- Overall
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is designed to offer a crisp 4K screen with excellent color accuracy for prosumer use at a very low price. The brand is one of the industry’s underdogs, but many of their products can punch above their respective price points while having excellent quality. The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is considerably cheaper than many 4K monitors we’ve seen for editing use, but does it offer the excellent imaging fidelity required by designers?
Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 4K
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- Response Time: 3ms
- Contrast Ratio: 2500:1
- Brightness: 300 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 3 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 2, HDMI 1.4 x 1, USB 3.0 x 3, 5mm Audio Jack
- Dimensions: (W x H x D): 28.7” x 18.05” x 9.06”
- Weight: 19.62 lbs
Design and Features
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 sports a clean and streamlined design that isn’t exciting, but sophisticated and timeless. Its matte black finish always works for our taste simply because its easier to maintain and protect from dust and smudges. The display area isn’t bezel-free, but the plastic bezels used are almost unnoticeable and non-distracting.
Build quality on the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is excellent as anyone could expect from a Japanese-made product. The plastics used feel thick and sturdy, while the monitor’s ergonomic mechanisms are smooth yet firm. We did not see any visual defects on the monitor, and every corner and seam looks like they match perfectly.
We’re glad that the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 does have an OSD joystick instead of pesky buttons that are difficult to use and master. We think every monitor manufacturer should phase out the later in favor of joysticks and remotes. Users today spend quite some time in tweaking a monitor, so convenience is a highly appreciated characteristic in this industry.
The stand on the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is all about functionality with its simple design and clean look. The flat base doesn’t take up a lot of space, plus it gives you a good spot to place your small items such as phones or thumb drives. You can also tilt, swivel, and adjust the height of the screen so achieving a comfortable viewing angle is as easy as peas.
This part is also completely removable, although there is no quick-detach button to swiftly separate it from the chassis. You are going to need a screwdriver and some elbow grease, but it really isn’t too much trouble if you want more flexibility for the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1.
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1’s connectivity options are also fairly simple, but not limiting towards the product’s usability in any way. The down-firing panel at the rear includes DisplayPort 1.2 and dual HDMI 2.0 slots which are sufficient for a PC and two 4K devices such as the Xbox One X or PS4 Pro. There is also a two-slot USB hub on the side for easy-access, but take note that you have to connect the upstream (Type B) connection if you want to transfer data.
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 also includes a pair of 3-Watt speakers which are decent sounding, but too weak for entertainment use. The power output is sufficient for background music while working, but it cannot provide the oomph gaming or movies usually require.
Display and Performance
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 boasts a 32-inch VA panel with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 3ms response time. The backlight is rated at 300 cd/m2, while the contrast ratio reaches as much as 3000:1 as expected from a VA panel. There are no special features such as HDR compatibility, but these specifications are great for most applications.
Ultra HD fits better on a 32-inch monitor simply because its easier to appreciate the higher pixel count. The screen still looks very sharp and well-detailed, but you won’t need to use scaling in this format since text and small objects aren’t microscopic. 32-inch displays are also the entry-level size for couch gaming or movie bingeing, making the product more attractive to a wider audience.
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 provides excellent color quality, starting with the slightly above 100% sRGB coverage which equates to around 88% Adobe RGB. VA monitors are known to reach higher in this regard, but the gamut coverage limit ensures you don’t get unwanted oversaturation. Accuracy at default settings hits an excellent Delta E 2.05, but you can push it to DE 1.45 if you have a colorimeter on hand.
Color temperature is slightly off from the ideal 6500K point, but the deviance won’t cause trouble for most users. This makes the screen less warm-looking than many uncalibrated full sRGB screens we’ve seen. Gamma, on the other hand, sits at 2.24, meaning you won’t see any immediately visible washing out or darkening on most of the colors on the screen.
Uniformity for the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is a mixed bag since the deviance doesn’t exceed 12% on all quadrants at reasonable brightness levels. However, most of the errors are concentrated on the lower corner of the screen which can dilute some colors if your eyes are sharp enough. This characteristic varies between unit to unit, so make sure you can return yours if it exhibits problems like this.
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 advertises a slightly faster pixel response time of 3ms, but it isn’t any different from many VA displays we’ve seen. The model is still prone to blurring when gaming, and the limited refresh rate doesn’t help. You can use the overdrive function in the OSD to help quell some of the trailing and artifacts if they are noticeable, but use it sparingly since the highest setting induces very noticeable overshoot.
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is a FreeSync monitor, so you can enjoy buttery-smooth frames if you have AMD cards like the Radeon 5700XT. G-Sync compatibility isn’t guaranteed since the monitor is not certified, and we can’t say for certain if Iiyama is having their products tested for such use. Input lag could be better at 20ms at 60Hz, but this isn’t a gaming-specific model so it’s forgivable.
Thoughts on the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1
The Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 is an excellent option if you want a cheap mixed-use 4K display that offers decent imaging qualities. The color out from the VA panel is impressive, although it misses perfection by a few notches due to some issues in the backlight. Responsiveness and low latency are not included in the device’s strongest suits, but it’s still suitable for casual play.
We think the minor flaws on the Iiyama XB3288UHSU-B1 are not deal-breaking simply because its so reasonable when it comes to pricing. You normally would have to shell out twice the amount if you want a photo editing display. This model is a practical entry-level choice if you are in design, or if you simply want a good-looking screen for daily use.
About the Author:
Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews which accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
Spik says
This monitor has everything on OK level. Not an easy task for this price. Jack of all hands – great option especially if you have limited space. Gaming monitors really suks in graphics work. And here we have freesync (yes it’s working with new Nvidia GPUs).Biggest advantage of this model is not being bad in anything, and good enough for photo/movie work, casual gaming and movies.
Paolo Reva says
Thanks for sharing your valuable feedback, Spik!