The Lenovo L32p-30 sails on two boats with its high-end features and very attractive price point that offers more value per dollar spent. You get a large 32-inch 4K screen with plenty of features that make it suitable for mixed-use, including professional applications, all for under $500. Let’s check it out to learn how Lenovo priced a high-quality monitor as if it was an entry-level to midrange specimen.
Lenovo L32p-30 Specifications
- Screen Size: 32 Inches
- Resolution:3840 x 2160 4K UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS Black)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 6ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 3 Watts)
- Stand: Height – No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, USB-C PD75W x 1, USB 3.2 x 4, 3.5mm Audio Jack x 1
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 28.12” x 20.59” x 8.14″
- Weight: 17.2 lbs
Design and Features
The Lenovo L32p-30 looks sleek and sophisticated, even when compared to the P-series models from the brand. The monitor has a matte black finish with gunmetal accents, so it should fit in with any setup. The display has a bezel-free design, so you only have to deal with inner borders, which are already barely noticeable.
It’s a large monitor, but all manufacturers have been reducing their environmental impact by skimming their product’s material usage. The monitor only needs 8 inches of depth, although its width can still displace large peripherals if you have limited desk space. The monitor only weighs 17.2 pounds when fully assembled, so it’s still easy to lift if you want to move it.
Unboxing the monitor is pretty straightforward since it’s packaged in a clamshell-shaped carton, like what most laptops have. It ships disassembled, but attaching the base to the arm and the cabinet is easy since you won’t need tools. The only cables included are for its power and USB-C, but Lenovo included their LC50 webcam in the package.
We particularly liked the LC50 webcam’s design and functionality, even if it only has a 1080p sensor. It has a built-in mic and is capable of clear imagery, provided that you have enough light in your room, but it struggles and becomes grainy in the dark. That’s normal for most webcams, especially for those that are built-in with other products.
But our favorite thing about it is its magnetic mounting design which was very convenient. Its USB cable even has a mounting plate which will allow you to secure it firmly. It’s rounded up by a manual privacy shutter which protects you from peepers and hackers.
The Lenovo L32p-30 is trying to be priced like a budget model, so it cut some corners, like its use of buttons instead of a joystick for the OSD. The keys are in front of the bottom bezel, but getting used to them still takes some practice. Thankfully, Lenovo added compatibility with their Artery software, allowing you to adjust almost every setting on the monitor.
The Lenovo L32p-30 is built like a premium display, so it doesn’t feel cheap or low-end on any of its parts. The plastics used are thick and sturdy, plus the base and its arm are surrounded by metal accents which make it look more expensive. It’s also surprisingly resistant to wobbling, even if its attachment point sits low on the chassis.
Unfortunately, the monitor’s stand can only offer tilt which severely limits the viewing angles you can get from it. The chassis rides a bit high compared to similar models, so you might need to raise your chair to meet it adequately. You can use VESA mounts, but that’s an added cost that can upset limited budgets.
Its connectivity layout includes a slot each for DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0, along with a USB-C port with DP Alt Mode and up to 75 Watts of charging power. You also get four USB 3.2 slots for accessories and a 3.5mm jack for headphones. All of its ports are down-firing, so it’s quite difficult to hotplug something since you can only tilt the screen up to a certain degree.
The Lenovo L32p-30 also has a pair of 3-watt speakers that complete its functionality for remote work. They can get louder than your standard built-ins, but the sound quality is dismal. Some sounds can seem like they are muffled due to the lack of bass, although we consider it to be useful and clear enough for voice comms.
Display and Performance
The Lenovo L32p-30 boasts a 32-inch IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 6ms minimum response time. The backlight has a 350 cd/m2 maximum, while its contrast is listed at 1000:1, like most IPS monitors. This model isn’t certified for HDRsince it emphasizes image quality and functionality, but it is compatible with HDR10.
4K works and looks great on a 32-inch model since the pixel density isn’t too tight. Some might still find the need to use scaling, but visibility and legibility are considerably better on it versus the smaller variants. We always recommend this size for 4K screens, but those who aren’t affected by the tight PPI will prefer the more common 27-inch models.
We connected the monitor to a gaming laptop with an Nvidia RTX 3070Ti and an Intel i9 12900H via USB-C. The display’s 75Hz kept the laptop topped up while we worked on this review, but gaming was a different case since the GPU demanded power while it was crunching the numbers. Laptops with more modest specs should be fine with 75 watts, but those with more powerful innards will need more juice.
The Lenovo L32p-30 covered 100% sRGB, 88% of Adobe RGB, and 93% of the DCI-P3 gamuts. Its default accuracy had a deltaE average of 1.31, according to our Spyder 5, proving that it is indeed suitable for creators and designers. It even has filters for each gamut, all of which have sub 1.5 dE averages.
Calibrating it with the Calibrite DisplayPlus reduced the deltaE average to an astounding 0.4. Most of the errors in the calibrated state are on the white and black patches, but that’s primarily because of the low contrast ratio on IPS panels. Note that you must buy a colorimeter to get the same output since copying ICC profiles or RGB settings will not guarantee the same results.
The Lenovo L32p-30’s backlight only managed 288 cd/m2 at 100% brightness compared to the company’s 350 cd/m2 claim. It’s not a deal-breaker since it’s enough for most environments and doesn’t affect the monitor’s performance. Its bigger weakness is its limited 934:1 contrast ratio, resulting in a slightly higher black luminance.
The sample’s panel uniformity had issues due to an imbalance in the backlight’s spread. It is not immediately visible up front, but the bottom row was dimmer than the rest of the screen. Note that this can vary between every monitor made due to tolerances, so there are better and worse units out there.
The panel’s pixel response time is slightly slower, but it’s not entirely bad for games other than E-Sports titles. The screen barely shows any blurring, except in some highly contrasting transitions like a jet streaking over a night sky. Maxing out the overdrive did not help since it added overshot, so we recommend staying with the level 1 or 2 settings.
The Lenovo L32p-30’s best asset for gaming is its compatibility with both FreeSync and G-Sync. VRR is essential for 4K gaming since its very demanding on most GPUs. Input lag sits at 9ms at 60Hz, so there are no delays or sluggish sensations while using the monitor.
Thoughts on the Lenovo L32p-30
The Lenovo L32p-30 is a very nice option for those who want a high-quality 4K display without the associated price tag. Its IPS panel offers gorgeous color quality, while its mix of features makes it a jack of all trades. It is excellent for work, creative uses, and gaming, so you get more for your money’s worth.
However, there is some room for improvement in exchange for the embellishments on some of its parts. One example is the stand which could have been made simpler-looking to reduce the cost and then add more adjustability. But overall, it’s an excellent monitor, which proves that you don’t have to spend top dollar to get top-tier image quality and functionality.
Pros:
- Excellent Image Quality
- Affordable
- FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible
- USB-C Connectivity
Cons:
- Tilt-Limited Stand
- Low Contrast and Brightness
- OSD Buttons
About the Author: 
Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that 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 that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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