BenQ PD2730S review: For creatives using Mac, this 5K monitor ticks a checklist
A year ago, BenQ's PD3225U display set a really high bar for creator focused monitors, specifically for those using an Apple Mac Studio, a Mac mini or a MacBook Pro, for instance. A year later, it is the turn of the BenQ PD2730S to provide an alternative choice to gold standard that is the Apple Studio Display. This time around too, the demographic BenQ hopes to line up with their wads of cash, are the creative professionals. In terms of a price comparison, the PD2730S is priced at ₹1,02,500 while the Studio Display is priced ₹1,59,900. There are reasons to prefer each, and this is that sort of workflow, where personal preferences will eventually outweigh core specs.
Speaking of which, these would generally revolve around how a user perceives clarity, colour reproduction, colour precision followed by the secondary layer of good-to-haves such as viewing angles, panel illumination levels and a matte coating, if at all. Apple charges extra for that option, BenQ has the nano-matte coating to reduce reflections available as standard with the PD2730S IPS monitor which has a 5K resolution (that's a good 218 pixels per inch on this 27-inch panel). The game to find value is clear, and that's only good news for a consumer who is spending top money for these optimised screens.
One could arguably complain that BenQ could have done more to give the PD2730S a more upmarket look. Visually, the thick plastic chin and the plastic back don't really fit well on a premium display. It is a for-purpose design, and while there's nothing wrong with it, a premium touch was perhaps essential. No shortage of connectivity ports though, including HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort Alternate Mode as well as 90-watt power delivery. There can perhaps be an argument for a dedicated display port option, but for most workflows, this array should suffice.
The software suite was the PD322U's strong suit, and that continues with the BenQ PD2730S. It can get a bit confusing for the uninitiated, but once everything is in place, this IPS display can really shine through. There is the Palette Master Ultimate software, essentially a calibrator if you have an external device such as a Datacolour Spyder, or the alternate being Display ColorTalk for similar controls. The BenQ PD2730S has Pantone and Pantone Skin Validation certifications, which lends credence to the sort of accuracy that creative workflows would require. Perhaps not what you and I may need for Zoom calls, but editing requires everything to be as realistic as possible. You can also download the BenQ Display Pilot 2 for finer display controls, such as desktop partitioning, daisy chain more than one monitor and configuring the Wireless Hotkey Puck.
Compared to some previous displays, the wireless puck is rather fun to use — and a quick way to change settings, though for most use cases, once may be more than enough. The only real weak-link in the BenQ PD2730S proposition would be the middling 3-watt speakers. That's in stark contrast to Apple's speaker implementation in the Studio Display. These speakers, specifically, struggle to be too loud, have no sense of lower frequencies (due to the lack of any subwoofer) and barely enough to listen to a podcast as you get on with your work. An external speaker will be the need of the hour.
The BenQ PD2730S is meant for creative workflows, and image quality, colour accuracy and viewing needed to be top notch. And it is, with the layer to reduce reflections, really adding value. One school of thought could point to a limiting 400 nits of brightness, which may be a tad on the lower side for certain video editing, but that may be a fraction of the collective time you spend with this display. Contrast, colours and viewing angles are a troika of strong points for the PD2730S, though you may feel an OLED panel could have given this monitor greater powers still. It is more cross platform too, than Apple's display, if you have a Windows machine to connect this with.
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