A good, productivity-focused monitor will go a long way in improving your efficiency while working, but it’s not often we find a monitor suitable for life after work. Among the world’s leading names in monitors is Taiwan’s BenQ, and one of the company’s latest models in India is the EW3880R WQHD + IPS curved ultra-wide monitor. In addition to the 21:9 aspect ratio that makes it useful for multi-tasking and multi-device connectivity, it also features a built-in front-facing 2.1-channel speaker system.
Valuation Rs. 97,500 in India, the BenQ EW3880R is certainly pricey and intended for a very small audience. However, it promises a lot for the price, including modern connectivity options, high resolution 37.5-inch IPS LED display, good sound, etc. Is this the best premium monitor can you buy now in india? Find out in this review.
BenQ EW3880R monitor with 2.1 channel front speaker system
Screen Design BenQ EW3880R
While I never expected the BenQ EW3880R monitor to be small and easy to hold, its actual size and proportions surprised me when I set it up. It’s big, heavy, and quite impressive in its design, with a curved 37.5-inch 60Hz WQHD+ (3840×1600 pixels) IPS LED panel and a 21:9 aspect ratio. Although the aspect ratio is super at first. This width may seem a bit awkward, but it is suitable for all types of functions, including productivity and entertainment.
While the large display naturally dominates the front view of the display, it’s hard to miss the speaker grille directly below. This features a 2.1 channel speaker system, with two 3W mid and high range drivers along with an 8W woofer. There’s also a small button in the lower right corner that activates the built-in high dynamic range mode.
The BenQ EW3880R screen is quite thick, given its size, the curvature of the 2300R is very prominent and conspicuous. The monitor is mounted to a centrally-balanced, heavy-duty stand that allows for many adjustments, including up to 120mm in height near the top, up to 15 degrees of tilt, and up to 15 degrees of rotation in either direction. .
All of this balances securely on a V-shaped base that takes up a fair amount of space on whatever table you plan to place the monitor on. The size of the stand and the space it takes up also means that you’ll need plenty of space between the monitor and the rear wall, as well as between you and the monitor, for it to be used properly and safely. I placed the monitor about three feet away, and while the curved screen helped a bit with visibility at the edges, it felt a bit too big for my workspace.
The remote is small and runs on a single CR2032 battery
Included in the box of the BenQ EW3880R monitor are a USB Type-C cable, an HDMI cable, a power cable for the monitor, and the remote control. There are also removable plastic panels that can be fixed to the back of the display to cover up the stand attachment and ports, but there’s no need to use these if you want quick access and easily or if the monitor is placed against a wall.
BenQ EW3880R . Monitor Specifications and Features
Setting aside the 2.1-channel speaker system and large curved screen, the BenQ EW3880R monitor has many outstanding features and specifications. The display supports the HDR10 format and has a maximum brightness of 300 nits when using HDR or 250 nits when not in use. In addition, you can run two separate source devices simultaneously on the screen in split-screen mode.
The video input options on the BenQ EW3880R monitor are impressive, with two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB Type-C port. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting external audio. Most impressive is the USB Type-C connection, as this allows the laptop to send DisplayPort signals to the display and receive up to 60W of power for simultaneous charging. This also powers the monitor’s two USB 3.0 Type-A ports downstream, so you can connect your PC to additional peripherals and set up a dock with a single cable.
High dynamic range mode works a little differently than it does on most TVs. While the TV automatically detects HDR content and switches to HDR picture mode, the BenQ monitor must manually enable HDR. This is as simple as tapping the ‘HDRi’ button on the front of the display or on the remote, and then cycle through three presets – Cinema HDR, Game HDR and Standard HDR – all of which optimized for specific use cases. There’s also a ‘Night Mode’ that supposedly adjusts the sound to make voices clearer even at low volumes.
BenQ EW3880R monitor’s aspect ratio allows 21:9 native content to be played using the entire screen
The BenQ EW3880R monitor has its own remote control, which can be used to control the source, select the source, control the ‘Night’ and HDR modes, adjust the brightness and volume level, and control some settings other basic settings like sound mode. The remote control works on CR2032 batteries; while the company claims that this comes pre-installed in the remote, my unit doesn’t have this and I had to open the remote to install it after purchasing it separately.
The remote is small and much more convenient when it comes to controlling basic things like power and volume after the initial setup. You can also control the display without it using the physical buttons, but you’ll have to reach behind to find the buttons.
BenQ EW3880R . Monitor Performance
Although the BenQ EW3880R monitor is advertised as entertainment-friendly, it is quite different from other monitors with similar login information like Smart Screen Samsung M7 has a 16:9 aspect ratio and its own operating system. The BenQ monitor is significantly larger, has a curved screen, and a 21:9 aspect ratio, providing a rather different viewing experience.
However, all of the above make the BenQ EW3880R monitor especially suitable as a large monitor for using your laptop or PC, with its wide aspect ratio making multi-tasking especially convenient. convenient. The most obvious way to do this is to run two apps or programs side by side on the same laptop. I can comfortably keep an Internet browser and a Word document open at the same time. It’s like having two screens side by side, but without any border in between.
The screen has a 2300R curvature, which is especially helpful in reducing light reflections and glare
I was able to run Windows at the full resolution available and at 60Hz when I connected Realme Book Slim use the USB Type-C cable that came with the monitor. The resolution has been properly adjusted for the screen, and Windows also recommends an appropriate scaling level to ensure text legibility and proper application visibility.
I especially like the split screen option, which allows me to select two inputs and have them share the screen space. This works fine when using the Realme Book Slim and MacBook Air connected using the HDMI port. Both laptops adjust their output resolutions to best fit the available screen space. Split-screen options include 1:1 split, 2:1 split, or picture-in-picture for secondary inputs, allowing for a lot of flexibility with how you want the two source devices to be displayed.
Aside from the occasional multi-tasking, to which I have both laptops connected in split-screen mode, I generally tend to use the BenQ EW3880R monitor as my reference monitor for reading and video content, with multiple applications or windows open in parallel . Color accuracy and sharpness are impressive, making this a good monitor for my occasional photo editing tasks.
Furthermore, the screen’s sharpness makes reading text enjoyable even from a considerable viewing distance, and with text magnified natively by Windows. It’s also reasonably bright even without HDR on, and the curvature of the IPS panel helps reduce light reflections, providing a clear and consistent viewing experience regardless of ambient light.
The BenQ EW3880R really works well with video and streaming content. The display’s odd aspect ratio and WQHD+ resolution mean that streaming content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video is limited to full-HD whether using native apps for Windows or via Bluetooth. via Web browser.
Native 21:9 content, including Red Notice on Netflix, scales perfectly on the screen and uses all its real estate for a proper cinematic viewing experience and this is more resolution limit. Sharpness is decent and colors are accurate, making this monitor well-suited for occasional entertainment after work and even late-night movies. HDR has improved the picture a bit by having better brightness and slightly more impactful colors when watching video content, but I’d rather turn it off for day-to-day work.
Sound quality is quite good on the front-firing 2.1-channel speaker system of the BenQ EW3880R screen. Although not very loud, the sound is clear, detailed and well tuned over short distances. I have to use it at full volume most of the time to be able to hear it clearly, and the ‘Night Mode’ only makes a small difference in improving voice clarity at slightly lower volumes . While nowhere is this better than a proper speaker system or even good headphones, the audio performance is good enough for a monitor and has been optimized for both everyday productivity use and entertainment.
Identify
With the curved ultra-wide screen EW3880R, BenQ has an interesting product on hand. This monitor is large, impressive, and well-suited for professionals who use computers, whether working from home or in the office. On-screen images are sharp, colors and motion are well displayed, and there are enough modern connectivity options to cater for most source devices and connection scenarios.
Split-screen mode, which allows you to use two devices simultaneously, is a great way to make good use of the wide aspect ratio. The built-in 2.1-channel speaker system is very useful and gives the BenQ EW3880R information-friendly entertainment. This device can be especially suitable for anyone who may need a single screen for both work and post-work use, especially in homes with limited space.
However, for the price of Rs. 97,500 in India, this monitor is probably a bit too expensive, even for a curved ultra-wide monitor model. It’s a dedicated product and comes at a decent price, but it’s worth the investment if your usage matches the connectivity, features, and design on offer.
