference between the BenQ SW272U and previous monitors I’ve looked at is the new Palette Master Ultimate calibration software.

The software feels considerably more refined and flexible than the old PME software, but do note that it only supports some newer monitors. If you have an older BenQ monitor as a second display you’ll need to set it up on its own. If you have other monitors or a projector attached, you’ll need to sort out their own calibration/profiling.

Even though I have a full copy of i1 profiler, and several other monitor/printer profiling systems, I only ever use the BenQ software to set up such hardware calibrated monitors.

You need  some measurement hardware, but not the normal software which comes with it.

BenQ SW272U Calibration

I’m using the newer PMU software [free] from BenQ. It requires you to create an account with BenQ [See also my footnote to this review].

The software works with quite a range of calibration hardware, but do check the compatibility list before you buy a calibrator – the list is not always up to date with what you might buy.

I note that older/newer Spyder devices are not [yet?] included.

Also, no ColorMunki, even though it’s essentially the same as the i1Studio.

I’ll not go through all the matching options here but in ‘advance color adjust’ mode you can change a lot of settings.

With this comes my standard warning about calibration software:

If you don’t know what an advanced feature does, take it as a big hint that you likely don’t need it and should probably use the defaults offered

During my testing, I set up two of the monitor’s 3 ‘Calibration’ settings to 6500K and 4000K

6500K would be a normal photo editing setting, whilst 4000K is excellent if the screen is appearing in any of my videos [it matches the room lighting]. 4000K is beyond the capability of most normal profiling software, and shows the benefits of hardware calibration.

Here’s 4000K set up ready to do the measurements.

After running through the profiling sequence [I’ve included more of this in the video], I get a calibration report.

Here’s the one for 4000K

Here’s the one for 6500K

Two things to note – the calibration quality is better at 6500K than 4000K. Perfectly reasonable since 4000K somewhat unbalances things to get a calibration [you’d never normally use it for editing].

Also note how the sample images look different – that’s an artefact of my screen capture, but 4000K is really warm for a monitor!

Even so, 4000K passes  full validation perfectly well.

I should note once again that to get the real benefits of this monitor you really should do a hardware calibration. Using just the software which comes with the calibration devices doesn’t do the full job,

I do have reviews of the Spyder X for monitor calibration if and i1Display Pro Plus – for all related reviews and articles, see the Monitor Calibration section of the site

• Spyder X monitor calibration
• i1Display Pro plus

Paper Color Sync – useful idea, but…?

An interesting feature available for the BenQ SW272U (and some other BenQ monitors) is a screen special calibration mode designed to match a paper colour for better proofing.

This needs some software running which will set the monitor to a specific display setting to go with a paper and printer.

There is a guide to setup, and the process is simple to run.

As it stands, it’s excellent if your printer and paper is supported. However, the range of printers is still fairly limited. I’d like to see this system expanded so that it could be customised to be of more general use. As it stands, if BenQ don’t add your printer/paper then you are stuck.

I briefly looked at this system in my SW321C review but whilst the range of papers/printers has expanded, it’s still not covering anything I use. Ultimately, if the system is only relying on BenQ catching up with new printers and covering suitable papers, it’s always going to be at a disadvantage.

Thoughts on using the BenQ SW272U

The screen just looks better than for example, the SW271… what do I mean by this?

The improved anti-reflection coating is noticeable if I have other lights on in the office – blacks look a deeper black.  Normally I’ll go to some lengths to make sure the environment around my screen has no bright sources of light to reflect, but I noticed, when shooting videos that whereas I could sometimes see a faint reflection in the older SW2700, the SW272 was just black.

Screen evenness is said to be improved as well, but since even my older SW2700PT doesn’t show any issues it’s difficult to compare.

As an aside, I reviewed the BenQ SW2700PT in 2015 – it is still working just fine after 8 years.

The Two USB sockets along the lower edge are simply more convenient to use.

Here’s an example of a USB software license dongle plugged in. It’s for some printer profiling software, so the red light is no real bother [it’s not actually as bright as it seems here].

What matters is that I’m much less likely to forget it and leave it plugged in if it’s not hidden away around the back.  BTW that colour fringing on the screen is simply an artefact of the fine dot pitch of the screen.

The calibration software is easy to use, and I really appreciate being able to take the screen as low as 4000K when shooting videos which include it in the shot.

I’ve never claimed to be such a comprehensive reviewer of monitors as I would with printers, but from an image quality POV, the BenQ SW272U is the best 27″ monitor I’ve tried. It would easily meet the standards I set for editing and printing my commercial photography work.

Choosing a monitor for your work

Every photograph I edit and send to a client is influenced by the quality of my monitor. Every print I make is first seen on my monitor. Those two things have always been my guiding principle in choosing equipment. That tells me not to skimp on such an important part of my workflow.

Of course, there are some very high end monitors available, but it doesn’t need reference level monitors.

I need good reliable and capable kit that I have confidence in. I don’t have the equipment to give laboratory standard measurements and tests, but what I do have suggests that the specs for the SW272U are pretty good and it would work well for my business and personal photography.

It’s enough that I’m happy adding the SW272U as a suggestion for photographers who might have been considering spending a lot more, and definitely for those considering spending a lot less…

Do you need 4k for your work

There are actually two SW272 models. The BenQ SW272U model I’m testing is 4k, whilst the SW272QQ model is similar, but has a 2560×1440 pixel display and a few less features.

Think carefully about your eyesight and just what you want to do with your monitor. It’s possible that a lower resolution monitor may suit your work better, especially since current Windows and Mac systems [and applications] still do not yet adapt fully to different display resolutions.

For the 32″ SW321C, I’m happy with 4k, but as I explain, smaller monitor choice does depend on your eyesight.

I’ve made a video about this:

A personal complaint – this might not concern you

One issue I have with the latest BenQ software is that after I’d used the PMU software for setting up the monitor, I didn’t need it again for some time. I don’t recalibrate often. It then told me that the ‘trial had expired’ and I needed to log in again. There is a lengthy form to accept covering use of data, and you have to accept it to continue [vastly too long for any normal person to read] I need to log in with either an AppleID or Google ID.

I rather dislike this… YMMV

Other than that, definitely one of the best monitors I’ve tested for a long time.

See also, Keith’s other reviews of BenQ equipment

FYI – my earlier look at the older SW271

My earlier look at the SW271

Specifications

Display

• Screen Size: 27 inch
• Panel Type: IPS
• Backlight Technology: LED backlight
• Resolution (max.): 3840×2160
• Brightness (typ.): 400 nits
• HDR: HDR10, HLG
• Native Contrast: 1000:1
• Viewing Angle (L/R) (CR>=10): 178°/178°
• Response Times (GtG): 5 ms
• Refresh Rate (Hz): 60
• Color Gamut: 100% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, 99% P3
• Color Mode: Adobe RGB, B+W, Calibration 1, Calibration 2, Calibration 3, Custom, DCI-P3, DICOM, Display P3, HDR, M-Book, Paper Color Sync, Rec.709, sRGB
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Display Colors: 1.07 billion colors
• PPI: 163
• Display Screen Coating: Anti-Reflection
• Color Temperature: 5000K, 6500K, 9300K, User-K, User-RGB
• Gamma: 1.6 – 2.6, sRGB
• HDCP: 2.2
• OSD Language: Arabic, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Deutsch, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Netherlands, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
• AMA: Yes

Audio

• Headphone Jack: Yes

Power

• Power Supply: Built-in
• Power Consumption (normal): 34 W
• Power Consumption (max): 200 W
• Power Consumption (sleep mode): 0.5 W
• Power Delivery(USB C / Thunderbolt 3): 90 W

Dimension and Weight

• Tilt (down/up): -5˚ – 20˚
• Swivel (left/right): 30˚/30˚
• Pivot: 90˚
• Height Adjustment Stand: 140 mm
• Dimensions (HxWxD) (mm): 451.8-591.8×613.9×274
• Dimensions (HxWxD) (inch): 17.8-23.3×24.2×10.8
• Dimensions (HxWxD) (w/o Base) (with shading hood) (mm): 386.3×626.1×270.6
• Dimensions (HxWxD) (w/o Base) (with shading hood) (inch): 15.2×24.6×10.65
• Dimensions(HxWxD) (with shading hood) (mm): 463.2-603.2×626.1×364.8
• Dimensions(HxWxD) (with shading hood) (inch): 18.2-23.7×24.7×14.4
• Net Weight (kg): 8.6
• Net Weight (lb): 19
• Net Weight (w/o Base) (kg): 5.25
• Net Weight (w/o Base) (lb): 11.6
• Net Weight (with shading hood) (kg): 9.7
• Net Weight (with shading hood) (lb): 21.4
• VESA Wall Mount: 100×100 mm

Accessories

• Other Accessories: Calibration Report, Hotkey Puck G3, IO Cover, QSG, Safety Instruction, Shading Hood ( landscape and portrait ), Warranty Card

Connectivity

• Card Reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC
• HDMI (v2.0): 2
• DisplayPort (v1.4): 1
• USB C(PowerDelivery 90W, DisplayPort Alt Mode, Data): 1
• USB Type B ( Upstream ): 1
• USB 3.1 ( Downstream ): 2
• All-in-One Connection: USB-C

Certification

• TUV Certificate: Anti-Reflection
• calman verified: Yes
• Pantone Validated: Yes
• Pantone SkinTone™ Validated: Yes

Professional

• Video Format Support: Yes
• Factory Calibration Report: Yes
• 3D-LUT: 16bits
• Delta E(avg): ≤1.5
• Gamut Duo: Yes
• Black & White mode: Yes
• Black Level: Yes
• Hardware Calibration: Yes
• Uniformity Technology: Yes
• Hotkey Puck G3: Yes

Software

• Palette Master Ultimate: Yes
• Paper Color Sync: Yes
• LightSpace Ready: Yes
• calman ready: Yes