- Overall
The Acer BM320 is a 4K designer monitor which offers accurate color reproduction in three pre-calibrated gamuts through a gorgeously large IPS panel. The product comes with a bold, modernist design which adds a level of sophistication into any environment, without forgetting about functionality. If you are looking to expand the horizons of your digital view with true to life color and stunning clarity, then the Acer BM320 could be a fantastic contender.
Acer BM320 Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 4K UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes (-5°/+20°)
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes 100 x 100
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1 DP Mini 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, USB 3.0 x 5 3.5mm Jack
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 28.6” x 24.2” x 11.2″
- Weight: 25lbs
Design and Features
The Acer BM320 looks more like a luxurious TV than a monitor built for an office or studio with its svelte aesthetics. The product comes in a proper matte black accented by metallic silver in some parts, following a form which emphasizes on sleekness. The face is bezel-free on three sides like most of the Predator products from Acer, although thin panel borders are still present.
The sides are thin and flat save for a reasonable bulge which holds the innards, making the Acer BM320 ideal for flush mounting. On the left, there are two USB 3.0 slots for convenience while on the other side has four OSD buttons and a joystick for OSD navigation. This placement method creates a clean front which we all prefer, but tinkering with these features might take some time to get used to.
On the bulge behind the Acer BM320, there are two 2-watt speakers which fire at a wall to help maximize their reach. All of the inputs for this model are found underneath the housing, in down firing positions. The I/O layout includes DisplayPort 1.2, Mini DP 1.2, HDMI 2.0 and three more USB 3.0 slots. We’ve seen other devices with more options, but frankly, this is all you will ever need for typical operation plus a few other 4K devices like the PS4 Pro.
The Acer BM320 includes an imposing stand with sufficient heft to keep the monitor upright without play. The tall upright provides almost six inches of height adjustment, tilt, swivel, and even pivot, despite the size of the screen. We like how the base is just about the right size to keep the product steady without eating up more space than it needs to, but if you want VESA mounting, you can do so since this part is removable.
Display and Performance
The Acer BM320 boasts a 32-inch IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 5ms response time, and a 10-bit color interface. Acer complements these capabilities with three factory-calibrated filters for Adobe RGB, sRGB, and Rec.709. The screen can produce 98% of both the sRGB and the Adobe RGB color spaces, depending on which one you use.
Accuracy for both gamuts stays below an average DeltaE of 1.7 as well, with the Rec.709 mode having similar results to sRGB. No matter which preset you choose, images and videos will appear lifelike and correctly saturated even if you leave the Acer BM320’s settings (except brightness) as it is. This makes the product excellent even for beginners, or users who have no access to hardware calibration tools.
One thing that suffers on the Acer BM320’s resume is its contrast ratio which averages at around 700:1 on all presets. Don’t worry though since this is still within reasonable limits and gamma still sits close to the ideal 2.2, so images aren’t washed out save for some extreme circumstances. Also, using the monitor’s Uniformity Correction feature will lower contrast further, so we recommend users to avoid opting for that because the loss isn’t worth it.
You can also calibrate the Acer BM320 using its User mode if you don’t want to live with switching through the presets. However, we noticed that the screen had a slight red tinge when in this mode, which we couldn’t correct while playing around with the six-axis color temperatures. It’s rare to come across a fantastic monitor that does better when using its presets rather than a tuned state, but still, personal preference will apply.
Panel quality for the Acer BM320 is good as well since our test unit did not show variances of over 15% from the center to the side. The device’s Uniformity Correction did little to improve the output, plus it lowered contrast too much, affecting the dynamic range. On a positive note, we did not notice any backlight bleeding on the edges, but take note that the IPS lottery concept still applies.
The size, specs, and resolution make the Acer BM320 attractive for both PC and console gamers who are looking for a unified display for work and play. Sadly, Acer did not include FreeSync with this model, which would have helped its viability for AMD GPU users looking for after-hours fun. Input lag was also high at an average of 30ms so that sensitive players will feel a slight delay from the controls to the screen.
However, for casual enjoyment, we can’t cross off the Acer BM320 because it can produce eye-popping images. The input lag isn’t enough to ruin games via the PS4 Pro and our test PC in casual circumstances, so you can still enjoy the eye-popping sharpness and vibrancy of this device.
Thoughts on the Acer BM320
The Acer BM320 is excellent for both experienced and aspiring professionals due to its brilliance in color accuracy and image reproduction. Acer came through with their promised accuracy via their exclusive factory calibration, which is a huge plus since not all manufacturers can execute this method correctly. The design of the product is commendable as well, although we wish for the day when monitors like this will finally be free from panel borders.
The downside comes when consumers use the Acer BM320 for gaming where it lacks the chops needed for a fantastic experience. The input lag is too high, so sensitive users might feel some delays, plus there is no FreeSync functionality to help your GPU with 4K rendering. For its price, we at least expected decent performance in this regard, but then it seems that the Acer BM320 is purely only for professional use.
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